Robin Schone's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"
"A Lady's Pleasure" is second, not third!
Because Captivated (September 1999) was published after The Lady's Tutor (August 1999), no doubt you assumed my novella in the anthology was my third work: It was not. I finished "A Lady's Pleasure" before I wrote TLT. In fact. . . . It was I who came up with the brain-child of Captivated. After winning my ordeal with fibroid tumors and HMOs (check here for the full story: http://www.robinschone.com/page/women...) I wanted to create a book that would celebrate women's sexuality. What better way, I thought, than to bring together the hottest names in the romance industry?
Okay. I had the plan, and I had the names of the authors I wanted. Two weeks after my myomectomy (an operation that removes fibroids rather than the uterus), I called Thea Devine: She agreed to contribute to the anthology! Two and one-half weeks after my myomectomy I felt so good - and so like my normal self, as Don (my husband) put it - that I drove to a local RWA chapter meeting in which Susan Johnson was speaking.
Was I nervous that night! Here I was, a little nobody with only one book under my belt, and I was daring to approach a New York Times Bestselling author! One, I might add, of whose books I was a fan. After much fidgeting and stomach-churning adrenaline, I got the chance to speak to Susan at a dinner after the meeting. She didn't laugh! OR turn up her nose. In fact, she said she had been approached by many authors - all of whose ideas for an anthology had fallen to the wayside - but if I succeeded, she would be more than happy to contribute. Bingo! Two down, one more to go. I am very happy to say that Bertrice Small also consented to be a part of Captivated.
But getting together the authors was just the beginning. . . . I still had to write my first novella!
After the initial excitement of having a publisher accept the anthology, I thought: Oh! A novella! Everyone says they're so easy, I should be able to write it in 2-3 weeks. Well, I did, and proudly presented it to Don, who in the past had claimed the title of being my worst critic and best fan. Well, my 'worst critic and best fan' yawned and said it was well-written. Somewhat offended, I asked: "But don't you like it?" He replied that there really wasn't that much to like. It's a cute story, he said, and that's all there is to it.
Well, indeed. I was determined to make him eat his words, so I sat down and redid the novella. I didn't so much rewrite it as weave more emotion and motivation into it. I believe agents/editors call it "fleshing out" a story. It was during this two-month process that I learned the difference between character-driven plots and action-driven plots. Well, my husband did indeed eat his words. Don . . . who is a big Stephen King fan . . . to this day says Robert is one of his all-time favorite heroes. High praise, indeed!
"A Lady's Pleasure," my second story, is a bridge between Awaken, My Love - which is lighter and more plot-driven - and the more intense, character-driven stories I now write. Without it, I would not have been able to write The Lady's Tutor. But that's another blog. . . .
Okay. I had the plan, and I had the names of the authors I wanted. Two weeks after my myomectomy (an operation that removes fibroids rather than the uterus), I called Thea Devine: She agreed to contribute to the anthology! Two and one-half weeks after my myomectomy I felt so good - and so like my normal self, as Don (my husband) put it - that I drove to a local RWA chapter meeting in which Susan Johnson was speaking.
Was I nervous that night! Here I was, a little nobody with only one book under my belt, and I was daring to approach a New York Times Bestselling author! One, I might add, of whose books I was a fan. After much fidgeting and stomach-churning adrenaline, I got the chance to speak to Susan at a dinner after the meeting. She didn't laugh! OR turn up her nose. In fact, she said she had been approached by many authors - all of whose ideas for an anthology had fallen to the wayside - but if I succeeded, she would be more than happy to contribute. Bingo! Two down, one more to go. I am very happy to say that Bertrice Small also consented to be a part of Captivated.
But getting together the authors was just the beginning. . . . I still had to write my first novella!
After the initial excitement of having a publisher accept the anthology, I thought: Oh! A novella! Everyone says they're so easy, I should be able to write it in 2-3 weeks. Well, I did, and proudly presented it to Don, who in the past had claimed the title of being my worst critic and best fan. Well, my 'worst critic and best fan' yawned and said it was well-written. Somewhat offended, I asked: "But don't you like it?" He replied that there really wasn't that much to like. It's a cute story, he said, and that's all there is to it.
Well, indeed. I was determined to make him eat his words, so I sat down and redid the novella. I didn't so much rewrite it as weave more emotion and motivation into it. I believe agents/editors call it "fleshing out" a story. It was during this two-month process that I learned the difference between character-driven plots and action-driven plots. Well, my husband did indeed eat his words. Don . . . who is a big Stephen King fan . . . to this day says Robert is one of his all-time favorite heroes. High praise, indeed!
"A Lady's Pleasure," my second story, is a bridge between Awaken, My Love - which is lighter and more plot-driven - and the more intense, character-driven stories I now write. Without it, I would not have been able to write The Lady's Tutor. But that's another blog. . . .
