Alissa Baxter's Blog, page 8
April 18, 2013
Dating Lessons From Historical Romance Novels
Historical romance heroines can teach modern day women on the dating scene a few interesting lessons… In Regency England, amongst the gentry and nobility, young women were brought to London and presented to Society. The young ladies would dress up in beautifully made gowns, and attend Coming Out balls where the eligible bachelors in Town would ask them to dance, and as they talked and waltzed about the room, the men and women would carefully assess each other’s marriage potential.
Fast forward to 2013 and the modern dating scene and it appears as if there are virtually no similarities to historic courtship practices. Yet going out to a party is very similar to attending a ball, and going out on a date with a man, doesn’t differ too much from accepting a gentleman’s request to drive in the park with him.
What impresses me about some of my favourite heroines in romance fiction is their clear sighted view of relationships and what they entail. Rather than falling instantly in love with a man and feeling on cloud nine straight away, a sensible romance heroine assesses a man’s character before handing over her heart to him. She also requires a certain standard of behaviour from him, and expects him to treat her chivalrously. Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s novels are populated with female characters who have this particular mindset.
The old courtship rules have long since been abandoned, and there are no longer any modern rules when it comes to dating. However, if a woman wishes to survive in the dating jungle out there, adapting some standards from the past could prove quite beneficial. This might seem old-fashioned in view of the fact that women are now liberated and can date as they please, but being selective when it comes to dating, and only dating the men who treat you well, would be a good starting point.
This might seem obvious, but so many women seem to only want to date the men they cannot have, or the men who give them a difficult time. Perhaps some women view unavailable men as a worthwhile challenge to pursue, but chasing someone who isn’t interested enough to make an effort with you, seems silly to me.
A heroine in an historical romance novel might very well feel attracted to an unavailable male, but she would rarely make the mistake of chasing after him as society discouraged such behaviour, deeming it unseemly. Digging deeper in to the psychology of why society discouraged it, it becomes apparent why it was so frowned upon… a woman could never propose to a man, so if she chased after a man she was putting herself in the vulnerable position of being publicly rejected by him. Therefore, waiting for a man to show his interest (while ensuring that she let him know that she welcomed his advances) was the more sensible option.
And thinking about it, unless it’s a leap year, a woman rarely gets down on one knee and proposes to a man. So the more things change, the more they stay the same after all… Times may change but human nature doesn’t.
Fast forward to 2013 and the modern dating scene and it appears as if there are virtually no similarities to historic courtship practices. Yet going out to a party is very similar to attending a ball, and going out on a date with a man, doesn’t differ too much from accepting a gentleman’s request to drive in the park with him.
What impresses me about some of my favourite heroines in romance fiction is their clear sighted view of relationships and what they entail. Rather than falling instantly in love with a man and feeling on cloud nine straight away, a sensible romance heroine assesses a man’s character before handing over her heart to him. She also requires a certain standard of behaviour from him, and expects him to treat her chivalrously. Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s novels are populated with female characters who have this particular mindset.
The old courtship rules have long since been abandoned, and there are no longer any modern rules when it comes to dating. However, if a woman wishes to survive in the dating jungle out there, adapting some standards from the past could prove quite beneficial. This might seem old-fashioned in view of the fact that women are now liberated and can date as they please, but being selective when it comes to dating, and only dating the men who treat you well, would be a good starting point.
This might seem obvious, but so many women seem to only want to date the men they cannot have, or the men who give them a difficult time. Perhaps some women view unavailable men as a worthwhile challenge to pursue, but chasing someone who isn’t interested enough to make an effort with you, seems silly to me.
A heroine in an historical romance novel might very well feel attracted to an unavailable male, but she would rarely make the mistake of chasing after him as society discouraged such behaviour, deeming it unseemly. Digging deeper in to the psychology of why society discouraged it, it becomes apparent why it was so frowned upon… a woman could never propose to a man, so if she chased after a man she was putting herself in the vulnerable position of being publicly rejected by him. Therefore, waiting for a man to show his interest (while ensuring that she let him know that she welcomed his advances) was the more sensible option.
And thinking about it, unless it’s a leap year, a woman rarely gets down on one knee and proposes to a man. So the more things change, the more they stay the same after all… Times may change but human nature doesn’t.
April 2, 2013
Heroes and Villains
Listen to a friend talking about the new boyfriend she’s fallen in love with and you’ll more than likely hear that he’s smart, clever, funny, exciting, good-looking, fascinating, and altogether wonderful. Fast forward to when she’s had an upsetting break up with him somewhere down the line, and you’ll get a very different picture drawn of him – she’ll probably say he’s mean, selfish, nasty, ungenerous and ugly to boot.
It’s funny how we can draw a picture in our mind of someone, and completely alter the colour, shade and line of that drawing within a split second, based on our emotions. The way we interpret something about someone can be either negative or positive, but in essence, it’s simply our interpretation of the facts.
A common theme in romance novels is to create a heroine who initially perceives the hero of the novel as a villain, but by the end of the book, when she’s got to know him, she usually slots him firmly into the hero category, as she starts to see all of his good qualities.
Realistically, though, we’re all a mix of good and bad, and most men have their heroic characteristics (rescuing kittens stranded in trees) and villainous tendencies (leaving beard stubble in the basin). But there’s a lesson to be learnt here from romance novels. Essentially in a romantic relationship, a man wants to be perceived as his girl’s Hero, and a woman wants to be her man’s Dream Girl. If a woman treats her man as if he’s her Hero, even when he messes up, she’ll bring out the best in him. And if a man treats a woman as if she’s his Dream Girl, even when she’s irritating him, he’ll bring out the best in her.
Often, though, when the rose-tinted glasses we wear early on in a relationship come off, and we start to see each other’s flaws, the Hero and Dream Girl treatment we’ve been giving to each other comes to an end.
But knowing how to shift our viewpoint from positive to negative within a short time span can be a very useful tool in dealing with conflict within relationships. It’s easy to interpret someone’s behaviour based on our own negative emotional response to it, but remembering that it’s only our interpretation of the behaviour can be very liberating.
