Writing a Series: Beyond Plotting

by Madelle Morgan

I'm starting to write Hollywood Hero, the third book in the Hollywood in Muskoka contemporary romance series.

Okay, I've been "starting" for a while. Over six months, to be exact.

If I were a pantser, I'd simply dive right in and start typing. While creating the story, I'd discover the story. Then I'd go into the second draft in a shaping & refining mode, like a sculptor carves a blob of clay into something that resembles art.

Since I'm a plotter, as I did for the first two in the series, I just need to create character profiles, internal and external goal, motivation and conflict (GMC) charts for each character, and scene structure (scene by scene POV, plot beats and goals), then start writing. Straightforward!

Or so I believed...

On the cusp of writing my seventh novel (three published), I expected plot development to be a breeze. I've read the craft books and distilled my own process for short contemporary romance. I even wrote posts about it. Click here and scroll down to Tips for Writing a Novel.

But I've Been Thinking

Two books in, I've belatedly realized that writing a series requires pinning down several abstract but critical elements before the easy and fun (to me) plotter's process of creating characters and drafting beat sheets.

In addition, readers have expectations that each story will give them a similar experience. That "similar experience" is the series "hook."  If you don't fulfill those expectations, readers lose interest in the series.

Expectations...what does that mean, exactly?

I've discovered that I need to spend time on (maybe I'm overthinking) these foundation elements.

Series Universal Theme

Each romance in the Hollywood in Muskoka series explores the universal theme of Identity. Each heroine struggles with these questions: What kind of person am I? Who do I want to be? Where do I belong? What should I do with my life?

Story Theme

Each story explores a different aspect of identity. Below are the story themes that reflect the heroine's internal conflict and journey to becoming her best self. Each novel's black moment emerges from the story theme, which is why (as a plotter) it is important to nail down the story theme before creating the scene structure and beats.

Caught on Camera: Deception leads to heartbreak.
Seduced by the Screenwriter: To heal, you must face your fear.
Hollywood Hero: To thine own self be true (draft).

Romance Trope

In the novel blurb, the trope has to be immediately evident to the prospective romance reader. It's vital to her "yes, I want to read this" or "no, I'll pass" decision.

Caught on Camera: Romantic Comedy
Seduced by the Screenwriter: Wounded Hero/Heroine
Hollywood Hero: Unrequited Love/In Love with the Boss

Tone

Caught on Camera: Humorous, light
Seduced by the Screenwriter: Dramedy, dark elements
Hollywood Hero: Humorous, light

Heat Level

Series: steamy

The Cast

When writing a series, several characters are continuing or will star in their own books. Therefore when crafting each story, secondary characters have to be introduced to set up the future novel and novella romances.

Caught on Camera, #1
Rachel and Mickey (hero and heroine). Introduces core series characters: the wedding party (Halden, Candy, Garth, Wade, Asta, Tiffany), Catrina, Marie-Eve, and Wendy. A character mentions Tiffany's director ex-husband who will be the hero in Book 4.

Seduced by the Screenwriter, #2
Catrina and Chett (hero and heroine). Introduces Brigit and Brad (Muskoka), and Jenna and Henrik (Hollywood).

Hollywood Hero, #3
Halden and Wendy (hero and heroine). Introduces Bella (Hollywood), Skylar (Muskoka) and maybe others TBD.

The Director's Dilemma, #4
Tiffany's ex and Asta (hero and heroine). 

Getting the Greenlight, #5
Wade and Skylar (hero and heroine).

The Producer's Passion, #6
Garth and Tiffany (hero and heroine).

You can see that I have planted the seeds for Brigit, Henrik, Jenna, Brad, Bella, and Marie-Eve to have their own romances, should I decide to continue the series or write novellas within the timeline of the series. Then there are all the "extras"; that is, the local Muskoka community and Hollywood film industry characters who have walk-on parts, are villains, or get killed off.

That's quite a few inter-connected characters to juggle before starting to create the GMCs, beat sheets, scene structure, character arcs, etc. in the Muskoka "world." Yikes.

Series Bible & Timeline

The series takes place over a two to three year period. I have to keep notes on locations and characters (including dogs), and what each character is doing in the time frame of the individual novels. For example, Halden's film production company has several movies at various stages of development or in production over that time period. Several characters have various roles to play in the creation of these films. Their private relationships intersect their working relationships.

"We'll Fix it in Editing."

I'm a big picture thinker and a planner, so it's not overwhelming for me to think about six books at once. However, it takes time. There's the danger of getting mired in the details. Minor issues can be fixed in the second or third draft, but before I personally can start writing, the underlying structure needs to be pretty solid.

I plan to start writing Hollywood Hero next month.

I've been promising myself that for three months....

What I need is a deadline to get my you-know-what in the chair at the computer. Any ideas to share on what motivates you?

Enjoy the summer!

Madelle

Caught on Camera is a Hollywood wedding romantic comedy set in Muskoka, Canada—summer playground of the rich and famous. It's Book 1 of the Hollywood in Muskoka series.

