The Informer

The Importance of Concept by Travis Pennington
 
One of the most important, yet overlooked, aspects of writing a novel is concept. Stories with great concepts, but poor writing, have a much better chance of selling than those with brilliant prose but boring concepts. We all know that many of today's bestsellers have strong concepts but less-than-perfect writing, but that doesn't bother the average reader who's in it for the escape. If the book provides that escape, and is eloquently written as well, all the better.

As a new writer, the first thing to ask yourself is why you write. If your primary purpose is to express yourself or sort out your thoughts, then by all means continue what you’re doing and don’t worry about concept. For many authors, writing is therapeutic. Forcing yourself to write for the masses may quickly lead to loathing what you used to enjoy and cause even more psychological issues. However, I have the feeling you write because you not only enjoy it, but also dream of doing it for a living and maybe even one day going to a movie premiere based on one of your internationally bestselling novels. If you didn’t, you probably wouldn’t be reading this article right now.

The good news is that writing to understand yourself or get your thoughts onto paper doesn’t necessarily doom your story to a secret folder on your laptop or a hidden box under your bed. Just about any story can be turned into a good, if not great, concept simply by upping the stakes. Let’s say your boss yelled at you this afternoon over a minor screw-up and you’re worried you might lose your job. From a writing standpoint, this is golden. You’re emotional—sad, angry, frustrated, and worried all at the same time. Dumping that emotion onto paper most likely will produce compelling prose. By re-creating the scene and expressing your feelings about what happened, you establish the foundations for a sympathetic character.

Now, just start asking yourself some questions: What would I do to my boss tomorrow if there were no consequences? With his or her huge ego and temper, how would he react? What’s the worst that could happen because of his reaction? Wouldn’t it be great if I found some dirt on him I could use as leverage? But what if that dirt was so ugly he’d do anything to stop me from telling anyone? What if I came home tomorrow night and found my cat dead? If he would go that far to send me a message, he’d be capable of anything. Even worse, what if his best friend was the chief of police? And what if they planted my fingerprints at the scene of a local homicide and my only alibi was my now-dead cat? I’d need to run away. Get a new identity. But I couldn’t just let him win. I'd need to study. Turn my body into a weapon. Learn how to be stealth…. And just when my ex-boss was certain I was gone for good, I’d return for my revenge.

Want to take it a step further and turn that idea into something high-concept? Simply reimagine your boss as the President of the United States, the police as the Secret Service, and yourself as a White House intern.

And there you’ve done it: You’ve turned the anger and frustration you normally share on paper into a compelling thriller—maybe even a timely political blockbuster. By the time you’re done with the draft, you might even be glad he'd lost his temper because it gave you the fire to write something great.

By asking yourself why you write, and channeling those reasons into stories that readers will line up to buy, you should still be able to stay true to yourself in your prose—while bringing others into a world they won’t want to leave.

Agents of the Roundtable

What novel or novels do you wish you had represented?

PAMELA HARTY: I liked My Life by Abby Fabiaschi or The Hating Game by Sally Thorne.

LUCIENNE DIVER: If I tell you the books/series that I’ve really loved, I’ll hear, “Yeah, yeah, EVERYONE loved The Hunger Games”—which is true, but still!

NEPHELE TEMPEST: I’ve been working my way through V.E. Schwab’s A Different Shade of Magic trilogy and I’d love to have represented it. These books hit so many of my buttons—intriguing characters, interesting and different magic system, and a fascinating take (actually four!) on the city of London, which is one of my favorite places. Not to mention great, engaging writing.

MELISSA JEGLINSKI: I wish I had represented Wonder by R. J. Palacio. This book speaks to me, and I believe to readers of all ages, in such an emotional way.

JANNA BONIKOWSKI: I would have loved to represent A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. The characterization was fantastic; Ove was such a crank to his neighbors, could only be described as hateful, but there’s this extra layer to him in his tenderness for his deceased wife, his worry for the stray cat. It was just really well done, as the book’s popularity demonstrates. I love stories that have these characters who are really sort of unexpected, but still remind you of people you’ve met, because they make you think beyond the surface.

TRAVIS PENNINGTON: It depends on the genre. For general fiction, I loved The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. For horror, Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill (yes, my tastes go from one extreme to the other). For thriller and suspense, The Passage by Justin Cronin and Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson. For young adult and middle grade, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier. Give me those, along with my present clients, and I can go to bed smiling every night.