Of course, repeated bad behaviour from a romantic partner could signal an abusive relationship, which it’s imperative to leave, but giving someone the benefit of the doubt and assuming their good will is, I’d say, vital to long-term happiness in a relationship.
In The Dashing Debutante, I created a feisty heroine, Alexandra, who gave the hero of the book, the Duke of Stanford, the benefit of the doubt when she heard something negative about him. I’ve included the extract here:
“There you are, Miss Grantham,” Lady Barrington said. “I have been meaning to have a word with you.”
“Good evening, Lady Barrington,” Alexandra said formally.
Lady Barrington acknowledged the greeting, before continuing, “I’m afraid that I am the bearer of some bad news, Miss Grantham. I feel it to be my duty, though, as one woman to another, to inform you about it.”
“Bad news, Lady Barrington?”
“Unfortunately, yes, my dear. When Sir Jason informed me of the wager, I was shocked. Quite shocked!”
Alexandra stiffened at the mention of her bête-noire. “What are you talking about, ma’am?”
Lady Barrington smiled sympathetically. “Sir Jason has informed me that the Duke of Stanford’s pursuit of you is merely the result of a wager that he and Stanford have entered into. A while back Sir Jason challenged the Duke, saying that you were such a high and mighty Miss that he doubted whether Stanford could manage to add you to his circle of admirers. So, if you believe his intentions to be serious, my dear, you are sadly mistaken. I thought it would be best to let you know this.”
Alexandra regarded the Marchioness with a sceptical look on her face. “I was under the impression, Lady Barrington, that the Duke of Stanford and Sir Jason were not on good terms. I therefore find it difficult to believe what you have said.”
Lady Barrington shrugged her thin shoulders. “My dear child, my concern is only for you! I would not fabricate such a tale, I assure you. However, if you doubt my words, by all means ask Sir Jason to verify them. You will not like his answer, but it will be the truth, nonetheless.”
“Better than that, Lady Barrington, I shall challenge his grace with these accusations,” Alexandra said coolly. “Now if you will excuse me, ma’am, I have to find my grandmother.” Nodding her head, she made to move away.
Lady Barrington put a restraining hand on Alexandra’s elbow. “Just a moment, Miss Grantham. I advise you not to question his grace about what I have said. He will only deny the story.”
Alexandra looked at the other woman for a long moment. “I am surprised that you say that, your ladyship. I would never have said that the Duke of Stanford was a dishonest man.”
Lady Barrington shrugged her shoulders again. “One can never be sure with gentlemen, Miss Grantham. In my experience, men are very rarely honest in their dealings with women.”
“And yet you expect me to ask Sir Jason to verify your story?” Alexandra said gently. “As I have said before, Lady Barrington, I may be young, but I am in no way stupid. Good evening.”
It’s funny how we can draw a picture in our mind of someone, and completely alter the colour, shade and line of that drawing within a split second, based on our emotions. The way we interpret something about someone can be either negative or positive, but in essence, it’s simply our interpretation of the facts.
A common theme in romance novels is to create a heroine who initially perceives the hero of the novel as a villain, but by the end of the book, when she’s got to know him, she usually slots him firmly into the hero category, as she starts to see all of his good qualities.
Realistically, though, we’re all a mix of good and bad, and most men have their heroic characteristics (rescuing kittens stranded in trees) and villainous tendencies (leaving beard stubble in the basin). But there’s a lesson to be learnt here from romance novels. Essentially in a romantic relationship, a man wants to be perceived as his girl’s Hero, and a woman wants to be her man’s Dream Girl. If a woman treats her man as if he’s her Hero, even when he messes up, she’ll bring out the best in him. And if a man treats a woman as if she’s his Dream Girl, even when she’s irritating him, he’ll bring out the best in her.
Often, though, when the rose-tinted glasses we wear early on in a relationship come off, and we start to see each other’s flaws, the Hero and Dream Girl treatment we’ve been giving to each other comes to an end.
But knowing how to shift our viewpoint from positive to negative within a short time span can be a very useful tool in dealing with conflict within relationships. It’s easy to interpret someone’s behaviour based on our own negative emotional response to it, but remembering that it’s only our interpretation of the behaviour can be very liberating.
Of course, repeated bad behaviour from a romantic partner could signal an abusive relationship, which it’s imperative to leave, but giving someone the benefit of the doubt and assuming their good will is, I’d say, vital to long-term happiness in a relationship.
In The Dashing Debutante, I created a feisty heroine, Alexandra, who gave the hero of the book, the Duke of Stanford, the benefit of the doubt when she heard something negative about him. I’ve included the extract here:
“There you are, Miss Grantham,” Lady Barrington said. “I have been meaning to have a word with you.”
“Good evening, Lady Barrington,” Alexandra said formally.
Lady Barrington acknowledged the greeting, before continuing, “I’m afraid that I am the bearer of some bad news, Miss Grantham. I feel it to be my duty, though, as one woman to another, to inform you about it.”
“Bad news, Lady Barrington?”
“Unfortunately, yes, my dear. When Sir Jason informed me of the wager, I was shocked. Quite shocked!”
Alexandra stiffened at the mention of her bête-noire. “What are you talking about, ma’am?”
Lady Barrington smiled sympathetically. “Sir Jason has informed me that the Duke of Stanford’s pursuit of you is merely the result of a wager that he and Stanford have entered into. A while back Sir Jason challenged the Duke, saying that you were such a high and mighty Miss that he doubted whether Stanford could manage to add you to his circle of admirers. So, if you believe his intentions to be serious, my dear, you are sadly mistaken. I thought it would be best to let you know this.”
Alexandra regarded the Marchioness with a sceptical look on her face. “I was under the impression, Lady Barrington, that the Duke of Stanford and Sir Jason were not on good terms. I therefore find it difficult to believe what you have said.”
