No more white Christmas

I realize, since it's almost March, that I need to quit writing about Christmas related topics. And I will---soon---but for now, good news. I finally took the Christmas wreath off our front door. Progress!

This week's blog is actually about my WIP. And yes, I realize you're probably sick of hearing about that as well, but since it's all I've been doing (my family will attest to this), that's what you get. There has been progress on that front too; after a long, painstaking week of cutting words, I resubmitted the manuscript yesterday. Everyone cross your fingers that A. it gets accepted this time and B. it gets published sometime this year.

I'll keep you posted.

Back to Christmas stuff now. Every December I indulge in the solitary tradition of watching the movie White Christmas. I love this movie. Love the singing and dancing, the sweet plot, the fuzzy warm feeling.

This year it took me about a week and a half of laundry folding sessions to get through the whole thing because it's so long. As I mentioned, this is a solitary tradition, as the rest of my family (even my daughters who dance) have no interest in it. I've never really expected the boys (husband and son) to enjoy this sort of show, but I really thought my daughters would. After all, they've watched High School Musical approximately 300 times.

"But HSM has cute guys, Mom," my oldest tells me.

"And the songs are better." From my middle daughter.

"The dances are something we'd actually do."

"There's kissing."

I try to point out that there is kissing in White Christmas too, they've just never stayed around long enough to get to that part, but my girls have already left the room. Clearly White Christmas does not appeal to the up and coming generation.

Which, I discovered this past holiday season, presents a problem for me. As I sat matching socks and enjoying the show, I realized that I write an awful lot like the movie. Here's what I mean.

I like to start with a prologue---a dramatic event that happens sometime before the actual story begins, but will affect later events.

WC---We start on the front in WWII. We learn the beloved general is being sent home, and we see one friend save another's life (thus earning his gratitude and a place in his act for the rest of the movie). *Side note: this scene has about the cheesiest set I've ever seen. Hopefully I do a better job creating the images in my books!

In Counting Stars the prologue is at the hospital. Someone dies, babies are born prematurely.

After the prologue, it's time to introduce characters and present the first problem or conflict.

WC---Danny and Bing have a successful show, but they're driving each other crazy. One is a work-a-holic. His partner thinks finding a girlfriend is the solution, so he proceeds to set up his friend.

In CS, this first problem is Jane's still-single status. It is not the main problem this character is going to encounter, and in fact becomes quite minor compared to all she goes through during the story, but it sets the story up for the events that will follow. The same is true of WC.

Following the introduction of the initial conflict, the story slows a little as other, important characters are introduced.

WC--Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen come into the story. Being a little sneaky about things, they finagle Danny and Bing into giving a critique of their sister-act. We see the potential for a double love match. And we enjoy some fun and funny dance scenes.

CS--We learn how desperate and lonely Jane is, and see her answer a single's ad and start a relationship with Paul. Multiple scenes with her friend, Tara, her family, and Paul build the story, albeit slowly.

The real conflict of the story comes to light.

WC--Bing and Danny's old general is about to lose his inn in Vermont to bankruptcy. The gang (Bing, Danny, Rosemary, and Vera) agree to do a show at the inn in hopes of bringing in some business.

CS--(SPOILERS AHEAD) Paul dies, Jane is left to care for his children, and she discovers she is co-guardian with Peter, Paul's estranged brother. Somehow she has to work out an agreeable relationship with him and maintain her ability to care for the children she has come to love.

The romance really takes off.

WC--Numerous song and dance scenes on the train and at the inn show the couples together and build their relationships. By the end of this section, we know at least one of these couples are made for each other (though they don't seem to know it yet).

CS--Peter and Jane fall head over heels in love. I take my time building a relationship between my two main characters. Romance novels that don't do this make me crazy. Love takes time and work, and I really like to show both. I tend to use scenes set at holidays to show passage of time. In CS I have scenes set at Easter, Mother's day, Father's day and 4th of July.

The big misunderstanding.

WC--through an overheard phone conversation (eavesdropping housekeeper) girl thinks guy is a big jerk, out to make money off the general's sorry plight. Without telling guy why, girl leaves. He is baffled. Meanwhile, the plot about bringing the show to the inn has thickened. It's the big time now, with a television plea for all of the general's men to come up for the weekend and join the party.

CS--Peter decides he should marry Jane before he returns to Iraq. He blows the proposal and we have a break up.

Big emotional scene.

WC--The girl finds out the truth, and now knows her guy is a genuine hero. The general is surprised when the men from his unit show up and salute him as he arrives (conveniently in his army duds--thanks clever housekeeper, you've redeemed yourself.) for the evening show. They sing. He gets a big cake. And I cry on the the towels I'm folding.

CS--Peter and Jane are married, he goes off to Iraq, Mark and Peter's simultaneous tragedy.

Happy ending.

WC--Miracle of miracles, it snows big, white fluffy flakes (the inn will be saved!) Everyone sings. Everyone loves each other. All is well.

CS--Peter's miracle. Jane and Peter are reunited. All the subplots are wrapped up nicely.


A little scary, isn't it? Without even realizing what I was doing, I followed this same pattern with the book I just finished. Only, to make matters worse, I added a suspense element. The result was a manuscript a little over 140,000 words long. For those of you not familiar with how word count translates to pages---it took more than a whole ream of paper (500 pages) to print it. And, side note here, can you see why I owe a debt of gratitude to the members of my critique group? "Sure we'll edit your manuscript, Michele. We don't have anything else to do for the next three weeks!" Thanks again, ladies!

But I knew there was no way this 140,000+ word manuscript was ever going to make it into a book. And not wanting to get it rejected before it was even read, I had to do some serious cutting. Painful stuff, for me.

As I said before I really enjoy all those song and dance scenes---even if they aren't moving the plot along a whole lot. But I can't write my novel the same way unless I want to be the only one who ever reads it. So it was with much difficulty last week that I hit the delete button several times. When I was finished, I had 15,000 words in a file of things I'd dumped from the story. Some cute, fun scenes had to go (including most of the one I posted here at Christmas time), but given today's fast-paced, keep me turning pages world, I know it had to be done. Worse yet, the book is still too long, and I suspect my editor will find other scenes that have to go as well.

The good news in all this is that I have a blog now! And you can bet if the story gets published, I'll post the deleted scenes here, so those of us who still enjoy the slow-building love story can watch every minute unfold.