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Mar

Hitting the nail on the head

Categories: blogosphere, my work, mystery, reading, romance, romantic suspense, sounding off and writing

I had planned to write a rather frivolous post about the hunks on Dancing with the Stars today–until I happened over to Dear Author. The day’s post about the trivialization of serious issues in romance intrigued me, since this has been a criticism of mine about the genre since I first started reading it. In romance, tragedy is often nothing more than a plot device to get the hero and heroine to a certain place in the story, without adequate consideration of what real impact such experiences have on people.

This is how the post starts out:

A legitimate criticism of romance as serious literature is it’s often cavalier treatment of important life topics. Too often, war, separation, human indignity, are treated as plot devices, conflict mechanisms, and not given the attention and treatment those important issues deserve. How many romance books are thought provoking? How many challenge your personal concepts of right and wrong? How many portray multi hued individuals as both heroic and villianous? Surely within the umbrella of the romance genre, there is room for these books.

I can’t argue with anything that is said here, which does not mean, in my opinion, that no romances deal with important issues head on, but, in my opinion, fewer than should do. In other words, if you’ve got a protagonist recovering from a bad marriage, missing child, breast cancer, rape, whatever, or you’ve got a character who’s a soldier or cop, nurse or counselor, they experience life in particular ways that are often glossed over rather than exploited properly for the verisimilitude of their story.

This to my mind doesn’t mean every story has to be heavy or heavy handed. However, if you’re going to bring up the heroine’s unkind personal history, or whatever, let the effects of it reverberate in her life on a deeper level than making her wary of the hero’s attentions. Almost any serious event injected into a character’s life produces a constellation of effects. These can be explored even if you do it in a less than grave way.

I know that I had a hard time writing my hero for Soldier Boys. The story was supposed to be light and airy, so I kept it that way as much as I could. However, the guys a freaking marine sniper, and after reading even minimally about these guys and giving him the background that I did, I knew I couldn’t divorce the story from the realities of the ongoing war and keep it in any way beleivable. So I didn’t. The result is a deeper story, I hope, even though it is also really, really hot. I’ve got my fingers crossed that it works.

But I also don’t think that romance is alone in glossing over serious events or issues. The more suspense and mystery I read, the more I become aware that every genre has its way of trivializing that which it isn’t prepared to deal with. Ever read a sex scene in your average testosterone-filled thriller? Either it’s one of those wham-bam- excuse me while I come, ma’am, deals where it’s over in two seconds (doesn’t say much for the hero if you ask me) or it’s the sappiest bit of crap that no romance writer could get away with in a million years.

The truth of it is, there is room for shades of gray in every genre: true exploration of the human psyche and human emotions in every genre; contemplation of right and wrong and just in every genre and when we gloss over it or exploit it not for what it is but what we want it to be, we do both ourselves and our readers an injustice.

Mar

Protaga-who?

By writerds Leave a Comment

Categories: blogosphere, romance and writing

On some list I belong to, talk turned to exactly how you define a protagonist, particularly in light of all the antiheroes becoming heroes these days. A similar discussion is hosted at Editorrent. My favorite part:

If we define the protagonist as “the character we root for,” then this presumes that the protagonist’s goals are always worthy. In the case of tragedies, they frequently are not. Really, did anyone actually want Oedipus to marry Jocasta?

My answer: not really. As for stories closer to my heart, she posits: And then there’s romance. Can a story ever really have two protagonists? I’m sure it can, but isn’t it nice to have someone talk about romance without scorn? A big NY hug for that.

I’m sure the discussion isn’t over, but if you want more insight, check out the post.

Mar

Appearing now on a blog near you

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Categories: blogosphere, entertainment, industry, publishing, weird science and writing

Looking around the blogosphere for some writing/book news you can use, I found a few things:

At long last, an explanation for my glaze cravings. Neuroscience Marketing takes on Krispy Kremes and your brain will love you for it.

Connie Briscoe offers this post on Virtual Book Tours. There’s a lot of good information here.

Editorial Ass tells how not to piss off your editor (before she is your editor).

Elaine Viets waxes humorous (but oh, so true) about the Spitzer debacle.

