The Eye of the Beholder
I recently received a comment from a reader who scolded me for always writing about beautiful heroines and handsome heroes. She said she couldn't relate to them because they were so gorgeous. She wished I would write about real, plain old people. I responded that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Since I get into my characters' viewpoints, I see what they see, and they happen to like what they see in the hero or heroine.
But it goes beyond that. I have studied human to human attraction and responses. People are predictable when it comes to the signals and reactions we have to each other when we are attracted or sexually stimulated. Men are more visually stimulated than women and are also more acutely aware of aromas. Women are also visually stimulated, but not as much as men. They listen more than men and respond more to what they hear and sense.
While some romance writers have gone against the grain and written books with central characters who have scars, eye patches, missing limbs, are in wheelchairs, etc. and those books are certainly interesting and worthy of publication, the fact remains that the majority of romance readers prefer to read about attractive people. More importantly, they want the main characters to be good, decent people.
I used to tell my writing students that most women really don't want to read about a hero who is balding, a bit over-weight, and burps in public because they are married to that guy. And while they might identify with an over-weight, middle-aged heroine, they don't particularly want to read about those women all the time. Romances must have an element of fantasy or they just don't live up to the genre.
Instead of creating physically flawed people I like to create emotionally flawed people. They are far more interesting and almost everyone can relate to them. No matter how they look.
Just remember that beauty is subjective. The man you think is gorgeous could turn off your best friend and your mother might think he is as homely as homemade soap. But if I'm writing in your point of view, he is going to be a hunka-hunka-burnin-love.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Character Development
What's in a name?
For me, everything. I spend hours finding just the right names for the characters in my novels. Until I find the perfect names, I can't even begin to outline the book. Same thing when it comes to a book title. I must have a title before I can begin writing the book! Crazy, huh?
Oh, I have tried to push on without the names hammered down, but I don't get anywhere. I have even named a hero, written two chapters, decided the name wasn't right, stopped in my tracks to rename the hero, and then I had to write the two chapters over again because the hero changed completely in my mind when he had a new name.
Names conjure up certain images in my imagination. It doesn't matter to me if my friends don't like the names. I have had my best writer friend say, "I hate that name. You must change the heroine's name. It's awful." But I shrugged and stuck to my guns. She had been christened and I was well pleased with her, name and all.
After I have the names, then I create a character profile for each one. Not just a physical description, but what makes the character tick. What is he/she frightened of? Where is the person most vulnerable? What happened in the past to shape this person? When this character looks in the mirror, what does he/she see? I might write a whole page on the main characters and half a page on the supporting characters. I add to the profiles as I write the book. That helps me to not forget story threads and character details.
If an editor asked me to change a name, she or he would have to possess an airtight reason for it, and chances are, the editor would lose the battle. Years later, when I hear one of my hero's names or my heroine's names, I can immediately see them in my mind's eye and I can hear them in my writer's ear.
I have caved in and changed a book's title at the request of an editor/publisher. And I rue each title that was changed. A couple of them are my least favorite and, frankly, are senseless. They could be slapped on practically any romance book.
I am genuinely fond of the hero and heroine in each of my novels and even a few of the secondary characters. They are my creations, names and all.
It is the season of giving. Give yourself more time this month to daydream and to write -- and to think of some lovely names!
For me, everything. I spend hours finding just the right names for the characters in my novels. Until I find the perfect names, I can't even begin to outline the book. Same thing when it comes to a book title. I must have a title before I can begin writing the book! Crazy, huh?
Oh, I have tried to push on without the names hammered down, but I don't get anywhere. I have even named a hero, written two chapters, decided the name wasn't right, stopped in my tracks to rename the hero, and then I had to write the two chapters over again because the hero changed completely in my mind when he had a new name.
Names conjure up certain images in my imagination. It doesn't matter to me if my friends don't like the names. I have had my best writer friend say, "I hate that name. You must change the heroine's name. It's awful." But I shrugged and stuck to my guns. She had been christened and I was well pleased with her, name and all.
