by Patricia Bradley, @PTBradley1

Once again I’m at the beginning of a new book and I don’t know quite how to get from A to Z. Ever been there? It’s almost like, “Now how did I do this before?” Don’t laugh. It’s a real problem for me, a former plotter, who seems to be writing by the seat of her pants lately. I do know how my story will open and how it will end. I sort of know the turning point in the middle. Sort of tells me I need to work on that middle, discover what’s going to happen that will turn the story around. But to do that, I must learn who my characters are.

Just this past week I pulled out Stein on Writing by Sol Stein and was struck by his opening words in Chapter 6 where he talks about giving our character something they desire. Then he quotes Kurt Vonnegut:

“When I used to teach creative writing, I would tell my students to make their characters want something right away even if it’s only a glass of water.”

Right away I realized I didn’t know what my heroine wanted. So I opened Scapple (you can use any mind mapping technique, even a sketchbook and I started listing some things I thought she might want. A new job, get married and have children, a better relationship with her mother, who she is. By the time I worked through this, I had a much better idea of who she is and what she wants. I did the same thing with my hero, Luke.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve learned I can’t write a book without knowing who my characters are and what they want. I repeat this process for each character, including my antagonist. In fact, I may work harder on my antagonist than my protagonist because without a worthy villain, I don’t have a strong hero or heroine.

So, before you start a book or the next time you’re stuck, free write a little and discover more about your characters. List at least ten things he or she can want or desire. Then don’t let them have it.

What do you do when you’re stuck?

Justice Betrayed

It’s Elvis Week in Memphis, and homicide Detective Rachel Sloan isn’t sure her day could get any stranger when aging Elvis impersonator Vic Vegas asks to see her. But when he produces a photo of her murdered mother with four Elvis impersonators–one of whom had also been murdered soon after the photo was taken–she’s forced to reevaluate. Is there some connection between the two unsolved cases? And could the recent break-in at Vic’s home be tied to his obsession with finding his friend’s killer?

When yet another person in the photo is murdered, Rachel suddenly has her hands full investigating three cases. Lieutenant Boone Callahan offers his help, but their checkered romantic past threatens to get in the way. Can they solve the cases before the murderer makes Rachel victim number four?

Patricia Bradley lives in North Mississippi with her rescue kitty Suzy and loves to write suspense with a twist of romance. Her books include the Logan Point series and two Harlequin Heartwarming romances. Justice Delayed, a Memphis Cold Case Novel, is the first book in her next series and it releases January 31, 2017. When she has time, she likes to throw mud on a wheel and see what happens.