Today we have a guest post by the awesome Brighton Walsh
Plotter vs Pantser
Usually when writing, I’m a plotter. I create character
worksheets (which vary between a single sheet of questions to over
three-
The bottom line is, I usually have to get everything just so before I can begin writing or I,
inevitably, hit a brick wall about 60% in.
For Plus One? I pantsed my way through the entire thing like
a pro. I have none of my normal “must haves”. No character worksheets, no outline
(besides the one in my head), nada. The
chapter by chapter summary I managed to find was drafted after I’d already written Plus One in its entirety. So then how did
I manage to write this sucker without hitting a brick wall?
From the conception of this idea, these characters were so clear to me. Their stories and their
backgrounds and the path that they had to take to get to love was just right there that I didn’t dare take a
break to write down everything that I already knew in my mind, I just wrote.
And wrote. And before I knew it, I had a finished novella about a smartass
heroine fed up with finding love and a patient, caring, strong hero who’d given
up on the love he found a long time ago.
I know for a fact writing this way was an anomaly for me.
99.9% of the time, I need to have a clear map to write effectively and
efficiently. But writing this helped me learn something: sometimes, it’s okay
to go off course if you can already see your destination and all the pit stops
along the way without the help of the map. And when your characters are
screaming at you to just write already.
Plus OneBrighton Walsh
Genre: Contemporary
Romance
Publisher: Carina
Press
Date of
Publication: May 6, 2013
ISBN:
978-14268-9555-5
ASIN: B00BED26VI
Number of pages:
100
Word Count: 22,000
Book Description:
Olivia hates the singles scene, so when her best guy friend, Ian, offers to be her plus one to a series of weddings she has to attend, she agrees. Although she doesn't want to complicate their lifelong friendship, she can't pass up the chance to have a steady date without the dating drama. What she doesn't expect is to now find Ian so incredibly sexy.
When Ian sees his old friend Olivia dolled up for wedding #1, the boyhood crush he once nurtured transforms into smoldering attraction. It doesn't take long for their no-strings arrangement to turn physical. But as Olivia's desire to stay "just friends" becomes clear, Ian's feelings are deepening. In the time they have together, how will Ian convince Olivia that one plus one can make for a lifelong pair?
Short Excerpt:
Given how
their afternoon had unfolded, the heat that ricocheted between them throughout
the evening really shouldn’t have been a shock. Olivia had felt Ian’s want
since she’d emerged from the bathroom, dressed in a sleek, fitted, black dress.
Through the wedding ceremony, tucked into his side as his arm rested innocently
against the pew behind her, she thought she’d burst at the feel of his finger
tracing her bare shoulder. It had been a mindless touch, something she hadn’t
even been sure he’d been aware of, and yet it had set her entire body aflame.
And now. Now, she was pressed against him as they danced, his hand
touching her bare skin thanks to the low, open back of her dress. He held her
close, closer than he ever had before, and even though she was two martinis
into the night, she still found herself tongue-tied.
His fingers slowly slid up her back, following the line of her spine,
and though she tried to hold it in, a shudder ran over her body. Her nipples
hardened, and a tingle grew low in her belly. All from a single caress against
her bare back. Jesus, if an innocent touch like that had her wet and ready to
go, what would happen if he stroked her not so innocently?
She looked up into his eyes to find him staring directly at her. His
eyes bounced over her face, no doubt taking in her heated cheeks, eyes heavy
with desire, and parted lips. He pulled her close, and brought their clasped
hands up toward her face. He brushed a single finger down the line of her jaw,
and instead of moving away, swept his finger over her lips. It was scarcely a
brush of skin on skin, but she moaned. It was low and breathy, and barely loud
enough for her to hear, let alone Ian. Yet she knew the exact moment he did.
His eyes, scorching with a want she knew all too well, bored into hers.
“Liv.” He managed to convey so much want and need with that single
word.
She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry, and tried to not sound
breathless when she answered. “Yes?”
Ian’s finger was still on her lip, caressing it back and forth, and his
focus switched between her mouth and her eyes. When he didn’t say anything
more, she couldn’t take it any longer. Her tongue darted out, lightly brushing
against his finger. With their eyes locked, she took the tip of his finger into
her mouth and sucked gently.
“Jesus Christ.” It was a low rumble, spoken under his breath, but she
heard it clearly. With a soft pop, she released his finger, her eyes imploring
him.
About the Author :
Brighton Walsh is a
storyteller at heart. Whether through words or pictures, she's been weaving
tales for as long as she can remember. After decades of cultivating her
writing, she finally decided to give life to the voices in her head and set
forth to write her first novella. Love is her first love, and writing about it
is a dream come true. When she's not writing, you can find her with her nose
buried in a steamy book or partaking in some retail therapy. She lives in the
Midwest with her swoony husband and two energetic kids who (fortunately) know
nothing about the naughty things she puts down on paper.
Find her online at www.brightonwalsh.com
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