Welcome to the Nickel Nasties series! In celebration of my first scathing Amazon review for A Ranger's Tale (1 in 58 ain't bad), I've decided to devote February to the stories that garner so much stereotype and ridicule, but still comprise one of the world's best-selling genres: ROMANCE! I hope you'll enjoy this series. Please leave comments for the wonderful contributors. And...don't forget to check out their books!
Why Write Romantic Fiction?
by
Vallory Vance
I recently came across a post in a writer’s forum in which
the writer said that due to sagging sales, she was going to write a romance
novel since those seemed to be selling.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. If you haven’t garnered what my
response was to this comment, in a nutshell it was this – That is the wrong
reason to write romances.
Not only do I write romances, but I READ romances and the
one thing our genre doesn’t need is anyone out to make a quick buck. We need
passion and new voices and those willing to take love stories to the far
reaches of the universe and into the
heavens and into different dimensions and time periods and …
Alright as one reader, I’m not going to be there with all of
you but I encourage you to go forth and explore.
So what makes Vallory Vance love, love a romantic short,
novella or novel? For the most part, it’s a contemporary m/f relationship. And
because I had to qualify the statement tells you about the range available –
from male/ male to female/ female to male/ male/ female to female/ female/ male
to you name your desire.
But for the purpose of this post, it’s my preferred
reading.
In the contemporary romantic genre of male / female
relationships I like:
The Heroine: She’s got to be strong and independent. Even if
she has a boulder crushing her femur and has to call out for help to the hero,
she damn well better had been clawing her way loose while screaming.
The Hero: I give a little leeway to the hero. He can be the
alpha male or he can be more in touch with his feelings than most men. The most
important thing is that the heroine changes his life in a way that he never saw
coming.
A Tailor Made Story Line: I’m looking for a story that as a
reader is unique. This story couldn’t have existed without the characters that
you as a writer presented to me. This doesn’t mean that the plot device is new,
but that you’ve re-invented the wheel. (Oooh, that sounds daunting!)
Realistic Language: Writers, please get a guy to read your
dialogue. I’ve recently read some short stories where the guy has the same
voice as my girlfriends. That’s a HUGE turnoff! HUGE! And because I read a lot
of interracial romances, this becomes a major problem for me. So have a guy of
the ethnic background in your story read it as well.
As a reader, I’m asking for a lot. I realize that.
As a writer, have I passed my own threshold? I don’t know.
Try me out and let me know! I’d love to hear from you.
~Val
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As a
successful Sales and Catering Manager for the posh Hayden Court Hotel located
in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter, Darcey St. Claire is absolutely thrilled
to be working on New Year’s Eve. The commission and bonus she’ll receive from
the two day Guidry Construction event will not only fund her spring trip to New
York City, but buy a cute pair of shoes for the plane ride!
Her enthusiasm quickly turns to barely disguised irritation when Vincent Guidry arrives hours early for his scheduled check-in, demanding access to his suite. After he slashes the budget for the event, not even the crystal blue eyes of the former quarterback can quell the anger surging in her chest.
That is until he walks into the Chat Noir where she is trying to regroup after her irksome day.
In the private enclave known as the Cristal Room, Vincent willingly lights up Darcey’s New Year’s Eve and may have lost his heart in the process to the young woman who isn't looking for anything serious.
Cheers is a
contemporary romantic short story available on Amazon, All Romance and Smashwords.
Find Vallory
Vance online:
Vallory
V – A Romance Author Blog: http://valloryv.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ValloryVance (@ValloryVance)
This is a great article to kick off our series, Vallory!
ReplyDeleteI can tell you from experience that writing romance does NOT automatically make one rich. I have yet to earn more than I've spent on the business so far. Writing is like any other endeavor. Takes time and effort to make it successful.
I wholeheartedly agree that you need to read romance to write about it. There are many aspects of modern romance that I wouldn't even attempt to write, but to each his own.
ReplyDeleteI have yet to get my novel published but if and when I do, getting rich from it is not a goal. I just want to be read.
Your excerpt is very good; I'll definitely look you up on Amazon.
Wise advice regarding the reason to write, I think it applies to any genre. Nice story excerpt -- promises adventure, action, romance.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mysti for having me! And a big thanks to Leona and Judy for stopping by. Getting read is an awesome feeling!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Vallory! It's so true about the guy's dialogue. Even knowing this rule of thumb, I still write my first draft with men speaking like a woman - long and drawn out. It's when I go through and edit, and read the dialogue out loud to realize I need to shorten things. Leona-Stay positive and think positive. Someday you WILL be published. Stay strong too.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful and timely post Vallory! I agree that writers shouldn't refrain from writing romances if this is not a genre that they feel passionate about. I'm glad though that the romance genre is growing in leaps and bounds with the birth of numerous sub-genres :)
ReplyDelete