In days, I’ll be officially starting writing on two novellas I need to start, draft, and complete before the end of June. Fortunately, each is only 30,000 words, but at the moment I haven’t written that many words since last summer. But the spring semester ends for my on Friday, and it’s time to shift my focus to writing.
The exciting part is that I get to create these two stories as parts of collections.
The daunting part is that I have two very blank screen staring back at me.
How to start?
The question is characters or setting? Or in the case of these two novellas which historical hook? Both are set during WWII, so that means finding the historical nugget of intrigue is where I will often start. One book will be set in North Carolina and I have a strong sense of the historical details which dictate what the hero is. The heroine is a bit more opaque. With the second, the novella will be set in Europe during or immediately after the war. The hero is an attorney…I think. But the heroine is a bit more vague…again.
So I’m listening to books on different topics. Googling all sorts of details. Hunting for that right idea that will spark the cascade of what ifs that leads to a page-turning novella.
My answer to the question of which comes first? In typical attorney fashion: it depends.
Sometimes it’s the character that demands a story. This was the case as I created the idea for Flight Risk. My editor at the time read Beyond Justice and said that Savannah needed her own story. She was right, but I didn’t know it until I started writing Flight Risk and created a hero who would push her just as hard as she would push him.
Other times it’s the historical hook that launches a book I’m compelled to write. Shadowed by Grace was a book that was driven by the hook of the Monuments Men and what they did to preserve Western Civilization during World War Two. Stars in the Night was inspired by the real Hollywood Victory Caravan. A Promise Born was inspired by the second most top-secret project of WWII.
Still other times it’s a setting I want to visit and experience or have been to and inspiration hit. I knew I wanted to set a legal romantic suspense series in Washington DC, because I loved living and working there. It’s also the city where I attended law school. That led to Beyond Justice and the books that followed it.
What I’ve learned is the starting place doesn’t matter as much as chasing the idea until it comes together.
Which is your favorite? Characters or setting?
Latest posts by Cara Putman (see all)
- Six Books I’m Excited to Read - November 14, 2024
- AI and Managing Time - October 24, 2024
- The Juggling World of Writers - October 10, 2024
How fun that we have two novellas to look forward to! For me, it’s the characters that are my favorite. Similar to real life, I love to travel but it doesn’t matter where as long as I’m going with people that are fun and engaging!
My answer would be the same as yours – it depends. I love the way characters and settings weave together. I’m not a writer, so as a reader, I look forward to author creations. Thank you for being an author. I am constantly amazed at how busy and involved so many authors are. I know you will come up with something wonderful!
Ooooh, that’s a toss-up. I LOVE the fiesty strong female characters but the setting pulls me in as well, especially bakeries, bookshops, cozy villages, cats, time period…Best wishes as you choose both on your two novellas!
I’m like you, Cara. It depends. I’ve had story ideas come from characters and from setting. One idea was sparked by the abandoned roadside park that is across the highway from my house and a crazy title my daughter and I thought up one day. Whichever the starting point, your stories tug readers along until the final twist and solution. Thanks for writing them!
What a difficult question to answer! I love a well described setting, but also appreciate a character I can relate to when picking up a new book. If I would have to pick only one, I would choose setting.