Thursday, October 9, 2014

Need More Romance


Pamela Tracy here, and I'm writing a book right now, under deadline, and behind.  I'm really a systematic person, the list maker if you will, and I'm happiest when I have tasks to check off.

Yesterday, I meant to write the blog and check it off.  Instead, I'm doing it at 5:23 a.m.

My desk is a mess.  To my left is an opened notebook where I've the speakers for my local chapter of RWA.  I've been negotiating with Brenda Hiatt to come speak (cool beans!)  I've also an open calendar.  I'm not sure why it's open to January, except that if I made it through the next two deadlines, come January, I'm collapsing.  To my right is a spare pair of glasses, the info about the camp my son will attend next week - he has school break and I don't! - a tissue book.  

Ah, but now back to writing.  Below, I'm including the growing template for the book I'm working on now.  You'll understnad the title of the post.  Need More Romance.  This will just take you into the writer's mind, at least my writer's mind LOL.  I do this chapter by chapter, cut and pasting tiny tidbits so I know names, history, and such.  If the colors don't show up, I tidbit my heroine in red, my hero in blue, and all else in green.


Chapter One 1-19
Thelma Sheldon - Tom the minister’s mother

“This isn’t really yours,” came a whisper.
Chapter Two 20 - 43
Visit courthouse, Chester & Richard
TaeKowndo 
Adam’s grandmother is Rosemary Snapp
Ivy Ventimiglia
Adam says no to 5 figure deal

Not that I know of.  What I remember is they seemed to come into money, big money, and left town soon after.  Ivy was really secretive of it all.  we moved in 1932  (lied about big money.  Now Ivy wants it back)

sketching the train and all the history that the town of Wildrose, Illinois, population two thousand and three - counting him - commissioned. 

Older by just two minutes, Andy was brilliant, which sometimes made living with his disorder harder.  People got to expecting him to be brilliant in everything, which was impossible.

“I’m William Hucklebee.  I’m just outside of town.  I own-”

“You own all the ostriches.

He’s rather sort paper than teach a class of little kids.  All his patience had been used during his growing up years.  And, in some ways, Andy was still very much a little kid.

It was dark blue, dusty, and had faded embossed gold lettering proclaiming the title Stories of Scorpion Ridge, Arizona.

Snapp’s Taekwondo Studio was in a strip mall nestled between a nail salon and a doughnut shop.  It would celebrate ten years of service in a few months.
Chapter Three 44 - 71
Finds out Chester or Richard grew up in Yolanda’s house.  IVY
Adam goes back to working at zoo - driving tour bus
Rosi feeding Adam and Andy
Andy sorts by color

Erected in nineteen hundred and ten by Richard and Chester Ventimiglia, by his hands and money

All asked about her grandmother.  Two asked about the opening of her bookstore and promised to bring her some gently used books.  And one offered a marriage proposal.
“No thanks, Mr. Henry.  I’m too busy to get married.”  
And he was already married.

the mayor, who’d been her third grade teacher.  Janice Kolby had handed Yolanda her first Ramona book. 

Corner Diner.  She’d been offered that business, one already established and making a profit.  Lucille Salazar, the owner had been wooing Yolanda for years.  
“You’re the best cook in town” had been her first compliment. “Come work for me.”
Back then, a mere five years ago, Yolanda had been a housekeeper for Ruth Moore, now married to Jasper Dunbar, owner of the other house in Yolanda’s book.
Not Yolanda’s book.
Then, Lucille had tried, “A little restaurant is easier to manage than a mansion.  Come work for me.”

Chapter Four (72 - 93)
Adam’s father offers to send him to college, again No
Yolanda sacrificed to go to college
Offer to pay Ruth back
Adam starts reading book
Teaching Tae starts to hurt Adam’s hands

“Was the woman short?” Loretta asked Yolanda.  Yolanda nodded.  “Thin lipped?”  Another nod.  “What color eyes?”  “As blue as I’ve seen.”  Loretta shook her head.  “Then, it looks like I gave you misinformation yesterday.”  Adam and Yolanda looked at each other.  “Ivy Ventimiglia might still be alive.” 

