Guest – Anna James – What Makes A Good Romance Novel?

Comment any time this week for a chance to win a copy of Anna James novel. Contest ends July 7th at 12pm PST. Winner will be posted July 9th.

What Makes A Good Romance Novel?

I, Anna James, am a romance novel junkie. I’ve been reading romance novels for more than twenty years and writing them for about half that time (although I’ve only recently been published).It’s estimated that over 2000 romance novels are published yearly and with over 50 million sold every year, someone out there, besides me, is reading them too! So, what makes a good romance novel? For me, there needs to be passion, drama and, of course, romance. But my number one thing is a “happily ever after” ending.
Many things go into creating a good romance novel. Here are some of the things that resonate for me:
The plot –The plot is a sequence of events (the story) through which the hero and heroine travel. The story should start in a place that captures the reader’s attention, then, as you move through it the characters must meet, fall in love with each other and end up overcoming the problems that are keeping them apart. Key elements of a good plot, as far as I’m concerned, include strong emotional conflict, drama and sexual tension.

The characters – Romance novel characters should be interesting, complex and real and linger long after a reader has finished the story.
The heroines must be independent, strong women with determination, persistence and spirit. They must be willing to fight to overcome adversity, should be a romantic at heart and believe that love triumphs over all odds.
The heroes must be sensual, charismatic, successful and strong. They must be passionate about the heroine (although may not show it right away) and about life.
Physical Attraction – The hero and heroine must be physically attracted to one another. As with anything else how physical attraction is portrayed in a romance novel can vary. It can be shown with tender caresses and gentle, loving kisses;in hot and steamy scenes with graphic sex or anywhere in between. I personally like a romance novel that has a high level of sexual tension. It adds to the excitement of the story. But as far as I’m concerned, when the sexual tension results in a love making scene, it must be emotionally driven. The characters can’t just be in it for the sex. Regardless of how the attraction is portrayed the important thing is to make sure the spark is there and evident to the reader.

Romance Wrap-up – This is where all the important issues are resolved, all the unanswered questions are answered and the story is brought to a satisfying conclusion. This usually takes place in the last chapter.
So that’s my take on what makes a good romance novel. Leave me a comment and let me know what your thoughts are. One lucky commenter will win a free copy of Coming Home.
Here is a quick taste to whet your appetite:

Two years ago, Christine Kincaid found her sister, Andrea, in the arms of her fiancé, James Buchanan. This after Andrea confessed to having an affair with James and being pregnant with his child. Distraught and wanting to escape the pain of James ’s betrayal, Christine fled her home, just outside of Washington D.C., to London, England, her birthplace.
As startling details of her parents’ tragic romance come to light, Christine now suspects she was deceived by Andrea and is determined to return home and win James back. Only James seems to hate her now. She’d known that it wouldn’t be easy. She’d hurt him deeply by leaving. But she believed that somehow he’d forgive her and they would finally be together. Why did he have such a bad opinion of her? And what was she going to do to make him see that he was wrong?
James Buchanan was devastated when his fiancée deserted him. He had thought they would be together forever. But he’d been wrong. Christine didn’t care about him. She didn’t care about anyone but herself. If she had, she’d never have left him to pursue her career. But what really bothered him was how he’d been so wrong about her. Christine had been sweet and loving to him, but the way she treated her sister was just awful. Andrea, who was alone and pregnant, had needed Christine’s love, understanding and support. All Christine could do was condemn her for her mistakes and leave her to fend for herself. How could he have ever loved someone who could treat her own sister that way? And what was he going to do now that she was back?

Happy Reading,
Anna James
Visit me at my blog
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References

http://EzineArticles.com/536081

http://www.suite101.com/content/elements-of-a-successful-romance-novel-a114549

I am in the pulse 061811

Hey guys, I have been under the weather this last past week and haven’t had the chance to do an entirely new post. So please excuse the recycling from the other blog that I have but I thought this was a good post about writing in general. And you can apply it to the field of romance writing, mystery writing, memoir writing whatever it is that you write. I hope that this helps you a little bit as well.

I AM IN THE PULSE!

I am in the pulse! Hehehehe ! Yahoo! Okay seriously though I am in the know so to speak. Meaning that I am in the process of learning. Remember my last post that had the list of blogs that I read to help me learn. Well this post is along the same lines. But what I want to do on this post is to tell you my experience to date. So okay I started thinking of writing professionally in around 2001-2002 after September 11th. I had been unemployed and at a loose ends because I couldn’t find a job. I had started journaling to help me through my depression which I probably caused myself. After all, I had not been through what they had been through at ground zero. Pictures don’t do it justice. Anyway, I had started reading self help books a lot. I had started reading count them nine papers approximately. I don’t think I had that many but yeah damn near close. And read them I did. Although sometimes I read the same story over again. You can actually check out http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/ is the address that you can look at on the internet. And then I went back to work in the fall of 2002. After the fall of 2002 in 2003 I started working as a secretary. And that is when I decided to take a writing class because I had started to write a mystery novel. After that I took about two more classes and cancelled one of them. They were both online. Joined a ton of groups online, spoke to people about my work, got bamboozled, got told about plagiarism, got told I wasn’t a good writer, got told I wasn’t the writer and got told I may succeed if I believe it and if I feel that I am good then I should pursue. All of this to say is that I am still attempting to maintain my writing career.

I started freelancing around the same time. My rationale was that I could freelance from home and raise a family, maintain a marriage had I gotten married and had a career with a full life. I have to tell you that of the people I know they say I spend way too much time on my computer and not enough time with persons around me. Hence they may try an intervention. So okay I am still trying. Joined some more blogs and I am re-starting the one for the mystery pseudonym. What I am saying is that I am still plugging on.

And yes I still want the home job, with the husband and the family but if I only get one out of the three then that isn’t bad.

So that I have brought you up to date, the reason for me telling you that I am in the pulse is that as I browse through the other blogs and websites that I look at, I see we are somehow all on the same wavelength. Which to me is the coolest thing in the world. Because it means at least I am getting something. So if we are on the same wavelength then it follows that no matter where we are in our careers we will eventually complete the journey to authentic authorship.

