Tag Archives: Fiction

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 🙂

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.

Oh…Hello (A Micro Story)

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I couldn’t believe my sister had set me up on a date with her boyfriend’s buddy. It was embarrassing enough to be 27 and single. But to have my baby sister setting me up with some stranger was almost too awkward to handle. I knew in Islamic culture it was common to have an arranged marriage, but as an American revert I was not used to this much family involvement in my personal life.

Yet, there I was: waiting at a booth in the corner of the Thai restaurant for him. I sipped on the ice water the waitress had left on the table with the menu, and pretended to look it over, peeking over the top every few seconds. I wasn’t sure who I was looking for, but I figured I would know him when I saw him.

A few minutes passed, and then he walked in. I couldn’t believe who I saw walking over to my table. I knew him, and my memory of him was not fond. The tall, hipsterly-handsome (but definitely not a stranger) strolled over to the table and took a seat across from me, flashing me a bright white smile through a stubbly beard. He hadn’t had the beard when I had seen him back in high school, but I could definitely tell it was him.

“Hi, I’m Richard Mathis. I’m Keith’s friend.” He offered his hand for me to shake it for a spit second then pulled it back and shifted awkwardly in his seat. “I’m sorry. It was a reflex. I shake hands at work all day.”

“I’m Jenny Miller.”

“I see you wear a hijab,” he said in an almost excited tone.

“I do. I’m a Muslim,” I shrugged, going back to look at the menu.

“Mashallah! Me, too.That must be why Keith and Brittany thought we should meet.”

“Yeah, maybe. And here we are. Meeting for the first time,” I said with a little more sarcasm than I meant it to.

He picked up the menu and started looking it over, his hand shielding his eyes like it was bright in there or something.

“Again, I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have tried to shake your hand and that we shouldn’t have any physical contact as Muslims. I didn’t mean to offend you. It was just a reflex.”

The waitress swooped over after giving the table beside us their steaming bowls of yellow curry, saving me from the embarrassing and infuriating conversation. The curry smelled wonderful, but my stomach was hurting, and I was afraid I might not have an appetite for dinner anymore.

“So, you know what you want? Do you want something to drink other than water?” She asked.

“Like maybe some fruit punch?” I grumbled under my breath.

“No, the water is fine. Thank you. What would you like to eat, Jenny?” He was still smiling at me, but a little less enthusiastically now.

“Curry noodle soup with tofu please.”

“I’ll try the same,” he nodded in agreement handing the waitress our menu. She hurried away and disappeared into the back.

“So…” I tried to look anywhere but him, but my anxiety got the best of me and my hand slipped off my glass of water, dumping it all over the table and spilling onto his lap. “Oh, crap! I’m so sorry. I swear I didn’t do that on purpose!”

He just laughed, cleaning up what he could with the cloth napkins from our silverware. “I guess we are even now.”

“Wait. You mean you remember?”

“How could I not?” His smile faded, and his gaze returned to me, looking a bit defeated. “I was hoping you didn’t recognize me. I’m so sorry for what I did to you.”

“You mean spilling an entire glass of punch on my light pink prom dress so I had to leave only a few minutes after I got there?”

He cringed, “Yeah, that.”

“You didn’t even apologize. You just ran away. What the heck was that about?”

“You want the truth? I was bringing you a glass and was going to ask you to dance with me. I knew neither of us had a date, and I had like the biggest crush on you. When I spilled the drink on you I was so mortified I ran away, hid in my car, and left shortly after.”

“Really?” I asked, my mouth agape. The water was still dripping a bit off the table.

“Yes,” he muttered, looking back down at the table and finishing soaking up the water with his napkin. His clothes were wet down the front, but he didn’t bother much with them.

He put his face in his hands, and we were both silent for a moment. I felt like such a jerk. I couldn’t believe I’d held onto that anger for so long. But now I had the truth. And it was time to share mine.

“You know what?”

“What?” he lifted his head up to look at me.

“I would have said yes.”

“Yes to what?”

“Dancing with you. I would have said yes.”

A bright smile spread across his face, and his deep dark eyes glistened at me. “Really?”

I nodded and held my hand out for a handshake. At first, he resisted with a raised eyebrow.

“Let’s start over. Hi, I’m Jenny. I’m okay with handshakes. Just don’t try anything else.” I chuckled.

“Nice to meet you, Jenny. I’m Richard.”

The waitress returned with our food, which we both ate with goofy grins on our faces. Starting over was a blessing. And this time, he got up the courage to ask me his question: Would I like to go on another date with him?

And I said yes.

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.