Chapter Five (94 - 113)
Tattoo girl comes to store  Adam sad
visit museum
Stacey never wanted to talk - Yolanda likes to talk
Adam doesn’t want to tell Yolanda want he finds in the book 
Chapter Six (114 - 135)
Mom starts teaching Tae
Not Ivy’s name that caused panic attack
Adam at Yolanda’s house.  Mom has blue eyes.
So does old guy fix up with granny
start doing caricatures again
Yolanda helps, taking tae class
Adam good with the children surprise
Chapter Seven (136 -
Agatha’s living room

Fire
Clean up
To cheer her up, Adam paints a mural
Ivy had a brother
Chapter Eight
Scrapbook of Adam’s success
Yolanda is a stay home person - reminds him of andy 
Adam gets bigger offer, he wants to see the world, mural opened his muse
Why did he quit?
Tattoo girl
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten 
Adam offered more money, tempted but dad andy yolanda mini manse
Begin mural at Hucklebee’s Harem
Both Yolanda and Adam’s places are broken into
Nana hurt
Fire not accident
Chapter Eleven
paints the old welborn farm
finds old doctor case.  something inside baby
Adam gifted, Yolanda buys him paint
Snapps mentioned in book, old ranching amily, used to own land where BAA is.  how did the Snapps lose the land.  Poker.
Family needs money, Adam accepts mural job
Chapter Twelve
Stacey shows up with Adam’s baby.  She’s going to Paris.
Father heart attack
Andy a natural with babies
Yolanda retreats
Chapter Thirteen
Adam working a lot - hard worker.  Adam bringing to life Scorpion Ridge’s history, drawing by drawing from Yolanda’s book
Yolanda helping him more than self
Nana helping too.
Snapps own zoo!
Mini mansi sold money to Snapps in exchange
Investigator talks
restore the plaque









Pamela Tracy's Next Book, Holiday Homecoming, is a November 2014 release from Harlequin Heartwarming 

12 comments:

  1. I love seeing your process, Pamela! Needs more romance is often something I note on my chapters as I go along. :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fascinating to see how different authors' processes are! Even though mine is totally different and very linear, I often have to go back to add more romance too.
    My first draft usually focuses on the external plot. As a fellow list-maker, I have complete confidence that you will meet your deadlines and pull everything together. Through God, all things are possible. I love that you have that blank January calendar open for inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  3. How fun to see your mind at work, Pamela! I cracked up, though, at how reading that is like reading a foreign language. We keep so much in our heads as we write! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Do you use Scivener? You're much neater than I am.
    I do all this type of stuff long hand in a spiral notebook in pencil so I can erase and draw arrows and underline and circle.
    As for needing more romance...always. LOL I write suspense so my stories are plot driven. I will add the romance while writing the first draft if it comes to me but usually I layer in all the emotion, details, descriptions and romance in the second or third pass.
    I do a layering workshop on my process. Thanks for giving us a glimpse into your mind. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've started doing something like that recently. Helps me to stay organized.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well, I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one with blank chapters on their plotting chart. I hate writing those chapters. You're moving along nicely with a story and then BAM. Dead in the water. Well, shoot. Now I have to make something up.

    But we always do and then get back to our regularly scheduled stories. :)

    Thanks, Pamela, for giving us a peek at your process.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sandra,
    I love to read and while I read romances, they're not all I read. Right now I'm halfway through W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton. How she can write book after book and be spot on is beyond me. Definitely not romances, but hey, I love her characterization which is the area I'm most comfortable with :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Christine,
    I love lists! At my day job I'll make something that looks like this:
    Grade 5 essays
    Pack for next class
    Drop student
    File
    Grade 5 essays
    Call student back
    Teach
    Grade 5 essays

    The book I'm working on now is going to be late. I'm sooooo sad. But, the kitchen remodel has messed up everything. Nowhere on my list is the item: Find dish towels or clean up cleaned soap that was stored inside-down with cap open in hallway box.

    ARG

    ReplyDelete
  9. Terri,
    I purchased Schrivner but haven't had time to learn it.
    Up until three books ago, I did it by hand. Then, I decided to put it on my computer and I add pictures :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Leann,
    It's amazing how long it takes some of us to realize what works best.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Mindy,
    LOL, I take it you noticed chapter nine.

    ReplyDelete

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