We've Got Cows! by Tia Dani

(With apology to the writers' of the movie, "TWISTER".)

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Whenever we work at a restaurant, it means we're usually creating a new book.

Beginning a new story, always fires us up, however, sanity also rears its annoying pointy head and sniffs, "Where are you going to start?"

Since our stories are generally character driven, we first like to know our characters inside and out. We talk about who they are and what they specifically want. Once we've got their names and backgrounds, flaws, and why they are driven, then we work on where we're going with the story.

Actually sometimes a plot line will come to us first, but that's a topic for another blog later on. (Has anyone picked up we're always saving things for other blogs?)

Back to brainstorming. Our second step is who opens the story in their point of view? Normally we gear our books toward the romance genre (Dani's strong point), so we usually start with the heroine. Sometimes the hero will protest and win the argument. We're really not gender driven.

But here's where it gets tricky. Once we know the characters, know the underlying plot, we have to add flesh and blood to the story…the stuff that not only draws readers avidly into the book, but ourselves as well.

We rely on our handy dandy writing class rule. Every scene needs three parts:

1. Goal. What does the character want? CHECK. DONE THAT.

2. Conflict. A series of difficulties characters must face on the way to reaching their goal. CHECK…WAIT! HOLD ON…We're not exactly there yet.

Several minutes (actually hours) of discussion, heavy research, and some wine, maybe a lot of wine, one of us (usually Tia) yells, "We got cows!"

Imagine in the restaurant the looks we get are quite comical. "Cows? What cows?" Several people look around nervously. "Where?"

We grin at everyone and explain we're co-authors, Tia Dani, and Tia's yell, "We've got cows." is an expression for seeing difficulties (like in the movie where cows fly in the middle of a tornado.) Some nod and say, "I see." Others…look confused then go back to eating.

Now onto Rule Three: 

The Ultimate Disaster. What keeps characters from reaching their goals? By this time Tia is jumping up and down, waving her hands at a bunch of unseen cows in her mind. (Remember how she loves a great disaster.) Even Dani can't help but get drawn into the excitement. She has her own cows. With rapid-fire description, she embellishes great love scenes to go along with Tia's disaster(s).

By this time we have new people around us and we have to explain all over again.

But the really funny thing is, our waitress, who's gotten to know us quite well, strolls by and says with a grin, "Katie, bar the barn door. Tia Dani has their cows!"

                              This is how we look by the time we've finished brainstorming a book.

                                       © Graphixparanoid | Dreamstime.com - Mad Cow Photo

                                        cow photos by @ElisaLocci/DreamstimeStockPhoto

To find out more about the writing team Tia Dani and our books visit us at: 

http://bookswelove.com/authors/tia-dani/
https://tiadaniauthor.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/tiadani.author
                                                          

5 Stars for Times Enduring Love

Rating: 

Manic Readers Reviews

Reviewer: Alberta 

Review:

Libby, a doctor, and her dad are sucked into a time warp where they end up far from the 21st century, back in the 1880s, pioneering. There, Libby falls n love, but it seems like they are not the only time travelers. Others have come this way before, as well as travelling into the future. Now they must decide which era they want to be in, and which people they are going to take back to another time.

I love time travel books, and I loved Time’s Enduring Love too. I especially like it when someone in the past manages to get a message to someone in the future, as happens in this book. If you like time travel romances, you will love this one. Lots of twists and turns, and I think this is the best Tia Dani story yet.

Maybe a continuation of this story could end up in a Christmas anthology some time, because we didn’t get to see how they all celebrated Christmas in this one, which I think would make a great plot.

                     Time's Enduring Love 

by Tia Dani
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Books We've Found and Use When We Need A Refresher by Tia Dani

Every once in a while we need to give ourselves a refresher course on various writing techniques. Here's a short list of books we've found to be helpful. Check them out. If you have other books that you like, drop us a note, leave a comment and write the book title/author. We'd really love to expand our list.

All the best.

Tia Dani

Characterization

1. Make Your Words Work by Gary Provost

2. Writer’s Mind Crafting Fiction by Richard Cohen

3. Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card

4. Creating Characters by Dwight V. Swain

Show Vs Tell

 

1. The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes (And How To Avoid Them) by Jack M. Bickham

2. The 28 Biggest Writing Blunders (And How to Avoid Them) by William Nobel

3. Show, Don’t Tell by William Noble

4. Make Your Words Work by Gary Provost

5. How To Write a Damn Good Novel (Book 1 and 2) by James N. Frey

6. Building Fiction How to develop plot and structure by Jesse Lee Kercheval

7. Techniques Of The Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain

8. Writer’s Mind Crafting Fiction by Richard Cohen

9. Description by Monica Wood 

 

Motivation

1. Characters And Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card

2. Creating Characters by Dwight V. Swain

3. Techniques Of The Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain

4. Beginnings, Middles And Ends by Nancy Kress

5. Make Your Words Work by Gary Provost

6. Writing To Sell by Scott Meredith

 

View Point

1. The Art & Craft of Novel Writing by Oakley Hall

2. Setting by Jack M. Bickham

3. Characters And Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card  

4. Show Don’t Tell by William Noble

5. Lessons From A Lifetime of Writing by David Morrell

Rounding Off A Chapter With A Hook

1. Crafting Scenes by Raymond Obstfeld