Thursday's Writing Question!

Before I start with today's writing question I have to say something. I just found a dead spider floating in my coffee. Yes, a spider. I nearly sipped that sucker right down. OMG! What the??!! I love this gorgeous weather. It's sunny, warm, and I've been writing, exercising, cleaning house, leaving windows open, and generally just getting caught up on things. It feels great! But, spiders always come out this time of year. Dang it. My biggest fear in the world and they're ruining my good mood! Guh!

Okay, I feel better. LOL Now, onto the topic.

Today I want to talk about fighting. Specifically your heroes and heroines fighting. One of my biggest problems when writing is conflict. My husband tells me that I need to add more conflict into my stories. He's right. I've been working on this lately too. One of the main reasons is because conflict makes the story more real. The characters have more depth. Let's face it, life and our relationships aren't all roses and sunshine. We argue with our spouses. We have difficulties with our sisters, brothers, parents. Life is a rollercoaster ride. In truth, some of the best books I've read have been filled with conflict.

A few examples.

"Dark Desire" by Christine Feehan. The story starts with conflict. The hero pretty much hates the heroine. Blames her for something she didn't do. He's injuried. She has all this emotional baggage. And from page one I couldn't put it down.

Any story by Nalini Singh, but most esp. her Hunters Guilde series. There is so much conflict, emotion, and just general drama in the first two books that I'm either crying, laughing, or sighing. Singh has a great mix of passion and drama.

This isn't to say that we should cry all the way through a book. Definitely that's NOT what romance is all about. But, getting Dick and Jane from that first meeting to that happily-ever-after should be a bumpy ride. So the big question is how do you realistically add conflict to your stories? Like sex, it shouldn't be thrown in just for fun. It should flow with the plot. One way that I've discovered that seems to be working for me is to either write up a short outline or synopsis before starting the story. Then I print it out and look it over, or have my husband look it over. If he sees I'm falling into that same old trap of happy happy happy, then he lets me know and I alter things a bit. This way, I'm not having to make huge revisions at the end.

For those pantsers--I can see you all cringing--this doesn't mean you have to write up a ten page document or anything. This is more like a few sentences for each chapter or scene. Just a little something to give yourself a guide. Personally I need that guide. Otherwise it's all smiles and that's just NOT what readers want.

That's how I've worked out this problem. How do you ensure there's plenty of conflict in your stories? Do you have a method that works well? If so, share it!

P.S.--Look before you sip! LOL

Books I've Ordered!

I'm a readaholic. LOL I've ordered a bunch of books and I can't wait for them to arrive. Of course, some of these won't come to next month and the month after that, but I figure I may as well do the ordering now!

I'm loving Sarah McCarty's Promises series. This is the only one I haven't read. I'm not really reading them in order, but I'm finding it's not that necessary.

Wyoming Territory 1870 Widowed and barren, Jenna sees the newborn left on her doorstep as a priceless gift worthy of any sacrifice. She knows she'll need a husband to keep the baby, but nothing prepares her for the man who offers. Big and dark, simmering with a deadly intensity, Clint McKinnely could put fear into the devil. He certainly strikes fear into her. But Jenna soon discovers that the man behind the reputation is the one man she longs to trust. A hard man burned out by the choices he's made, Clint is looking for a reason to go on. He finds one in Jenna Hennessy. Lushly plump, sweet and shy, she calls to him on every level. When it looks as though Jenna might lose the daughter she loves for lack of a husband, Clint steps forward. Having Jenna in his home brings Clint a peace he's never known, but even as he ferrets out the secrets that haunt Jenna's nightmares, Clint keeps his own close to his chest, knowing this marriage is temporary because there are some sins a man can't expect his wife to forgive.

I love Feehan's Leopard series. She's really one of my favorite authors and this is becoming my favorite series of hers!

Called on a dangerous assignment, leopard shifter Conner Vega returns to the Panama rainforest of his homeland, looking every bit the civilized male. But as a member of the most lethal of the shifter tribes, he doesn’t have a civilized bone in his body. He carries the scent of a wild animal in its prime, he bears the soul-crushing sins of past kills - and he’s branded by the scars of shame inflicted by the woman he betrayed.

Isabeau Chandler’s a Borneo shifter who’s never forgiven Conner - or forgotten him. The mating urge is still with her, and when she crosses Connor’s path, passions run like wild fire. But as Connor’s mission draws Isabeau closer, another betrayal lies waiting in the shadows - and it’s the most perilous and intimate one of all.
Lora Leigh's Elite Ops are quite simply smokin' hot! I love her alpha heroes! Yum!

The Secret Service can’t control him. The British government can’t silence him. But renegade agent Travis Caine is one loose cannon you don’t want to mess with, so his commanders cut him a break—and cut him loose. His new HQ is America’s top intelligence force, Elite Ops. His new code name is “Black Jack.” And his new assignment is to die for.

She’s smart, sexy, scintillating—and one of Elite Ops’ savviest agents. Lillian Belle’s code name is “Night Hawk,” and Travis certainly wouldn’t mind flying a few midnight maneuvers with her. But when their mission turns into a red-hot game of danger, deceit, and double-crossed signals, Travis begins to wonder: Can he trust her? Can he resist her?

And the long awaited Jonas. I can't wait to see him fall. LOL It's going to be great watching him with his mate!

Bad boy Jonas Wyatt knows it is fate that Rachel becomes his mate. He can sense it. He can also sense her reluctance. But she has little power over the mating heat of the Breeds. It is Jonas's destiny to claim her. And nothing will stop him from having his way.

This is MCarty's Shadow Wrangler series. Jared is the second book. The series is sort of vampires and shapeshifters mixed.


Jared Johnson has always been a force to be reckoned with, first as an outlaw and now as a vampire. Caught in a war between immortals, he doesn't have time to waste, but when a female vampire is attacked, he can't just walk away. He expects a quick good­bye, but what he gets is a vulnerable woman who intrigues and seduces while giving away nothing of the secrets holding her hostage.

Raisa may not have extreme physical strength, but she's been able to survive as a vampire longer than most by keeping to herself. But that's about to change. Forced to accept Jared's protection, Raisa finds it increasingly hard to resist his forbidden allure while keeping the secret that could destroy them both.

So, what are you all looking forward to reading??