Another phrase- authentic authorship. I am sure you have probably heard the arguments- you have stolen my writing, please don’t plagiarize me, please don’t say that we wrote the same thing- well that is the cause of it all- authentic authorship. If you look at I believe the blog is www.murderati.com and www.blogher.com both websites touch upon the subject. An actual contributor found some of her actual work on another blog without the person asking permission. I have mentioned that even I received an email about plagiarism and had to correct it. But to steal an entire work is not the right thing to do. Hence the other websites I offered you were www.eff.org , www.mashable.com , www.lorelle.wordpress.com are very helpful in that endeavor. They give you the latest updates for your computer and computer programming, social platform and legal. Also check out http://www.juliamccutchen.com/blog/?tag=authentic the blog written by Julia McCutchen as well.

All of the above will help you on your journey of writing. And I wish you all the best and luck you can get. So write on fellows.

I am in the pulse 061811.docx

Where Do These Stories Come From!

Where do you get those Ideas and how do you turn it into a story?

How many times have I heard the question, “Hey where do you get this stuff?” The “stuff” being questioned is my ideas for all the stories I have written through the years. I wish I had a straight answer. But I don’t. I believe the power that ignites my creativity, is simply a byproduct of all my experiences, influences and general desire for freedom of expression.

What I mean by that?

Well take for example the notion, ‘we are what we eat’, or ‘I think therefore I am’. Both these quotes are symbolic of the fact what we choose for ourselves or what fate deals us, eventually becomes an integrated part of who we are.

Can everyone become a great Artist, or Musician or even an Author?

I don’t think so. In fact, I would argue no. It takes a great amount of dedication, love of the media and shear determination to make those things happen. I may be able to draw and write. However, any one listening to me sing or try to play an instrument would most likely go deaf. I chose drawing and writing to express myself, because that is what I find most enjoyable doing. It is my comfort level. My way of going outside the box and expressing my self.

So where do I get my Ideas?

I get them from everywhere. The minute I walk out my door into the real world I watch, observe, listen, smell, feel, taste. I experience with an open mind and zest for learning. I read. I read a lot. Everything from the street signs to the graffiti on the sides of buildings. Then I store it away. Until one day, it flourishes and becomes my next great project.

For example, I could see a couple walking down the street arguing. Simple and benign. At least that’s what it looks like in general. I ask my self why they are arguing. My mind starts to create different scenarios of what could be causing the squabble. He’s cheating. She’s cheating. They’re not in a relationship, but one or the other wants to be…etc…. Eventually the scenarios become more and more fantastical…

She just found out he’s a vampire and that she is some type of concubine that he was sent from the planet Bloodlust to capture and bring back, so his King can sire his heir on… However, in the midst of trying to gain her trust, he’s fallen in love and is now trying to convince her that they need to run away together before the king sends his henchmento Earth looking for them.

Whew! Okay now I have something to work with!

The trick is how to turn it from an Idea into a novel.

There are so many wonderful essays written by successful authors and editors on how to format or plan out a written work. I have read and reread and read some more, many of these informative articles. What I finally found that works best for me is to take what I have read, use them as tools to create the best “protocol” that works well with my style and voice. (Yes another one : ) )

Take the example above, The Idea I came up with about the arguing couple…

If I were to plan out a novel it would go something like this…

1). Create the back-story, this should answer where, how, why and when.

 Where: The planet Bloodlust first, then Earth in San Diego CA

 How: space travel or some type of inter-dimensional travel

 Why: Dying race, Earth females pre-selected to breed with nobility.

 When: Modern times on Earth.

Once the back story is outlined, (the above is a simple example…depending on the type of genre, more or less will be needed), then I need to select my characters. One of two ways I do this, I use a character chart for my main characters, ie the Hero and HEA. Another way is to create my own brief “Summary” of all my characters and any other terms I may use that will be unique to the story. In the Summary, I also include the specific sequence of events, brief yet to the point. See the following example…

2).Title of Book: Summary

Hero(name age, physical description): Brief historical background(ie warrior, soldier, escaped convict…etc..)

Hero’s agenda: what is his goal.

Heroine/HEA: Repeat above. (Keep it simple and systematic)

Antagonist/Villain or Evil Event: Repeat above.

If the conflict is an evil event, ie the destruction of Planet Earth by some unseen force…etc..: then detail a brief history of what leads up to the event.

Secondary Characters: No major description is needed unless the  play major roles in that case simply repeat the formats for Hero, Heroine/HEA and Antagonist. If the characters are their for more or less supporting roles to help with back story and plot, then only detail their relationship to your main characters.

Introduction: Briefly describe the events that lead up to HEAs meeting.

Conflict/emotional: I write romance so I like to detail how my main characters interact with each other.

Climactic Conflict: What’s the threat…why is it a threat…what is the danger and how it is going to effect the characters.

Resolution: What needs to be done to save the world…how is it done…

Eventual Outcome: What is the Happily ever after.

Okay so this is way simple, but like I said it works for me. I’ve made it purposely vague so that anyone who would like to use this format could add to it to suit their individual needs. For me this outline helps organize the basic plot for my Idea. Hopefully, it will do the same for other writers who have gotten that awesome idea only to be stumped by the dreaded blank page. God knows it’s done wonders for me!

Emma.  (AKA Queen of outlines…hope this one helps!)

 

Pissy – Meg Benjamin

I just finished a novel by a Very Famous Author from the early part of her career (I won’t name her just because the book was from the early part of her career and she writes very differently now). The thing that struck me most about the book was the nature of the heroine—she was truly pissy.

Now there may be disagreements as to the exact meaning of the word pissy. But in this case, I’m going with annoying. She had a tendency to flounce, particularly around the hero, sometimes folding her arms across her chest and narrowing her eyes as she did so. I don’t recall her stamping her foot, but she might have. It would have been in character.

