It’s been a crazy week for me. Preparing to go out of town to speak, spending a few days with friends and my hubster in NY, catching up on details and promises made that need to be kept.

Then yesterday when I should’ve been working on a blog about fairytales, I was fighting with computer problems. A PDF process got caught in a loop and it looped and looped and looped, devouring all of my system memory.

I aged a year just waiting for the Finder window to open. 😉 Shout out to my friend Federico for fixing the problem.

So, I’m punting today with a different kind of Book Therapist blog.

I was having lunch with friend Debbie Macomber, Roxanne St. Claire and Martha Powers (Carla Darcy if you like Regency Romances – ABA not CBA) when Debbie told us about a book she endorsed that really captured her.

“It had all of my requirements for a plot. It was provocative, relevant, creatively told, realistic and entertaining.

Rocki (a NY Times Bestselling author and RITA winer) and I (A, well, you know, a wanna be) were like, “Wha?? Say that again.”

I whipped out my phone and fired up the Notes app and started tapping.

“Rach, email that to me,” Rocki said.

So, what? A plot must be what??

Provocative
Meaning, it makes the reader think. The story must stir the reader to think. Are you creating an emotional, spiritually and physically engaging story where the reader must ponder some aspect of his or her own life? Or belief system?

Relevant
Is the story relevant to the life of the reader? Is it current? Does it fit with the mindset of society? Does it touch the human condition?
Even historical novels must be relevant to today’s readers. Don’t write about 1850 without considering the 2013 reader.

Creative
Is the story told in the most creative way possible? In other words, are you using storyteller craft and tricks to engage the readers mind and heart?
You don’t have to tell the story straight up.
For the Songbird Novels with Sara Evans, I used flashbacks to tell Jade’s, the protagonist, story. The flashbacks were a subplot, showing the dynamics of Jade’s relationship with her mother and family.
What about using newspaper articles? Or emails? Tweets? Changing up the voice?
In the Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, Maggie O’Farrell used heavy em-dashes and broken thoughts to show the mind of an alzheimer patient. Work fabulous.

Realistic
Is the story believable. Could this happen? Do the scenes and emotions resonate with reality.
It’s true, life is often stranger than fiction, so don’t let your story blow real life out of the water!
Do the characters act “real?”
Are they flawed but empathetic and relatable?
Is the dialog poignant, delivering the story?

Entertaining
Does the story capture you? Is there humor? Emotion? Tears?
What’s the end emotion?
Does the reader close the book and feel, “Ah, that was good. I didn’t want it to end?”
Is the writing smooth, well crafted?
Sometimes a great sentence knocks a book out of the park.
We read great sentences out loud to our spouses and friends, post them online!

So, as you write, keep these things in mind.

Happy Writing!

Best-selling, award-winning author Rachel Hauck loves a great story. She excels in seeing the deeper layers of a story. With a love for teaching and mentoring, Rachel comes alongside writers to help them craft their novel.

A worship leader, board member of ACFW and popular writing teacher, Rachel is the author of over 15 novels. She lives in Florida with her husband and her dog, Lola. Contact her at: Rachel@mybooktherapy.com. Her next book, Once Upon A Prince, releases May 7!

Go forth and write!

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