I've got to give a shout-out to my new friend Lauren Denton, who asked me this question outright, right after I started thinking about it myself. *High fives Lauren* Great minds, my friend. Great minds.
Today I'm on the hunt for information. Opinions. First Person Points of View, if you will.
You see, for the past few months I've been literally burying myself in the romance genre. Late last year life got really heavy. I needed an escape at night. And I found it in returning to an old favorite: Regency era romance novels.
Now, before you go all "What?!" on me, hear me out. There are some very talented writers out there who serve up book after delicious book in this genre. I've bought, borrowed or gleaned something in the vicinity of 50 of them in the last six months.
Just lately, rather than spending more money on books, I've been returning to some of my favorites and re-reading. One week I devoured three. And it got me thinking:
Why do these books appeal to me so much? Why is it that I can re-read them with anticipation, rather than a vague sense of disappointment? Why can't I get enough of these?
Some honest self-analysis revealed: I love romance. I've always loved it. I adore books that focus on it. And as a writer, the romantic elements of the plot are my favorite to write.
I looked at my bookshelf and realized the books I've bought and chosen to keep over the years are all books with at least a love-interest-that-might-become-more subplot. At the minimum. Most have a very strong romantic component, some following more than one couple.
For me as a reader, love makes the world go around.
But is that true for everyone?
Definitely not. Yet, many writers (including my friend, Lauren) have come up against advice from critiquers and professionals regarding strengthening romantic ties in their books, giving greater focus to their romantic subplots, and / or creating romance where, perhaps, it hadn't existed before.
So here, my friends, are my questions for today. Tell me truly, what do you think? And do your romantic tastes as a reader influence your romantic developments as a writer?
Below are four brief questions. If you choose to answer them, put your name and twitter handle or email in the comments below. At the end of the week I'll choose a random commenter to win a query or first five pages critique.
I promise to share the results. And I'm going to find out what The Industry thinks too...
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Today I'm on the hunt for information. Opinions. First Person Points of View, if you will.
You see, for the past few months I've been literally burying myself in the romance genre. Late last year life got really heavy. I needed an escape at night. And I found it in returning to an old favorite: Regency era romance novels.
Now, before you go all "What?!" on me, hear me out. There are some very talented writers out there who serve up book after delicious book in this genre. I've bought, borrowed or gleaned something in the vicinity of 50 of them in the last six months.
Just lately, rather than spending more money on books, I've been returning to some of my favorites and re-reading. One week I devoured three. And it got me thinking:
Why do these books appeal to me so much? Why is it that I can re-read them with anticipation, rather than a vague sense of disappointment? Why can't I get enough of these?
Some honest self-analysis revealed: I love romance. I've always loved it. I adore books that focus on it. And as a writer, the romantic elements of the plot are my favorite to write.
I looked at my bookshelf and realized the books I've bought and chosen to keep over the years are all books with at least a love-interest-that-might-become-more subplot. At the minimum. Most have a very strong romantic component, some following more than one couple.
For me as a reader, love makes the world go around.
But is that true for everyone?
Definitely not. Yet, many writers (including my friend, Lauren) have come up against advice from critiquers and professionals regarding strengthening romantic ties in their books, giving greater focus to their romantic subplots, and / or creating romance where, perhaps, it hadn't existed before.
So here, my friends, are my questions for today. Tell me truly, what do you think? And do your romantic tastes as a reader influence your romantic developments as a writer?
Below are four brief questions. If you choose to answer them, put your name and twitter handle or email in the comments below. At the end of the week I'll choose a random commenter to win a query or first five pages critique.
I promise to share the results. And I'm going to find out what The Industry thinks too...