After I have the names, then I create a character profile for each one. Not just a physical description, but what makes the character tick. What is he/she frightened of? Where is the person most vulnerable? What happened in the past to shape this person? When this character looks in the mirror, what does he/she see? I might write a whole page on the main characters and half a page on the supporting characters. I add to the profiles as I write the book. That helps me to not forget story threads and character details.
If an editor asked me to change a name, she or he would have to possess an airtight reason for it, and chances are, the editor would lose the battle. Years later, when I hear one of my hero's names or my heroine's names, I can immediately see them in my mind's eye and I can hear them in my writer's ear.
I have caved in and changed a book's title at the request of an editor/publisher. And I rue each title that was changed. A couple of them are my least favorite and, frankly, are senseless. They could be slapped on practically any romance book.
I am genuinely fond of the hero and heroine in each of my novels and even a few of the secondary characters. They are my creations, names and all.
It is the season of giving. Give yourself more time this month to daydream and to write -- and to think of some lovely names!
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Habits Are Good
Get into the Habit
A good part of writing deals with habits. I recall "back in the day" when I worked for a newspaper and the news room was full of people who smoked. That was when people smoked everywhere, including the workplace, and if your co-worker didn't smoke and hated the stench, tough! Smoking was a writer's habit. You couldn't get cooking without lighting a cigarette, taking a drag, and then getting down to work. It was a habit. A bad one, but a productive one when it came to getting your work done!
Flash to today when smoking is not allowed in the workplace, but habits still persist. When I first started working full-time from home, I got down to business generally around 11 a.m., right when "The Young and the Restless" began on my trusty background noise TV. I usually stopped writing when the news came on, right after the Oprah show. I discovered that it became very difficult for me to write on weekends because the theme music to Y&R was not to be heard. That music made me want to write! Consequently, when the news came on, I wanted to quit writing, no matter if I had hit my daily quota of finished pages or not!
Ah, yes. Quotas. Another good habit. I set a daily quota of pages. When I reach the magic number (mine is 10) then I can quit for the day. If I hit that number at 2 p.m. I'm done. If I don't hit that number until 8 p.m., then it is a long, frustrating writing day, but I don't quit until I have written 10 pages. It's habit and that habit makes me produce writing every day.
Do you have habits? Of course, you do! What are your good ones that help you as a writer? Won't you share?
A good part of writing deals with habits. I recall "back in the day" when I worked for a newspaper and the news room was full of people who smoked. That was when people smoked everywhere, including the workplace, and if your co-worker didn't smoke and hated the stench, tough! Smoking was a writer's habit. You couldn't get cooking without lighting a cigarette, taking a drag, and then getting down to work. It was a habit. A bad one, but a productive one when it came to getting your work done!
Flash to today when smoking is not allowed in the workplace, but habits still persist. When I first started working full-time from home, I got down to business generally around 11 a.m., right when "The Young and the Restless" began on my trusty background noise TV. I usually stopped writing when the news came on, right after the Oprah show. I discovered that it became very difficult for me to write on weekends because the theme music to Y&R was not to be heard. That music made me want to write! Consequently, when the news came on, I wanted to quit writing, no matter if I had hit my daily quota of finished pages or not!
Ah, yes. Quotas. Another good habit. I set a daily quota of pages. When I reach the magic number (mine is 10) then I can quit for the day. If I hit that number at 2 p.m. I'm done. If I don't hit that number until 8 p.m., then it is a long, frustrating writing day, but I don't quit until I have written 10 pages. It's habit and that habit makes me produce writing every day.
Do you have habits? Of course, you do! What are your good ones that help you as a writer? Won't you share?
Monday, November 19, 2012
Favorite Words
What are you three favorite (hardly used) words?
If you love to read or write, then you love words. Words can be fun, serious, painful, passionate, you name it! Most of us use only a smattering of the words we actually know. Everyone knows words that are loved but rarely used.
Today . . . and I say today because the list changes frequently -- my three favorite words that I hardly ever use are:
1. Indubitably (I like it because it is fun to pronounce)
2, Campy (It is too close to my name to use very often)
3. Ulula (Many years ago, I collected items that had owl motifs on them)
So what are your favorite three words that you hardly ever remember to put in a sentence? Post them here and let's keep it clean, folks.