New Clients On the Block

» Jenny Carless: Website | Twitter | Facebook

» Michael Silverman: Website

» Seth McLane: Website | Twitter

» Shirley Vernick: Website | Twitter | Facebook

» Marcia Hoehne: Website | Twitter | Facebook 

» Laurie Peebler: Website | Twitter

» R.H. Chandler
 

Sales Roundup

» Cat Sebastian's traditional romance in her Regency Imposters series, in which an orphan girl dresses as a man to dupe an aristocrat but instead finds love in the last place she expects, to Elle Keck at Avon Impulse, in a three-book deal by Deidre Knight

» Rebecca Hunter's Sydney-set trilogy featuring a sexy alpha security team, to Katie Gowrie at Harlequin Dare, in a nice deal by Melissa Jeglinski

» Michelle Dayton's TWISTED TASTE and WICKED STAGE, two contemporary romance heist novellas that continue the world the author built in STRANGE TANGO, to Kerri Buckley at Carina Press, by Janna Bonikowski

» Marilyn Pappano's THE POLICE CHIEF'S CHALLENGE, in which a homicide investigation brings together a small-town detective and a woman with a secret past that may be getting everyone around her killed, to Patience Bloom at Harlequin Romantic Suspense, in a two-book deal by Melissa Jeglinski

» New York Times bestselling author Shirlee McCoy's NIGHT STALKER, the first in a new series featuring The FBI Special Victims Unit—an elite team of Federal Agents who investigate crimes committed against the most vulnerable citizens—to Tina James at Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense, in a very nice eight-book deal by Melissa Jeglinski

» New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Steena Holmes's FORGOTTEN ONES, a suspenseful multi-generational story in which a woman searches for the truth of her past in the stories of a dying man she just met and a mother she never understood, to Danielle Marshall at Lake Union Publishing, in a good two-book deal by Pamela Harty

» Gary Blackwood's BUCKET'S LIST, in which a former member of Britain's New Police pursues an elusive murderer and tackles a series of baffling cases in 1850s London, to Kate Lyall-Grant at Severn House, in a nice deal by Kristy Hunter

» Peter Vronsky's FEMALE SERIAL KILLERS: HOW AND WHY WOMEN BECOME MONSTERS, to Tantor Media by Elaine Spencer

» Sara Ackerman's debut SUGARCANE TRAIN, in which a mother and daughter in the Territory of Hawaii in 1944 find their lives in upheaval when their husband and father mysteriously disappears just as thousands of American soldiers take up residence on their island, to Ann Leslie Tuttle at Mira, in a two-book deal by Elaine Spencer

» Lucy Farago's Search and Recover series, following the men who will stop at nothing to get the job done and the women who make them want more, to Esi Sogah at Lyrical Press, in a nice three-book deal by Pamela Harty

» Thirty-year publishing veteran and RITA Award-winning author Kathleen Gilles Seidel's THE FOURTH SUMMER, in which an ex-Olympian snowboarder called back home for jury duty finds out it's his heart that’s on trial as he is reunited with his old summer flame, to Tara Gavin at Lyrical Press, in a three-book deal by Elaine Spencer

» Lisa Child's contribution to THE COLTONS OF RED RIDGE, a continuity series featuring intense family drama and sweeping suspense, to Patience Bloom at Harlequin Romantic Suspense, in a nice deal by Melissa Jeglinski

» Terri-Lynne DeFino's A THOUSAND DIFFERENT WAYS, in which an old man and his fellow nursing home residents weave a tale blending reality and fiction that inspires a damaged young woman to embrace life again, to Rachel Kahan at William Morrow, in a nice deal by Janna Bonikowski

» Elizabeth Dyer's DEFENSELESS, launching a new series about an elite, tech ops unit, in which the only thing harder than being a female bodyguard is resisting the smart-talking, tech-genius client, to Alison Dasho at Montlake Romance, in a two-book deal by Elaine Spencer
 

News

» Ella Quinn's IT STARTED WITH A KISS made USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list.

» N.K. Jemisin's THE OBELISK GATE (Best Novel) and “The City Born Great” (Best Short Story) are both on the Hugo Awards final ballot.
 
» Chloe Neill’s BLADE BOUND made Barnes & Noble’s list of the Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of April 2017.

» THE SIXTH VICTIM by Tessa Harris received a great review from Kirkus.

» RT Book Reviews gave Gena Showalter's upcoming installment in the Lords of the Underworld series, THE DARKEST PROMISE, a great review.

» 90 MINUTES IN HEAVEN by Don Piper with Cecil Murphey is a finalist for the 2017 Christian Retailing's Best Awards in the Backlist category.

» Elaine Spencer spotted some novels by TKA clients at Target, including IT STARTED WITH A KISS by Ella Quin, THE HIGHLAND DUKE by Amy Jarecki, and STARLIGHT BRIDGE by Debbie Mason.