Now granted, the hero was no prize himself. He was one of those classic eighties heroes, the over-confident billionaire who expected the heroine to fall into his arms immediately because…well, just because, damn it! But he was also honest about his attraction to her, whereas she did her best to pretend she wasn’t attracted to him because she wasn’t about to be attracted to anybody who was such a doodyhead.

Thus the flouncing and stamping. She wasn’t going to let him know she cared.

As I say, this was an early book, mid-eighties as I recall. But I also recall that the pissy heroine seemed to be standard at that time. Lots of heroines stamped their feet, flounced their curls, and gave the hero that smoldering, narrow-eyed look that meant I’m really just pretending to be pissed. I’m actually very interested, even though I may not realize it yet. So come and get me, Big Boy.

Well, that was then, this is now. You don’t see many pissy heroines anymore, thank the good lord. Heroines in current romances may be angry with the hero, but it’s usually with good cause. Moreover, if they’re angry, they’re more likely to say so and to explain just where the hero fell short and just what he should do about it. The whole anger-as-aphrodisiac plot has sort of fallen by the wayside, and that’s a very good thing for one big reason: That particular plot seems to assume that women don’t really know their own minds where men are concerned. Or that they do but they frequently pretend otherwise, so men really shouldn’t take no for an answer. And that, my friends, is a very dangerous idea.

I say that plot has fallen by the wayside, but there’s one area where it hasn’t yet—the Hollywood rom com. There you’ll still see Kate Hudson or Katherine Heigl stamping her pretty little foot and pouting at the big strong man who’s supposed to come on over and kiss her silly. A lot of these rom coms don’t make a lot of money, and Hollywood wisdom is that it’s because women aren’t a reliable audience. I’d suggest that’s getting it backwards. Women are a very reliable audience. We’ve just grown up a lot since 1985.

Guest – Allison Knight – The Magic Key

We have another guest on our blog. Welcome Allison Knight, author of Roses For My Lady

In “Writing Fiction, Nonfiction, and How to Publish”, Pat Kubis and Bob Howland say that viewpoint is the Magic Key to Publishing.

When I started to write I had no idea such a thing as viewpoint existed. Even after I’d published four books, I somehow missed the concept of viewpoint. However, after my work was criticized for head-hoping, and agents and publishers continually mentioned viewpoint, I decided I needed to concentrate on this strange element of writing fiction.

“Viewpoint?” I asked. “What is it?”

I bought books, read other authors, listened carefully at conferences, talked to other writers, wrote, got critiqued and after several years all I could do was spout the traditional definition, “Viewpoint is the voice of the person, or persons, telling the story.”

To be perfectly honest that definition didn’t make a bit of sense to me. Nor did viewpoint – until one day, when I approached a good friend who had won the RWA Golden Heart award and was being published. I begged her to look at something I’d written and try to explain what the holy edict, voice of the person telling the story, really meant.

She read my chapter and then she tried to explain and explained again. I still didn’t get it. Then she did something for which I will be eternally grateful. She looked me in the eye and suggested I write the scene she’d critiqued in first person.

“Why?” I asked. She grinned and said I would understand.

Well, she was getting published, and my career was at a standstill. Obviously, she knew something I didn’t. So, I went home, sat at my computer and tried to write that scene in first person. I spent hours thinking about my character who would – low and behold – tell the story.

I discovered by the end of the first chapter that by writing in first person, “I”, my character, was telling the story. Amazing!

My character couldn’t describe her looks unless she looked in the mirror. Flowery descriptions were out. After all, she wouldn’t say something flowery about herself. She couldn’t know what another character was thinking – unless he said what he was thinking. And, of course, he could be lying. She couldn’t know if someone was planning some dastardly deed unless she found a note detailing said deed, or overheard his conversation with another character. She only knew what was in her head, only knew her thoughts. No other character could jump into the scene with his or her thoughts, only my character could do, see, think, feel. There was only the one voice, my character’s voice.

I couldn’t believe it. My character, in her voice, was actually telling the story. Viola! Viewpoint.
So, if you’re struggling with the rather prosaic definitions of viewpoint and if you don’t understand, and even worse, like me, it made no sense, then I suggest you do what I did. Write the scene in first person, see only what your character sees, hear only what he/she hears, describe only what he/she is thinking or feeling. Believe me, it works.

To those of you who immediately say “Oh, I couldn’t do that!” I can only reply, then if you don’t understand viewpoint now, you probably never will. Oh, occasionally, I slip, but a quick read let’s me see that I’ve “jumped into another character’s head”. Now, all of those stilted definitions suddenly have meaning.

I must have learned my lessons well, because I have three books written in first person and they’ve gotten really good reviews. And my third person novels are winning awards. To date I now have seventeen books published.

Terry, wherever you are, you have my eternal thanks. I can tell you now, I do understand viewpoint.

Whose Head Is This, Anyway?

by Kay Springsteen

What does point of view mean? If you’re a writer you have probably at some point in your life seen your editor question your PoV. Simply put, this is the perspective from which the story is currently being told. A large trend these days is to tell stories from the third person-deep point of view. This means the story is written as though being observed by an outside party, but with the added ability of the narrator to tell the thoughts and feelings of the main characters, usually two to three per story, and only one viewpoint at a time. Good-sized chunks of the story are told through the eyes, or point of view, of each of the main characters. The chunks don’t have to alternate, and sometimes they don’t, but generally each main character’s points of view should end up approximately equal at the end of the book for a more balanced read.

The focus of PoV for each chunk is usually chosen for which character will show the scene in the strongest light. Who is going to have the greatest impact on that particular part of the story being told? Which character has the most investment in that scene? For instance, if a woman is waiting to see if she’s pregnant, that scene will probably be hers. However, if her husband is waiting with her and he’s got a significant stake in the outcome, for instance if he has a fertility-robbing type of cancer, or if he knows he has Parkinson disease (which is a genetically transmitted disorder, which he could pass to the child), his stake might be slightly higher and the emotional impact greater if the scene were shown through his eyes. Or if the writer wants to keep his thoughts about these things secret, it would be shown through the heroine’s eyes with no explanation given about any negative reaction on the part of the husband but perhaps a lot of confusion on the wife’s part (this scenarios would be used to build tension and that is a whole different subject).