5 stars! "Caught on Camera" is a super fun read! Full of funny drama and lighthearted banter, it lifts the spirits. A witty, passionate romance, "Caught on Camera" is a great break from reality. —Laura Dinsdale, InD’tale magazine review, October 2017.

 Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com.au |   iBooks | Kobo

Seduced by the Screenwriter, Book 2, is a steamy romantic dramedy.

Cat and Chett’s characters are well developed, drawing the reader into their individual plights, while their campy banter keeps the story light and downright fun. Ms. Morgan keeps the plot moving with humorous situations and dialogue interspersed with exciting and poignant drama. A good read for a snowy afternoon. —Marc Joseph, InD’Tale magazine review, March 2018.

Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com.au

Madelle's romantic thriller DiamondHunter is a free read in Kindle Unlimited.

Follow Madelle on  Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest, and Wattpad. For giveaways and new releases, subscribe to Madelle’s blog at www.MadelleMorgan.com.

A Plotter's Process For Writing a Novel - Part 1

by Madelle Morgan

On deck is the third in my contemporary romance series Hollywood in Muskoka.

This is the seventh time I've started a new novel. From countless workshops and craft books over the years, I've distilled a story development process that works for me.

In my March and April posts I decided to share what I put together before I type Chapter 1 on that blank page. It's the most creative and fun part of writing for me. I imagine and reject many possibilities before deciding on key elements of the book such as...

Who, What, When, Where

I nail down a target word count, the romance sub-genre, a setting, the time of year, the hero and heroine's names, ages, professions and appearances, and a title (which might change anytime before the cover is final).

Whose Story is it?

Which of the two protagonists has the most to win or lose? In a romance, is it the hero or the heroine who has the greatest character growth? I can't start writing without answering these two questions.

Hero/Heroine's GMC

I'm indebted to Debra Dixon for her book G M C: Goal, Motivation and Conflict, which I've reread so often I practically memorized it. She proposes that an author create a summary sentence for each character's internal GMC and external GMC:

H/H wants (goal) because (motivation) but (conflict).

I customized Debra's summary sentence by adding a "C" for consequences. That is, what bad thing will happen if the hero or heroine does not achieve the goal?

H/H wants (goal) because (motivation) or else (consequences) but (obstacles/conflict).

Either the hero and heroine's external goals have to be in opposition, or, if they have a common goal, their motivations conflict. Recall the film Romancing the Stone. The heroine and hero both want the jewel, but the heroine wants to use it to save her sister, and the hero wants to buy a sailboat.

What happens when GMC is not in a book's back cover blurb or online description? The prospective reader has no idea what the book is about. Here's the description for Caught on Camera, the first in the series. It's the heroine's story. Rachel has the most to win or lose - a career in Hollywood.

To achieve her dream of working on Hollywood film sets (motivation), star struck chambermaid Rachel Lehmann (heroine) needs $35,000 for film school tuition (goal) by the end of the summer (time pressure). 

When she's asked to fill in for a missing bridesmaid at a movie star's wedding, it's her big chance to take candid photos and sell them to the entertainment media. 

Then groomsman Mickey McNichol, agent to the stars (hero), sweeps her off her feet. 

Mickey's bitter experience (wound) is that everyone in show business fakes emotions. When he falls for the stand-in bridesmaid, he thinks he's finally met a beautiful woman he can trust. But if Rachel betrays his celebrity friends' privacy, Mickey will ensure she never works in Hollywood (conflict).

In "imagineering" the hero and heroine, I identify for each:

• External GMCC (basis of the main plot)
• Internal GMCC (basis of the romance plot)
• Wound - what's stopping the character from committing emotionally
• False persona (who s/he believes herself/himself to be, or pretends to be)
• Character Arc to Essence (his or her transition to the true, best self)

I learned about the concept of essence at screenwriting teacher Michael Hague's workshop. It was the craft keystone I didn't realize I lacked. The hero and heroine fall in love with each other's essence - his or her true self. The romance plot is a journey to heal wounds and become the whole person the other falls for.

I also develop an external GMCC for each important character other than the protagonists; e.g., the antagonist/villain, and the characters in the subplot.

Theme

My interpretation of theme is that it's the emotional/moral thread underlying the plot. The main plot and any subplots should illustrate different aspects of the theme. In Caught on Camera, I used "deception leads to heartbreak". In my debut romantic suspense, the theme was "betrayal". Note that each reader's interpretation of a story is unique, and the reader may connect with a different theme from the one the author intended. That's rich, layered storytelling!

Whew. All that prep and still not a word on the page! 

Finally it's time to imagine what happens in the story. In Part 2 I'll describe my plotting approach using the screenwriting Three Act Structure.

Authors, how does your story development process differ? What do you add?

Readers, do you consciously look for a character's GMC in the description before deciding to read a book?

Madelle

Madelle's debut romantic suspense,  DiamondHunter, was turned into an action/adventure screenplay by screenwriter Marie Lilly. The novel is available in ebook format on Amazon and Kobo for $0.99 USD and £0.99 GBP.

Madelle tweets and posts about Hollywood, film-making, the settings for her stories, and, of course, writing. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribe to her blog at MadelleMorgan.com .