Tag Archives: books

Finding Your Voice as a Romance Writer

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If you had asked me a decade ago if I would be a romance writer, I would have said, “Hell no! That’s cheesy stuff. I want to be a serious writer.”

And yet, here I am. Not only am I a romance writer, but I’m proud to be one. The truth is that romance writing is just as powerful and important as other forms of writing. Romance stories have healed my life, and I hope my stories help others find healing, too.

But like many readers and writers, I fell for the misconceptions about the genre, believing it was just a bunch of nonsense written to entertain the masses with no depth or development. Now, some specific niches in the romance genre might be made simply for entertainment, and that’s perfectly fine, too.

But that’s just it: there are different niches for different people. And that’s great! But how do you find YOUR niche?

Finding your niche might feel a bit crazy because your writing style might differ from your reading style. Or, even crazier, it might be completely different from your lifestyle. (Quick examples include Dr. Seuss never having children and the great romance writer Jane Austen never marrying. And don’t get me started on Stephen King…)

So, to help you on your journey, here are 3 steps you can take today to start you on your romance writing path:

  1. What are your fantasies? Yikes, sorry to get so personal right off the bat here. But your personal, romantic fantasies can help guide your writing. Writing fiction is a lot of daydreaming and writing down your thoughts, so it can be easiest to start with things you already fantasize about. This can be as simple as fantasizing about a relationship built on mutual experiences, something cute like a Hallmark Christmas movie. And it can be as wild as whatever your deep, dark, secret “kinks” are. Whatever you like to think about, try writing it down.
  2. What do you like to read? Writers are also avid readers. So, when it comes to romance (even if it was just a subplot), what types of relationships do you usually enjoy reading about? Are they enemies to lovers? Love triangles? Maybe you like paranormal romance and want to get down on some werewolf action. Whatever niche you enjoy as a reader could also help guide you as a writer.
  3. Ask yourself what is missing from the romance market. My sister always told me if I didn’t find the kind of painting I wanted at the store, I should just paint it myself. This is true of writing, too. If there is a type of romance story you have always wanted to read but have struggled to find it anywhere, that’s a great place to start for writing a book! Chances are, someone else is looking for it, too.

Hopefully, these helped you out. Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog for more writing tips!

Happy writing 🙂

Review: Andromeda by Therese Bohman

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I just finished a book that was so painfully relatable and so well-written that it took me two months to read.

I had to take it one page at a time, stopping and pondering on what it had said as if it were a book of poetry.

Each paragraph was written in flowing prose, usually on a mundane topic, but the final sentence for each paragraph was a sharp statement that carried weight and truth, even if it was only a couple of words.

This book held my heart and my senses. It read almost like a diary or as if you had found old letters that were too personal to read. Like you were peaking into the life of a person that was both relatable to yourself while simultaneously heartbreaking to relate to.

The themes discussed in the book were the old versus the new, tradition versus modernity, age versus maturity, art and literature versus life, and most of all the complicated emotions and relationships we find ourselves in.

The book is ANDROMEDA by Therese Bohman.

This book is NOT for everyone.

It tells the story from the perspective of two characters. One is a young woman who interns at a publishing house, and the other is an older man who is the editor of the publishing house.

I know what you are thinking, but hold on….

This isn’t one of those power dynamic relationships that leads to trouble. This isn’t about the ways in which men are controlling or women are victims. In fact, this technically can’t be considered a romance at all. Nothing happens.

This book is about relationships, yes. But it is more about how we want to be seen, how we see others, and how the little things in life all add up to equal our experiences. How life happens in the in-between spaces.

As someone who has had similar situations to the one in the book, I found it beautiful and heartbreaking. The topic was personal, but more than that, the execution was flawless.

It was aesthetic and poetic, and perfect. I almost cried when it was over. It was simultaneously about everything and nothing, and I highly recommend you read it if it sounds at all interesting to you.

The Life Experiences That Inspired My Writing

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My stories are about healing.

Specifically, I am interested in how love can heal our deepest wounds and transform our lives. However, for my characters to need healing, they had to experience some form of trauma. And if you have read my work, you know that the trauma that my characters face is real and raw.

I’ll never forget reading a comment for Maple Creek from a reader who had left an abusive husband. She said, “We spent three months in a women’s shelter. I knew when I started reading this book, what it was about. Very good writing.”

Now if I’m being honest, overall, Maple Creek was in many ways a mistake and a stain on my career. I was inexperienced in publishing and I was in a very dark place in my life mentally and emotionally. I didn’t have an editor, and the moment I finished the book my cursor hovered over the button to delete the manuscript permanently.