Once the PoV is chosen, it should be an easy thing to simply tell the story from that character’s perspective, right? Not so much as you might think. For some reason, we writers like flashing eyes, whiskey-honey voices, luscious red lips, and sexy swaying walks. All of these are fine if the character relating these can actually see, hear, feel, and THINK about them.

However, when we are being shown the story through the heroine’s eyes and she says something to the hero using her best sexy voice, he may hear it as a whiskey-honey voice, but she wouldn’t necessarily think of it — or describe it — in those terms. Reading and writing from a specific point of view means we must think like that character. Would you see your own eyes flash in anger? Assuming you don’t chronically look at your reflection when you’re mad at the hero, probably not. Would you think of the way you talk as sounding like honey? Even if you knew you had just put on your best blazing red lipstick, would you think of your own lips as luscious and red?

Successfully writing in from one PoV or the other, without hopping to the next head mid-scene is a matter of paying strict attention to what the character would logically see, hear, feel, taste, smell, and think. If we are in her head, it’s highly unlikely that she will think about how entrancing he finds the wind lifting a tendril of her hair (unless he speaks the thought out loud). From her PoV, the tendril isn’t some sexy reminder of how soft her hair is or how glorious it looks when it spills about her shoulders; it is an irritating piece of hair that keeps getting caught on her hoop earring. When we are in his head, he isn’t going to be thinking in terms of his flexing muscles or the way his behind fills out his jeans. He’s going to grunt when he picks up something heavy and wonder if the jeans are going to hold or split up the middle when he bends over to lift the tire onto the car.

Another thing to watch for is impossible knowledge.  For instance, in her PoV, she can see him do something but unless he states it, she can’t know why he did it. Sometimes these shifts are pretty subtle and hard to notice when you’re writing them, but when you’re re-reading can be easy to spot if you understand what you’re looking for.  Example, in HER PoV: The words froze the blood in his veins and he grabbed the door frame to steady himself.  Obviously, SHE cannot know his internal reaction to the words (froze the blood in his veins). BUT, she also cannot know the reason for grabbing the door frame (to steady himself). It CAN be shown that he steadies himself, and she may make assumptions. As she finished speaking, he reeled sideways and his knees buckled. He grabbed the door frame, squeezing until his fingers turned white. The latter sentence shows he had a reaction after she finished speaking. Depending on what was said, it’s assumed he’s having a reaction to the statement. But the latter sentence does not make an internal assumption while in the other character’s PoV as to why he’s grabbing the door frame. Had the PoV been from his perspective, the first sentence would have been completely appropriate–he would know exactly why he grabbed the door frame.

One way I’ve found to keep the PoV straight is to put myself into the character as I’m writing. Inside the PoV, the character sees (everything but himself), feels, smells, tastes, hears, thinks (but in a specific way ABOUT him/herself), acts, reacts, and speaks. The non-PoV character can only be shown acting or reacting, and speaking. By remembering the limits of the scene’s secondary character, we can police our work and edit out things the PoV character in that scene cannot possibly know or see, etc.

The trick is to realize that even one tiny word can signal a PoV shift into the other character’s head. Think about the following several lines and try to figure out if they are being shown from the main PoV or could be the secondary character.

1.  “I’m the medical examiner. I’ll nail you to the wall.” She snapped her latex glove into place with a knowing smile.

Her PoV or someone else’s?

2.  She secured her hair with a pony tail, gasping at the pinch from the elastic band on her fingers.

Hers? Or from the outside?

3.  He ran a hand through his sun-kissed hair.

His? Or not?

4.  It was obvious she didn’t believe him, and he wondered why he kept trying.

His or hers?

26 Lends and You’re OUT

A news article on the 13 News website informed me of something that I was quite sure could not possibly be true. Unfortunately, I have heard the ‘rumor’ several times in the past couple of months.

Harper Collins is allowing libraries that have purchased e-books only to have them checked out 26 times before they ‘disappear’. Let’s take a walk on the wild side and see what this means.

Michael Crichton comes out with yet another book (Pirate Latitudes) and this book is on the top sellers list for quite a while. My local library purchases this book for $27.95 and, as of today, has had that book checked out 13 times. This book hit the shelves November 24, 2009 which makes it about 15 weeks old. We will round that up to about 1 check out per week. So in another 13 weeks, if it were an e-book POOF it would be gone. Luckily, that is not the case with hard copies of books. My local library stated that their hard copy books last at least two years in their system.

Now let’s get some stats for that same book in e-book format. The library would pay $8.99 for this book (approximately). They have 26 checkouts until it goes POOF. The same book in paper will last for 2 years, that is 104 weeks (rounded to the nearest whole number) at one check out per week you would have to purchase the book 4 times per the 26 check out rule. This would then cost the library $35.96.

I know that a mere $8.01 is not going to break the bank, but if you look at the state of affairs for the local library system, you may have a slightly different feeling on this.

I love e-books, I write e-books, but when it comes at the expense of the library system in any state, or country, I can’t ban together with Harper Collins and say they have a good idea.

So where does this leave those of us who write romance, and read romance, and want romance from our libraries? Are we stuck with the Harlequins of days past? My library is small, and is stuck with that as their ‘romance’ section. So the romance we could check out on our e-book readers isn’t going to help our library but hurt them? Do we support the library system? Do we purchase for ourselves and say, “To hell with big brother?” I don’t know.

What are your thoughts on this?

*****

AJ Best can be found and harassed at http://www.ajbestwrites.com. She tries to make sure that there is a touch of real life in every one of her stories. Feel free to drop her a line at ajbestwrites@gmail.com.