And finally, Ann Christopher wins my heart with her post at Access Romance titled Die, Winter, Die. I’ve never been too fond of winter, except for the perfectly timed Christmas Eve snowstorm. As we speak I’m twisting the knife in old man winter’s back myself.

Mar

More proof that testosterone in the wrong, um, hands, just leads to trouble

By writerds Leave a Comment

Categories: my work, romantic suspense, sounding off, true crime, writing and wtf?

Here in New York State, we’re dealing with yet another scandal. Our governor, Eliot Spitzer was found to have been a patron of prostitutes in the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. The same hotel has been linked to two infamous former Presidents: Kennedy held trysts there, while Lewinsky stayed there during Clinton’s impeachment trials. Maybe a smart guy would have picked a less notorious love nest for his clandestine meetings, but there you have it.

I never liked Spitzer, despite his squeaky clean reputation. He just didn’t do it for me and besides, there’s something about the word “spit” in a person’s name that gives me the willies. There are just some bodily functions I’d rather not know about. But what really disturbs me, particularly of late, is that it seems to be those people who campaign and win on their vows to clean up corruption are the very ones that are proven to be most deeply entrenched in it. I doubt I’m the only one on overload.

And now, from what I understand, Spitzer has no choice but to resign. What he did was similar to, but not quite the same, as other recent sex scandals. Not only did he deal with an organized prostitution ring (illegal) he flew one of said high-class hookers from NY to DC at his expense (very illegal). Just in case anyone forgot, the Mann Act, which bars the transport of young lovelies across state lines for a little suh-um suh-um, is still in effect.

Last I heard on the news, Spitzer may be trying to trade his resignation for a guarantee of no prosecution. I know I wouldn’t want to take that deal if I were the one able to prosecute him. Those who make their name exposing others ought to have to suffer the same kind of scrutiny themselves should they take a fall.

Two further ironies come out of this scandal, however. The first is that if Spitzer resigns, David Paterson, currently the Lt. Governor will become the first ever black Governor of the state of New York and only the third overall since Reconstruction. Paterson, who has been legally blind since infancy, would also be the first visually impaired person to preside over the folks in Albany. Aside from that, he’s credited with being a true man of integrity who can reach across the divide that is NY State politics to get everyone to get along. Sounds like there’s no downside to this deal to me.

The second is that Spitzer was a superdelegate pledged to Hilary Clinton at the upcoming convention. The old girl can’t get a break can she? Well, Paterson has also been in her corner, though I don’t know if he is a superdelegate or if superdelegatedom is transferable thataway.

Now I know I pledged to keep this blog more about the writing, so I don’t want to leave out that connection either. I was having trouble figuring out the crime and the motive for the crime for a romantic suspense I’m working on. Usually with RS, the crime sort of comes first, then the characters, then more details. For this one, the characters came first so I was like, okay folks, what’s going on? And they were like, hey, you’re the writer. You tell us. This is the kind of rebelliousness I have to deal with. But anyway, I started thinking high-class hookers, hmm, I could do something with that. You’ve got to take your inspiration where you can get it, right?

Mar

Murderers on my mind

By writerds Leave a Comment

Categories: mystery, romantic suspense and writing

I’m currently taking an online course on serial killers given by one of the RWA chapters. Frankly, so far, they haven’t discussed anything I didn’t already know. Well, what do you want for $25? Besides, I’ve already done extensive research on my own so I’m no newbie. I’ve even had some experience with real-live whack jobs, so I know ‘em when I see ‘em. But what I’m finding interesting is the discussion on how these folks come into being. My take is that, like greatness, some folks are born to it, some are made and some have killing trust upon them.

The easiest to comprehend is the last. Some regular guy or girl has to defend themselves, their loved ones or their property and takes a life in the process. Facing such a dilemma we all have the capacity to kill.

Comprehensible to is the made killer, to some extent. The man or woman who was abused, neglected, or otherwise deprived psychologically of the right socializing influences. They know no remorse, no conscience, no compassion, no understanding. As the saying goes, they’d cut you as soon as look at you. You may not like what they are, but you can see where it came from.

