Saturday, March 3, 2018

Simplify or Complexify?

NOT the author. My house isn't that neat either! Depositphoto
(Scene: Author – who may or may not still be in her bathrobe and slippers but who is supervised closely by the cat -  reads topic for the week. Scratches head. Peruses excellent answers already given by other members of the blog. Sighs.)

Our topic this week is “How do you keep your story from being too complex?”

Since the way I write is that when I start a book I know the hero, the heroine, the opening scene and the closing scene, plus a few highlights along the way, I make no effort to either simplify or complexify (is that a word? I like it!) the plot. I just write. Period. End of story. I don’t trim plot elements and I don’t add them either. The book arrives however my Muse (or my subconscious) intends it to be. I will say I’m not much for a lot of threads. I’m pretty much telling adventure stories with a romance entwined around the danger and action so…sometimes maybe my developmental editor will suggest making more of a certain plot element and I might fall in with the idea or do something else or shake my head and say, nope, doesn’t fit my story the way I wanted to tell it.

On a different note, I released my scifi rock star romance novella, Star Cruise: Songbird, this week. It was formerly published in the now-vanished Embrace the Romance: Pets In Space 2 anthology. I had so much FUN writing a rock star romance!

The story:
Grant Barton, a Security Officer on the Nebula Zephyr, is less than thrilled with his current assignment to guard an Interstellar singing sensation while she’s on board the ship. It doesn’t help that he and his military war bird Valkyr are dealing with their recent separation from the Sectors Special Forces and uncertainty over their future, with their own planet in ruins.

Karissa Dawnstar is on top of the charts and seemingly has it all – talent, fame, fortune and devoted fans, but behind her brave smile and upbeat lyrics she hides an aching heart. When a publicity stunt goes wrong, Karissa finds herself in the arms of the security officer assigned to protect her – and discovers a mutual attraction she can’t ignore.

Trouble continues to plague the pair, driving a wedge between them and leaving Grant certain that Karissa is in more danger than she realizes, from overzealous fans and her own management. Grant is determined to protect Karissa whether she wants his help or not. Can he discover the truth behind what’s going on before he loses Karissa or is there someone else plotting to keep them apart – permanently?

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1 comment:

  1. I love the word "complexify." Just need to find a context in which to use it. :)

    ReplyDelete