Romance is Like Nutrition- If You Follow It Right- Your Life is Grand and Healthy

Romance is Like Nutrition- If You Follow It Right- Your Life is Grand and Healthy

I didn’t know what I was going to write. I will start by telling you about my day. I volunteer at a senior citizens home. After lunch is finished I have taken to sitting outside in the sun with my sun-block on (have to keep out harmful rays) and I have seen a lot of various people come in and out of the building. None of whom are sadder than those that have lost a loved one.

The center reminds me of my first attempt at romance. OMG! The storyline was sad but that wasn’t the problem. The problem was that I had no romance, no story, nothing. Me, who read romance all the time since junior high school. But my desire to write did not diminish just maybe not romance. However, my poetry, all romance and relationship issues.

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Here are two examples from my book of poetry.

Fulfillment

When we meet in the front of the room, full of people; hear my words to you and them:

Today, I stand before you half a man; Today I stand before you half conscious; Today know that when I leave you I leave you a whole man.

For the last 5 to 10 years you have heard my cries, seen my anger, felt my pain; You understand what we all went through.

You see the lovely woman beside me here: I hated her on sight. You know why? She was a sniveling, simpering baby. That’s right. A huge baby. Cried at the drop of a hat. And man, could she talk. About nothing. It got so bad, I hid from her. You think she took the hint? Not exactly. So now, years later, we stand before you, in front of the judge waiting, for our wedding to end with the words…

‘You are now husband and wife’…

So before we get to that, no emergency, no calls, no testimonials, no stops of the wedding…None? Good.

Ok, your honor, it’s her turn now.

….Laughter…

Well I can’t tope that. But my thoughts are different. I am indeed all that he says I am. I am a huge baby. But you know why he puts up with me? Because simply put, I am in love with that man right here beside me. You know the poem, Roses are Red, Violets are Blue; here’s my version:

‘Roses may be red’ Violets may be blue’ ‘While all of that is true’ ‘Here’s one true blue’

Through thick and thin, highs and lows, you have been there for me. Know that I am here for you, Always.

Okay, judge, your turn….

And the second poem is:

Love Life for Real

As you look into the depths of her eyes, You see beyond forever. In her you have found home, a peace, a stillness, a warmth; To her you say all the right and wrong things; To her you always say I love you, But do you mean it?

In me I see all that is lacking. All I have done wrong. All of my mistakes.

In you I see a person who has grown beyond their time; a person who has seen and felt the worst life can throw and survive and thrived. In you we see the promise of tomorrow. A repeat of the past, a replica of everything, with an eye towards the new.

In the two of you I see a love and a life that most of us dream about; words can’t describe it, pictures can’t show it. But the two of you are like Heaven. A bright light, with golden gates, pale blue sky and family welcoming you inside. They hold, kiss you and say- Its not your time yet. When it is, you will know its time to say Goodbye to your old family and welcome in the new, combined family.

The two of you become one united unit. We, who sit in the background, as we have let life pass up by due to no one’s fault but our own are left with a feeling of wistful envy. And yet, a peaceful happiness.

*********************************************************************************

Nice right? A little romance, poking fun at one’s foibles while seeing forth come one united couple or group. And now, here’s the nutrition. The romance novel that you read is your nutrition. If you follow the guidelines, you come up with a nice story line. For example, the milk would be you the author. You supply the imagination that writes the novel. The staples, the eggs would be the hero, the bacon, the heroine and the coffee would be you reading the novel and finding enjoyment in it.

So I guess what I am trying to say to you is that your life can supply all the romance you need to write your very own romance novel. And in that life you can find peace, love and fulfillment that nourishes your body until the day that you die. But if you don’t believe me- just look at your family. Not everyone will have what you have.

Love your Life For Real Readers!

Romance is Like Nutrition- If You Follow It Right- Your Life is Grand and Healthy.docx

How to hook your reader in three sentences or less…

We’ve all been told this. When you are a new author, you need to “hook” your reader in the first few lines of you book, to keep them coming back. It’s not only the reader you want to perk interest in, it’s the editor whose going to ultimately accept or reject your story.

My editor, can tell if a story is worth his time and effort in the very first paragraph. Trust me on this, he’s a tough cookie to please and humbled the hell out of me, when I started working with him. In fact he only needs the first twenty pages or so of a manuscript to determine if he wants it or not.

Why? Because, in those first few pages a writer should clearly present the premise, plot, and main characters. Twenty to twenty-five pages is just about three chapters.  Many if not most publishers request the first three chapters for initial submission.  The reason is, these chapters are crucial in setting up the pace, story line, conflict and desired goal, for the rest of the book.

Okay so how can we do this. While I can’t speak for anyone else, I can outline how I prepare my work to incorporate, premise, conflict, goals and introduction of the primary characters and/or secondary characters depending on the story.

Before I even start to plot out my next story, I already have in mind how I want the story to begin, and how I want it to end.  It’s the in-between that needs  plotting.  So I figure out my characters, who/what they are. I don’t use character charts but I do have a brief outline I use, I believe I have already discussed my character outline in a previous post.

Once I know my characters and they have their personalities and back story, I incorporate my premise.  This is where the plotting begins. I know already how my story will begin. This would mean that I already have a basic idea of the premise, plot and conflict. 

If you are anything like me, I need to write everything down in ascending order from start to finish.  This is actually very helpful, since my outline will eventually transform into a synopsis, when the novel is finished, and ready for submission.

So I’ve figured out my plot, I know my characters and I have a premise which I want to make clear for the reader.  And I WANT to do this within the first three chapters.

So again, how is this done? It is actually not that hard. Every writer has a way of organizing his or her work. However, all writers know how important it is to “hook” the reader and ESPecially the editors, within the first few paragraphs of any story. Partly because, it’s the first three chapters that will be part of a writers submission to a publisher.

Now what I am posting here is not anything I have taken classes on or workshops, (although I have taken several writing courses over the years, on craft…) it is my experience through trial and error, rejection and observation, and the eventual slap my forehead, “duh” epiphany.

