Romancing the Blog | Romance Authors and Readers Who Blog

Coming up for air after a long holiday weekend, I realized much to my surprise… I was due to submit my blog contribution! Yikes. What could I possibly discuss that hasn’t been aired, dried, disected and tossed against the wall to see if it would stick? Alas, I couldn’t think of a darn thing. Which ultimately steered me in the direction of my very brief topic–that of finding ideas that work.

In this very fast-paced, I want it now society, the joy of leisurely laying out a story is not much of an option. All the pundits advise to hit them hard and fast with a grab ‘em by the throat opening, keep those pages turning, end chapters with cliff-hangers, add twists, turns, red herrings–the kitchen sink–whatever it takes to keep the reader glued to the pages.

Books must compete with I-pods, podcasting, music videos, celebrity gossip and the trusty remote control that can surf at the speed of light, not to mention the competition for shelf space in the bookstore.

As writers not only are we responsible for writing incredibly witty, exciting, sexy, page-turning novels, we must find innovative ways to tell the world about our creations.

With all of this pressure on the creative process, does creativity suffer as a result? Are we truly only as good as our last book? What if our “numbers” are not as good as last time, or worst not as good as the newbie who just signed a mega deal?

Most true writers, write for the love of it, because there is this burning need to put our vision on the page for the world to experience. Yet, the purity of our goals are so often distorted by the demands of a “gimme” society–gimme more, gimme faster, gimme sexier, gimme, gimme, gimme.

I don’t want my joy to become my heartache, something that I do to simply stay in the game, something I agree to in order to keep my contract.

The days of editors nurturing and growing and developing their authors is a thing of the past. The “sell through” outweighs creativity.

So, to me, it is up to us as authors to stay the course, to support each other, to share information, to squeeze to the side to let someone in. The challenge, therefore is to hold onto the roots of our creativity, the joy of laying out a story and not be discouraged by sagging middles, midlist tags, being number 2 million on amazon, or always finding your book spine-side out.

Storytelling is the most induring artform known to man. We as writers are the keepers of that unbroken heritage and with that comes the responsibility of always telling the stories that move US, stories that come from OUR hearts, that are WORTHY of being told–not once but time and again. Our words have power, the power to bring laughter, tears, raise questions, change lives, incite debate. Make your words do you proud. They will be here representing you long after you are gone–no matter if you were paid six-figures, got a ten-city tour, magazine ads, radio interviews–or no more than your creation sitting on a shelf waiting for that special someone to take the adventure that you have in store for them.

Recently, a well-meaning romance writer pal pointed out my “unnecessary” use of ups and downs when my characters stand or sit. Apparently, the word going around romance-writing workshops is that instead of saying, “He sat down,” we should say, simply, “He sat.”

Hogwash.

“He sat” does not imply movement. So we don’t know whether our character is just now taking a load off or if he’s been lounging for some time already. To see how that might make a crucial difference, consider these two sentences:

Fiona glared at Dirk, who sat by the window, his eyes wide with feigned innocence.

Fiona glared at Dirk, who sat down by the window, his eyes wide with feigned innocence.

In the first instance, Fiona might be glaring at Dirk because he’s just sitting there, the big oaf, and not doing whatever it is she thinks he ought to be doing. But in the second, it’s clear that Dirk doesn’t sit down until Fiona glares at him. His sitting might be in response to or in spite of her dirty look. So that little “down” could be downright necessary in that particular sentence.

We can do the same thing with “he stood” and “he stood up.”

As a reader, do these types of “errors” really matter to you? Writers talk a lot about their pet peeves and make up silly little rules about things like the ups and downs of standing and sitting, but non-writers don’t seem to care about those things. If you’ve read The DaVinci Code, you’ve been exposed to some astonishingly bad writing. But as far as I’ve noticed, the only ones complaining about Dan Brown’s lackluster sentences are other writers. I didn’t care for the book because it was poorly researched and that breathtaking-discovery-at-the-end-of-every-chapter style was cloying. But many people believe Mr. Brown told a ripping good tale, and they go on and on about the story without ever mentioning the writing.

So how much do these little things really matter? And can you think of some other venerated “writing rules” that ought to be torn out of the writer’s handbook?

I’ve written a few entries for RTB and several have been a bit controversial, so this time around I’ve decided to choose a top that is safe topic and should not cause tempers to rise.

