BEST OF BLOG - Forgetting, Confronting and Choices

Best of Blog:  Not surprising Wanda's 2nd blog comes in 2nd as a fan favorite.  Prize information and discussion questions have been removed from the last paragraph so as not to be misleading.  Please enjoy this recap.  We will be back on Wednesday April 27th with new content.

By Wanda Ottewell, Senior Editor Harlequin Superromance

I am frequently asked what I like—and don’t like—to see in manuscripts. It occurred to me this would be the perfect place to have this discussion! As I was writing this blog it became clear that the topic is big—apparently I’ve developed quite a list of preferences. So I thought today I’d cover some of those qualities I love to see then chat about the pet peeves at a later date.

The number one thing I love is when a manuscript makes me forget I’m an editor. I’ve been doing this job long enough that I have a strong editorial voice in my head. As I read I’m paying attention to flow, to gaps in information, to leaps in plotting, to character development, etc. So when a story is so captivating, the characters so engaging, the plotting so compelling that the editorial voice is silenced…wow. I’m sold! Of course, there is a bit of frustration that accompanies these manuscripts because I often have to go back through to see if I did miss something. Small price to pay I think.

Another thing I really love is when the unexpected happens. I enjoy having the story lead me to expect XYZ to happen, only to have ABC unfold. When an author takes a popular theme, such as a reunion romance or a secret baby, and puts a unique spin on it, the results can be wonderful and fresh.

Speaking of the unexpected, I often challenge authors to let their characters confront rather than avoid, whether that means avoiding a conversation or withholding information. Too many times I’ve read manuscripts where there’s no compelling reason for the characters not to talk or share. Then the plots can become riddled with timely interruptions and other contrivances designed only to prevent a conversation from occurring. What can often happen is that when a character does confront or reveal a secret an even bigger problem results and the tension escalates. And that becomes good storytelling!

That leads nicely into the next quality I like in a manuscript: when the characters are the instruments of their own resolutions. I like to see heroes and heroines work through their own issues and come to their own conclusions about their situations and what they should do next. I like to observe them putting together the various puzzle pieces they’ve received, see them measure those pieces against their desires then decide what’s next. Sure, they can talk to a trusted friend, but their plan/goal/next step should come from within. If a secondary character drops key information in their laps or tells them the secret that explains all, well, it kinda feels like cheating.

While I could go on, there is one more quality I’ll mention here. I really like to see characters making choices, particularly when they have to choose between two things that hold value for them. Seems to me that’s when true compromise happens. I think as readers of romance stories we want characters to work for, and therefore be worthy of, true love. If their resolution is easy, if there is no compromise, it doesn’t feel quite so satisfying.