#get friends who are virgos and have needlepoint skills

[sarahmaclean]

The most important question I ask myself while writing romance, five years apart and much classier now, thanks to Kate Clayborn's incredible needlepoint skills.

I'm a conflict writer (this will surprise no one, as I feel like you'd be hard pressed to find a romance writer who loves an explosion more than me), so this question is my lodestar when I work. I ask myself after every scene: Why Can't They Be Together Right Now. This isn't a vague question for me while I'm writing -- I literally write the answer down in a notebook.

"Chapter 1, Scene 1: They haven't met yet."

"Chapter 7, Scene 2: He's just been stabbed. Right now is not a good time."

"Chapter 18, Scene 1: He thinks she deserves someone far better than he is (dummy)."

The goal is for the reasons to evolve and change, and reflect both what I think of as the plot (what's going on externally in the book) and the story (what's happening internally in the book).

If the answer is the same for too long (say, two or three chapters?), I know the book is lagging, and I have to amp it all up.

#writing with Sarah #why can't they be together right now #writing conflict #writing romance #get friends who are virgos and have needlepoint skills