Recently, I’ve been reflecting on my career as a published author, the process of writing and my growth as a writer. A few days ago, I received a message for a fellow writer who mentioned that my second release, a September Harlequin Kimani Romance, was being advertised in the back of her July release. And something hit me slam in the face.

I am a published author!

Of course, I’m not proposing that I am the first one to experience this feeling since I know that each of us (published authors) experience this euphoria in our own way. I see life as a constant journey of self-discovery and my writing career has played an essential part in this personal uncertain journey. This month (2nd May), I turned forty-four but I’m still discovery aspects of who I am. I’m a teacher, a son, a writer, a lover, a friend, a strong believer in the Almighty and so much more.

I’ve been battling with my spirituality and the fact that I write romance with torrid love scenes and wondering if I should be writing inspirational romance and fiction. Then a few weeks ago, I received a letter from a “fan” who wrote me to tell me that she enjoyed my first book and loved the fact that the book, thought not inspirational romance, contained elements of spiritual faith. She recognized that my respect for God played a significant part in the lives of my characters.

The past year has been an eventful one. When I look back on the time since receiving the CALL, I’ve realized that several events contributed to my increasing confidence as a published author.

 The day I held my contract in my hand and read it from beginning to end thought I didn’t understand a lot of what was said was confirmation that I’d published and with a publisher that was considered the foremost publisher for African-American romance.

 The day I held a copy of my first book in my hand.

 The day in March when I received the Emma Award for being the Favorite New Author of 2005 at the annual Romance Slam Jam, the largest conference for African-American authors and readers.

 The day of my first book signing when my colleagues at the high school where I teach purchased every copy of my author copies.

They are other less significant moments but at each stage I felt this overwhelming state of humility. Not because I accomplished so much, but because God had seen it fit to bless me with a talent that I could reach readers and writers, like my self, who believe in the awesome power of love.

I know that my journey has not yet ended and that I have so much more to learn about myself. As authors, we continue to explore and redefine the craft of writing romance while embracing those moments of awesome humility when we realized that what we’re doing comes from a deep rooted desire to touch the world.

Where are you in your own stage of self-discovery? What are those special moments in your writing career?

by Robyn Harper

I’ve always heard that putting current events in a book dates it, which is apparently a really bad thing. In one of my own stories, I changed the Al-Qaida type terrorists to a time-neutral James Bondish SPECTRE organization for that very reason. Though the exact rules may vary by editor, it’s been said that you don’t want to date the book by referring to exact historical events of the past five to ten years.

I have a question for you authors, though, and it is this: how do you ignore things like 9-11 or the tsunami? Although 9-11 certainly left its mark on the American psyche, I’ve seen plenty of movies, t.v. shows and books that were successfully set in post 9-11 New York that had no reference to that tragedy. It may perhaps be because NYC is big enough to have plenty of other settings besides the towers. So it can be done, I suppose. But what do you do with something like Hurricane Katrina?

The gulf coast will never be the same. There just aren’t words to describe the devastation that still exists there nearly a year later. Some towns were literally wiped off the map. And New Orleans, a favorite setting of many romances, had lovely, bawdy, picturesque places that just aren’t there anymore. I’ve wondered about books, and book series, that feature The Big Easy as a character, not just a locale. Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series comes to mind first. Every reader I know likes to read about their hometown or homestate, and they are quick to let the author know if she got the details wrong. With a town as ravaged as New Orleans was, can an author pretend Katrina didn’t happen and write of the French Quarter as it was? How do you just go on writing, inserting the local flavor in the story, when the city as previously written doesn’t exist?

Would referring to specific events like Katrina and New Orleans “date” the book too badly? I happen to think not. Let’s face it, current technology will date the book more than any historical event. I can’t tell you the number of old suspense stories I still read, and enjoy, that feature a downed or cut phone line that puts the protags in peril; our hero can’t whip out a cell phone because they weren’t invented yet. Or clothes- talk about dating a story! Reading about our fashionista heroine with a big shouldered power suit and permed blunt cut hair will tell you exactly when this book was written.

Should authors with contemporary stories step around historical benchmarks to preserve the book’s “current” feel, or include them, knowing that cultural benchmarks will date the book anyway?

*For information on how you can submit to Open Blog Night, click here.

