Romancing the Blog | Romance Authors and Readers Who Blog

Nope, it’s not a fun adventure comedy coming to a theater near you. (Though, shoot, that might kinda work!)

It’s one of the most confusing times in a writer’s career and I—like many—am right in the miasma of indecision.

I recently made the decision to go ahead and connect with an agent. Much like I decided, a decade ago, to go ahead and start submitting to a publisher. I remember, way back when, it was so monumental. The publisher was going to be so glad to hear from me. They’d be so pleased I chose them, when I could have chosen anyone. It was going to be a meaningful moment for them. Truly.

Yeah, I know. I’d seen too many movies.

Now that I’m older and wiser, I felt like I was going into the agent hunt with a little more consideration of reality. I asked my friends with agents what they’re experiences were. What was the criteria that they considered important in an agent? How on earth did they decide which agents to contact?

Then I went to the usual, Preditors and Editors and several other reputable lists. There was a LOT of literary agencies to consider. Then there were websites to read. And agency blogs. And FAQs.

It got blurry very quickly.

Most agents say the same things on their webpages. We don’t charge for reading. (Which is good.) We only accept email queries. (This is better, cause baby, I’m not made of money.) We have a professional team of agents who will—insert either “help develop your writing” or “help you reach the career you want”. Six to eight weeks for response.

I started wondering if site design had any bearing on agent selection. Believe it or not, that was a comforting thought. It’s not like an agent is going to put “we aren’t timely when we get back to you” on their site. Or anything out of the ordinary. So, I’m still perusing. Checking out who handles the field I’m hoping to sell in and using that to narrow the selection.

In the end, we all end up scattering the options by contacting several at the same time. Sometimes dozens. (I’ve heard of folks who have gotten over thirty rejections from agents at a time!) So, assuming I get a bite or two, I’m looking at still trying to figure out which agent is better or worse.

Which brings me to my question for those agented souls out there. What was the deciding factor for you when selecting your agent? Did you jump at the first offer? How might you choose between one or the other? What would make you say no to an agent?

Jordan Summers’ post from yesterday couldn’t have come at a better time — she focused on a topic I’ve been doing a lot of writing about recently (stay tuned and all that): writers, blogs, and opinions. I don’t believe I’ve ever met Jordan — and if I have, please blame the wine for my forgetfulness! — but I like that she’s filled with opinions, and it gives me hope to know that she’s thinking about the differences between her pre-published blogging and her post-published blogging.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times, I’m a sucker for voice just as much as I’m a sucker for great writing (truth be told, I’m willing to cut a lot of slack for authors who are still learning the craft if they have great voice). Part of voice is viewpoint: how you filter the world.

That being said, there’s a fine line that authors must walk when they’re online, interacting with readers, would-be readers, other authors, editors, agents, the press, and, as I like to note, lurking relatives (my rule of thumb: your mother reads your blog). You are fulfilling a set of expectations that you might not realize exist. And you have to be you without giving yourself away.

So as you continue reading this piece, remember this above all else: your blog, like other aspects of your online activities reflect you as a professional writer (or, depending, a hope-to-be professional writer). As you interact with others on and offline, remember that you’re compiling a resume and a reputation. It’s like there are smart ways to have sex and dumb ways to have sex. You can really enjoy yourself either way, but one might leave you filled with regrets.

I am a huge proponent of focused blogging — pick a topic, any topic, and own that topic — over cheese sandwich blogging. While some of us are brilliant diarists, most of us don’t have the skill (or time, to be honest) required to blog in an interesting manner about our day-to-day lives. Focused blogging, in many ways, allows the author to create a character (who is her) and express thoughts through that character.

There was never a magical time when authors locked themselves in ivory towers and just wrote. Sure, you have the rare Emily Dickinsons of the writing world, but you also have the Charles Dickens. Authors have been putting themselves out there, interacting with members of the above list for as long as stories have been told. The technology changes, but the purpose remains the same.

And those authors have comfortably functioned as living, breathing, thinking members of society — with all associated opinions — since the beginning of storytime.

The Internet has given everyone from readers to the press greater access to you, the author, but that doesn’t mean you can’t establish boundaries. Only you can decide where the fences are placed. Once you’ve made the decision of how much of you will be available to the public, then you can decide who that you will be. Each of us has opinions, views, and positions; I think burying them or watering them down makes for less effective writing.

Put another way, placing political correctness above being true to the work is just wrong.

