Prepping a novel is similar to planting seeds. Before I try to grow a particular plant, I need to know the conditions the seeds require to germinate. If I plant a winter vegetable like radishes in the middle of an Atlanta summer, the plants will likely wither. If I plant pepper seeds in November, they won't survive the first frost. Weeds will grow just like plot holes in a story, and I'll have to deal with them.
These are radish sprouts I planted for a fall crop. They like cooler weather, and I was elated to find that they sprouted in less than a week. But I knew what conditions they needed and had kept this pot with good soil until the time was right.
Novel ideas can germinate like that. If an idea hits me and I brush it off, it may come back later in a more plausible form. Then, the roots grow.
Before I begin writing a new idea, I need to decide on a genre and character arc. What story do I want to tell? Where is the best setting to let it play out? I could jump in and plant the story seeds without a plan, but I will have a lot of weeding to do later.
So far, I've gone over main character development, setting, and outlining. This week, the NaNoWriMo guide suggested joining an accountability group. I've tried this many times in the past, but I either lose touch with my partners, or they fizzle. Motivation isn't a problem for me, so I decided to use this week for more character depth planning.
For Pencil Pricks, I decided on a dual POV—one from Cia's side, and one from Mori, her love interest's side. At this point, I'm going to focus on writing a straight up cozy romance, subgenre comedy. Most of my other novels veer more into chick-lit/women's fiction territory. This time, I'll focus on the basic requirements of romantic fiction:
- Hitting all the beats with push and pull of romantic tension, creating "will they/won't they"
- Create flawed, believable protagonists with their own reasons not to fall in love
- Allow tropes to work in my favor. In this case, "second chance", "teacher/student", and "enemies to lovers" will be my go-to's
- HEA or "happily ever after" ending
In order to build this foundation, both of my main characters need to have strong desires to stay away from each other, even though their attraction is near tangible. What they believe they want should contrast with what they need—to trust each other and help each other toward their goals. I've been playing with the idea of doing past/present to show how their relationship went south the first time they were together 8 years ago.
Here's the WIP blurb:
Cia Mort seeks the good in every bad situation—except when her ex-boyfriend is her new art class instructor. Determined to prove she’s unaffected, she ignores Mori’s blunt criticism and his cute backside. But his continued quips slam into 8-year-old wounds that pushed her into years of therapy. Worse, she can’t tell if he’s the same jerk who shattered her confidence or if he’s hiding old feelings. If she can just get through the course without driving a pencil through his leg, or ending up under his desk with him, she’ll have the confidence she needs to make her pet portraits a lucrative job—and prove her anger doesn’t control her.
Mori is dumbstruck when Cia walks into the art class he only agreed to teach as a favor. Now, his heart still longs for the woman he pushed away—the one he later realized could have been the “real” one. Just like his absent father, Mori abandoned love instead of dealing with his deep-seated feelings of failure and worthlessness. To protect himself from desiring the same encouraging comments she gives the other students, Mori hides under a mask of indifference. If he can push Cia away until the end of the twelve week course, he won’t have to face his past and admit his father was right, that he’s not worth fighting for.
For now, I'll focus on nailing their wants/needs and reasons to stay apart.
Cia -
Wants: To prove to friends/family/Mori that she can "make it" — work part time and freelance art on the side / never “angry-cry” again
Needs: To find contentment with who and where she is in life / let down her guard to deepen relationships and find her way back to Mori
Main Conflict & Barriers to Goals: Struggles with low self-esteem due to parent's and even Mori's harsh judgment / battles a defeatist attitude / prone to isolate herself so no one can hurt her
Factors & Behaviors that Feed Main Conflict:
- Still lives at home with Mom, too afraid to get her own place due to finances
- Listens to and believes other people when they put her down
- Thinks she needs "just one more" qualification on top of her art degree, and then she'll be ready to "make it" for real
- Having been burned before, she can't trust Mori with her heart
Mori -
Wants: To forget the pain of past 8 years / never admit to Cia that he was a monster when he first broke up with her (this would prove his absent dad right that he's not worth being around)
Needs: Admit he was wrong and forgive himself for his negative actions & behavior that drove him to break up with Cia / forgive dad for making him feel like he was worthless
Main Conflict & Barriers to Goals: Wears a mask of pride to keep his feelings of being a failure hidden / Leans on sarcasm and dark jokes to make light of major issues
Factors & Behaviors that Feed Main Conflict:
- Still shares a flat with his ex-fiancé, hoping they will get back together / keeps her on the radar to prove he's not a complete failure
- Struggles to open up about his feelings
- Feels like he needs to be in a relationship to be fulfilled
Possible Romantic Beats -
Act 1:
Cia and Mori still have smoldering chemistry underneath, but they both ignore each other/trade cheap shots during the first few art classes. The tension builds into a passionate kiss they both regret before the class's winter break
Act 2:
Cia returns to class with renewed focus, pretending the kiss didn't bother her. Mori becomes more frustrated with each day she ignores him, struggles when he realizes she's treating him the same way he treated her.
Starved for affection and on the cusp of fully breaking things off with his ex-fiancé, Mori backs Cia into a corner emotionally. She reveals that he ruined her late-twenties and how much therapy she needed because of him. He's devastated, loses control of his emotions, and breaks his hand by punching a tree—the hand he needs to teach the class.
Cia skips the next class, withdrawing into her studio to get her emotions under control. Mori comes to Cia in humility, admitting surface-level details of his mistakes and failures. Asks her to teach the final art class with him. This is the push Cia needs to trust him again and realize he always admired her unique art.
After the class, Cia learns that Mori still lives with his ex-fiancé and is furious that he led her on. This feeds into an earlier wound of how Mori lived with an ex-girlfriend when they were dating in college. Mori didn't think it was a big deal, but Cia did.
Act 3:
Cia cuts Mori off. Both seek comfort in negative ways until friends/family pull them out.
Mori either meets Cia in an old haunt or contacts her somehow, begging to meet one last time with no expectations. He finally breaks down and reveals everything he's been dealing with, handing her the keys to their future. Having the new knowledge of his pain, she is filled with compassion and respect for him. She admits her struggles, that her anger wasn't all his fault, and the two finally come together.
Conclusion:
While this is a great starting point, much of the meat is missing. Cia and Mori will have friends and other support characters who help (or possibly hinder) their romantic journey. What happens outside the art class while they ruminate on each other is just as important as their interactions. I plan to inject plenty of humor, quirks, and romantic hiccups along the way.
Overall, I'm pleased with the brainstorming session. I'm one step closer to writing the outline that will fill in more of these gaps. My number one goal is to enjoy telling the story and have fun with these characters. The themes of humility, forgiveness, and vulnerability will come through naturally.
November first looms, but I'm almost ready to tackle it.
Keep on smilin'!
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