Author Interview 

Amy Jarecki holds an MBA from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, and now resides in Southwest Utah with her husband. She mostly writes historical romance and, when time is available, lectures on writing topics at conferences across the United States. Publishers Weekly calls her latest novel, THE HIGHLAND DUKE, "scintillating and moving, enhanced by fast-paced suspense," and James Patterson raves that it has "the same intensity as a thriller."

TKA: What are some unique aspects of THE HIGHLAND DUKE that set it apart from other Highland novels? In other words, tell us a little about the new novel and series.

Amy: THE HIGHLAND DUKE, and the Lords of the Highlands series, takes place before and during the first Jacobite uprising (1715). George (Geordie) Gordon, the First Duke of Gordon, rides against the Government troops with his cousin and ends up shot in the thigh. His problems are exacerbated by the fact that he shouldn’t be there at all, and if he’s discovered, his lands will be forfeit along with his title. He is found by a Gypsy healer, Akira Ayers, whom he convinces to carve out the musket ball. All too soon, the redcoats close in and embark on a game of cat and mouse that takes Geordie and Akira across the Highlands. These two characters are worlds apart both in personality and social standing, yet through it all, they somehow find love.

The Lords of the Highlands series is about the great men who supported the Jacobite cause (the succession of the Stuart line), and the sticky situations they get themselves in while finding love in the most unexpected circumstances.

TKA: What first inspired you to start writing, and have you always written historical romance?

Amy: I have written all my life, but embarked on my first fiction manuscript in the late 1990s after reading a Tom Clancy novel. I enjoyed it so much, I thought I might try my hand at writing an entire book. I now look back on that time and laugh. I was so excited about it, but in hindsight, my first two manuscripts were awful. Several fiction writing classes later and with a bit more practice under my belt, my third manuscript was published. I haven’t always written historical romance, but historical romance is where I really started to see an uptick in book sales.


TKA: What do you love most about the writing process, and what do you find most frustrating?

Amy: I love polishing a manuscript after I’ve written the first draft. When I’m drafting, I don’t add a lot of internal thought or show the character’s feelings or conflict as much as I should. That’s because I need to get the story down first. The revision process is when the characters become more three-dimensional and challenge me to no end. I sometimes get frustrated when drafting because though I plot, there are many ways to get from point A to point B and sometimes I spend far too long worrying about all the “what ifs.”

TKA: What advice do you have for up-and-coming authors trying to make it in publishing?

Amy: The same advice that I received when I was up-and-coming: Constantly hone your craft. Join critique groups. Don’t get stuck on one manuscript that you try to pedal for years. It might not be that story’s time yet. Your voice is unique to you—be yourself. Challenge yourself. Stretch so far you shock even you.


TKA: What is next for you on the author horizon?

Amy: The next two books for Grand Central/Forever are in the wings waiting for their releases, THE HIGHLAND COMMANDER on June 27th and THE HIGHLAND GUARDIAN on December 19th. Though I’ll still be writing Scottish historical romance, I’m also writing a romantic suspense series that I hope to see published soon.

I like mixing it up—that keeps life interesting!

Visit Amy's official website, follow her on Twitter, and join her fans on Facebook.

Author Tip of the Month

Chloe Neill is the New York Times bestselling author of the Chicagoland Vampires series, including the latest novel, BLADE BOUND.

Chloe's tip:

My most important tip for authors old and new?

Get out of your own way. 

I’m about to start my twentieth novel, and it’s still something I have to constantly remind myself. Not to overthink, not to presume, not to accept. To sit down and get to work, and make that work my focus. 


Think you can’t finish a novel? Nonsense. Get out of your own way.

Think you’re too old to be a published writer? Incorrect. Get out of your own way.

Think you’ll never find a publisher or an agent? Maybe you will; maybe you won’t. But why presume you know how the story will end before it’s written? 

Get out of your own way. 

Doubt can come in delicate ripples or enormous waves. It can chip away at your confidence over time, or it can swamp you suddenly. I don’t know a single author who doesn’t face doubt in some way or other, who hasn’t faced rejection at some point in their career. It’s part of the artistic process, for better or worse. 
 
How do you get out of your own way?

You do the work. Write, outline, brainstorm, revise. You create, in whatever way that means to you. It doesn’t have to be a chapter or a page. Every novel is made of paragraphs, of sentences, of words. Put a mark on paper. Any mark will do. Any mark starts the clock, becomes a “beginning” and leads invariably to “the end."
 
Has doubt pushed you into the darkness? Remind yourself of the light. Visit a museum, go see a movie, check out an unfamiliar shelf at the library. Put yourself in the way of art, of images, of songs, of ideas. Let them push back at you. Those things—the notes, the letters, the concepts, the emotions—will become your tools, the means you use to climb out of the darkness and engage with your own ideas.

Go get started. 

Now.

To learn more about Chloe, visit her official website.

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