Wednesday's Writer's Tip - More of From First Draft to Finished Novel - Karen Wiesner #MFRWA

There are two parts of the moving from the planning phase to the rough draft phase. One is what Karen calls the High-Concept Blurb. I use a version of this that's a little different from what she talks about. Essentially the one I use and I do this for both main characters and sometimes the villain consists of a statement followed by a question. I've even sold an editor on a book using just this method.

We'll look at Karen Wiesner's version that's little different from mine but may be longer than 2 sentences. What it boils down to is the character has a goal because he's motivated but he faces conflict. The who, what, why and why not are filled into the blanks.

My version varies and I'll give an example. Returning home after a 12 year absence, Andi Sherman now a nurse practitioner comes upon an accident and rescues a baby and follows to the hospital where she receives a shock. Can she and the man who hurt her learn to love the child related to each of them and find love again?  This would be done for the hero also since this is a romance.

Karen also talks about what she calls Story Sparks. She says this is an intriguing something that sparks a stor scenario and pushes the story forward. This is the Aha moment. I really don't understand this but perhaps there will be more later in the book. I'd recommend reading FromFirst Draft To Finished Novel by Karen Wiesner. Perhaps you'll understand.