Writing a Book together: Questions, Questions, Questions

What does this new main character of mine want?

If I add another character will that complicate things in a good or bad way?

What is my emotional connection to this book?

Am I following the original feeling of the novel? (Meaning, I want to write a romance. Is that where I’m still headed?)

How can I make this story original?

Is the voice fresh?

Do I love the characters I’m developing?

Will anyone care?

Will I care the whole novel through?

What is the most important thing I think will happen?

How is tension?

Is my main character real?

Are these first pages strong or do they need to be cut.

Have I started in the right place?

Am I already backstory?

HINT: Give yourself ten minutes each morning to think about things that COULD happen in your novel. Even crazy stuff: main character boards a pirate ship. Allowing yourself to dream past exactly what’s on the page can help you move out of where you are and into new and exciting waters. No pirate pun intended!

 

Some More Questions

How old are you?

How old do you feel?

How old is your character?

How old does your character feel?

Does your character feel thirteen in one chaper, seventeen in another chapter and then thirty three near the end?

Do you think that’s a problem? why or why not?

Why does Keanu Reeves annoy me so much?

If Keanu Reeves walked into your book, what would your MC say? Does she like Keanu? Did she enjoy the Lake House? Why or why not?

Do you have a lake house?

Can I stay there?

What is unique about your MC?

What makes her different?

What makes her the same?

Do you laugh when you write? Do you have fun? If you aren’t having fun, why not?

Where you do you write? Is this the best place for you to write?

If your MC were going to write a book, where would they write it? Where do they feel the most inspired, the most relaxed?

If you saw Keanu Reeves and you really enjoyed him in Bill and Ted’s but then were a little disappointed in his feature films since then, would you still get your picture with him? Would you get your picture with any celebrity? Why or why not? How would you approach the celebrity and would you feel just the tiniest bit awkward? Why do I want pictures with celebrities? I don’t. Do you? I do.

Do you think it’s cool that I made a smoothie for Steve Young? Or that I stood in line behind Wilford Brinley?

Do you know who Wilford Brinley is?

Do you want to see his picture?

Who have you made a smoothie for?

What celebrity would your MC want to get their picture with?

Are you offended when someone ends a sentence with a preposition?

Do you want to hear the story about when my mom yelled at my sister’s date about ending his sentence with  a preposition?

Do you wish I’d stop?

Okay. I will.

Not Feeling So Great Today

Going to give you some writing questions to ask yourself–

Why are you writing?
What motivates this particular book?
If you could change one thing about you as a writer, what would it be? I think I’ve asked this before, but it’s worth asking again.
Where is my hairbrush?
What are your goals for being a writer?
If you could change one thing about your family that had to do with your writing, what would it be?
Why don’t people answer their cell phones–don’t they know how important my phone call is?
What does your main character REALLY want?
How do you keep her from getting it?
Does she get what she wants by the end of the book?
What do you think of Chris Crowe as a bloggy addition?
Please remember, Ann Dee and I are the bosses. I’m just saying.
If you could change one thing about Chris Crowe what would it be?
(Chris was my LDS bishop for about 25 minutes. He ran off to England when my girls and I moved into the ward.)
And finally–how does one get rid of a stress migraine?

Carolwhowilldobetternextweek