Lady Barrington shrugged her thin shoulders. “My dear child, my concern is only for you! I would not fabricate such a tale, I assure you. However, if you doubt my words, by all means ask Sir Jason to verify them. You will not like his answer, but it will be the truth, nonetheless.”
“Better than that, Lady Barrington, I shall challenge his grace with these accusations,” Alexandra said coolly. “Now if you will excuse me, ma’am, I have to find my grandmother.” Nodding her head, she made to move away.
Lady Barrington put a restraining hand on Alexandra’s elbow. “Just a moment, Miss Grantham. I advise you not to question his grace about what I have said. He will only deny the story.”
Alexandra looked at the other woman for a long moment. “I am surprised that you say that, your ladyship. I would never have said that the Duke of Stanford was a dishonest man.”
Lady Barrington shrugged her shoulders again. “One can never be sure with gentlemen, Miss Grantham. In my experience, men are very rarely honest in their dealings with women.”
“And yet you expect me to ask Sir Jason to verify your story?” Alexandra said gently. “As I have said before, Lady Barrington, I may be young, but I am in no way stupid. Good evening.”
March 26, 2013
Conflict in Romance Novels and Real-Life Relationships - Part Two
What is it about a relationship – fictional or not – that sustains it in the long-term? And can a conflict-ridden couple ever change their destructive pattern and live in peaceful co-existence?
In romance fiction, one of the most important elements of writing a great story is to create characters that somehow grow and develop as the story progresses. I wouldn’t want to read a story where the characters remained stagnant and had an inability to mature and change.
And in real life the same fundamental elements are necessary for a relationship to be ultimately satisfying.
The difficulty about romantic relationships, though, is that they contain… two people! Two people who come to the relationship with two sets of dreams, hopes, fears, hurts and histories. And somehow they have to find common ground, feel attraction, fall in love, and get along and understand each other to the point where they can start to plan a life together.
Internal conflict of some sort in each party is a given in any relationship, but how that conflict is managed can often mean the difference between a promising relationship, or a gone-off-the-rails-before-it-even-gets-started kind of experience.
So why do so many real-life romances derail within a few months? Let’s look at romance novels to get a little guidance… Sometimes, when I’m reading a romance, and I observe the internal conflict that the hero and heroine are experiencing, I start to doubt that they’ll ever solve their problems and get together.
However, at the back of my mind, I have the comforting thought that there is an author behind the story whose duty it is to deliver a guaranteed HEA, so I sit back, relax and enjoy the read (or the ride depending on how caught up I am in the book). Misunderstandings, misperceptions, and miscreant behaviour are all sorted out by the author, and the HEA is ultimately reached.
But, if you think about it, in real life, there is no one behind the scenes manipulating our own love stories, and any misunderstandings or misperceptions about the person we’re romantically involved with are not automatically cleared up by some magic third-party author waving a relationship wand in the air.
And what makes it worse, is that during the infatuation stage of a relationship - when a host of crazy hormones are racing through our bodies - it’s very hard to remain calm and rational about a relationship, especially as people often arrive at different destinations along the relationship road at different times. This can create a host of problems that can make the most die-hard romantic throw up their hands in the air in despair. (Actually die-hard romantics often have the hardest time of all with relationships, as their expectations of romance are so high).
Sometimes a relationship that is full of conflict is simply not meant to work out, and it’s good to know when to let go of someone who just isn’t right for us. But sometimes, the problem isn’t so much with the other person, as much as it is with our own internal conflict.
So what can we do about how this affects our relationships? I can only speak from a female perspective in this regard, but I think a big problem that a lot of women have with relationships is that they’ve been disappointed by men in the past, and bring that negativity into their new relationship. When their new love interest disappoints them, they take all the accumulated disappointment of their past relationships and project that negativity on to the man they’re with, which is – let’s face it – not a recipe for a successful relationship with someone.
It’s all about the heroes and villains that exist not only in romance, but in our own imaginations… and in my next post, I’ll be elaborating on this theme.
March 17, 2013
Conflict in Romance Novels and Real-Life Relationships - Part One
Conflict is necessary in a romance novel to drive the story forward. If the hero and heroine of a book meet in the beginning of the novel, get on fabulously well, and decide straight away that they want to spend the rest of their lives together it would make for pretty dull reading. There’d be no conflict in the book driving it forward, and therefore no story. Conflict in a novel can be either external or internal, but usually it is a combination of both, and once the conflict has been satisfactorily resolved, the story comes to an end, and the inevitable HEA (Happily Ever After) is reached.
When I read Regency romance novels as a child, I longed to be the heroines of those stories. I dreamed of driving along in horse-drawn carriages, and twirling around candlelit ballrooms while having spirited discussions with my own dreamed up heroes. The thought of being a heroine in a novel thrilled me, and often was the time that I wished I’d been born in another era so that I could appear in my own Regency romance.
However, as I got older, I started to look at all the ordeals the Regency heroines had to go through on their paths to happiness, and I realised that they usually weren’t all that happy on their way to their HEAs. It was then that I came around to the way of thinking that a less conflict-ridden relationship in real life might actually be preferable to those drama-filled romantic tales, no matter how entertaining they were to read…
But, like it or not, there is always some external and internal conflict at the start of any real-life relationship. Guy meets girl, sparks fly, attraction is acknowledged, and the beginning of a relationship starts to unfold – sometimes unsteadily, sometimes more smoothly, but usually there are some bumps along the way.
Although conflict in relationships is inevitable, I wonder whether we don’t take this to the extreme, sometimes, and manufacture conflict in relationships where there needn’t be any. A single girl on the dating scene can usually recount far more dating horror stories to her friends than peaceful journeys on the way to love…
Have we, perhaps, been conditioned by romantic movies and books into thinking that unless there’s a lot of conflict in a real-life romantic relationship, then that relationship isn’t all that passionate and exciting? Do some people manufacture conflict that is unnecessary because they find the lack of drama in a relationship dull? Couples who fight, and then make up in a continuous cycle may find it thrilling, but is it really sustainable?
