Amorina Rose Writes: On Romance again

Living up north is so frustrating at times because getting to workshops you are really interested in is impossible. This one that I will be discussing was in November and in Sydney. I love reading about things but doing workshops is so helpful and inspiring. The problem up here is having such limited access. Unless we go further afield we don’t get as wide a choice of topics. For instance this interview answered a few questions for me but I would have loved to have been there for the actual workshop this author was holding but alas it was in Sydney.

You may have noted by now that I subscribe to a more than a few writing publications. I can’t help myself as I am always on the search for more knowledge, particularly of this kind. Being a techphobic I tend to wallow in this type of information because I can actually read it and understand it, and even take it on board whilst I wait for another rejection that is pushing me closer to jumping on board the self-publishing wagon of hazardous to my health technology. Although we are now at the end of the year I am including a link to this article and the publication in case anyone out there is interested in the sorts of things to be found in Newsbite. If you want to learn more click on the word courses. I actually live in Townsville but subscribe to Newsbite because I do find so much that is relevant for me. The Newsbite interview dated the 26th October 2015 and put out by the NSW Writers Centre is with Dianne Blacklock on Writing Romance. It helped me understand a little more on what is wrong with some of my writing. It is amazing how much help there is out there for the hopeful author.

Dianne has written nine novels of woman’s contemporary fiction including The Best Man. In this one like in all of them serious issues are dealt with and I think often surprise the reader when they come up. I wondered why her choice of genre was romance or what is often referred to as women’s fiction, or life lit. I wanted to know if she chose it/them as it is more than just romance that she writes about or did the genre/s choose her?

When asked the question Dianne's answer was very simple. She tells us that when she met with a publisher she was told to 'write what you know' and what she knew and was interested in exploring, was ‘people and how they relate to one another - women, men, kids, parents, friends, at home, at work, anywhere’. For me this is the ultimate as it is what I want to do, I want to write what I know, have seen and done because I hope it may resonate with those that have had the experience, or that those that may not have had the opportunities can live vicariously (embellishments will be included, hey my life has been interesting but...). It is fascinating though that what is real life comes under the broad umbrella of women's fiction. I am betting that this author would have a lot to add at the workshop about this labelling. I mean, is men’s lit about pretend life?

What held my attention the most though was her answer to why writers go wrong when trying to write compelling love stories? Having had yet another rejection by a traditional publisher and being a writer that had hoped her story was compelling I had to understand more. The following I have taken directly from the piece in Newsbite as it covers two things I think I have failed at, revealing character and showing genuine emotion. I quote:

“The thing is, it has to be considered in the same light as any scene or element in your narrative - is it furthering the story, and/or revealing character? If it's not, it's going to feel unnatural no matter how well it's written. But if you're writing about people, love relationships are likely to be an integral part of their journey...... ..... It's perfectly acceptable to write around sex scenes, to 'fade out' and close the bedroom door, but there's still a lot of skill in writing to that point, creating a mood, and building tension. And if you decide to leave the door open, it's essential to convey genuine emotions and sensations, whatever they may be.”

I thought I was genuine but there is obviously room to explore here. There is a skill to being genuine and writing genuinely, and without this revealing character may not go as planned. This is why I keep reading as well as writing. There is such a lot to learn before I even get my book up there and endure the panic-stricken stage of pressing that button and sending my work in outer space. It is coming however one way or another in the very early part of 2016 so please stay tuned.