Because I am tied up
with NaNoWriMo all month, I decided to re-run one of my popular past posts.
Enjoy! FYI, my word count is ahead of schedule! Yay!
I can’t help myself. The fact that you clicked on this link
to read this blog means you’re just like me. Admit it.
The Internet is rife with articles about how to interview,
how to know if he’s really into you, what it means when she wears certain
clothes. I’m hooked. Cannot resist collecting these things.
But, I have an excuse. Several in fact. I write blogs about
relationship sorts of stuff. I tweet daily (@RomanceRighter), and I maintain my
Angelica French Facebook posts. Oh, and I write erotic romances. So that’s why
I collect this stuff. I use it!
One article I’ve been hoarding for a while is “5 Types of
Women Guys Go For” (http://bit.ly/10TlGdT). How could I not have been drawn to
it?
In this article, you are given character sketches--for
free--of women to include in your stories! How cool is that? I mean, think
about it. You read the description and come up with some questions about plot
lines and BINGO! A book!
Let’s try one. But first, here are the five types:
Type #1: The older woman
Type #2: The woman who’s “just one of the guys”
Type #3: The free spirit
Type #4: The intellectual
Type #5: The seductress
Here’s my process:
Remember I’m into Crone Lit. Old rules!
So, Type #1: The older woman is described as a sophisticate
who’s been places, seen things, and done lots more. She knows who she is and
what she wants. She can act as a mentor to both younger men and women helping
them gain perspective on life. Being desirable isn’t an age but a way of being.
A man needs to find ways to please a woman who isn’t looking to start a family.
After listing the traits from the article,
I generate
questions for me to answer:
What has she accomplished? What are her goals at this time
of life?
Is she looking for love? What gives her the greatest
satisfaction?
For conflicts, I can contrast her with
male or female characters who are opposite her goals and accomplishments.
Then to the what-ifs:
What if a woman who just lost her husband and son met
a man on a cruise who looked like her son but acted the opposite?
What if this guy is oblivious to her curiosity about
him?
What if he is attracted to a younger woman who is so
wrong for him and the older woman wants to save him?
What if in the process of distracting him they
discover a mutual interest?
And so on.
After that, list your ten key events and build
out to 35-40 scenes from them.
Your turn! How would you exploit the remaining four types?
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