Why Don't They Tell You About This in High School?

Story writing weaves all the writing rules into a beautiful intricate web—Stock image by Wim van Heugten via creativemarket.com

If high school English taught the basics of story writing, I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed reading all the mandatory novels I dreaded every year—and I'm pretty sure my first manuscript would not look like Frankenstein.
My favourite subjects in school were (and still are) science and math. I never liked English, except the technical aspects of the subject like grammar and punctuation. Basically, anything with rules. According to all those social media quizzes that people love posting on Facebook, I have an analytical brain.
It's kind of ironic that I've decided to go into romance novel writing. But that could be the Gemini in me—I personally think that astrology can have some basis in science because that can be a nature versus nurture debate based on how the time of the year you are born can affect your brain, and in effect your personality. But I digress. Novel writing is very creative. Not that analytical minds can't be creative, but fiction writing requires your brain to come up with ideas that are not already written down.
So with my first manuscript, I went into it writing out all of my ideas for Charlotte and Max's story. Turns out that there were a lot of elements I was missing. Elements like goals, motivations, and conflicts. Hooks, turning points, and dark moments. Save the Cat! No one ever told me there were actual rules to fiction writing.
Some might say that not all the rules need to be followed for a successful book. There are lots of famous books out there that have a first chapter meeting for the hero and heroine (or H and H/h and h), a prologue (which cause most editors and agents to pass on a book), or an absent first sentence hook. But, those examples could be one-offs or authors with an established fan base.
Upon hearing about these rules, my analytical brain ate it all up. Now everything makes sense! All these elements weave an intricately logical story. Had I known this while I was reading Shakespeare, Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, etc., I would have aced high school English (which was a disappointment on my report card). Those books would have made more sense to me. I also would have been more engaged in reading those books instead of dreading each and every page, and then having to rely on Coles notes to sum it all up for me, which still didn't make any sense of the book.
Now with all this information stored in my brain, I delve into my first manuscript and try to add some sense to what's shaping up to be a Frankenstein-like manuscript. I hope it's salvageable. But at least I know going into book 2, what to do.
Now back to writing . . . and editing . . .

What Do I Do With My Time?

I never thought that I would be a stay-at-home mom. However, I had no choice. While I was on maternity leave, the company that I was working for went bankrupt. I decided to look on the bright side. I’m not pressured to go to work as soon as my maternity leave ends. I get to spend time with my second son and enjoy watching his toddlerhood. Since we only plan on having the two kids, I saw my unemployment as a blessing in disguise. In Canada, maternity leave is one year. I could have looked for a job once my maternity leave finished, however, the cost of daycare for toddlers under the age of 18 months is astronomical. The cost doesn’t get better after 18 months, but to start at entry level at a new company is financially straining.

So, the question I asked myself was, “What should I do with my time outside of caring for my son?” I am applying to various companies, but the job market is slow. I decided to pursue my aspirations as a writer. Reading a plethora of romance novels inspired my dream to be a writer. To do this, I realized that I needed develop skills that were outside those I learned academically. I majored in Biology and Zoology, which is far from related to writing romance—unless the novel involves a science geek, which has its possibilities. I signed up for a variety of online courses, Networking 101 through the Romance Writers Association (RWA), Self-Editing, Editing Camp through Scribendi, Microsoft Office 2010 through ITU Online, and Story Writing for Children through Write Story Books for Children. It may look odd to take a story book writing for children course for romance writing, but the basic concepts are there for writing books. The course for Microsoft Office helped improve my knowledge of software that can be useful for writing and planning my novel.

I was surprised with two particular courses. The networking course showed me the great potential social media has for marketing your book. Being introverted, I hate the concept of selling. The networking course revealed that subtly can work. Just get your brand known and recognized. The other course that surprised me was editing camp. I am still working through it but I have learned a number of new things.  

The main obstacle for me is time management. So far, I go through the courses, network, and write my novel after everyone goes to bed. But, this doesn’t leave me with much sleep. There are also distractions like TV and housework that do not help. I did find a little something helpful, late night cafés that have internet access. So, on evenings like today, I head to the nearest late night café and write this blog. Right after I post this, I will work on my novel. So, until my next post . . .