I believe that female genre authors should speak their minds, hits be damned. I’ve had more than my fair share, and have to say, some of the attacks are so ludicrous, I can’t stop laughing. Some are pretty darn brutal (”if you known you were going to be on television, why didn’t you lose weight?” — gee, wow, wish I’d thought of that in the 24-hours I had). But I keep getting back in the ring because I have something to say and, despite it all, an audience who is receptive to my message. Do I sometimes pull punches? Yes, when the strike feels below-the-belt. I try to be honest, but I also aim for a diplomatic approach when necessary.

Not that I can’t or won’t be downright cruel or cutting when the situation warrants it, like, oh, when I read yet another “death of the novel” or “teens don’t read” piece that sees lots of trees while completely missing the forest.

Since I write about the publishing business, sometimes I think, “Wow, you really don’t want to be published, do you?”, but I don’t let the fear of insulting this editor or that publisher stop me. I can’t. People don’t read my blog because they want to read about the sunlight and roses and magical fairies that is the publishing business; they read my blog because my focus is on the amazing changes happening to the industry, the impact of these changes, and how to make reading in the future the best possible experience for the most important players in the game — the readers.

Romance authors, particularly, seem cognizant of their images and work to convey the “right” tone. I don’t like that approach in books — it leads to very non-specific, generic-feeling conflict — and I don’t like it in blogs. Being what you think they want is boring. I am reminded of an unnamed friend (rather, she has a name, I’m just protecting her reputation!) who once complained, “Why is that all these authors think we need to feature recipes?”

Good question and good point. For every typical romance reader, I can find his or her counterpoint. If you choose to blog, blog about something that matters to you (just, ahem, avoid mentioning your children by name and be careful about revealing personal information about other people), and make sure you’re true to the subject. If you care enough to write about it every day (week, month), then you obviously have strong feelings and opinions.

Let them show. Nobody loves a milquetoast heroine but everyone loves a feisty fighter.

PS — Thanks to Jordan for pushing me toward this topic. My other potential topic was “I’m so bored with sex”, which, yeah, would require a bit of explanation for the husband.

I’m a blogger. I’ve been a blogger since 2002. When I started blogging, I thought I’d write about anything that popped into my head. Didn’t matter if the subject was controversial. If I felt like discussing it, I would. I figured this was my blog and I’d write what I want. I kept that in mind right up until the point I published my first book. That day everything changed. I went from being a blogger to a writer.

Suddenly, having vocal opinions was a ‘bad’ thing. I started playing it safe when it came to my blog entries. After all, I didn’t want to offend anyone. (I can actually do that pretty easily, especially in person. *g*) Instead of writing what I wanted, I began to read John Scalzi’s Whatever blog (among others) and live vicariously through their entries. Scalzi seemed to be able to say whatever was on his mind and get away with it. Sure some people disagreed with his views, but he didn’t care. It didn’t change how he wrote his blog entries. And he certainly didn’t sweat over whether his entries would turn someone off enough to not purchase his books.

Now I don’t know if his approach to blogging works because he’s a science fiction writer or if it has to do with the fact he’s a man. It could be either. Might be both. All I know is I’ve never really seen a female genre writer (particularly in romance) who’s been able to speak her mind online and not take hits that would drop a prizefighter.

Personally, I think it’s sad. Makes me wonder how interesting blogs and blogging could be, if we blogged about whatever we wanted to discuss.

The other day Mr. Scalzi wrote a blog entry, telling writers that if they felt like discussing current events (or anything else controversial) on their blogs, they should. Key point being, it was up to the author. He reminded everyone that there are a lot of writers imprisoned around the world that no longer have the luxury of freedom of speech. I admit after reading the entry, I felt ashamed and cowardly. I’m fortunate enough to live in a place that more or less allows freedom of speech and I don’t take advantage of it.

Which brings me to the questions I have for all the bloggers out there: Do you feel like there are certain topics you can’t discuss? Does it make a difference if you’re a published author? Should it? Is it easier for a man to discuss controversial topics than it is for a woman? If so, why? Would you stop reading someone’s blog/books/articles, if you disagreed with their views?

Recently, I’ve seen several letters written to the editors of romance writer and reader magazines, as well as blog posts…people complaining about the increasingly popular trend to make romance novels more graphic, in sexual and violent content, and language.

Honestly, I’m not seeing the problem.

