Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Guest Blogger: Author Louisa George

Back by popular demand - it's the Romance Author Extravaganza! And I'm especially thrilled to hand over the reins to the gifted Louisa George, who I had the pleasure of meeting in person! Over to you, Louisa!



Hi Libby!

So lovely of you to invite me here today! And so fabulous to have actually met you. In Person. In Anaheim! What a total thrill!

Anyway, on to the blog…


INNER CONFLICT

So, I think I left my muse in the bar in Anaheim. She was being entertained by a mojito cocktail and a lovely waiter called Jason. I’d really like to have her home now, so please send her back if you see her! I’m stuck and I need her help.

So what to do in times like these? When the story has hit a wall and your brain is out to lunch? Sometimes you write yourself into a corner and it seems as if there’s no way out.

What works for me- what ALWAYS works, is going back to the core conflict. Not the silly argument the hero and heroine had in chapter two which meant they had to kiss and make up, or the misunderstanding they had in that last scene about the woman she saw him with who wasn’t his wife but was really his sister…but the CORE CONFLICT of the story.

What is preventing the hero and heroine getting together? It isn’t the visible obstacle, although an axe-wielding murderer is pretty important, but deal with him and you’ve still got to have some kind of roadblock to the romance. You need an emotional obstacle.

The emotional/inner conflict comes from some sort of belief your hero/heroine holds that prevents them from achieving their goal. In a romance it prevents them from finding love.

This conflict stems from something that has happened to them in the past that has formed this belief – usually crystallised by thoughts such as – love hurts/ love can’t last/ you can’t trust a charming man / I am worthless. They are unhealed wounds that shape the character’s way of thinking about the world and their place in it.

So, after the kiss, or after their first night of wild love-making the thing that holds the tension and the pacing of the story is how the character sees the relationship IN LIGHT OF THE CONFLICT.  This is why so many romances have a dark scene after a love-making scene- the hero/heroine cannot believe they are lovable /or that they can trust someone else so they shrug on their emotional armour and put up barriers again. Thus we have the lovely push/pull and will they/won’t they? of the romance journey.

This inner conflict is the key to story because it is key to character. And character is what makes readers invest their emotions in our books.

So, when the chips are down and you can’t see a way forward in your plot, always look to your characters’ inner journey to find your answer.

In my current release, Waking Up With His Runaway Bride heroine Mim strives to keep her independence after a childhood dominated by controlling men and her mother’s addiction. So when ex fiancĂ© Connor turns up to decide her business’s future she fights tooth and nail to retain control of both her emotions and her medical centre.

Blurb: 

Their make-or-break reunion...
Mim McCarthy needs to focus on saving her clinic—not her insufferable yet outrageously sexy ex Dr Connor Wiseman. He might have grown into those cheekbones, but she knows he won’t have forgiven his runaway fiancĂ©e so easily! Yet it’s impossible to deny the sparks between them – their fights used to be legendary, but their making up might be even more momentous…

I’m happy to give away one copy – all you have to do is leave a comment!



Waking Up With His Runaway Bride is available in ebook from: 


And in paperback (free postage worldwide!) from:




30 comments:

  1. Hello Lousia!

    Lovely post thanks for sharing And Libby thank you so much for brining Louisa to the blog her books are so awesome !

    Thank you also so much for the very lovely giveaway the book sounds incredible ! I loved reading your post and it really got me thinking more about conflict -nice info !

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  2. What a great article Louisa, and very timely as i rip my characters to shreds to dig deeper into their past. You next release sounds great. Love reunion stories.

    Jane B

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  3. Having just jumped my hurdle and given my characters a severe talking to, this post was timely, and well needed. I find a re-read of what I've written so far, can sometimes throw up a big lightbulb... 'this is is, sort it'.
    Other than that I resort to chocolate...and wine...
    I love the sound of this story...

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  4. Hi Desere! Lovely to see you here! Thanks for your kind words! Glad the blog struck a chord!