The interesting thing about the internal conflict a hero or heroine experiences in a romance novel is that unless it is resolved, then the HEA won’t be attained – or alternatively, the HEA may be attained, but it’s unclear whether the fictional couple would be able to sustain a long-term relationship beyond page 253 of a book, making the ending of the story unconvincing.
It is often the story after the HEA that is the most intriguing. Have you ever wondered about how Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy fared after she moved to Pemberley, or whether Jane ever fought with Mr. Rochester after they got married? What is it about a relationship – fictional or not – that sustains it in the long-term? Can a conflict-ridden couple ever change their destructive pattern and live in peaceful co-existence? Does internal conflict ever completely resolve itself in the story of life? I’ll be examining these questions in Part Two…
When I read Regency romance novels as a child, I longed to be the heroines of those stories. I dreamed of driving along in horse-drawn carriages, and twirling around candlelit ballrooms while having spirited discussions with my own dreamed up heroes. The thought of being a heroine in a novel thrilled me, and often was the time that I wished I’d been born in another era so that I could appear in my own Regency romance.
However, as I got older, I started to look at all the ordeals the Regency heroines had to go through on their paths to happiness, and I realised that they usually weren’t all that happy on their way to their HEAs. It was then that I came around to the way of thinking that a less conflict-ridden relationship in real life might actually be preferable to those drama-filled romantic tales, no matter how entertaining they were to read…
But, like it or not, there is always some external and internal conflict at the start of any real-life relationship. Guy meets girl, sparks fly, attraction is acknowledged, and the beginning of a relationship starts to unfold – sometimes unsteadily, sometimes more smoothly, but usually there are some bumps along the way.
Although conflict in relationships is inevitable, I wonder whether we don’t take this to the extreme, sometimes, and manufacture conflict in relationships where there needn’t be any. A single girl on the dating scene can usually recount far more dating horror stories to her friends than peaceful journeys on the way to love…
Have we, perhaps, been conditioned by romantic movies and books into thinking that unless there’s a lot of conflict in a real-life romantic relationship, then that relationship isn’t all that passionate and exciting? Do some people manufacture conflict that is unnecessary because they find the lack of drama in a relationship dull? Couples who fight, and then make up in a continuous cycle may find it thrilling, but is it really sustainable?
The interesting thing about the internal conflict a hero or heroine experiences in a romance novel is that unless it is resolved, then the HEA won’t be attained – or alternatively, the HEA may be attained, but it’s unclear whether the fictional couple would be able to sustain a long-term relationship beyond page 253 of a book, making the ending of the story unconvincing.
It is often the story after the HEA that is the most intriguing. Have you ever wondered about how Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy fared after she moved to Pemberley, or whether Jane ever fought with Mr. Rochester after they got married? What is it about a relationship – fictional or not – that sustains it in the long-term? Can a conflict-ridden couple ever change their destructive pattern and live in peaceful co-existence? Does internal conflict ever completely resolve itself in the story of life? I’ll be examining these questions in Part Two…
March 12, 2013
TSTL Heroines in Romance Novels
In the romance reading community there’s an acronym for a certain kind of heroine – the heroine who is described as TSTL (Too Stupid To Live). Every romance reader has probably encountered her within the pages of a novel, and she can engender such frustration in you that you literally want to throw the book against a wall. (Books like these are often described as “wallbangers”).
You all know this kind of heroine – she’s the one who purposefully walks into danger, or never believes anything the kind, sensible hero says. She’ll interrupt him when he’s giving his point of view, disappear in a huff, without resolving the conflict between them, and act like an annoying, immature child.
I’ve come across a number of these heroines in romance novels, which makes me wonder why any sane author would create such a poor example of womanhood. It’s quite bizarre. Perhaps it has something to do with traditional views of femininity and masculinity? In order for a hero to be masculine and “rescue” the distressed damsel, she needs to behave stupidly in order to get his attention?
However, I must admit, that in order to create a fun, exciting story (particularly if you’re writing an historical novel) sometimes it’s necessary to create situations where the heroine is rescued by the hero. However, for it not to be annoying, it’s important to at least show that the heroine has valid reasons for her behaviour. I tried to do this in The Dashing Debutante, my first novel, where Alexandra, the impetuous heroine, often falls into scrapes, but not to extent that the reader thinks her brain has gone into hibernation.
Writers of TSTL heroines often describe the heroine as clever or intelligent, and then, in order to create a certain plot device, the heroine suddenly suspends all rational thought and does something really stupid, which makes you want to pull your hair out in frustration!
I once read a book where I actually disliked the heroine so much, that I didn’t care what happened to her. If she had died, I wouldn’t have minded, which made me wonder whether I wasn’t a terrible person – a character murderer if you will. And that’s the crux of the matter. Romance fiction is escapist fiction, and readers want to laugh, cry, smile and nod their heads in satisfaction as they read these books. But when a character behaves in a way that doesn’t make sense, or is inconsistent or just plain stupid, the story dies for the reader, to the point where they might just put the book down, never to pick it up again. Or alternatively throw it against a wall.
March 6, 2013
Write what you know, but how?
Today romance writer Gina Rossi is a guest poster on my blog. Gina's second novel, Life After 6 Tequilas, has just been released by ThornBerry Publishing. Gina's debut novel, The Wild Heart, was nominated for the 2012 Joan Hessayon Award. Welcome Gina!
