A friend, bless her heart, recommend NYT Bestselling author Catherine Coulter to me. Ms. Coulter writes romantic suspense, like me. I borrowed one of her later books from my local library. Of the eight titles on the shelf, that one’s blurb intrigued me with its paranormal element. I read that first book in one day, all 414 pages. I was hooked.
I’ve since devoured 2.5 more of her novels, and have four more waiting to be read. Ms. Coulter has a formula that works well. She’s excellent at clues and misdirection and red herrings. But the best and most frustrating part are her villains. I just learned from NYT Bestselling author James Rollins at the RWA National convention that villains need to be a little smarter than the heroes. Why, I wanted to scream. I want my heroes/heroines to be able to solve crimes. The villains need to be smarter because otherwise there is no conflict, and without conflict there is no story. Ms. Coulter’s conflict with the villains takes up 400+ pages. What’s frustrating to me is more like real life—villains lie. They misdirect, they evade, hide the truth, or just plain refuse to implicate themselves. Villains don’t just blurt their secrets and their guilt when the hero and heroine arrive on the scene. Good villains make us root harder for the hero and heroine. Good villains make us tense when we read, because we’re not sure of the truth, and we fear for the safety of our hero/heroine. Good villains make a story better. Good villains make us keep on reading.
Huh. Who’d have thought that? Certainly not me. But that’s what a writer, even one who’s been writing for a dozen years, can learn from the best writers, whether in a workshop at a convention, or from reading a bestselling book. Thanks, Catherine Coulter. Thanks, James Rollins.
Do you learn from the best writers?
I try to learn from all writers. From Hemingway, I learned Brevity and control of words is key. From Faulkner, I learned how multiple narrators could be done in third person. From Hawthorne, I learned how powerful symbolism could be.
The biggest lesson I learned in writing was to loop my story. To keep going back to things that I mentioned earlier. I don’t think enough writers loop their stories. It only strengthens the narrative.
Hm, I wonder if I loop. I know if you plant a clue you have to loop back to it. What a great reminder. Thanks, Michael.
This is one of the reasons I love going to conferences and taking classes. You can always learn something to help you grow a writer. I almost always come away with a tidbit or two that stays with me and sharpens my writing.
Constance: That may be the reason you sold 2 stories this year! Congrats.
Hmm? Looping? I’m going to go back and see if I do. And now you’ve got me interested in Catherine Coulter. And re your comment on my blog, where did you work that you became a barometer?
I worked in Fulton County. Back when businesses allowed employees to smoke indoors. I think it was the smoke that did it. I used to get the worst sinus headaches. Now that most businesses are smoke-free, I rarely get them.