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  5. Hi Jane! Thanks for popping in to see me and read the blog! Digging deeper is the key to inner conflict! Be ruthless! And yes, I love reunions too!

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  6. Hi Aurelia! (Beautiful name BTW) -hope the advice helped!

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    1. Thanks, although I can't really claim it - my whole pen name is an anagram of my real name but I like it :)

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  7. Hi Raven! (Another interesting and lovely name!)- sometimes you've got to have tough love with those characters! LOL- and I find wine is very helpful, plus the odd mojito!

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  8. great post, Louisa and i'm agreed character is what makes us (readers) invest our emotions in books :)

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  9. Great post Louisa and as Raven said, timely for me as I work through my conflict/plot. thanks :)

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  10. I like the title. I never realised how complicated conflict was. It's wierd when you first sit down and think you can write a romance, noone ever tells you how hard it really is! Thanks for the great tips!

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  11. Hi Jen! Best of luck with sorting out your plot/conflict! It's a tricky business getting it right!

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  12. Hi Kooks! I was so pleased when they gave me a 'runaway bride' title! And boy, the conflict is the hardest bit for me!

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  13. Thanks for this, Louisa. I'd never thought of it that way. Might help my saggy middle!
    (Libby: don't worry about including me in the draw - I'm still jumping around from having won Fiona's book!)

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  14. That's a realistic approach. In romance novels, while we are dealing with fiction we must always keep it in mind that this could in fact happen to someone. I remember a couple of years ago when I along with my friends were dating and bonding with men who could possibly become our life partners, there was nearly always a conflict which could prevent a couple from becoming a partnership. One person didn't want to commit because of some issue or another and the other person would try to change their mind. Sometimes they succeeded and sometimes they didn't. My own husband definitely liked me but didn't want to marry out of his culture because he knew his parents would disapprove of it. Thankfully, I was able to convince him to go for it and he changed his mind.

    Conflict is the lifeblood of romance and without it, there's no story. That's my opinion anyway.

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  15. Hi Jo! The great Michael Hauge talks about seeing the character's journey from their identity (the person they portray to the world complete with emotional armor) to their essence (who they could be if they allowed themselves to be - their TRUTH). It's a great way of following the character arc development- and it directs action in the plot too! (Hee hee- guess who's just been to a writing workshop!!)

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  16. Hi Maria! Good to see you! I agree- the conflict has to be as believable as possible and is the core of any romance. Thanks for your comments!

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  17. Louisa your thoughts on conflict are excellent! Thank you.

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  18. Loisa, what a great post, i like the emotional conflict on the story, and thank you for the giveaway

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  19. Hi Louisa,
    Great article... I love the idea of your muse sitting in a bar sipping a mojito!
    I've bookmarked this post for those times when I know I'll really really need it. :)
    Best of luck with the new book,
    Andrea

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  20. Hi random number/letter person (who I just happen to know is Deb because she told me she couldn't get the site to play ball!)- Glad you liked the post!!!

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  21. Hi sweety white (cute name!)- thanks for stopping by! Fingers crossed on the giveaway!

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  22. Hi Andrea! I wish she'd come back! I've now started writing about characters who are sitting in bars sipping mojitos - in the hope that'll bring her home! (No kidding- opening chapter book five!). Write what you know, right?

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  23. Congratulations to Maria Mohan, winner of the giveaway drawing! Happy reading, Maria. And Louisa, thank you so much for doing the drawing and for your fabulous blog post!!!

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  24. Hi Maria!! Let me have your address- email me on louisageorge32 at gmail dot com or via my website www.louisageorge.com and I'll get that book in the post to you!

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  25. Libby- it's been an absolute pleasure being here! Thanks for having me!

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  26. Thank you Louisa, sent you the email. And thank you Libby.

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  27. hi maria..
    nice to know you..this is a great an article..i love it..
    thanks for the giveaway ^^

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