The first paragraph, should : present the hero/heroine. A premise should be evident in the character’s interaction in the opening scene. I envision all my scenes as if they were playing on a movie screen.  The opening scene is very important, since it will grab the reader right from the very first line.

For example: Raine walked through the ruins, his hand ever ready on the hilt of his sword. There were eyes following him, calculating his every move. If only the King had not given the staff of power to Vladimir, his home, wife and new born son would still be alive….

Okay, so in those few sentences, I have already established…1). Hero, his name, his occupation and a bit of internal conflict, 2). a premise-obviously a war broke out over this “staff of power” (set up for future conflict), our hero’s quest to right the wrong, (the death of his family) and 3). Timeline, our hero is walking through ruins holding on to his sword, he is loyal to a king, so there is the impression that he is a knight of some kind, so we know that already the story will most likely take place in some kind of historical setting.

All that in the very first paragraph!

The second chapter I like to introduce the HEA, and in most cases the antagonist/villan, and/or the “imminent danger”. Sometimes it’s not a person or beast, etc…but a type of catastrophe..In chapter two I want to embellish the premise and connect the Hero and Hea, what is their common goal or why do they cross paths. Does one have something the other needs. Also the hero’s mission is made clear…the main conflict is introduced…

Here is an example: Princess Nal could not believe her eyes. Everything her father had built had been obliterated in a matter of days. The staff of power should have brought prosperity and growth to her kingdom. Instead, they were fooled by the  dark wizard. They should have never given the staff to Vladimir. A noise to her right startled her. She turned to find a grim-faced knight standing at the charred entrance of the throne room. The face was one she had admired ever since her Revealing a year ago. Raine.

Okay I got a bit carried away with this example, : ).  But as you can see it does in fact introduce the HEA.  And also, the villain is mentioned as is the conflict.  We now know that this “dark wizard” is responsible for the destruction of the kingdom. Now we have strengthened the premise and given the hero and his HEA a purpose/goal.

Finally the third chapter, for me , should set everything in motion…

An Example: Raine grabbed Nal by the arm and pulled her roughly against him. His face was inches from hers, she could smell the vile stench of death on his clothes, mixed with sweat and something else she didn’t quite recognize.” You’re coming with me!”

Nal wrenched her arm free and tilted her head back to look him in the eye, “No!’

He paused and a strange expression settled briefly on his face. His stance betrayed him. Nal knew he was trying hard to remain stoic, as if none of the carnage around them had affected him. Yet she saw through his façade. He knew it too. His face hardened and he wrapped a muscular arm around her waist, slamming her smaller body flush against his, “No princess, we have to leave. The staff wasn’t the only thing Vladimir wanted,” Nal gasped as she caught his meaning.

Yep got into the story again…but I think you see my meaning when I said put things in motion…Now Raine and Nal are on the run, Vladimir is obvious looking for the princess and Raine has to protect her and some how set things right….

Hmmm, wonder what happens next!  At least that’s what I’m hoping my readers and the editors who I submit to will be wanting to know.  While this formula works for me, it may work for some of you who are reading this post, or it may not. I hope it does, and remember…Hooking the reader in is Key!

Emma Paul

DNF – Meg Benjamin

I have to admit—I was inspired to write this by my friend M.J. Fredrick, who blogged about it first. And I have to also admit that we were both “inspired” by the same book. I’m not going to tell you which book it was—the author is one of my favorites and her other books are wonderful. But this one was a clinker. I really tried to read it, but after the first couple of chapters, I found it heavy going. And then I found myself skimming. And then I stopped altogether. I may go back to this book someday (I bought it, after all, in hardback), but not soon.

I always feel a little guilty when I give up on a book, but I do it fairly regularly, particularly with new authors. I usually give a new author a chapter, sometimes two, to get my interest. But I admit there are some things that will automatically lose me. For example, if the characters are not only clichés, but clichés I don’t like (the big strong alpha, the prissy heroine), I may toss the book even before I finish that first chapter. If the book is a paranormal and the first chapter is chockfull of exotic creatures that the author has to explain in detail, I’ll probably give up because I’ll never be able to remember the difference between a Xanthrimpic demon and a Ziggunal sprite. If the small town is either too dull or too eccentric, I’ll give it a pass. And if the book has a whiny first-person narrator whose boyfriend has just left her after she was fired by her horrid boss while her harpy mother rants from the bathroom, I probably won’t get by the first page.

But in fact I can usually recognize some of those books from the blurb, so I don’t even take them home. The more difficult ones are the books I start but then lose interest in the deeper I venture into the plot. Because you can’t always tell from the first chapter. Sometimes you get sort of intrigued but then discover you’re losing interest quickly. Instead of looking forward to spending thirty minutes reading another chapter, you’re looking for something else to do instead. Those are the really disheartening books. Because you wanted them to succeed, you really did. Yet the deeper into the book you got, the less involved you became. Those I may skim through just to see how everything ends. But I won’t keep reading; the author lost me.

And that’s what this all boils down to—the author and I didn’t connect. I’d like to say that as an author I can learn from this. But I doubt that I can. My taste is my own. Some things I dislike, others may like a lot (Titanic, for example). Sadly, there’s no surefire way to write a book everybody will read. Believe me, if there were, Nora Roberts would already have discovered it!

So what makes you stop reading? Or do you?

Overcoming the Muddle in the Middle

by Kay Springsteen

Whether you plot your story or pants it as you go, at some point you have to get to the middle. Many authors I’ve spoken with complain about the same thing. Getting to the middle and losing momentum. For whatever reason, characters stop cooperating, the story feels stale. An author might start wondering things like, “What was I thinking?”

I know from experience if I can just reach that turning point in the story arc, from introduction to first inciting incident (or sometimes second, depending on how complicated the story is with plot twists), and onward into the first obstacle, I will be fine and the climax and end of the story will come easily.

But how to overcome that muddle in the middle, when my characters seem to want to spin their wheels and loll in the mud while I’m trying to get them to tell their stories? I’ve put more characters into timeout for being uncooperative than is good for my writing lately.

