Janelle Evans

It’s official! I signed another book deal. My Rory’s Choice series will not be the last you see of me. I’m super excited and scared all at the same time. With the Rory’s Choice series I had all the books finished before I finally found a publisher, but this new series isn’t finished yet. Talk about upping the pressure to produce new work. I do have a killer vision of where it will go, which excites me beyond words. I want to thank all the readers out there who have supported me in this journey that I’m grateful to know for sure isn’t over just yet.

After finishing the Rory’s Choice series I knew I wasn’t done writing, but I worried that my new characters might feel like those in Rory’s Choice. I mean let’s face it, who, what, when, where, why dialogue is pretty much unavoidable in every story.

As I considered the problem I realized I’d already faced this issue throughout my years of stage acting. I can’t tell you how my times I’ve said lines like, “Where did you go? How am I ever going to do that? Why? Why? Why?” Blah, blah, blah, you get the picture.

It wasn’t the words that defined my characters on stage; it was the motivation I created behind them. I could do the same for my characters in my books. By leaning on the core values I create for my characters, those tired old, but necessary, lines get delivered in ways that become distinct for each character.

It’s funny to me that I found another use for all those Method Acting classes I took years ago. But instead of a director asking me, “What’s my motivation?” I’m asking imaginary people in my head. 🙂

I love stories with well-designed arcs of plot, when the tiniest of moments at the beginning of a story become the glue and the end that ties it all together. For example in the Disney movie, Tangled, Rapunzel has a dream to see the lanterns. We even find out bad guys have dreams. Dreams, dreams, dreams, it’s a reoccurring theme. At the end, the story is wrapped up in a perfect bow when Eugene, who saves Rapunzel by cutting off her hair says, “You were my new dream” before dying. Mmm…what a delicious arc.

As a writer that’s what I’m attempting to do every day—build threads of plot that will create one massive arc worth sighing over. Some days it’s easier said than done, but I love the process. It’s exciting to see an arc you’ve dreamed up take shape through the thousands of words you’ve typed on a page. Here’s to hoping one day I’ll be able to create an arc just as delicious as Tangled.

I’ve never had much of a poker face. If I’m happy you’ll see it. If I’m mad you’ll know it—and most likely hear it. My emotions are always on the surface for everyone to see. While I don’t think this trait of mine is necessarily a bad thing, my inability to hide my emotions probably means some career paths should be avoided.

I doubt a psychiatrist who offers up angry outburst or crying spells right along with their client would be very effective. And I’m sure court cases come with lots of frustrations. Now imagine my emotional-self as the lawyer fighting your case. Yeah…it’s okay, I’d probably fire me too.

This isn’t the reason I chose to be a writer, but it’s definitely a perk. When I’m blubbering in the middle of a painful scene, or stomping mad at the injustice I created, nobody has to suffer my weirdo tendencies but the four walls I’m holed up inside. Oh, and my family, but they’re kind of stuck with me.