I’ll tell you no more lies…

Okay, maybe that’s how the song goes, and really, with the questions authors get, how can they NOT tell a whopper now and then? Even if it’s just for fun? I asked a few other authors what uh, less than intelligent questions they get asked. Then I (or in some cases my evil twin) supplied a few possible “no more lies” answers…

• “How’s the book doing?”
  This one is mine, I love it (not) because what “book” are they talking about? The first one? The one that just came out? Or one of the 2,000 proposals I’ve been working on? And what does “doing” mean? Sales? Money? Ease of writing?
  No more lies answer… “Just fine thank you, but it would be ‘doing’ a lot better if you picked up a few dozen copies. Would you like me to autograph those for you?”
• “So do you have to do research on that?” (and we’re not talking about dance steps here…)
  No more lies answer… “Yes, didn’t you see me outside your window Saturday night? You think you could learn a few new moves? The market is really looking for ‘hot’ right now, and I just don’t think you’re going to cut it.”
• “Why didn’t they publish all three books of the trilogy in the same year?”
  No more lies answer… “My publisher was afraid I’d dominate the market too much. It’s better to spread key sellers like my books out a bit.” A straight face is strongly recommended with this.
• “So, is Fabio going to be on your cover?” (wink)
  No more lies answer… “Yes, yes he is, but I have to find the perfect set of silk sheets to drape him in first.”
• “How hard is it to write a book like that?”
  No more lies answer… I’m afraid my evil twin is strongly tempted to suggest an answer along the lines of… “I don’t know, how hard is to find pants for a butt like that?” BUT that is only my evil half, you understand. I would never suggest such a response.
• Question asked of author Sandy Blair, when she was handing a woman a bookmark at a signing, “Are you sure I’m going to like this?”
  No more lies answer… “No, but I’m sure your husband did. Read about it on page 224.”
• Question supplied by authors Kristina Cook and Nancy Morse, “Now when are you going to write a *real* book?”
  No more lies answer… “Just as soon as I’m done cranking out a few dozen of these *fake* ones. Thanks for asking.”
• Question asked repeatedly of author Lillian Darcy, “How long does it take to write one?” (this is asked with a tone Lillian says she can now parrot exactly)
  No more lies answer … “Didn’t you know? We don’t write these babies–we just fill in the blanks.”
• “So when are you going to write another book?” (from an author who had three books come out in quick succession then hit a bit of a dry spell saleswise)
  No more lies answer… “When I’m done spending the millions I made on the first three.”
• From suspense author Allison Brennan, a question her husband received… “I just finished Allison’s book, THE HUNT. Aren’t you a little worried about her?”
  Allison’s answer … “If you were worried about THE HUNT, wait until you read my next book. The victim is castrated and chokes to death on his penis.”
  No more lies addition… “And he looks a bit like you.”
• Finally, a question given to author Jessica Trapp, also at a book signing, “Is your hair real?”
  No more lies answer… Got to go with the obvious here. “Yes, are your breasts?” (good for a man or woman)

And finally, back to our song…

Ask me no more questions,
I’ll tell you no more lies.
All writers go to heaven,
And true love never dies.

And that’s all folks–now, any questions?

Lori

Note: No More Lies Answers were not supplied by these lovely self-controlled authors. Everyone knows romance authors are way too refined for such crassness. We just turn the question asker into the two-bit hooker who gets smothered by her boa in the first chapter.

Several years ago, I heard about an upcoming TV show that was going to feature excessive nudity. I’d never watch that, I thought, especially when I heard the nudity was gratuitous, completely irrelevant to the story. NYPD Blue subsequently became one of my favorite programs—not because of its nudity, but because of its quality storytelling.

What I should have learned from this—never say never.

Last November after more than 15 years of reading romance, I decided to participate in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), which meant writing a novel of at least 50,000 words in one month. A coworker and I held plotting sessions in October and encouraged each other as we wrote in November.

At the time, I told myself I was just doing it for kicks. Writing romance was fun, but it was a hobby. I’d never pursue publication. In fact, here’s a direct quote from an RTB column on the subject:

I’ll never know how people write fiction and work full-time . . .

I met November’s word count goal and kept writing. In January, I entered a short story in a contest. By February, I’d figured out how people write even when they work full-time—they make choices about time because not writing is the only other choice. In March, despite my previous claim that I would never strive to be published, I submitted a story (though not the one for NaNoWriMo) to a publisher.

