North Carolina’s own local best seller, Nicholas Sparks, once told a writers’ conference that the secret to writing a blockbuster was to figure out how to make little old ladies cry.
We don’t know if that’s the whole secret. Many of the millions of fans who buy and read Sparks’ books are not AARP members, and at least some of them are guys.
Still, if you survey Sparks’ 17 published novels, you find that most of them conform to a certain pattern. Themes repeat themselves. With that in mind – and in honor of the upcoming release of the movie version of Sparks’ set-in-Southport novel, “Safe Haven,” on Valentine’s Day – we thought we’d offer our version of How to Write A Nicholas Sparks Novel.
We’re sorry, Granny.
1. Pick a male character who is:
A. A bright but troubled high school student flirting with self-destructive behavior. (“A Walk to Remember,” “The Best of Me”)
B. A sea-hardened but gentle sailor, quietly mourning the death of the love of his life. (“Message in a Bottle”)
C. A tough but sensitive military man who’s seen too much carnage. (“The Lucky One,” “Dear John”)
D. A brilliant but troubled doctor. (“Nights in Rodanthe”)
E. A brave but sensitive firefighter whose only fear is to take a chance on love. (“The Rescue”)
(Note: Feel free to be creative. Your hero can have some other glamorous, macho occupation, like the highway patrolman in “A Bend in the Road.” But remember – keep him Manly but Sensitive.)
2. Now pick a female character who is:
A. A smart, pretty high school girl from the other side of the tracks (“A Walk to Remember, “The Best of Me”)
B. A hardboiled reporter with a broken heart and a longing for romance (“Message in a Bottle”)
C. A beautiful woman whose husband’s just left her for Someone Else (“Nights in Rodanthe”)
D. A lonely but defensive waitress with a Terrible Secret (“Safe Haven”)
E. The pretty and perky elementary school teacher/next-door-neighbor/town librarian. (“A Bend in the Road,” “The Rescue,” “True Believer.”)
F. A beautiful widow who wonders if she’s ready to risk her heart again. (“The Guardian”)
G. The girl he longed for back in school, all grown up and prettier than ever.
3. They meet:
A. In a small, colorful coastal North Carolina town where folks haven’t forgotten what’s important in life.
B. A quaint, romantic bed-and breakfast.
C. A beach in the middle of summer
D. A rustic but beautiful farm.
E. A Starbucks in Charlotte (Just kidding! No Nicholas Sparks book would ever happen there.)
4. Add another character to make things interesting:
A. An adorable kid who belongs to the hero/heroine and who longs for a new mommy/daddy. For extra pathos, give the kid a mild disability.
B. A crusty old dad who hopes the hero/heroine will get over his/her funk and just kiss her/him.
C. The heroine’s psychopathic ex-husband, who’s hunting for her.
D. An adorable dog.
E. A wisecracking best friend.
5. Love blooms, but there’s a problem.
A. The U.S. goes to war again, and he has to go serve his country in another distant, dangerous land.
B. She develops Alzheimer’s disease. (“The Notebook”)
C. She turns out to have some other disease that isn’t loathsome but dooms her to a lingering, languorous death. (“A Walk to Remember”)
D. He/she has a devastating secret and the other character discovers what it is.
E. The psychopathic husband shows up and starts burning stuff down. (“Safe Haven”)
F. A hurricane hits. (“Nights in Rodanthe”)
6. The problem is resolved when:
A. He drowns at sea in a storm, and she becomes a sadder but better person.
B. She dies, and he becomes a sadder but better person.
C. He comes back from the war, finds out she’s married someone else, then gives all his money so her husband can be cured of his lingering disease.
D. He goes to the nursing home and reads their love story to her every day.
E. They somehow work through everything and live happily ever after. (To be used only as a last resort.)
For more ideas, study your Nicholas Sparks, beginning with the book checklist at www.NicholasSparks.com.
-From the Star News