Lately, I’ve taken to skipping the muddle completely when the characters decide to become couch potatoes. I simply bypass their reticence to cooperate and move into the meat of the story. Now, I know a lot of non-writers have heard some of us talking about the voices in our head, and thankfully, you all haven’t run screaming when we say something along those lines. With that in mind, I’m going to detail the conversation I had with the main characters from my latest WIP so you can see just how temperamental these characters you enjoy so much can become even before they hit the big time (a published book).

ME: This is a sweet scene where you’re having a nice time getting to know one another, but I’m on a deadline, so we have to get through this today. I need to get your first obstacle up on the board.

HEROINE:  But I’m only just getting to know this guy. I don’t want any obstacles.

ME:  Well, the obstacle’s already there. I already know what the complication is going to be. So let’s just get to it.

HERIONE (Grabs hero around the waist): No! We LIKE the way things are. Why can’t you just leave us alone?

ME (looking at hero): Do you have anything to say?

HERO (leans in and gives heroine a kiss): Mmmmm.

ME: Don’t make me put you in time-out.

HEROINE: You won’t do that. You already have six of us in timeout.

HERO: We could bring beer and have a party in time-out.

ME: Fine, no time-out. I’ll just keep writing.

I type a few lines.

HERO: Hey, we’re in a hospital! How did we get here? We were on the sofa making out just a minute ago.

HEROINE: Why am I crying? I don’t remember anything bad happening. And who are all these strangers around us?

HERO: And why the hell am I holding a baby carrier???

ME: I jumped ahead.

HERO/HEROINE: You can’t do that!

ME (smiling): I just did.

They started behaving after this. The thing is, whatever it takes to get through the slump before all the action starts, you need to do it. There will be time during the editing and revision process to go back and fill in details and close plot holes. The point is to get past the road blocks that stop the writing process.

Questions for writers:  What things halt your writing process? How do you overcome these barriers to writing?

Writer’s Block – Fixes…or not!

I’ve spent an entire week trying to figure out what I’m going to put down for this post. I really hate when I get a writer’s ‘brain fart’. I’ve talked to author friends and told them that they can get through their block and given them GREAT advice (if I do say so myself), but implementing that advice is harder than I thought.

1. Sit down and write anything. Type out exactly what you are thinking.

‘OMG, this post has to make sense to someone. What if I make a total fool of myself? What if….my brain just fried. Now what do I do? Um. Help?’

2. Go to my favorite site for motivation: http://writeordie.com/ Put in 500 words in 10 minutes. Have it in Kamikaze mode and Evil grace period. So this is what comes out of that:

I’m trying to get the writer’s block from my head and to the paper. Do you think that I am going to be able to break it out of my head and onto the paper? Will it work? Can I do it? OH, flashing red lights, focus. I can do it. Yes, I can. I wonder what my brain is doing wrong….maybe it’s not my brain.

3. I tell my friends not to be too hard on themselves. (So much for that advice for me!)

Come on AJ, why can’t you pull something good from what you have in your brain? Maybe you don’t have a brain. Why do you write anyway! You suck.

4. Writing is a job not a hobby – set aside time. (My hardest solution.)

I’ve really lost the battle with this one. I sit down to write and nothing comes out. So I get distracted by email, Twitter (yes, I’ve gotten sucked back in), Facebook, cleaning, family, music, eating. If I were at what I call a ‘real’ job, I would have my butt in the chair doing what I was supposed to be doing. Why do I not consider writing a real job? It is, but I’ve been kicked so often lately that sometimes writing hurts. I think back on the recent rejection letter for my story forgiveness, and hear all they have to say and wonder if they are right. I know they aren’t. My friends who have read it say they aren’t. But why does the horrible mean things that people say about your work stick, and the good things don’t? I guess that’s the same thing with life. It’s hard to realize that you can do it.

So, it’s time for me to stop making excuses and sit butt in chair and write. Even if I think it sucks (which it might) just write. That’s what edits are for. To fix spelling, plot holes and other inconsistencies. No writer I’ve ever known has a perfect MS from the first draft, no one I know who has been contracted has ever had to skip edits. It’s OK to make mistakes, and it’s even better if you take the time to realize them and fix them.

What keeps you from writing the way you should? What do you do to overcome it when it happens? I’d love to hear from you!

*****

AJ Best can be found and harassed at http://www.ajbestwrites.com. She tries to make sure that there is a touch of real life in every one of her stories. Feel free to drop her a line at ajbestwrites@gmail.com.

Lets Talk About Sex

LETS TALK ABOUT ROMANCE, SEX AND A RELATIONSHIP

Who are we to tell someone who to have a romantic, sexual relationship with? Why, we are the writers or our very own romance. It starts out:

Iphigenia was outside on the balcony watching the partygoers stroll through the garden. Marcus was behind her. She turned to glance at him. There he was tall, and dark with midnight black hair and the bluest eyes she’d ever see. His smile would captivate her. His walk reminded her of a sea captain walking on the deck of the ship. Like the one sitting in the harbor waiting for his return, their captain. Pirate captain but no one knew that- except her.

Oh the nights they’d spent in the stable laughing and playing. She remembered his body. Lean and muscled. Smooth skin. Iphigenia smiled. And turned quickly behind to glance at Marcus before turning back to stare out. He didn’t even notice she was alive. Small, mousy, brown hair. Brown eyes and brown skin, Iphigenia. Small describes her, but sturdy.

Except for that one indiscretion that no one knew about, the little boy that resulted, no one knew about her feelings. And he was back out to sea.

She thought back to her pregnancy. She had left town and moved away to a little cottage. Nia, as they called her learned to distance herself. She learned to not feel for Marcus. She learned to forget his smell, his taste, his touch, his voice and his body. But Nia fell every time she saw him again. And her son, she smiled down at the little boy standing by her, was the result. And he didn’t know.

