For What Reason?

A little under a month ago, I blogged about Bullseye Editing, and the four keystones when building your novel. We've discussed our first keystone: Find Your Why, so today I wanted to discuss the second: For What Reason.

What's the reason our readers pick up the book in the first place? For Harry Potter, it's the magical world of Hogwarts. For Fourth Wing, it's the dragon academy. For Pride and Prejudice, it's Mr. Darcy and the romance. So what's our reader's reason?

Likely this corner is what keeps you wanting to write the book. If the "Why" is like a compass, the "What" is like the map.

This shouldn't be confused with the beautiful maps at the start of a fantasy novel, but rather with the general shape of our novel. Just like a complicated map, there are dozens and dozens of bits that go into it: the genre, the exciting parts, the tropes, the archetypes, the vision. When we begin writing, we might have a general overview of our map.

So let's build that map.

STEP ONE:

When we first think about a new project, we almost always think of our desires. If you don't enjoy reading mafia romance, why in the world would you write it? I like to equate this to scrawling napkins with the rough continents.

For example, I knew from the get-go with An Uncharted Destiny I wanted a fantasy that would have a kick-butt heroic princess, dragons, and a romance with a brooding, unexpected hero. For Customized Christmas, I knew I wanted a contemporary romance about strangers being together at Christmas.

It should be noted, that while we are forming a keystone of our novel, in the beginning, choosing your genre is likely going to be rather fluid. For example, I know my novel Betrayal is a dragon fantasy, but it also has heavy mystery and romance elements. Until I solidify this, my readers are going to be somewhat confused about what they're reading.

STEP TWO:

Now that you have a genre in mind, it's important to learn the general "rules" of that genre. Just like building a map, you shouldn't put a river that flows upstream. Learning the constraints of your genre will lead you to success, and will help you know where you can break the rules.

"Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist." ~ Pablo Picasso

You will need to know that fantasy novels for debut authors (to be traditionally published) keep the word count to under 120,000 words. Romance typically under 90,000. But beyond that, learn the tropes. Join a couple genre-specific reading groups and see what people are saying about that genre. Get in lively debates. Keep your finger on the pulse of your readers.

Having a scene with dub-con (dubious consent) is semi-expected in mafia romance and generally accepted in dark fantasy, but flat-refused in sweet romance or YA (at least on the page). Incest is never okay-unless you're in Game of Thrones, or deep, dark fantasy, or maybe the villain. Enemies to lovers is big across all fantasy and romance, even sweet romance! But no one likes the sacrificial lamb, which is killing a character solely to motivate a character to brood and whine. And never, ever think about killing a character's dog... unless you're writing John Wick.

Something else to really consider here: What's selling? As authors, at least a little portion of us wants to be loved, we want to be a best seller, and that comes by putting novels into readers' hands that they'll love.

STEP THREE:

Mark down some of your favorite tropes. Toy around with ones you want to explore in conjunction with your "Why." (Which you have a gentle idea of too right?) I list out anything that interests me in this step, if I'm ever stuck in the drafting process, I glance over my list and see if anything fits.

STEP FOUR:

Now that I have the general shape of my map, I start really detailing it. I think things like archetypes (think the foundational elements that appear across all human cultures: hero/protector, mentor/teacher, trickster/villain.) These will help me in forming my characters in our next keystone, but will also help me decide the direction of my novel and give readers characters they can relate to.

Deciding that Orie was a true, though deeply wounded, hero stepped him away from being the morally gray that I contemplated briefly about three years ago.

"Some tropes are universal. Boy meets girl. Betrayal and revenge. The search to discover a hidden truth... A mother's love isn't cliché, it's universal. These things are archetypes. They're the building blocks of myth and legend. They are a big part about what it means to be human." ~Patrick Rothfuss

Contemplating these four steps from the eye of the reader will help you ensure that you have a book loved by many, easily able to sit amongst the greats at the library while still being diverse and uniquely you.