Writing: Character

The Twelve Days of Anna: Day Four: Figuring Out Antagonists and Minions

So about Bad Guys.

Actually, antagonists are not always bad, especially if they’re scene antagonists (every scene needs one).  Sometimes they want something good for our protagonists that the protagonist doesn’t want.  Gracie is an antagonist in that first scene because she’s trying to convince Anna to sleep with a billionaire (Joke.  Kinda).  Madeline is the scene antagonist for Nate because she’s shoving him into a unit where he doesn’t want to go.  Neither of them means harm.  And then there’s Chad.

There are some writers who make antagonists so bad you want the bad guys bleeding on the page.  Dick Francis springs to mind.  Jodi Taylor.  Since I tend to the romcom side, my antagonists are more self-involved and clueless than actively evil.   Even the stalker boyfriend in Crazy for You was losing his mind and thought he was doing what was best for whatshername.  But then I started writing with Bob, and Evil entered the picture.  You would not believe some of the Antagonist Actions I have talked him out of.  “It’s a comedy, Bob.  We don’t want readers throwing up on the pages.”  Or my favorite moment from sixteen years ago, “Bob, you can’t keep killing my characters; readers get attached to them.”  “Then stop giving them names.” (more…)

The Twelve Days of Anna: Day Three: Rebooting a Protagonist

Okay, so Anna was not engaging on the page.  When you all said, “Start with the casino” or at least “Cut the bit with Mom,” I realized that I needed to reboot Anna completely.  No more twin sets or get-along girl; she could have flaws that weren’t boring.  And also since Nate’s Chapter Two was coming right up and he was going to blow Anna off the page, syntactically speaking, I had to really up her game.

So I talked about it with Bob and then did the rewrite and sent it to him, and he did some tweaking, and we now have the rewrite, which will not be the last but is pretty close.

If you don’t like it, it’s your fault.

Arresting Anna Part One, the Rewrite

(We’ll get to Chad tomorrow.)

The Twelve Days Of Anna: Day Two: Two Protagonists

First, I want to thank you profusely for suggesting cutting the first scene.  You were all correct, that has to go.  I could go into detail about how fabulously it set up so much of the later plot and character, but I’m not going to because it’s irrelevant.  It wasn’t working, it’s gone.  Brilliant suggestion.

Second, we’re going to discuss Chad tomorrow, so I’m not ignoring your disapproval.  He has to stay, so we can figure that out on Monday.

And now the next point: We have two protagonists, which normally I’m against, but for our collaborations it’s essential.  That is, this is not a book about Anna who meets Nate, or Nate who meets Anna, this is a book about Anna and Nate, equally.  Trickier, but since Bob writes Nate, I don’t dwell on it. (more…)