Hello Alissa, and thanks so much for inviting me to talk today about writing and my new brand-new release Life After 6 Tequilas .Here’s a question: How many times have you finished a book with a satisfied sigh and thought, I could never, in a million years, have written this book, because I don’t know all that STUFF?Aspiring writers are told, over and over, to ‘write what you know’. How, when you don’t know anything? I’m in awe of people who write fantasy.Have you ever been stuck under the Polar ice cap with Mr. Universe in a nuclear submarine that’s about to explode? Or run for President, married a sheik or won the Grand Prix? Have you led barefoot men into battle, built an aeroplane out of coconut shells, dived on a wreck of a Spanish galleon, or performed brain surgery? No? Me either. Note to self: Must. Get. Out. More.As with so much in life, writing what you know starts with the little things. In my brand new book, Life After 6 Tequilas - just released by Thornberry Publishing on 4th March 2013, details at bottom of page – I portray some of the conflicts and stresses of ordinary life, and hastily add that the realistic issues faced by my characters are – I hope – lightened with a chick lit angle and accompanying, essential dash of humour.I placed the book in a familiar setting, casting my heroine as a regular middle-class young working woman in London, so similar to many I know. My heroine, Beth, juggles single motherhood with full-time work. Her son, Jacob, is nine months old as was my grandson, Sam, at the time of writing. They are peas in a pod – the most pleasurable research I’ve undertaken to date, particularly the swimming lessons.The story’s set in 2011, so I used true, current and traditional events to mark the passage of time. This backfired because I soon realised I had to wait until the end of the year before I could finish the book – otherwise I’d be writing what I definitely didn’t know!The reference Armistice Day, apart from being relevant to the story, is a tribute to the British armed forces, past and present who gave, and continue to give, their lives for our freedom. Moving on to calmer subjects, like furniture (LOL, as they say), Beth’s boss has an antique partner desk similar to one my father had when I was a child. He did all his writing there and unfortunately sold it when he moved – it’s gone out of the family but it’s there, forever, in my book.Plants in Beth’s tiny garden are pulled, gasping, from my own repertoire of long-suffering hydrangeas, hellebores and dead clematii.A piece of jewellery is similar to some my daughters own, and Beth’s painted plates and green-stemmed wine glasses are the ones I coveted years ago in Italy, and still regret not buying.In conclusion, like your characters, each event and object has a past life, present impact and, possibly, future repercussions. If you add what you know about them, then you add rich, colourful, personal detail to your story. Old hat and I-never-go-anywhere to you, but fresh and interesting to your reader.As for the new cafe called ‘Cupcake’ in Wandworth, I wish such a place existed!It’s been great to be here, Alissa. Thanks so much for inviting me. I’d love to hear other writers’ comments on the task of writing what you know. Readers are most welcome to join me on:Facebook https://www.facebook.com/gina.rossi.7Twitter https://twitter.com/Ginagina7Pinterest http://pinterest.com/ginarossiwriter/#
Life After 6 Tequilas by Gina Rossi is available in ebook format from Amazon. Paperback coming soon.http://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-After-6-Tequilas-ebook/dp/B00BO1RP8E/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362379144&sr=1-1
Hello Alissa, and thanks so much for inviting me to talk today about writing and my new brand-new release Life After 6 Tequilas .Here’s a question: How many times have you finished a book with a satisfied sigh and thought, I could never, in a million years, have written this book, because I don’t know all that STUFF?Aspiring writers are told, over and over, to ‘write what you know’. How, when you don’t know anything? I’m in awe of people who write fantasy.Have you ever been stuck under the Polar ice cap with Mr. Universe in a nuclear submarine that’s about to explode? Or run for President, married a sheik or won the Grand Prix? Have you led barefoot men into battle, built an aeroplane out of coconut shells, dived on a wreck of a Spanish galleon, or performed brain surgery? No? Me either. Note to self: Must. Get. Out. More.As with so much in life, writing what you know starts with the little things. In my brand new book, Life After 6 Tequilas - just released by Thornberry Publishing on 4th March 2013, details at bottom of page – I portray some of the conflicts and stresses of ordinary life, and hastily add that the realistic issues faced by my characters are – I hope – lightened with a chick lit angle and accompanying, essential dash of humour.I placed the book in a familiar setting, casting my heroine as a regular middle-class young working woman in London, so similar to many I know. My heroine, Beth, juggles single motherhood with full-time work. Her son, Jacob, is nine months old as was my grandson, Sam, at the time of writing. They are peas in a pod – the most pleasurable research I’ve undertaken to date, particularly the swimming lessons.The story’s set in 2011, so I used true, current and traditional events to mark the passage of time. This backfired because I soon realised I had to wait until the end of the year before I could finish the book – otherwise I’d be writing what I definitely didn’t know!The reference Armistice Day, apart from being relevant to the story, is a tribute to the British armed forces, past and present who gave, and continue to give, their lives for our freedom. Moving on to calmer subjects, like furniture (LOL, as they say), Beth’s boss has an antique partner desk similar to one my father had when I was a child. He did all his writing there and unfortunately sold it when he moved – it’s gone out of the family but it’s there, forever, in my book.Plants in Beth’s tiny garden are pulled, gasping, from my own repertoire of long-suffering hydrangeas, hellebores and dead clematii.A piece of jewellery is similar to some my daughters own, and Beth’s painted plates and green-stemmed wine glasses are the ones I coveted years ago in Italy, and still regret not buying.In conclusion, like your characters, each event and object has a past life, present impact and, possibly, future repercussions. If you add what you know about them, then you add rich, colourful, personal detail to your story. Old hat and I-never-go-anywhere to you, but fresh and interesting to your reader.As for the new cafe called ‘Cupcake’ in Wandworth, I wish such a place existed!It’s been great to be here, Alissa. Thanks so much for inviting me. I’d love to hear other writers’ comments on the task of writing what you know. Readers are most welcome to join me on:Facebook https://www.facebook.com/gina.rossi.7Twitter https://twitter.com/Ginagina7Pinterest http://pinterest.com/ginarossiwriter/#
Life After 6 Tequilas by Gina Rossi is available in ebook format from Amazon. Paperback coming soon.http://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-After-6-Tequilas-ebook/dp/B00BO1RP8E/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362379144&sr=1-1
February 25, 2013
A Guide To Writing Romance - Part Ten
In order to edit your work, you will need to take a step back from your writing, and try and see it from an objective point of view. This isn’t easy, as once words are down on paper, they can appear like fixtures – immovable and permanent. However, if you take off your writing cap and put on your editing cap, you will start to see words (and indeed paragraphs) that can easily be cut from your manuscript. All it takes is a change in perspective.