If you love to read or write, then you love words. Words can be fun, serious, painful, passionate, you name it! Most of us use only a smattering of the words we actually know. Everyone knows words that are loved but rarely used.
Today . . . and I say today because the list changes frequently -- my three favorite words that I hardly ever use are:
1. Indubitably (I like it because it is fun to pronounce)
2, Campy (It is too close to my name to use very often)
3. Ulula (Many years ago, I collected items that had owl motifs on them)
So what are your favorite three words that you hardly ever remember to put in a sentence? Post them here and let's keep it clean, folks.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Fire in the Belly
In the Beginning . . .
When I first started writing novels with the intent of getting published (I wrote a few experimental stories when I was a pre-teen and teenager), I was obsessed. That's a good thing. Before you are published, you should be living, breathing, and dreaming about writing and getting published. I would work a full day at my "real" job as a newspaper reporter and then go home and sit at my dining room table and write until one or two in the morning. I stopped for dinner and bathroom breaks. That's it. Weekends were all about writing.
By doing this, I was able to complete several romance novels and they were all eventually published. True, I had no social life, but I had a plan. The plan was to be able to quit my journalism job and become a full-time novelist. I accomplished this eight years after graduating from college.
I actually wrote a novel in seven days. It was published. No, I won't tell you which one!
Today? Well, I couldn't write a novel in a week anymore, but I still have a fire in my belly and stories swimming in my head. I write 10 pages a day on top of my freelance writing work and my work with a local dog/cat rescue organization.
Sometimes novice writers who have received a number of rejection slips ask me, "Do you think I should just quit writing?"
I tell them, "If you are seriously asking me that question, then yes, you should quit because a writer who must write would never ask that of anyone."
Write well. Write often. Keep the fire burning.
When I first started writing novels with the intent of getting published (I wrote a few experimental stories when I was a pre-teen and teenager), I was obsessed. That's a good thing. Before you are published, you should be living, breathing, and dreaming about writing and getting published. I would work a full day at my "real" job as a newspaper reporter and then go home and sit at my dining room table and write until one or two in the morning. I stopped for dinner and bathroom breaks. That's it. Weekends were all about writing.
By doing this, I was able to complete several romance novels and they were all eventually published. True, I had no social life, but I had a plan. The plan was to be able to quit my journalism job and become a full-time novelist. I accomplished this eight years after graduating from college.
I actually wrote a novel in seven days. It was published. No, I won't tell you which one!
Today? Well, I couldn't write a novel in a week anymore, but I still have a fire in my belly and stories swimming in my head. I write 10 pages a day on top of my freelance writing work and my work with a local dog/cat rescue organization.
Sometimes novice writers who have received a number of rejection slips ask me, "Do you think I should just quit writing?"
I tell them, "If you are seriously asking me that question, then yes, you should quit because a writer who must write would never ask that of anyone."
Write well. Write often. Keep the fire burning.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Halloween Happiness
Nothing Like a Good Shiver!
It's coming! Halloween. My favorite holiday that features my favorite color -- orange! I have lovely memories of trick-or-treating as a child. Back in those more innocent (or maybe less informed?) days, packs of kids roamed the neighborhoods -- adult free! I even recall going inside a stranger's house where we plunged our hands into bowls of candy and heard a spooky story from the home owner about a guy being swallowed by a whale. Then she handed out tiny Bibles. That would NOT happen today. Parents would have to have their heads examined to allow their tots to trot into a stranger's home for some story telling.
I vividly recall running behind some kids and watching in amazement as they each fell backward onto the dewy grass as if ghost had knocked them silly. Much moaning and groaning emitted from them. I moved forward cautiously, waiting for the force field or powerful ghoul to whollop me. Then the moonlight stole across black panes of wire -- a fence! Practically invisible in the dark night. One of the fence's victims had red squares on the left side of his face the next day.
