Writing a 5 star PNR - It should be easy
Right? I mean, I'm not that hard to please. I just want to be swept away by a hot sizzling romance. Some tension/action thrown in, with a layered bad guy. Make the dialogue sparkle. And the laughs should be unexpected and plentiful. Easy, right?
Yeah, not so much. But not to worry, I am getting closer to cracking the formulae for not just writing a 5 star, but how I go about choosing books to read.
101 - guide to creating the books I (and hopefully you) want to read.
- Avoid the Tropes. No ones magic should just increase exponentially for no reason just to get characters out of a tight spot. No one should get punished because they didn't know the rules of the secret society. Seriously, it's a secret, find another way to have the H spank the h (if you really, really must, but I really wish you wouldn't) Every male character should not be in love with the h, who the author keeps insisting is kind of plain, but either her magic or the way she blinks lures them in constantly, no explanation given.
...Too many tropes to address but you know what I'm talking about.
- The heroine. She can't be all bitch all the time. But nor can she be the opposite end of the spectrum and all light and sunshine. A reviewer hit on the perfect 5 star heroine - I want to be her best friend.
Lightbulb moment, people. Yes. Think about the emotional facets of your BFF. Funny. Dark. Edgy. Cheerful. Bitchy. Sympathetic. Knows how to talk you down off a cliff. Knows when to tell you to suck it up.
There will be grim moments, but we all know, even in the darkest moments when you are with a friend you smile, you laugh.
She will be smart, capable, there will be no TSTL moments - unless she gets herself out of the trouble on her own. There might be tears, but they won't be woe is me, they will be tears of frustration and she will come out swinging. She won't take crap. And she knows her worth.
Yeah, every heroine I meet, I should would want to be her bestie (thanks Pet, for distilling that down for me)
- The hero. He can be Alpha. But he can't be an asshole. He can be smart. But not an arrogant prick. And the only reason, EVER, that he should spank a grown woman is for mutual consent bedroom fun times. Never to get information from a woman, nor as a form of punishment. First, it demeans women. Second, it makes me want to gag when a couple of chapters later she shrugs it off, and gets into bed with him.
He should have a sense of humour. Be capable. Skilled. He should respect the h, and everything she brings to the relationship whether that be mental or physical skills. I don't mind if he has to be taught this, but the h needs to make sure he learns.
He should have friends, family, be a fully developed, layered character.... who just also happens to look fantastic bare-chested in a kilt.
- Bad Guy/Villain - their motivation needs to make sense. They too need layers. And they don't necessarily have to be bad all the time.. They can show other emotions, I won't think any less of them.
- World Building. I want some. But I want it to be done with a deft, light touch. If you info dump all over me, we are courting dnf status. I don't want things spoon fed to me. I'm a grown up, I can extrapolate if I have to.
Most importantly, once you've laid out the world and the rules - be consistent. If you change the rules (a character getting an unexpected power upgrade) then explain why they are an exception. If not, I'm just going to think the author is lazy and has no creativity.
- Action / Tension. Again, I want some. And I do not want a cliffhanger. You can leave some threads unfinished, to be picked up in the next instalment. But for the lead characters, I want either a clear HEA, or a plateau moment of happiness. I invest my time reading your novel, the least I deserve is some small measure of closure/reward.
- Be fresh/unique. I'm not into reading about billionaire bears who turn into dragons after midnight. But even if I was I would want new, interesting tales and characters every read. Not the same re-tread over and over again, just changing the title and cover.
And when an author does try something new, can we not punish them for it? Instead take a moment to appreciate a new perspective or fresh take.
I sometimes think my H, Locke, from book 3 gets a hard time from readers. He wears suits, is a dirtaphobe and more than a little OCD. But while some readers appreciate him, others, because he's not all grrr, and bare-chested, can't seem to appreciate his sense of humour, or his character.
Seriously, how many series have I read where it feels like the characters (heroines especially) are interchangeable. All sweet, petite and a little sassy. Only the names seem to change. And I get bored.
So when an author shifts the lines, suddenly starts writing sci-fi, or about elves, or accountants - let's take a breath and appreciate the attempt and provide a little support.
- Know when to call it quits. Not every idea should be transformed into a series. A stand alone book, done really well, can be a wondrous thing. And not every series needs to be a trilogy (looking at you Maria Snyder) or have ten instalments or more. When you run out of ideas, be realistic and don't kill off our love by continuing to drag it out.
I'm probably missing a host of other factors for making every book a 5 star read. That's why it is an elusive, ongoing search for perfection. And you just cannot factor in the personal taste of every reader - how often do you read a baffled 1 star review and they are wondering what all the fuss is about?