Read on for the final instalment of “The Guide To Writing Romance” online course :
Tenth Secret: Edit well
If you’ve developed your characters properly, and advanced your narrative effectively, then your greatest task is to write until the end. Just about everything else can be fixed in the rewrite.
It’s hard to do. Your writer-self is in love with every word and as proud as a new mother. To edit effectively, you have to push this maternal being aside and “murder the babies”, as Ezra Pound said.
You have to switch into being a critical editor, rather than a sensitive writer. You must look at every scene, character and detail. Do they take the story forward? Is there a reason for them to be there?
Here’s a tip: Take a pile of white index cards and allocate one to each chapter in your book. Write a one-sentence description of each scene. If you can’t write down what happens in a scene, you’ll have to seriously consider whether it deserves to be there. What is its purpose? Be ruthless.
Cut adjectives and look for the dreaded sagging middle. If things sag in the middle, look for scenes where nothing much happens. Kill them or make sure something happens that will move your story along.
They’re easy to say, but harder to adhere to. I guarantee, though, that if you can make these points work for you, you’ll have a publishable Romance, full of love, conflict and suspense.
Assignment: Write the first page of your romance – no more than 300 words. The first paragraphs of a story must draw your reader in, and make sure they carry the book to the till. Make sure you don’t waste your most critical passage on background or too much description. Start in a scene where something is happening. In the process, we’d like to meet your heroine and glimpse her environment – not in great detail, but we’d like to form our first impression of her and her world.
Read on for the final instalment of “The Guide To Writing Romance” online course :
Tenth Secret: Edit well
If you’ve developed your characters properly, and advanced your narrative effectively, then your greatest task is to write until the end. Just about everything else can be fixed in the rewrite.
It’s hard to do. Your writer-self is in love with every word and as proud as a new mother. To edit effectively, you have to push this maternal being aside and “murder the babies”, as Ezra Pound said.
You have to switch into being a critical editor, rather than a sensitive writer. You must look at every scene, character and detail. Do they take the story forward? Is there a reason for them to be there?
Here’s a tip: Take a pile of white index cards and allocate one to each chapter in your book. Write a one-sentence description of each scene. If you can’t write down what happens in a scene, you’ll have to seriously consider whether it deserves to be there. What is its purpose? Be ruthless.
Cut adjectives and look for the dreaded sagging middle. If things sag in the middle, look for scenes where nothing much happens. Kill them or make sure something happens that will move your story along.
They’re easy to say, but harder to adhere to. I guarantee, though, that if you can make these points work for you, you’ll have a publishable Romance, full of love, conflict and suspense.
Assignment: Write the first page of your romance – no more than 300 words. The first paragraphs of a story must draw your reader in, and make sure they carry the book to the till. Make sure you don’t waste your most critical passage on background or too much description. Start in a scene where something is happening. In the process, we’d like to meet your heroine and glimpse her environment – not in great detail, but we’d like to form our first impression of her and her world.
February 18, 2013
A Guide To Writing Romance - Part Nine
The inspiration for my first novel, The Dashing Debutante, came from a scene that flashed into my mind of a man and a woman involved in a spirited argument. I wrote that scene down on a scrap of paper and created a whole story around it. I have always enjoyed writing dialogue scenes – for me they are the most fun aspect of creative writing. If done well, dialogue has immense power to move your story along. It’s a great way to end a chapter on an intriguing cliff-hanger, and it’s also a wonderful way to convey how two people relate to each other, as opposed to those long descriptive paragraphs about their relationship which could slow the story down.
Read on to find out more about writing believable dialogue from “The Guide To Writing Romance” online course:Ninth Secret: Write believable dialogueThis is what people first notice about a book. If the dialogue rings true, it brings pace and energy to a story. It helps you “show”, rather than tell what your characters are like.
Dialogue should be the appearance of real speech. But if you’ve ever recorded people speaking, you’ll see they do a lot of repeating and um-ing and ah-ing. If you faithfully include all of this, your dialogue will become turgid and tedious.
The challenge for the writer is to give the appearance of real speech, without its drawbacks. Allow people to interrupt each other, have them not finish their sentences, but don’t let them go on long, circuitous repetitions.
Exercise:Buy yourself a cappuccino as a reward for nearly finishing the first module of our Guide. Seat yourself strategically, where you can hear what other patrons are saying without being too obvious. Take a small recording device or notebook with you and eavesdrop shamelessly. Write down exact words or, if you’re recording, transcribe it faithfully when you get home. Don’t just write down the gist of what was said. Try to get the rhythms and the quirks of vocabulary. See how people stop, start and talk in parallel without listening to each other. If you’re going to be a writer, do this often. It will help you develop a feel for the way real people use language.
Read on to find out more about writing believable dialogue from “The Guide To Writing Romance” online course:Ninth Secret: Write believable dialogueThis is what people first notice about a book. If the dialogue rings true, it brings pace and energy to a story. It helps you “show”, rather than tell what your characters are like.
Dialogue should be the appearance of real speech. But if you’ve ever recorded people speaking, you’ll see they do a lot of repeating and um-ing and ah-ing. If you faithfully include all of this, your dialogue will become turgid and tedious.
The challenge for the writer is to give the appearance of real speech, without its drawbacks. Allow people to interrupt each other, have them not finish their sentences, but don’t let them go on long, circuitous repetitions.
Exercise:Buy yourself a cappuccino as a reward for nearly finishing the first module of our Guide. Seat yourself strategically, where you can hear what other patrons are saying without being too obvious. Take a small recording device or notebook with you and eavesdrop shamelessly. Write down exact words or, if you’re recording, transcribe it faithfully when you get home. Don’t just write down the gist of what was said. Try to get the rhythms and the quirks of vocabulary. See how people stop, start and talk in parallel without listening to each other. If you’re going to be a writer, do this often. It will help you develop a feel for the way real people use language.