Romance novels have always reflected world changes, and guess what? The world we see is becoming more graphic. We’re seeing more violence and sex on TV. We’re seeing crime rates soar. Should romance novels ignore those aspects of real life? Should they show only the “nice” side of life?

Of course, there is room for both! I have a friend who reads only sweet and inspirational romance because she can’t stand seeing the F-word in books. She wants the sex to take place behind closed doors. In her life, she doesn’t swear. She dresses conservately, is very active in her church, and doesn’t watch much television. So the romance novels she chooses to read definitely reflect her lifestyle choices.

But lots of people do swear. They aren’t uncomfortable reading about graphic sex or watching it on television. Maybe they see all of that on a daily basis in their profession. So why should authors not write romances that reflect the world around them, or the world that their characters live in?

I’ve written heroines who cuss up storms because that’s who they are. That’s how they grew up. They’re rough and tough, and they don’t know any other way to live.

But I’ve written heroines who can barely utter the word “crap,” too. Because that’s who they are.

There are so many criticisms leveled against romance, and one of them is that they don’t reflect real life, that they are fantasy. There’s nothing wrong with fantasy…I enjoy a sweeping tale that lifts me out of daily life as much as the next person.

But at the same time, what’s so wrong with authors injecting the raw side of life into romance novels?

How about you? Do you prefer the sweeter side of life, or do you want your romance flavored by the grittier side?

Perhaps it was my misspent youth. Between Lois Lowry’s “Anastasia” series, which included, at the end of a every chapter, lists or excerpts from Anastasia’s project du jour; and multitudes of appendiced and gloassaried fantasy and science fiction novels, I’ve always been a sucker for those books that have a little somethin’ extra.

Are non-fiction mini-essays on the unknown world of parasites interspersed throughout the novel, such as in the vampire YA Peeps, by Scott Westerfeld? I’m so there.

Is there a list of words in the foreign language used by your otherworldly fantasy characters, such as in the NYT bestselling Tairen Soul series, by C.L. Wilson? Sign me up.

Is there an explanation for the American readers of your Australian slang, such as in the Norton Award winning trilogy Magic or Madness?, by Justine Larbalestier? Ta, mate!

Are there footnotes or appendices, real or imagined, such as those found in the works of Nabokov, David Foster Wallace (R.I.P.), or Marisha Pessl? Yummy!

Does a cast of characters appear at the beginning, as in countless Harlequin Intrigues? My own series employs this device, as the conjunction of a large cast and their use of secret codenames makes a cheat sheet come in handy.

Are there: epigraphs, “books within books,” pullquotes (cf. The Wire), or chapter titles)? Can’t go wrong by me.

I even think my weakness for epistolary novels can be attributed to this fondness for text that goes a step beyond the norm.

My love for meta-text is well-known by anyone who has read my secret society girl books. On top of the aforementioned extra-textual “extras” like the cast of characters, the story itself is chock full of goodies like lists, emails, IM conversations, letters, paper excerpts, footnotes, parenthetical asides, chapter titles, and–cherry on top–a thematic, epigraph-like confession that introduces each chapter.

Not to everyone’s taste, I suppose. (I’ve even heard that many readers don’t notice the presence of chapter titles, so inured are they to the standard 1,2,3.) But to me, whenever I find something extra in a book — even if it’s just a little block-quoted snippet of a letter from one character to another — it’s like discovering a special treasure. Straight narrative is great, don’t get me wrong (in fact, I employ it in my YA fantasy novel, Rampant), but sometimes, I like a little something extra.

What about you? Do you like those little extras? Which ones appeal to you? Which ones don’t? Do you react differently when they occur in the text and when they form part of an extra-textual glossary or appendix? Do you wish more authors included appendices or even bibliographies?

I love Chuck Bass. Seriously. I have such a schoolgirl crush on him it’s not even funny.

So what’s the problem? Well for starters, he’s a fictional character.

For those of you who don’t know, Chuck Bass is a character on the CW show Gossip Girl, played by the scrumptious Ed Westwick.

I really shouldn’t even like Chuck, much less love him. He’s everything I don’t like in a guy – arrogant, rude, mean, mischievous, manipulating. Machiavellian doesn’t even begin to describe Chuck’s many schemes. He drinks too much, goes through young, nubile women at an alarming pace, and throws insults around like other guys throw punches. And the way Chuck dresses, well, let’s just say he’s a little too fond of argyle for my tastes.

But I still love him. Why? Because he’s a great character. He’s flawed and fascinating at the same time. And I just can’t stop watching him.