Hoping all of you are happily immersed in a 5 star read right now.
Happy reading
Yeah, not so much. But not to worry, I am getting closer to cracking the formulae for not just writing a 5 star, but how I go about choosing books to read.
101 - guide to creating the books I (and hopefully you) want to read.
- Avoid the Tropes. No ones magic should just increase exponentially for no reason just to get characters out of a tight spot. No one should get punished because they didn't know the rules of the secret society. Seriously, it's a secret, find another way to have the H spank the h (if you really, really must, but I really wish you wouldn't) Every male character should not be in love with the h, who the author keeps insisting is kind of plain, but either her magic or the way she blinks lures them in constantly, no explanation given.
...Too many tropes to address but you know what I'm talking about.
- The heroine. She can't be all bitch all the time. But nor can she be the opposite end of the spectrum and all light and sunshine. A reviewer hit on the perfect 5 star heroine - I want to be her best friend.
Lightbulb moment, people. Yes. Think about the emotional facets of your BFF. Funny. Dark. Edgy. Cheerful. Bitchy. Sympathetic. Knows how to talk you down off a cliff. Knows when to tell you to suck it up.
There will be grim moments, but we all know, even in the darkest moments when you are with a friend you smile, you laugh.
She will be smart, capable, there will be no TSTL moments - unless she gets herself out of the trouble on her own. There might be tears, but they won't be woe is me, they will be tears of frustration and she will come out swinging. She won't take crap. And she knows her worth.
Yeah, every heroine I meet, I should would want to be her bestie (thanks Pet, for distilling that down for me)
- The hero. He can be Alpha. But he can't be an asshole. He can be smart. But not an arrogant prick. And the only reason, EVER, that he should spank a grown woman is for mutual consent bedroom fun times. Never to get information from a woman, nor as a form of punishment. First, it demeans women. Second, it makes me want to gag when a couple of chapters later she shrugs it off, and gets into bed with him.
He should have a sense of humour. Be capable. Skilled. He should respect the h, and everything she brings to the relationship whether that be mental or physical skills. I don't mind if he has to be taught this, but the h needs to make sure he learns.
He should have friends, family, be a fully developed, layered character.... who just also happens to look fantastic bare-chested in a kilt.
- Bad Guy/Villain - their motivation needs to make sense. They too need layers. And they don't necessarily have to be bad all the time.. They can show other emotions, I won't think any less of them.
- World Building. I want some. But I want it to be done with a deft, light touch. If you info dump all over me, we are courting dnf status. I don't want things spoon fed to me. I'm a grown up, I can extrapolate if I have to.
Most importantly, once you've laid out the world and the rules - be consistent. If you change the rules (a character getting an unexpected power upgrade) then explain why they are an exception. If not, I'm just going to think the author is lazy and has no creativity.
- Action / Tension. Again, I want some. And I do not want a cliffhanger. You can leave some threads unfinished, to be picked up in the next instalment. But for the lead characters, I want either a clear HEA, or a plateau moment of happiness. I invest my time reading your novel, the least I deserve is some small measure of closure/reward.
- Be fresh/unique. I'm not into reading about billionaire bears who turn into dragons after midnight. But even if I was I would want new, interesting tales and characters every read. Not the same re-tread over and over again, just changing the title and cover.
And when an author does try something new, can we not punish them for it? Instead take a moment to appreciate a new perspective or fresh take.
I sometimes think my H, Locke, from book 3 gets a hard time from readers. He wears suits, is a dirtaphobe and more than a little OCD. But while some readers appreciate him, others, because he's not all grrr, and bare-chested, can't seem to appreciate his sense of humour, or his character.
Seriously, how many series have I read where it feels like the characters (heroines especially) are interchangeable. All sweet, petite and a little sassy. Only the names seem to change. And I get bored.
So when an author shifts the lines, suddenly starts writing sci-fi, or about elves, or accountants - let's take a breath and appreciate the attempt and provide a little support.
- Know when to call it quits. Not every idea should be transformed into a series. A stand alone book, done really well, can be a wondrous thing. And not every series needs to be a trilogy (looking at you Maria Snyder) or have ten instalments or more. When you run out of ideas, be realistic and don't kill off our love by continuing to drag it out.
I'm probably missing a host of other factors for making every book a 5 star read. That's why it is an elusive, ongoing search for perfection. And you just cannot factor in the personal taste of every reader - how often do you read a baffled 1 star review and they are wondering what all the fuss is about?
Hoping all of you are happily immersed in a 5 star read right now.
Happy reading
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by
EmmaMay
(new)
Feb 23, 2018 02:12PM
You've cracked it. Keep up the good work.
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