February 14, 2013
Writing on Valentine’s Day
The month of February is always about romance, yet the nature of expected romance means that it isn’t always all that romantic in the classic sense of the word. Have you ever read a romance novel where the hero proposes to the heroine on Valentine’s Day? I certainly haven’t, and I think there are a number of reasons why this is so. Firstly, when it is expected of people to be romantic, there’s an element of predictability about it all, and when you’re writing a romance novel, unpredictability is key in creating a strong, compelling plot. It’s far more dramatic for a heroine to receive a proposal from a hero on a windswept cliff after he’s rescued her from nearly tumbling down a cliff face, say, than for that same hero to propose in a staid restaurant setting with hovering waiters all around on 14 February.
And it’s far more romantic, it can be argued, to receive a bunch of roses unexpectedly from your lover for no particular reason than that he was thinking of you, than to be given a dozen red roses on a day that has been specifically designated for romance.
Having said this, simply writing off Valentine’s Day as unromantic and therefore not acknowledging it isn’t all that easy to do, either. By ignoring Valentine’s Day because it’s commercial, you are sending a very clear message as well, in that you are refusing to offer a romantic gesture to your loved one on a day that celebrates love.
The thing is, it may be my opinion that proposing on Valentine’s Day is unromantic (with my hero-and-heroine-on-a-cliff-face scenario playing through my mind). However, someone else might perceive receiving a proposal on Valentine’s Day as the epitome of romance. It all depends on the person concerned. If a man who finds Valentine’s Day commercial, for instance, is involved with a woman who finds Valentine’s Day incredibly romantic, wouldn’t it be a loving gesture for the man to set aside his reservations about the day, and make his loved one feel special by celebrating it with her?
Because that’s, in essence, what romance is all about… doing something that makes your loved one feel special - even if it goes against the grain, and even if it means spending a fortune on flowers that you could get at a far cheaper price on another day.
And it’s far more romantic, it can be argued, to receive a bunch of roses unexpectedly from your lover for no particular reason than that he was thinking of you, than to be given a dozen red roses on a day that has been specifically designated for romance.
Having said this, simply writing off Valentine’s Day as unromantic and therefore not acknowledging it isn’t all that easy to do, either. By ignoring Valentine’s Day because it’s commercial, you are sending a very clear message as well, in that you are refusing to offer a romantic gesture to your loved one on a day that celebrates love.
The thing is, it may be my opinion that proposing on Valentine’s Day is unromantic (with my hero-and-heroine-on-a-cliff-face scenario playing through my mind). However, someone else might perceive receiving a proposal on Valentine’s Day as the epitome of romance. It all depends on the person concerned. If a man who finds Valentine’s Day commercial, for instance, is involved with a woman who finds Valentine’s Day incredibly romantic, wouldn’t it be a loving gesture for the man to set aside his reservations about the day, and make his loved one feel special by celebrating it with her?
Because that’s, in essence, what romance is all about… doing something that makes your loved one feel special - even if it goes against the grain, and even if it means spending a fortune on flowers that you could get at a far cheaper price on another day.
February 11, 2013
Ten Questions For Mary Jo Putney
Today, I welcome the warm and wonderfully talented Mary Jo Putney to my blog.
Mary Jo Putney
New York Times bestselling romance author Mary Jo Putney was born on a farm in the Northeastern United States and early realized that she had a reading addiction, a condition for which there is no known cure. Her entire writing career is an accidental byproduct of buying a computer for other purposes.
Traditional Regencies were her first love, and she has since expanded into historical and contemporary romance, young adult, and historical fantasy. She has written somewhere around forty books and won numerous awards, including two RITAs from the Romance Writers of America. She lives in Maryland, and most of her stories include cats. Ten Questions For Mary Jo Putney 1) Of all the books you have written, do you have a favourite? MJP: I love them all! But if forced to choose, it would probably be The Rake, a Regency historical with an alcoholic hero. I’d read so many romances where the hero drank like a fish but never suffered consequences. I wanted consequences. So the book is not only a romance, but a realistic description of addiction and recovery. (Yes, I like to write stories with edges.) 2) What’s a typical work day like for you? MJP: The first thing I do is feed the cats, or there’s no telling what might happen. (Four cats, all rescue kitties.) After breakfast, I check my e-mail, do chores, go out to exercise three mornings a week, and generally waste time. Most of my serious writing is done in the evening. I am not very efficient! 3) What does your workspace look like? MJP: My writing room is a sizable upstairs bedroom with a wide window looking into trees. Two walls are all bookcases, and the custom built workstation is U-shaped with more bookshelves. (Custom because I’m short so the work surface is a couple of inches lower than standard.) There’s a sofa against the other wall, as well as a very comfortable easy chair. Oriental carpets on the floor, lounging cats, and usually it’s not all of that neat. <G> 4) What do you enjoy most about being a writer? MJP: I love the flexibility of organizing my own time, and I love working for myself. Like most writers, I like spending lots of time alone with my imagination. It’s lovely to create characters, stories, and settings. 5) What are you working on at the moment? MJP: I’m on the sixth book of my Lost Lords Regency historical series. The heroes of the different books were all students at a school for boys of “good birth and bad behavior.” All were square pegs in round holes in different ways, and they bonded with each other to create powerful, life long friendships. The heroines are a varied and independent lot. 6) When you have time away from your desk, what do you enjoy doing? MJP: I like to travel, cook, play with the cats, chat with friends. The usual sort of thing! I loved visiting South Africa, and hope to return in the future. 7) Any tips about writing and getting published? MJP: The idea of being a writer is lovely, but the reality is seriously hard work. So read, read, read to learn what works in stories, what succeeds in the marketplace, and what you love. The kinds of stories you love to read will probably be what you should be writing, because that’s where your passion is. Then write, write, write — you have to keep sitting down and doing it, over and over, even though it won’t always be fun. 8) How do you go about writing a novel – what process do you follow? MJP: Sometimes I’ll start with a plot idea, other times with a character who has appeared in other books and now will step to center stage. If it’s a plot idea, I need to figure what kind of character is best suited to that plot. If I have a character, the reverse is true: what story will best test that character? What kind of partner will make the best match? After I’ve played with an idea for a while, I’ll write a short synopsis, maybe 6 – 8 pages. If I can work out a beginning, a middle, and an end, I have a structure that means I can write the whole book. There’s still a lot I don’t know, but once that framework is in place, I can make it work. 9) What have been the biggest changes in your genre over the last ten years – both positive and negative? MJP: That’s a big question! The changes have been huge and varied, but the biggest is the explosion of e-books. Traditional publishers had a limited number of publishing slots, and had to choose books with fairly wide appeal. Now e-publishing can produce a much wider range of stories for every niche imaginable because the production costs are so low. This is very positive. The negative downside is that with so many e-books produced, the quality varies enormously, and it can be hard to find the stories that you’ll love. The e-book market is a work in progress, still evolving — but it’s exciting to be part of it. <G> 10) How (if at all) has your writing style changed over the years? MJP: I loved Georgette Heyer and other British writers who reveled in language, so when I started out, I did the same. I never met a compound sentence I didn’t like. If two words were good, four were better. <G> Over time, I’ve learned to streamline my writing to use fewer words more effectively. But apart from that, the same kinds of stories and characters still interest me. I love history and good people struggling to do the right thing, and definitely always happy endings! Thanks so much, Mary Jo, for answering my questions! MJP: Thanks so much for having me, Alissa!