Writers learn a lot from reading other writers. But I also find myself drawn to television shows as well, examining their story elements, arcs, and more. Want to learn how to end each chapter with a cliffhanger? Tune into Prison Break and see how they end each segment before the commercial break. Want to hear rat-a-tat dialogue? Watch Grey’s Anatomy. Want to inject some humor into your romantic suspense? Try NCIS and its unique brand of serious, yet funny storytelling.

But nobody, nobody, on television right now does romance better than Gossip Girl.

On Gossip Girl, you’ve got the middle class boy (Dan) wooing the rich, reformed party girl (Serena). The rich kid with daddy issues (Nate) getting involved with an older woman. The old flames who just can’t seem to let go of each other (Lily and Rufus). Each of these relationships is interesting and funny and even poignant in its own way.

But then, there’s Chuck and Blair – my favorite couple on television right now.

What makes Chuck and Blair so special? Because they’re so perfectly matched. Blair Waldorf (as played by the luminous Leighton Meester) is as arrogant, rude, mean, mischevious, and manipulating as Chuck is. Blair smiles even while she’s twisting the knife in your heart. And watching her and Chuck make up, break up, fight, plot, and continually scheme against each other is soapy drama at its finest. In short, Chuck and Blair are epic – just the way Logan and Veronica were on Veronica Mars.

Chuck and Blair are each strong, interesting characters in their own right. But when you bring them together is when they (and the show) come to life – when the sparks and insults really fly. It’s the same kind of magic we romance writers strive to create with our own heroes and heroines. And it inspires me to craft a story that someone out there will enjoy just as much as I do Gossip Girl.

I know I love it. Until next time. XOXO.

What about you? Which characters do you love no matter what they do? What are some of the television shows you like or that inspire you in your own writing?

My oldest kid turned fifteen yesterday, which made me feel a whole lot of things at the same time. Old, proud, and sad. Old because geez, that time is flying by faster than I can keep up, proud because she’s turning out to be quite the young lady, and sad because I know it’s only a matter of time before she’ll be off on her own, and there’ll be one more empty room in my house. A room I’m not quite ready to see empty.

Sigh.

It’s hard to believe this kid went from being a seven-pound, five-and-a-half ounce baby girl into a teenager, that she would ever go from needing to hold my hand every second of the day to asking me to leave the room so she could be alone with her thoughts, or her friends. But the nice part about this age is the time we do spend together, the common ground we have found in, of all things, our age difference.

She has an almost insatiable curiosity for what I was interested in when I was her age. What music I listened to. What books I read. What TV shows I watched. Where my friends and I hung out, what we did…a thousand questions, nearly as endless as those “why is the sky blue” questions of her preschool days. She’ll “discover” a band like Led Zeppelin and then ask me if I liked them, what my favorite song by them was, and then if I also had ever heard of bands like Van Halen, The Who, The Ramones.

Sometimes I have to laugh. Have I heard of them? Uh…yeah, just a little ;-).

But it’s been fun. Introducing her to music I loved, singing along with her when I remember the words. Or showing her a book I loved at her age, and sharing it with her after she reads it, too. Curling up on the couch with her, a bowl of popcorn between us, to watch a movie from twenty years ago, and enjoying it all over again, through her eyes.

It’s like living my life again, but without the pimples.

There is, of course, the teenage drama. The angst. And yes, the arguments. Part and parcel of anything ending in teen, but it’s been tempered by the relationship built around common ground, something I hope will keep us tethered, at least a little, when the “teen” drops off her age and she becomes a full-fledged woman and leaves the nest for good. I’ll be devastated, but also proud, and anxious for the day she has her first child.

Because there are an awful lot of books, CDs and DVDs I’d like to share someday with a whole new audience. It worked for one generation. I figure it can’t hurt to try it with the next one, too ;-).

Shirley

I have a personal issue that I normally wouldn’t air in such a public forum, but I’m betting a number of you have this same exact issue, and really it’s time we all came clean.

My TBR pile is out of control.

Not only is it out of control, it has kind of taken on a life of its own. There are books living in there that are so not something I’ll read. I know, I know, if I won’t read them why are there? Easy answer–because they were either 1.) Free or 2.) Cheap. C’mon who turns down free/cheap books? Don’t lie to me—I know you have some too.

This issue had been nagging at me for some time, then last week I came across a blog post by another author (sorry I don’t remember who) who confessed to the same ailment. I thought “Okay, enough. I can do this.” And I took action. I started pulling books from the pile that I would never read and….I READ them. That’s right. I READ them.

