It’s a rainy day and a holiday so I just want to curl up with a cup of tea and watch a Hallmark movie. They are like the macaroni and cheese of the movie world … comfort food. I have heard that there is a plot formula to these movies, right down to the minute when the main character faces the turning point crisis. I’m not sure if it is spelled out to the screenwriters, a hard and fast rule, but it is what the viewers want and expect. I mean, the cheese might be different, bacon bits slipped in, or the pasta could be whole wheat, but the combination of pasta and gooey cheese works every time.
It turns out that formulas can also work in books, sort of. Cathi and I are mystery writers so most of our classes have talked about writing in this genre. Mysteries and thrillers are often the most popular (check the New York Times Best Seller List) and I think it is partly because readers know they will usually be fast paced with a satisfying climax somewhere near the end. A multitude of authors conduct workshops that talk about the plotting and pacing of a novel. They describe their methods for writing a well-crafted mystery with different graphics such as plot wheels, plot clocks, flow charts, and bell curves which can often be broken down to similar components. This is not to say every book is the same … the variations in character, location, clues, crimes, etc. can be endless. A successful writer also has a unique voice that distinguishes her international espionage novel from the other guy’s foreign spy book. But as a writer, I take comfort in knowing that once I get down the mechanics of sentence structure, find my voice, and reach into my creative vault … then I just need to make sure the story structure follows the plot and pacing plan from one of my workshops. Easy peasy.
On future blogs I hope to break down some of my favorite methods from my favorite authors. It will just be a brief taste … then you can seek out their workshops at future conferences and events for the real deal. Since it is still raining, and I’ve finished my blog, I think I will go put on the tea kettle and switch on my fake fireplace and settle in for some comfort tv.
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