Mary Jo Putney
New York Times bestselling romance author Mary Jo Putney was born on a farm in the Northeastern United States and early realized that she had a reading addiction, a condition for which there is no known cure. Her entire writing career is an accidental byproduct of buying a computer for other purposes.
Traditional Regencies were her first love, and she has since expanded into historical and contemporary romance, young adult, and historical fantasy. She has written somewhere around forty books and won numerous awards, including two RITAs from the Romance Writers of America. She lives in Maryland, and most of her stories include cats. Ten Questions For Mary Jo Putney 1) Of all the books you have written, do you have a favourite? MJP: I love them all! But if forced to choose, it would probably be The Rake, a Regency historical with an alcoholic hero. I’d read so many romances where the hero drank like a fish but never suffered consequences. I wanted consequences. So the book is not only a romance, but a realistic description of addiction and recovery. (Yes, I like to write stories with edges.) 2) What’s a typical work day like for you? MJP: The first thing I do is feed the cats, or there’s no telling what might happen. (Four cats, all rescue kitties.) After breakfast, I check my e-mail, do chores, go out to exercise three mornings a week, and generally waste time. Most of my serious writing is done in the evening. I am not very efficient! 3) What does your workspace look like? MJP: My writing room is a sizable upstairs bedroom with a wide window looking into trees. Two walls are all bookcases, and the custom built workstation is U-shaped with more bookshelves. (Custom because I’m short so the work surface is a couple of inches lower than standard.) There’s a sofa against the other wall, as well as a very comfortable easy chair. Oriental carpets on the floor, lounging cats, and usually it’s not all of that neat. <G> 4) What do you enjoy most about being a writer? MJP: I love the flexibility of organizing my own time, and I love working for myself. Like most writers, I like spending lots of time alone with my imagination. It’s lovely to create characters, stories, and settings. 5) What are you working on at the moment? MJP: I’m on the sixth book of my Lost Lords Regency historical series. The heroes of the different books were all students at a school for boys of “good birth and bad behavior.” All were square pegs in round holes in different ways, and they bonded with each other to create powerful, life long friendships. The heroines are a varied and independent lot. 6) When you have time away from your desk, what do you enjoy doing? MJP: I like to travel, cook, play with the cats, chat with friends. The usual sort of thing! I loved visiting South Africa, and hope to return in the future. 7) Any tips about writing and getting published? MJP: The idea of being a writer is lovely, but the reality is seriously hard work. So read, read, read to learn what works in stories, what succeeds in the marketplace, and what you love. The kinds of stories you love to read will probably be what you should be writing, because that’s where your passion is. Then write, write, write — you have to keep sitting down and doing it, over and over, even though it won’t always be fun. 8) How do you go about writing a novel – what process do you follow? MJP: Sometimes I’ll start with a plot idea, other times with a character who has appeared in other books and now will step to center stage. If it’s a plot idea, I need to figure what kind of character is best suited to that plot. If I have a character, the reverse is true: what story will best test that character? What kind of partner will make the best match? After I’ve played with an idea for a while, I’ll write a short synopsis, maybe 6 – 8 pages. If I can work out a beginning, a middle, and an end, I have a structure that means I can write the whole book. There’s still a lot I don’t know, but once that framework is in place, I can make it work. 9) What have been the biggest changes in your genre over the last ten years – both positive and negative? MJP: That’s a big question! The changes have been huge and varied, but the biggest is the explosion of e-books. Traditional publishers had a limited number of publishing slots, and had to choose books with fairly wide appeal. Now e-publishing can produce a much wider range of stories for every niche imaginable because the production costs are so low. This is very positive. The negative downside is that with so many e-books produced, the quality varies enormously, and it can be hard to find the stories that you’ll love. The e-book market is a work in progress, still evolving — but it’s exciting to be part of it. <G> 10) How (if at all) has your writing style changed over the years? MJP: I loved Georgette Heyer and other British writers who reveled in language, so when I started out, I did the same. I never met a compound sentence I didn’t like. If two words were good, four were better. <G> Over time, I’ve learned to streamline my writing to use fewer words more effectively. But apart from that, the same kinds of stories and characters still interest me. I love history and good people struggling to do the right thing, and definitely always happy endings! Thanks so much, Mary Jo, for answering my questions! MJP: Thanks so much for having me, Alissa!
