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How to Fix a ‘Contrived’ Plot

OMG.

What to do when you realize your book may be too contrived?

That is, for no apparent reason, your hero or heroine does something stupid, or unexplained?

Don’t freak out! It just happened to us, and the manuscript was finished. At first, I did hit the panic button, but then, we figured, hey. we can make ANYTHING happen we want. WE are the authors!

I went through the plot and IM’d Chantel with my editor’s comments.

The first time our heroine gets in trouble, she sneaks off for no apparent reason, other than to slay the bad guy. Hmmm. Okay My husband said, that seems pretty contrived. So instead, maybe she should get a call from someone she owes big time, asking her for a huge favor. Much better.

Later, our hero says ‘stay put’ and expects her to obey, even though she has shown no signs of following orders throughout the whole of the book. Damn. As my husband editor looked at it, he said our hero seemed a bit naive, here.

So, how to fix it? How about we let her come along with the hero, but insist she stay in the car.  Surely that would be reasonable. Then, if she doesn’t listen, despite the danger, it would be more believable. The husband agreed.

The last ‘fix’, Chantel and I had to discuss on IM. Because of our personal experiences, she trusted a hotel room as safe, and I did not. In the original plot, our hero leaves our heroine alone in a nice hotel, because the bad guy is presumed dead.  In the new, Chantel suggested our hero post a guard at the door, just in case. That was good because I could not think of an easy way out.

These are small changes, but we make our characters more believable!

Want to be a Beta Reader and let me know if it works? Leave a comment!

Good luck with your plot.

 

 

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Dark Vortex – Jumping to the Top!

Hi All,
Week two of this wonderful journey of ‘Dark Vortex’

It’s March 9th and we are having a Facebook party.
Stop by and Say hi!
https://www.facebook.com/events/1093679247343288/permalink/1108788115832401/

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I’m truly excited that we are getting some wonderful, honest reviews, from random folks. How cool is that!

This morning’s Amazon Ranking is still amazon

In the US:
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,925 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#16 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Gothic
#19 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Gothic
#32 in Books > Romance > Gothic

How did we do it?

    • First and foremost? Wrote the best book we could.
    • Merged our fan bases
    • Put the book on sale for a limited time
    • Found keywords that target the right audience
    • Bought some targeted Facebook Ads
    • Scoured the internet for free book promotion sites
    • Bought as many low cost ($25 or less) that we could find

Thank you SO much for being a fan and stopping by. I sure hope you will join my newsletter.
I promise to send no more than one update a month!

We are busy busy busy writing book 2, so hang tight and watch for it.

Much Love,
Stella

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Win a Free Kindle Fire 7

Hi,

IN HONOR OF DARK VORTEX RELEASE DAY!!!

Here’s your chance to win a Kindle Fire 7!

or a $10 gift card

or a Signed/Magnet Card set

or a Signed Copy of ‘How To Train Your Knight’!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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