Blood Money

Lost, alone and running from the world's deadliest demons, Makayla races to find her mother among monsters before it's too late... 

A struggling college student who feeds vampires for money finds herself the prize in a war between two blood sucking families.

I have been working on this story since the  end of September (7 weeks now).

Getting the scene list organized took a week in itself. But I feel as though something is still missing. Because my experience is limited I don't know what that is. 

So I'm going to use you as a sound board. 

Here goes...

I have:
The heroine
Two Oppositions, one is a fake ally
A fake ally other than the opposition
A fake opponent, who is also the hero/love interest and the red herring
A sub-plot character that reflects the heroine
I have a "talisman" that is a knife
The McGuffin can be counted as the hero's mother.  
 
Have I missed anything?

I'm feeling a twist isn't in that list yet there is one, and it's fairly big.

Maybe the plot is too simplistic?

Maybe I'm trying to figure out something that doesn't need to be figured out?

Maybe I should write it and learn. 

You see, I can spot things in others writing, but the key is spotting it in my own. Being able to spot it in others writing helps me, but I wonder. I've followed everything Sensei Truby said, but I'm like... isn't there more to this story?

Maybe there is. 

Perhaps this is a series and I don't know it yet. 

Anyway... I'll try to shake off this nagging uncertainty and tell you a little about this new story.  


The premise came to me when a line popped in my head. "My mother named me Chamomile, after the taste of my blood."

​
Now that I've found the big wide world of plotting, I'm trying to do this one from the start. 

Hang on... I'm getting something... it's the three acts. I'm missing the three acts. 

I don't know if I can explain this well, but I'll try.

The three act structure─it's for amateurs.

The three act structure is not just for the big picture, it's for universe big picture. I use it for series. And if the three acts turn into five, that's okay too.

If your not growing your rotting.

That's what Les Edgerton taught me. 

So, I continue to grow and BLOOD MONEY is the story I believe will help me learn more about genre writing.   

And outlining is a world I'm learning more about along with this story too. 

Before this novel, I've been writting by a sort of plot-pantsing style. Things have gone okay. But in my hunger of learning more, I knew there was a larger part of writing I wanted to perfect.

Narrative drive moves the plot forward. 

That's what John Truby taught me. 

It's also what I've believed to my core. 


So instead of three acts I'm learning what I started doing to begin with.

Narrative drive.

The main character(s) drive the story. There is no three acts. Sure, you can do the whole ​*Pretend there's an excel chart we've all seen, of the three act structure, to fill out here*

Most battle plans never get past contact

So if an outline is the battle plan, and battle plans don't get past first contact (the actual writing of the book), why do an outline?

What a great question!

It's a lazy question, but still deserves a snarky comeback. 

Well, if to grandma's house we go, and we've never been to grandma's house, you kinna need directions. 

Or were you planning on calling grandma and having her on the phone while you drive and describe landmark features?

But, Stephanie, I know how to write a book. See... *holds up paperback of their own novel*

No. You know how to write that book. *Points at authors paperback*

Every book is different.

When each book is written the same you've officially become James Patterson. You have lots of money, but your writing has no soul. It's the same story gone over with different names. 

Those who want to be James Patterson, there's nothing I can do for you. Because what I've learned is...   

Success makes you lazy

And I don't mean just money here. 

I mean if my hunger for writing better, more, faster, stronger were non-existent, I'd never be able to tell this story (Blood Money). I'd never strive for better. I'd never write again. 


​So while I don't have an excerpt for you yet, beware! It's on the way!

Until next time...
​...happy reading!