That story will be released on June 9.

Lately I’ve caught myself thinking, This is cool, but it’s a hobby. I’ll never make a living at this.

Then I remember the lesson of NYPD Blue.

Have you ever done something you never thought you would or could do? Share your never-say-never story.

Charlene blogged yesterday about Young Adult fiction and whether it’s getting hotter, and why. It’s an interesting topic, I think.

I’m not very up to date with Young Adult fiction, but I know a lot about young adults, because I spend nine hours out of every day with three hundred and sixty of them. I know they know a lot about sex, because a) they tell me my books are rather tame and b) I got into a bit of embarrassment today because a fellow teacher walked in on me while my class was debating about whether a laptop computer could damage a woman’s eggs as much as a man’s sperm.

(The students were very well informed about this subject, and have persuaded me that my husband shall no longer use his Mac on his lap. We were, um, supposed to be discussing Wordsworth, but we sort of got distracted.)

Anyway. This column isn’t about young adults; it’s about sex. I had a disturbing sexual experience the other day. Or rather I didn’t have one.

I was trying to write a sex scene, and I just…couldn’t. I stared at the screen. I got up. I sat down again. I even did housework. The words didn’t appear.

This was weird for me. Usually I get all excited about writing a sex scene. They’re the emotional crux of many of my stories, where my characters are physically and emotionally naked, and it’s both important and fun to write them.

It’s also weird for me because I’m not the kind of writer who waits for inspiration. I know inspiration comes when I write. My philosophy, especially when I’m on a deadline (as I am now), is: sit down, turn off the phone and the internet, and get the damn thing written.

But I couldn’t get the damn thing written. I had a lot on my mind, none of it particularly sexy, and I didn’t feel well, either. Still, I tried, for about a week and against the odds, to write it. But I kept on getting distracted, by just about everything.

I knew what happened in the scene, I knew why it happened, I knew the conflicts and why it moved the story on, and I couldn’t write it.

So I skipped it, just wrote down the bare bones, and wrote the next chapter, and my concentration miraculously returned. I figure I’m going to wait until some of the stress calms down and am feeling well, and then tackle the scene again. Hopefully my mind will be in the right place then.

What do you do to get your mind in the right place, for a sex scene or any scene? And what do you do when the right place isn’t happening?

I love Young Adult fiction. Some of my all-time favorites were written for the Young Adult age range with strong romantic elements, by authors like Anne McCaffrey and Madeleine L’Engle. I still pull out A Wrinkle In Time and sigh over Calvin and Meg, or visit the Harper Hall trilogy to watch Menolly meet her future husband and find her place in her profession.

These books have such a strong pull not just because they are fantastic stories by amazing writers with characters so alive you’d swear they’re real, but because any story set in the framework of the teenage years has so much built-in drama. Those are angst years, when everything is Life and Death.

Teenagers are struggling to grow up and discover who they are while dealing with a new crisis every day. When you add romance to that, you’ve got all kinds of emotions boiling over. Talk about tension! Talk about stakes.

I’ve heard rumors that YA is “hotter” than it used to be. I don’t know about that. There was sex in Young Adult fiction more than 25 years ago, and the runaway bestselling Harry Potter books that have hooked readers of all age groups are far from sexy.

What I do know is that sex is an incredibly important topic in those years and it makes sense to me that a Young Adult author wouldn’t pretend otherwise. Madeleine L’Engle came under a lot of criticism for her handling of the subject in A House Like A Lotus, but her portrayal of sex as a positive experience seems reassuring in light of all the angst and drama surrounding the subject for teens. (And adults, for that matter.)

So let’s talk about Young Adult fiction. Did you ever read it? Do you still read it? Do you have old favorites or new must-reads? And do you think YA really has gotten hotter over the years?

by Bookseller Chick

Trends. That’s all I seem to hear about lately from authors, publishers and my own bookstore.

Put the Paranormal books together and watch them sell, Sell, SELL!

Give those Erotica titles their own end-cap.

Chick-Lit? Dead, didn’t you hear? But makes sure you have plenty of The Devil Wears Prada faced out. There’s a movie, you know.

Has anyone found the newest The Da Vinci Code tie-in?