Marcus glanced at the woman he was talking too. Woman that was a laugh. He doubted that very much. Oh he had seen her along with his crew at the bar down the street from the dock. She was a hired whore and made a lot of money upstairs in that bar. He couldn’t abide her but he thought that she might like the night out. And he didn’t mind taking out people if they needed it. But my God, she never shut up. He was getting the biggest head ache of his life.

He wished he was by Nia. His childhood friend. Funny, he didn’t remember her getting married or mentioning that she was last time he was here. It be about one year before the birth of the little boy standing by her. He smiled to himself. Who would have thought that he would fall for little Nia? Little being the operative word. He was head over heels in love with her and would never tell her. It would destroy their relationship. He glanced sharply down at the lady he was with and said to her in a brusque tone, “I am going to talk to Nia. You be all right here by yourself for a while?” The lady in question quickly glanced and then looked at Nia and got the lay of the land. She smiled, if a bit hurt, and said, “I will be fine. I can entertain myself. I am about to get going soon anyway. Have to be home before a certain time. And before you say anything, I am not working tonight and tend to turn in early. So you go ahead Marcus. Me thinks that the two of you from what I hear have a lot to talk about.” She laughed and left him on the balcony.

See her problem is that she leaves when she should stay. And although she thinks of staying, she does leave and for that reason, Marcus is never going to notice her….

We can use our imagination to write anything about their relationship and their feelings towards each other. We can work out relationship issues and still have a smile after the argument is over. Because the novel will entertain us and have us relate to the story as it unfolds. So we, the writer of the romance, can tell the reader anything we want to tell them and have our character in any type of relationship that we want them to be. After all, it’s all fiction.

Lets Talk About Sex 061511.docx

It Ain’t Porn…

One of the things that irks me the most is when someone tells me that writing Erotic Romance is easy. On my journey as a writer, I have come across some very narrow mindedness, which for a very long time forced me into the “closet” about what I do.  Luckily, I have grown up a bit and am now quite proud of what I write. I let everyone know it too.  Still up until that point I did get a lot of negative feedback from some very close friends and some not so close. Some I don’t even speak to anymore. What they told me not only upset me, but also made my resolve stronger to be the best Erotic Romance writer I could be. I guess in a way I should thank them for giving me that extra push…

I heard this often:

What? You write Porn?  (Add sarcasm with a twist of shock)

No! I write Erotic Romance. Big, big difference. Porn (if written right) serves one purpose…to arouse and fulfill sexual need.  I write to move the senses. If arousal is part of it, only makes it better. Erotic Romance is a perfect mixture of love, passion, and fantasy. Explicit sex scenes in Erotic Romance are meant to push the story forward. It is meant to show on a physical level what two or more consenting adults feel for one another. Love is always involved, even in the most explicit scenes and even if the scene includes dominance over another, love is the driving force. 

Getting this mixture of Sex/passion + love + fantasy = emotionally charged, to NOT come across as, for lack of a better term, “porn-ish”, is part experience and mostly talent.

For example, I have been writing for several years, however it wasn’t until about five and a half years ago that I took my writing out and began submitting it to publishers for consideration. I had already been writing erotic romance for several years as well as more non-romance genres. It was the erotic romance genre that challenged me the most. In fact, writing romance of any kind is not easy. Romance is supposed ignite certain feelings in the reader that ultimately will make them walk away satisfied and happy.

It took me over five years, probably several more, then that to actually get the knowledge and the finesse to pull off erotic romance and get a book published.  I am a good writer always have been. However, getting to the point of being good enough to sell a book takes hard work, a lot of learning, and practice. My most recent lesson has been that learning this beautiful art of erotic romance writing is an ongoing process. 

Now whenever someone asks me what kind of books I write, I proudly announce, “Erotic romance!” (Plaster a huge smile and prideful gleam in the eye) Surprisingly, many people are very receptive. Some have also bought my book.  There are still those that quip and claim what I do is “not real literature,” ….It no longer bothers me however. In fact, the harder I push myself to learn and develop my craft, the more I appreciate just how unique and awesome this genre is.

Happy reading

Emma

Don’t I Even Get Dinner?

Over the last couple of months, I’ve managed to read several books that all had the same plot point: the couples headed more or less straight for bed as soon as they met. Sometimes even before they met, as in “Gee that’s a cool guy standing in the alley there, I think I’ll jump him.”

Now as we all know, constant randyness seems to be pretty standard in romance. I mean, geez, you want the h/h to be panting over each other fairly quickly. But do you really want them acting on their hormones within the first twenty pages? I should also say I’m not talking about erotica here, where the rules are obviously different, but about regular old plain-vanilla romance.

Sometimes I think this motif works. Urban fantasy uses it a lot, and it becomes a way to not only work in some really hot scenes, as in Eve Silver’s Sins of the Flesh, but also as a kind of metaphor for the characters’ desperation. In Silver’s case, the heroine is deliberately avoiding any kind of real contact with another human being, so anonymous sex is pretty much part of the package.

But what about characters who aren’t either sporting a few extra supernatural genes or part of an erotic sequence? What does it do to the story if your hero or heroine jumps into the sack with the first attractive person he/she comes across? For me, I guess it depends on the way things work themselves out. One standard formula, for example, is best described as “Oh my god, I can’t believe I did that, how can I look at him from now on?” A certain portion of the rest of the book is devoted to the heroine’s angst over having been so reckless, usually as the result of having been a) drunk or b) under the influence of some extreme emotional state. I can accept this (although it often means the heroine is something of a ditz) if that’s not the only thing that’s happening in the plot. But if the book now centers around the heroine’s mortification, it’s going to be a long, long slog.

I guess I really prefer to watch the sexual tension grow between characters, to see them gradually move closer and closer to that sex scene so that you can build up some anticipation for what will happen between them. I like heroes and heroines who are a little, shall we say, selective. Who spend some time scoping out a potential partner rather than rushing right into the clinch.

So which do you prefer—the heroine who gets it on with the stranger in the alley or the heroine who waits at least a week or so before she and the hero do the double-backed boogie? Yes, I’m overstating it, but it’s my party and I’ll cheat if I want to! –Meg Benjamin