My choices included a light mystery that at one time in my reading life I would have gobbled up, but at this stage just hasn’t had any appeal. A YA that I got from MIL who did not recommend it, but I took anyway because it was…free. And finally another mystery–hardback no less–also light, that I got at a conference at least FOUR years ago.

And what did I think? Well I finished the first two with no problems. This says a lot for me because I am picky and frequently just can’t force my way through things–especially if the voice doesn’t work for me. The second book I sped read a bit, glossing over parts that seemed unimportant to my enjoyment, but I also stayed up WAY too late reading it. It was a tad addictive. I might search out another by this author. And the third…I just started.

So, now it’s your turn. What is lurking in your TBR long forgotten? Why haven’t you read it?

Then be bold–pick three and read them! If I did it, you can too…

I’m often asked: How do you juggle multiple projects?
The answer, of course: With great difficulty.
And as I get older and my books more complex, with even more difficulty. The way I do it is one job at a time. I might interrupt the completion of a book to write a proposal–or synopsis–of a book I intend to write, but when I do, I concentrate completely on the synopsis. If I can’t finish it, (and I have the time) I put it aside and finish the book. But I never write books simultaneously. My brain just doesn’t work that way.

It’s hard enough for me to promote one book and talk about the characters and story line, when I’m deep into another project. I have to have a copy of the book with me, so I can brief myself and “get into” the old story so that I don’t sound like a complete and utter idiot in an interview or at a book signing. Now, why is this so hard? I can multi-task. I’ve done it all of my adult life.

And that doesn’t begin to touch on series books….oh, yikes on that. If I’ve finished one, am writing the next and pause to start a synopsis of the third. Holy Moly! Just as I force myself to eat a mixture of food during a meal, I have to force myself to work on several different projects. If it were up to my own nature, I’d eat all the peas first, thank you, then work on the potato.

I’m sure this isn’t how everyone handles multiple projects, but it sure is for me.

How much room does a writer really need? This is something that is often touched upon in writing books and articles in the popular magazines on the writing life — the importance of carving out a space to call your own, where you can sit and do your writing. It’s up there with stressing the need to develop a writing habit, where you plant your butt in the chair on a regular basis and get down to business, whether it’s for an hour every morning or half an hour each night or even a frantic twenty minutes stolen from your lunch hour. But how important is it, really?

I’m sure that everyone would love to have an actual room to write in. An office of some sort, with a desk and comfortable chair, some bookshelves filled with favorite volumes of inspiration and research materials, maybe a filing cabinet with notes and scribbled outlines. Perhaps a bulletin board to post hand drawn maps of the world your story inhabits, photos or sketches of the important landmarks in your characters’ lives, or other pictures that help put you in the proper frame of mind for tackling your latest opus. But in many cases, that is not practical. The rooms in your house are occupied already, with children and pull-out couches and televisions or what have you. The garage already houses the cars, plus the hubby’s workbench and the lawnmower and a bunch of recycling bins. So maybe you have one of those armoires stashed in a corner somewhere — the kind where the doors open to reveal your computer monitor and the desk is a tray that slides out with your keyboard. Or maybe you have nothing more than a laptop that you pull out from under the coffee table and plop on the end of the dining table whenever you have a spare moment. Does it still work for you? Can you get your writing done? Or are you surrounded by distractions?

That’s the key, in the end. Not having a room of your own, as fabulous as that is, but having space where you can get away from the regular hustle and bustle of life, escape the noise and movement that tugs at your concentration. Picking a place, and sticking to it, wherever it may be, so that your brain understands when you sit down to work: “Ah, it’s that time, that place, I know what to do.”

When those books and magazines stress having a regular time and place to write, they’re talking about giving yourself mental cues. As your body knows to sleep when you go to bed at night and turn out the light, as your dog knows it’s time for a walk when you pick up the leash, your brain should know it’s time to create when you sit down at your work space to write. Building habits is the true key to productivity, to showing your creative mind who’s boss. Now, I’m not saying your creative mind won’t balk at times, try to fight back, but in the end, more often than not, it will respond to the repetition, to the habit of demanding that it produce for you when you go to that special place of your own. Even if you just curl up with a pad and a pen in a comfy chair at the local library, it can still provide the cue that your brain desires.

So, where do you work? Is it always the same place? If not, are some locations more writer-friendly than others, allowing the words to flow more freely?