ROMANCE WRITER'S WEEKLY-THE SMUT ON WRITING ROMANCE NOVELS

The questions this week are courtesy of Victoria Barbour.

Hopefully you hopped, trundled, tootled, or made your way here in some other fashion from Edin Ashe’s blog.

1. Have you always written Romance?

Well, since I started writing in 2011, I’ve only written romance, historical romance actually. I never thought I’d write that either. Once I started though, I couldn’t believe I waited so long.

2. How do you deal with critiques about the romance genre?

I think anyone who writes romance has got to become a bit thick-skinned.

So many people lump all romance into single genre and the truth is, romance is very diverse. I’ve had people make sarcastic remarks, not only about the content, “smut” but also come right out and say, “I only read real writing.”

I knew when I started writing historical romances there would be few raised eyebrows and perhaps even a snarky remark or two, but I’ve also been surprised at how supportive many people have been. My reasons for writing romance are my own, and I don’t really have to explain them to anyone else.

The nay-sayers don’t get a vote. They aren’t my intended audience, anyway.

3. What’s the one thing about our genre you’d like people to know.

I just read this twice in the last week, and I’m paraphrasing, but it was something along the lines of, “easy reading is hard writing.”

To be able to craft a story that readers lose themselves in, that transports them to a different place and time and helps them escape life’s hardships and stress, is really, really hard writing.

I had someone remark to me a few weeks ago, “I’m not published, not in easy writing like romance. My 200 page dissertation is published. Now that was hard writing.”

What?

I’ve had to write that “hard” stuff too and the dry as chalk, put-me-to sleep “real” writing was much, much easier to write than any of my novels.

By the way, I’m have an article I’m writing on the education level of romance writers. Of the hundred plus writers I surveyed, most have advanced degrees and you can bet your bippy, we’ve all done some of that other kind of writing . . . you know, the respectable kind.

*Snort*

Gives you something to think about doesn’t it?

Take a look at this interview of Eloisa James on this very subject.

Let’s make our way to Kim Handysides and see what she has to say, shall we?

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