In a moment of panic I published the book typos and all to save it from being wiped out of existence… by me. I told myself that if even one person liked it, I would continue my writing career. But there was no way anyone would like it, right? And needless to say, the book created some pretty reviews. most of the initial emotional reactions to the book were anger and disgust. Part of me felt validated in my low self-esteem.

But then, something remarkable happened:

The book received good reviews, too.

And not just good reviews, but some reviews that the book had been an emotional journey for the readers, that they related to it, loved it, and were sharing it with their friends.

How could a disaster of a manuscript like that receive any positive reviews?

The answer is this: because the story, in many ways, was true.

Obviously the characters and setting were fiction, but the deeper truth behind what the characters were expereincing was real.

I had been in and out of dangerous and abusive relationships, just like Sarah. And just like Sarah, I had a complicated relationship with my parents and the places from my past. And the inspiration behind Sarah and Emily’s love sprouted from the recent realizations that I, too, wasn’t straight. I’m an asexual panromantic. I’d had feelings for men and women, including trans women. And my relationship with sex had been complicated by my orientation coupled with the abuse and social pressures that I faced being raised as a girl in a hyper-sexual culture. And yes, many of my friends are queer and trans, and they have faced the same discrimination that the characters in the book did.

All of my stories, from books like Caravan or Miner of Mine to short stories like “Hope” are based on the personal traumas and healing experiences from my own life.

That’s why I went back and had editors fix them instead of deleting them. That’s why I continued to write and went on to find deeper healing, which I now continue to reflect in my stories and share with readers.

Because life isn’t perfect.

When we make mistakes, we need to heal them, not throw ourselves away. Because we need to know that we aren’t alone in the world. And most of all, because I want my stories to remind my readers that there is love in the world, and no matter what trauma we face, we can heal.

5 Easy Steps to Character Creation

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So, you have a character in mind but you can’t quite put them together? Or maybe you only have a story idea. Or, even more stressful…maybe your story is just to short or empty and you have to create more character to fill the space!

Have no fear! Here are 5 easy steps to create new characters:

1. Name

This, for me, is the hardest part. I am terrible at naming characters. But I’ve found some amazing resources that have helped me. The first is to find an app for your phone that generates names. It’s free and you can get a name in just one click. Second, you can try baby name books. These are great, and you can check off names you have already used so you never repeat names. And last, you can become a “name collector.” This means that when you meet new people in public, or online, if they have a name you like, you write it down. You create a notebook of names to come back to later.

2. The Good Stuff

Now it is time to list why your character is so great (or not great if they are the antagonist). What are they good at? Why do others like them? Are they strong? Good at knitting? Smile all the time? Treat this section like someone asked, “Hey, your friend seems nice. Tell me about them.”

3. The Bad Stuff

Well, we can’t be good at everything. And neither can our characters! A flawed character is necessary to not only move the story along, but also to make them relatable to the reader. So, what about them gets in the way? Are they lazy or easily confused? Or so they have a physical disability or perhaps emotional scars from the past?

4. Backstory

Unless your main character is a newborn baby, then they had stuff happen to them before the opening of the story. Even if you never talk about these things directly, it is important to know them. The character’s past will be the reason they act the way they do in relation to others. And, it is how they got to where they are now. Act like their therapist. Ask them what their childhood was like, and what were they like in school? Things like that. And write them down for later.

5. Goals

Now that they are here, where are they going? Even small side characters have goals. Your characters are like people. They have hopes and dreams. They are trying to accomplish something. What is it? A new job? A new relationship?

But wait…even more that the goal…is the WHY? Anew relationship because they got a divorce? A new job because they dream of being rich? Or are they moving somewhere?

Once you get all these down you should not only have more rounded characters, but it will be easier to write them in relation to one another. They will interact with other characters and their surroundings more naturally.

Flawed Characters are GOOD Characters

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When making characters for your work, whether it is genre or literary fiction, it is important to give your characters flaws.

This isn’t talked about as much as the concept of “conflict” in the story, but it is just as important.

Yes, there can be external conflict that happens to a practically perfect character. But without flaws their struggle will seem strange and inhuman.

It also doesn’t leave ant room for personal growth, making the character flat and uninteresting.

The flaw can be something simple like not wanting to open up about themselves, or a minor drinking problem. But whatever it is, it needs to hamper them in some way.

It makes your characters relatable and interesting. It makes them feel real.