by Angela Ruth Strong, @AngelaRStrong
Blake Snyder made up some fun writing rules that he teaches in his book Save the Cat. Save the Cat is actually his most famous rule. It says you must make your characters likable by having them do something heroic in the beginning…like saving a cat.
I appreciate these kinds of rules because they don’t just tell you how you messed up, they tell you how to fix it. Oh no, the editor said my character isn’t likable enough. The book must be doomed! Oh, wait. Blake Snyder told me what to do in this situation. I’ll just have my hero save the cat (or help the little old lady across the street or pay for the widow’s groceries or whatever)…
Fast forward to a situation where I was facing writer’s block. What now, Blake? In an interview, he answered, “That’s when the fun starts.” Except writer’s block isn’t fun. Thanks for nothin’, Cat Man.
Thankfully, I was watching the movie Ocean’s 13—the one where Matt Damon puts on a ridiculously long nose as part of his disguise. There was no other intention for the nose except to create a character for their con. Then the thieves painted themselves into a corner. Kinda like I had done in my writing. They were forced to find a new solution. And their new solution revolved around the disguise they’d already devised. They started shouting, “The nose plays!”
That’s the name of my favorite rule: The Nose Plays. I use it when I get stuck and need to look back at the characters I’ve already created to find the direction for where my story is headed. If I were to make up something completely new to fix the issue, it wouldn’t fit so seamlessly. In fact, it very well could overcomplicate what should be organic.
I love this rule because I love those moments when all the work I’ve done pays off. The puzzle pieces fit together to tell a story even more cohesive than I’d intended. Every time I have such a discovery or my critique partners make that kind of connection, I pretend I’m the Academy Award-winning writer wearing a giant schnoz and yell out, “The nose plays!”
Maybe that’s what Blake meant about writer’s block when he said, “That’s where the fun begins.” Because as writers, conflict is just as essential to us as it is for our characters. We must be pushed outside our comfort zones to dig deeper. To surprise ourselves as well as the readers. To make a good story even better.
The solutions to our writing problems are always right there in front of us, we just have to sniff them out. Pun intended because…The Nose Plays! And so can you.
Can two baristas track down a gunman after the espresso shot heard ‘round the world? When Marissa witnesses an attempted murder during the 4th of July parade, it starts a battle for her independence. She is forced to hide out in a safehouse, leaving her co-owner, Tandy, to run their coffee shop, track down the criminal, and, worse, plan Marissa’s wedding. Thankfully Tandy has help, but can she really trust the P.I. in a bow tie, her new deaf barista who acts more like a bartender, or a wedding planner who’s keeping secrets? The threat on Marissa’s future goes from bad to worse when her bridal gown is covered in blood. Though her fiancé, Connor, agrees to give up his identity to join her in the Witness Protection Program, Marissa refuses to wave the white flag. Instead, she enlists Tandy to help her fight for truth, justice, and the Americano way.
Angela Ruth Strong sold her first Christian romance novel in 2009 then quit writing romance when her husband left her. Ten years later, God has shown her the true meaning of love, and there’s nothing else she’d rather write about. Her books have since earned TOP PICK in Romantic Times, been optioned for film, won the Cascade Award, and been Amazon best-sellers. She also writes non-fiction for SpiritLed Woman. To help aspiring authors, she started IDAhope Writers where she lives in Idaho, and she teaches as an expert online at WRITE THAT BOOK.