My most recent Youtube videos

If you've subscribed to my newsletter or you've been following me on Facebook, you'll know that I'm giving my YouTube channel a lot more attention this year. There are new book trailers up, both for When Love Leads To Scandal and The Infamous Duchess, along with videos about my work in progress and writing in general. If you're thinking of writing a novel but don't know where to begin, some of these videos may help, and if you follow along, you'll be able to see how I go about plotting a story, crafting characters and putting a novel together from start to finish.

How to plot your romance

Now that you have an idea for your story, it's time to turn it into a manuscript. Because guess what: you cannot sell an idea to an editor - unless you're really famous and your book is going to sell millions of copies while you sleep.
Gathering your thoughts into a coherent plot that grabs reader interest and keeps it for 300+ pages, is no simple task, but if you have a pen and some paper handy, it can be accomplished.
Here's how I do it, and I'm not saying this is the best way or the only way. It's just one way - the one I'm going to show you.

First, before I start plotting, I decide how many words I'm going to write in total. My full length novels range from 90,000 to a little under 100,000 words on average. So let's say I'm going to write 94,000 words and I want to do it in two months (eight weeks discounting weekends = 8x5 = 40 days of writing. So, 94,000 divided by 40 = 2,350 words per day. I bet you were wondering when you would get to use those excellent math skills of yours - right :)

Now that I know how much I HAVE to write per day (I usually write more - somewhere closer to 3,000) and how long it will take me to complete my first draft, I start plotting. Generally, my chapters are roughly three thousand words long, so 94,000/3,000 = 31.33... So let's say the book will contain 32 two chapters for the purpose of plotting.

Part 1 - Jot down the key characters. These are:

The hero

The heroine

The villain (if there is one)

Part 2 - Make sure you know who these characters are! Understanding them and giving them depth will go a long way toward getting your reader to care about them as much as you do.

Part 3 - Jot down the key plot elements. These are:

The problem the protagonist faces

The protagonists first attempt at solving this problem

Further complications of the problem

The protagonist's second attempt at solving the problem and additional failure

Worsening of the problem

Dark night of the soul - the part where all hope seems lost

The brilliant moment when the protagonist rallies, overcomes the obstacle and wins

Part 4 - Grab some paper and jot down the numbers 1-32. Next to each of these numbers, write a paragraph outlining each corresponding chapter, distributing the above mentioned elements throughout and adding hooks. This will make you think more clearly about each aspect of your book and whether or not it will make sense or leave you stranded in a corner you can't write your way out of. Remember - and this is based on experience - the more action a chapter outline contains, the easier it will be for you to spend 3,000 + words on it. By that I mean, jotting down - hero meets heroine in the park - doesn't really involve much writing unless they have a specific reason for meeting there, something interesting to discuss that pushes the plot forward and maybe additional information to reveal to the reader.

Overall, this plotting process takes me a few days because there are always problems that have to be muddled through, but if it's done well/thoroughly, it helps me stay on track and avoid having to re-write too much of the book later on.
Any questions? Let me know in the comment section below and I'll do my best to answer them in a timely fashion. Thanks and good luck with your plotting!

Is it a sidewalk or a pavement?

When it comes to writing historical novels, accuracy is vital, no matter the genre, for the simple reason that anachronisms jump out at the reader as if they'd been written in big bold letters. And believe me, readers are bound to notice if one of your characters uses the wrong form of address or mentions an item that wasn't yet invented at the time in which your story takes place.
Attending British schools for twelve years has definitely been of great value to my writing. Yes, I've made mistakes, but I've always done my best to use the British term rather than the American term when necessary. This has proved to be a bit of a contradictory experience since spelling has to be American, using color instead of colour. My most challenging word - the one I probably get wrong most often, is the color gray which I instinctively write as grey. 
But, these are just a few minor differences. A few greater ones are as follows, courtesy of  the www.oxforddictionaries.com 

British English	American English
accommodation	accommodations
action replay	instant replay
aerofoil	airfoil
aeroplane	airplane
agony aunt	advice columnist
Allen key	Allen wrench
aluminium	aluminum
aniseed	anise

Creating memorable characters

As a writer, I don't think there's anything wrong with thinking of fictional characters as 'real people'. If anything, doing so just makes them more life-like and memorable. Now that I'm starting work on a new series and getting to know the characters who will perform in the novel that I'm busily mapping out, I'm trying to figure out which qualities set them apart and what makes them tick. Doing so ahead of time is crucial, for the simple reason that you cannot know how a character will react in certain situations unless you understand who they are as people. So, as I work through the plot and try to figure out what my character is going to do next or how they'll respond to certain situations, I always ask myself, why? In fact, why, is probably the most important question a writer can ask themself. In other words, what is your character's motivation? What's driving them? Are they self-conscious and shy because they were picked on in childhood? Do they have attachment issues because someone they loved once left them? Do they love a particular story because it's what their mother used to read to them at bedtime?
I have often been told by readers that my characters tend to be fun and quirky. That's because I love adding flaws and oddities to their personalities - something that will make them just a little different and, in turn, more interesting. In my Secrets At Thorncliff Manor series, Thorncliff Manor was run by the incomparable Lady Duncaster who was often seen wearing gowns that were fashionable in her youth. She loved eating cake for breakfast and recalled her late husband as the greatest love of her life. As a result, she always hoped that others would find a similar love for themselves, which makes this lady something of a love-match advocate.
And then there's Lady Sarah (Lady Sarah's Sinful Desires) who has a pet hamster named Snowball. Why? Because she's able to carry him with her in her pocket, keep him hidden from her awful stepmother (showing off a bit of rebelliousness) and allows readers to see, through her interaction with Snowball, the depth of Sarah's kindness.
Sometimes certain character attributes will be revealed to me after I start writing because I suddenly realize that they should obviously be an only child instead of having siblings or there needs to be more drama in their past to propel them forward in the present.
As a guide however, I'm adding my character profile sheet below. I fill this out for both the hero and the heroine before I start writing. Once complete, I include a briefer outline for the supporting characters who also need to have motivation. And remember, the key to writing a compelling villain, is to remember that he/she is the hero of their own story.

