New York Times bestseller romance writer Brenda Novak is at it again. For the sixth year, Brenda is raising money at her Annual Online Auction for Diabetes Research. Her youngest son was diagnosed with Type 1 at five years old. Last year she raised nearly $280,000 and is hoping to break that record this year. If successful, her grand total will reach over $1 million toward finding a cure through the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami. All cash donations are tax deductible.
The list of prizes and offerings is astounding, and not just for writers. Although many of the items for bid are specifically for writers, anyone will like the gift certificates to Macy's or to win an iPad or a trip to paradise. Check out some of the big ones at: Brenda's website
I heard about the event several years ago. Ever since, I have donated plot consultations, books and eBooks in honor of family and dear friends who suffer from diabetes.
If you'd like to bid on a Plot Consultation or a Romance Writers Plot eBook, join the fun!
1st Romance Writers Plot ebook
2nd Romance Writers Plot ebook (no one has bid here yet so you can come in low)
1st Plot Consultation Session
2nd Plot Consultation Session
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: romance writers, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 3 of 3
![Blog Icon](http://images.jacketflap.com/images/martha.jpg?picon=706)
Blog: Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: romance writers, finding the cure for diabetes, plot consultation for writers, romance writers plot ebook, brenda novak 6th annual online auction for diabetes research, a good cause, Add a tag
![Blog Icon](http://images.jacketflap.com/images/martha.jpg?picon=706)
Blog: Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: romance writers, murder mystery, romance novel, mystery writers, writing romance, creating character goals, Add a tag
In filling out the standard Character Emotional Plot Information (see **below), writers who write in the mystery genre invariably list the character goal as solving the mystery. Writers who write in the romance genre invariable list the character goal as finding love or to get the guy. This is fine. However, to create more complexity to your plot, you may want to give the protagonist an additional goal(s) as well. The protagonist has a life, and thus, goal, before the mystery hits or before the love interest arrives on scene. In other words, the protagonist has a goal before the story itself begins. Identify that goal and you create an additional plot line in the story. Create a personal goal that conflicts with the solving of the mystery goal or the getting the guy = added drama. **Character Emotional Plot Information 1. What is this character's goal? 2. What stands in the way of the character achieving his/her goal? 3. What does the character stand to lose if he/she does not achieve his/her goal? 4. What is the character's flaw or greatest fault? 5. What is the character's greatest strength? 6. What does the character hate? 7. What does the character love? 8. What is the character's greatest fear? 9. What is the character's dream? 10. What is the character's secret?
![Blog Icon](http://images.jacketflap.com/images/martha.jpg?picon=706)
Blog: Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: romance writers, Janet Evanovich, Stanley Coren, writing about animals, pets in plot, Why We Love the Dogs We Do, Romance Times Review, Stephanie Plum series, Jessica Simpson, Paris Hilton, Add a tag
KATHRYNN DENNIS is the author of Dark Rider and Shadow Rider. The Romance Times Reviews recently awarded Shadow Rider 4 Stars! and writes: "The color, vibrancy, and excitement of the Middle Ages allows Dennis to create a memorable tale of two people whose destiny is tied to a mystical colt. Dennis tells her story with passion, drama, and a love of animals that will enthrall readers."
Horses take center stage in her stories. I asked her if pets are a hinderance or a help to plotting? (naturally!)
Pets and animals have a lot to contribute to plot—I’m not talking about Old Yeller, or Black Beauty, where the animal is the plot, but rather books where the animal plays a role, though not so prominantly. Animals can be developed as stand alone characters that take action and thus move the plot in a particular direction, or they can add a layer of character to their owner’s personality. How, exactly, do they do that, you ask? The literature is rich with information on the human-animal bond and why people choose the pets they do. It’s called pet-owner profiling. Pets and animals in the story help the reader get into the head of the human characters. There are good studies which suggest pets are an extension of their owners—in looks and in behavior. People tend to chose pets that look like them, much like they choose a human life-partner. Take a look at Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson, and Jake Gyllenhaal with their dogs. It’s hard to miss the physical similarities. Pet owners also tend to choose pets with personality traits like their own. Turns out you can learn a lot about a person’s character just by knowing what kind of pet they own. Here’s what the seminal research by Kidd and Kidd (1980) tells us about pet-owner personality traits:
• Cat lovers are high in autonomy and low in dominance and nurturing.
• Dog-loving men are high in dominance and aggression. Dog-loving women are high in dominance, too, but low in aggression.
• Horse lovers in general are assertive, introspective, and self-concerned, but limited in cooperativeness, nurturing, and warm human relationships. Male horse-lovers are aggressive, dominant, and less expressive in general. Female horse-lovers avoided aggression and are easy going.
• Turtle lovers are hard-working, reliable, goal-oriented, and see the world as lawful.
• Snake lovers are unconventional, informal, novelty seeking, and unpredictable.
• Bird lovers are contented, courteous, expressive, social, and altruistic.
Pet owners in general are considered to be more nurturing and low in autonomy, no matter what kind of pet they own. I’ve noticed dog and cat-loving characters enrich a fair number of romance novels (for an early example, think of Georgette Heyer’s Ulysses in Arabella) and the personality of a male horse-owner certainly has the makings of a historical romance hero—think cowboys, knights, and men who were rich enough to fox hunt. Dominant men. Aggressive, alpha males who had trouble expressing themselves (until they met the heroine, of course).
.
I keep thinking about Rex, the hamster in Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. Rex embodies the character of a bounty-hunting woman who keeps a hamster for a pet. She’s high in autonomy and not especially nurturing. Neither is Rex. Both make me laugh.
I’ve not seen many romances where a character owns a nontraditional pet (fish, lizards, or pocket pets like Rex), but I’m sure they are out there.
There are also some interesting reads on the pathological condition known as pet hoarding. Profiles of hoarders suggest the condition is a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder and affected people usually come from chaotic, unstable homes. Just google pet hoarding and you’ll turn up a fair number of psych reviews on the topic.
If you’d like to dig deeper into pet-owner profiling, check out Why We Love the Dogs We Do: How to Find the Dog That Matches Your Personality by Stanley Coren (Simon and Schuster; ISBN 978-0684855028). There are some interesting chapters in there about dogs (breeds) for introverts and extroverts, dominant people, not-so-dominant people, trusting, or controlling people, and an in-depth examination of the dogs owned by various leaders and famous personalities--what their dog-ownership reveals about their non-public personality.
If you understand your character, the character will drive the plot. Not the other way around (a pitfall for writers). So pets can enrich the plot, especially if they are used as character enhancers. They are only a hindrance if they serve no purpose. I love an author who can weave a pet into a plotline or incorporate a pet or an animal to enlighten my understanding of the owner’s character. As a reader, can you recall pets that helped move a story along, or helped you better understand the character of their owner?
I’ll give a free copy of SHADOW RIDER to a randomly chosen commenter!
Thank you, Martha, for inviting me to blog!
For more about Kathrynn Dennis, please visit for a plot interview where we asked Kathrynn about her writing process, with an emphasis on plot.
(NOTE: I had the great honor of working with Kathryn on her book's early development.)
I love it when writers (and bloggers) are this generous!
I love it...Great post.
post free classified ads