While the spookiness is upon us, try your hand at writing something that scares the pants off you. You never know if you have a knack or natural talent for something until you give it a whirl. Just start off writing spooky stuff during the day. Writing scary scenes at night takes nerves of steel.
It's coming! Halloween. My favorite holiday that features my favorite color -- orange! I have lovely memories of trick-or-treating as a child. Back in those more innocent (or maybe less informed?) days, packs of kids roamed the neighborhoods -- adult free! I even recall going inside a stranger's house where we plunged our hands into bowls of candy and heard a spooky story from the home owner about a guy being swallowed by a whale. Then she handed out tiny Bibles. That would NOT happen today. Parents would have to have their heads examined to allow their tots to trot into a stranger's home for some story telling.
I vividly recall running behind some kids and watching in amazement as they each fell backward onto the dewy grass as if ghost had knocked them silly. Much moaning and groaning emitted from them. I moved forward cautiously, waiting for the force field or powerful ghoul to whollop me. Then the moonlight stole across black panes of wire -- a fence! Practically invisible in the dark night. One of the fence's victims had red squares on the left side of his face the next day.
While the spookiness is upon us, try your hand at writing something that scares the pants off you. You never know if you have a knack or natural talent for something until you give it a whirl. Just start off writing spooky stuff during the day. Writing scary scenes at night takes nerves of steel.
Friday, October 12, 2012
October -- Falling in Love
Heroes of Distinction
What is your kind of hero? What kind of man makes you weak in the knees and tugs at your heart? I have always had a soft spot for the misunderstood hero. Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice and Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind. In real life, it's the same. My first big crush was on a "bad boy" who was nice to me. I saw the kind side of him and fell madly in love.
Most (all?) of the leading men in my novels are misunderstood. The heroines get a glimpse of their soft hearts and begin to fall in love, even while warned by others to steer clear of the troublemakers. I don't like bragging, swaggering heroes. I like the quiet, confident type. A sense of mischief doesn't hurt either.
Men that rage and throw things and make idle threats also turn me off. I like a hero who can rein in his temper and only resorts to violence to protect others.
Creating the perfect hero to bring out the best in a well-crafted heroine is no easy task, but it is infinitely enjoyable. Usually I get it just right and on occasion I know I missed the mark by a smidgen. I hate when that happens. When I get reviews from readers that are polite and use words such as "nice" and "good read" I know that I could have done better. Only when reviewers and readers tell me that they fell in love with the hero and wanted desperately for him to win the heart of the heroine do I know that I got it right. Thankfully, that happens most of the time. It's a great feeling.
Almost as good as falling in love for real.
By the way, you can discover my heroes by going to Amazon. All my novels are available for Kindle readers there or you can buy them as paperbacks.
Let's keep in touch!
What is your kind of hero? What kind of man makes you weak in the knees and tugs at your heart? I have always had a soft spot for the misunderstood hero. Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice and Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind. In real life, it's the same. My first big crush was on a "bad boy" who was nice to me. I saw the kind side of him and fell madly in love.
Most (all?) of the leading men in my novels are misunderstood. The heroines get a glimpse of their soft hearts and begin to fall in love, even while warned by others to steer clear of the troublemakers. I don't like bragging, swaggering heroes. I like the quiet, confident type. A sense of mischief doesn't hurt either.
Men that rage and throw things and make idle threats also turn me off. I like a hero who can rein in his temper and only resorts to violence to protect others.
Creating the perfect hero to bring out the best in a well-crafted heroine is no easy task, but it is infinitely enjoyable. Usually I get it just right and on occasion I know I missed the mark by a smidgen. I hate when that happens. When I get reviews from readers that are polite and use words such as "nice" and "good read" I know that I could have done better. Only when reviewers and readers tell me that they fell in love with the hero and wanted desperately for him to win the heart of the heroine do I know that I got it right. Thankfully, that happens most of the time. It's a great feeling.
Almost as good as falling in love for real.
By the way, you can discover my heroes by going to Amazon. All my novels are available for Kindle readers there or you can buy them as paperbacks.
Let's keep in touch!
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