Character name: 

1.      Outline a short history of his (or her) life.

·        Place & Date of birth/neighborhood type:

·        Parents: 

·        Siblings:

·        Schooling: 

·        Childhood friends:

·        Teenage friends: 

·        Adult friends: 

·        Doesn’t get along with:

·        Job: 

·        Favorite food: 

·        Hobby: 

·        Favorite color:

·        Perfect vacation: 

·        Aspires to:

·        Favorite authors: 

·        Most treasured possession:

·        Favorite school subject:  

·        Relationship to father: 

·        Relationship to mother: 

·        Relationship to siblings:

·        Childhood:

·        Adolescence:

·        Adulthood:

·        Best childhood memory:

·        Best recent memory:

·        Major emotional events:

·        Important personality traits:

·        Medical history:

·        Secret:

·        Biggest Fear: 

Additionally, I do tend to create a private Pinterest board for book development. On here I will typically post pictures of real people who look like the characters I have in mind since this helps solidify their appearance. I'll also include images of clothes that I think they would wear, houses where they would live along with pictures of potential pets. Another tip is to base your characters on real historical characters, because sometimes researching a Captain who actually went to war and fought for England, might lead to a wealth of information.

The Inspiration behind Thorncliff Manor

World building is one of my favorite things when it comes to writing, and in my new series, Secrets At Thorncliff Manor, I've had so many opportunities to be creative. For inspiration, I started out with the general idea of Las Vegas having themed hotels, and then converted this idea into an estate with themed salons. I've looked at numerous pictures of British castles and interesting locations throughout Europe and other parts of the world, combining all of my favorite elements. The result, is the most magnificent guesthouse England has ever seen.
I present to you, Thorncliff Manor.

Owned by Lady Duncaster, an eccentric widow with a penchant for cake, Thorncliff sits firmly upon the English countryside, located between Bournemouth and Portsmouth. Though little of the original structure remains visible, Thorncliff was initially built during the twelfth century by a knight named William Holden. Since then, each generation has expanded on it, creating a vast edifice with a total of 187 rooms, fifty of which are bedchambers. There are eight themed salons decorated in unique styles that pay tribute to some of the wonderful places Lady Duncaster visited with her late husband, like India and China.
 

The conservatory is quite possibly the finest one in Europe, modeled after the orangerie at the Versailles Palace, albeit with more glass to allow for a more outdoors feel. The impressive library, housing a vast variety of books that have been collected over the centuries, is 180 feet in length with comfortable seating arrangements located throughout in order to encourage reading or simply a bit of quiet conversation in good company.
 

Other notable rooms include the smoking room, the dining room (with space for one hundred guests), the gaming room, the ballroom, the music room and the exercise room.

Heading outside onto a sprawling terrace, tables and chairs set amidst potted plants and climbing roses, provide the guests with a wonderfully relaxing environment in which to enjoy their afternoon tea. Seated here, one has a direct view of the front lawn and the lake that lies beyond it. A frigate, now used for outdoor dining, can be seen – it is named The Endurance and was purchased many years ago by the late Lord Duncaster as gift for his wife – a memento since they once traveled aboard it together. To the right of this, is a Chinese pavilion, perfect for enjoying a quiet talk, a cup of tea or a midnight kiss.

Following the lake to the left, one will find the rose garden, and beyond it, an elaborate maze that can take a fair amount of time to get through. On the opposite side of the lake lies the forest, along with other lawns belonging to the estate, the chapel, and a path leading toward a grotto. Of course, no estate of this size and history would be complete without hidden tunnels and passageways, so Thorncliff does have several of those as well, many of which have not yet been explored.
Rumor does have it that a treasure can be found on the estate, but Lady Duncaster isn’t convinced, even though some of her guests are quite determined to find it. Who knows how lucky they’ll be?

 

If you'd like to know more, please visit my website at www.sophiebarnes.com

The first book in the series, Lady Sarah's Sinful Desires, goes on sale April 28th and is available now for pre-order. 

The Sleek Look

As I mentioned on FB earlier today, I've neglected my blog for waaaaaaaaaaaay too long! When I went to take a look at it yesterday, I found that it was overgrown by weeds and in dire need of a complete overhaul. So I went to work, dug up those pesky weeds, tilled the soil and planted new seeds. Everything looks so much neater now - I feel as though I can finally breath :) Yeah, I was a blogger newbie - still am, in case you're wondering - so I'd thrown every possible gadget at my blog that I could possibly think of, and while it did have it's charm, reminding me of an eclectic bookshop where tea and cupcakes might be served on velveteen couches, it just didn't work. So now I'm going to try this.
The R.E.D. you ask? Well, I'll let you ponder that since I do love to inspire a bit of mystery. What's the fun in giving away the entire plot? Now I just have to fill my blog with lovely bits of interesting tidbits...any ideas? There's a comment section below if you'd like to make suggestions, or, if you'd like to tell me about your own romantic adventure in a private e-mail to yours truly, I would love to write your story. My grandparents' will be coming up soon, so stay tuned for more.