It’s enough to make this girl’s head spin, especially when it’s necessary to keep an eye out for the next new trend and catch it in its infancy, so that I can continue to make my store an important destination for my customers. Da Vinci, Prada, and Ellora’s aren’t going to always be there or be on top (although it sometimes feels that when it comes to Dan Brown).

So what have I noticed? What has the Magic Eight Ball revealed to me after I promised it my soul, my first child, and the occasional dusting?

Pirates.

Now this belief could be influenced by the large cardboard sign I have in my backroom bearing Johnny Depp’s wicked face, but I like to think of it as a portent of the future. This sign may be for the Children’s section, but it is really to catch mom’s attention (as well as that of any other female within thirty feet). These very same women are potential romance novel buyers. If the newest Pirates of the Caribbean doesn’t tank then we’ll be seeing even more pirate-type tie-ins, so why shouldn’t publishers fulfill the whole bad boy fantasy often found in romance novels and add dashes of swashbuckling, treasure and danger?

But wait a minute, you say, aren’t historicals dying?

Only if you believe that same rumor when it comes to Chick-Lit since both sub-genres have been suffering from stagnation, not to mention image problems. Readers think of Historicals and it immediately conjures up images of sipping tea and chasing the duke. Chick-Lit, meanwhile, has been characterized by the ditzy, urban girls in love with their shoes and not much else. Do these images fully represent what these books stand for? No, but it shows that there has been enough repetition on certain themes that people are looking for something new.

Within both sub-genres there will always be classics and authors readers will return to again and again, but there will also be a lot of copycats. Chick-Lit has already begun combating this problem by branching out—now there is Spy Girl-Lit and Desperate Housewives take-offs—and Historicals might want to follow suit. The return of the Gothic is certainly a start, but pirates provide the perfect excuse to get away from England and visit the Barbary Coast, the East and West Indies, and colonial Florida and New Orleans. They allow authors to inject new historical views, play with the politics of different time periods, and bring together different classes of people. Those restricted to the upper echelons of British society need not apply (unless it’s a new twist).

Does this mean that I want my store flooded with eight million pirate romances? Goodness no. There is still a lot to be said about originality, despite what you might have heard. Trends are created by the trendsetters—those people who didn’t play by the rules. They are the high concept, or the well-written, or unique stories, and all of us (from the bookseller to the author to the agent to the publisher) need to be willing to take a chance on these people. Otherwise more and more sub-genres will go stagnant, and more and more readers will jump to a new sub-genre or genre in general that seems fresh and new to them (I’m losing Romance readers to Fantasy and Mystery everyday). Some will come back eventually, sure, and there will always be that new crop of readers, but they’re getting harder and harder to catch with the distractions provided by the internet, television and video games these days.

So let’s respect the minds of the readers out there and play ahead of the game, or take a page from those Pirates and ignore the rules of engagement. The treasure is out there for those willing to look.

by Bridget Locke

I’ve never been one to follow the rules. As a student I’d automatically do the opposite of what I was told because some imp in me wouldn’t let me follow the leader. My mom has always said that there couldn’t be anyone more stubborn than me and she should know because she’s got a hefty dose of it herself.

As an aspiring writer, I’ve found that there is an overwhelming amount of “helpful” material out there. How helpful is it though? Each writer has their own voice; a distinct part of their personality that comes through on paper. With all of these rules, how can you keep your true voice?

I decided to sit down one day not all that long ago to experiment. I opened up a new file on my computer, sat back, closed my eyes and just typed. I didn’t look at the page; I didn’t even really have any story concept in mind. I let my imagination flow free and came up with something funny, unique and distinctly me. Then, I pulled up a WIP I’d started awhile ago that I’d done using some of the supposed tried and true “rules”. It sounded stilted, weird, and so not me.

What does that prove? Well, not a lot really, but it proved something to me. I don’t think I’ll ever be a writer who follows all of the golden rules of writing. I won’t read anymore “helpful” books about writing nor will I bash myself over the head while trying to write the perfect novel. Instead, I will allow my muse to visit freely whenever it decides to show up and see what happens.

Will I ever be a published writer? That’s a whole other can of worms that I’m not even going to try to open, but I hope so. I would love to have a fresh concept, something different and me.

*For information on how you can submit to Open Blog Night, click here.