Then there’s my least favorite–those folks whose warpedness seems to have no genesis. Their wiring must be screwy since nothing in their background explains why they behave as they do. The “just plain crazy killer.” I hate this guy, partly because I want my villains to make sense, both in real life and in fiction. I want to be able to say this crazy mo fo is crazy cause of X and Y, and I don’t mean his faulty chromosomes. I know there are folks who love this just plain crazy guy, but I don’t.

In fact, I’m reading Allison Brennan’s Killing Fear right now, which has a “just plain crazy” villain. Even though this is the first book I’ve read by her, I can say I like her work (though her heroine in this one suffers from what I call Pretty, pretty princess disease). Her villain is nasty enough to overcome any of my misgivings about his origins as a bad guy.

So I ask you, what kind of villains do you prefer–the crazies you can figure out or the ones nature made that way? Do you prefer nature as an explanation or nurture? Who’s your favorite fictional killer? The creepiest? Who made you sleep with the lights on? Do tell!

Feb

Random thoughts on the upcoming election and secondary characters (how’s that for a title)

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Categories: my work, mystery, romance, romantic suspense and writing

I’m not going to discuss the Democratic end of the drowning pool, since the contest between Hillary and Barack I find simultaneously heartwarming and the most depressing bit of business I’ve seen in a long time. I was thinking of the Republican side, as in what is Mike Huckabee’s problem? Long after common sense says he can’t win, there he is. My take on it is that Huckabee looks at McCain’s age and figures if he can be enough of a pain in the butt he can give the old guy a heart attack and since he never withdrew like Romney, guess who’s the candidate? Talk about a spoiler!

Maybe not. Maybe that’s a political thriller I’d like to read. But here’s the point I’ve really been pondering–it’s obvious what’s in it for Huckabee for him to stay in the race, but what about McCain? Why doesn’t he get someone in the party to thump Huckabee on his hard head and tell him to sit down?

That’s what I pondered (okay, thought about it once or twice) until I was watching the political shows this Sunday morning. I think it was on the McLaughlin group where someone posited that McCain needs Huckabee to stick around to keep his name in the newspapers the same way Clinton and Obama act to generate press for themselves and each other.

I can buy that. As an author I can appreciate the use of a good foil. Using one character to illuminate the character of another is as pervasive as having a title. However, how we make use of that foil can either enhance or detract from the story.

Most often in romance the foil is the best buddy, who can generally be more outrageous, outspoken or otherwise unsuitable to be the protagonist of that particular story (though they may come back somewhat sanitized in a story of their own). Foils work best when they are fully formed characters in their own right, or at least fully formed in the aspect that is being compared. Think of Hamlet and Laertes. Laertes is the obedient son and dutiful brother, while Hamlet stumbles around, unable to figure out if and it what way to avenge his own father. (Incidentally, if you haven’t seen the Gilligan’s Island Hamlet-a-go-go interpretation, it’s a must-see.)

Come to think of it, mysteries and other genre fiction works basically the same way, as well. Main characters are usually more conventional than their foils. Think Spenser and Hawk or Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. That’s just off the top of my head. There are probably better examples if I really think about it.

One thing is certain in my mind, especially if you are creating a series in which the same characters will appear more than once, you really need to do some analysis of not only each character but how they will relate together, what their relationship is, how it started, what each of them really wants from one another, etc. if you want that pairing to be dynamic and not fall flat. Just one more thing to think about while plotting and planning a novel. Oy!

Feb

I can kill that puppet in three whacks

By writerds Leave a Comment

Categories: my work, mystery, romantic suspense and writing

Earlier today, I found myself in the unenviable position of watching a double dose of Family Feud. I hate to admit it, but I think I’ve seen every incarnation this show has offered–from pervie/creepie Richard Dawson to the suicidal guy whose name escapes me to the porcine Louie Anderson. Now we’ve got J. Peterman, I mean John O’something with the voice.

So the question comes up–what weapon could a murderer use to kill . . . drumroll please . . . Pinocchio. Pinocchio? First off, why is anyone contemplating killing fictional characters from Disney of all places? I could see if we were talking about wicked stepmothers. Who wouldn’t want to give Snow White’s step mama a thump on the head for unbridled vanity and poor wardrobe choice. But Pinocchio, whose only crime was trying too hard to fit in. Who’s next? Dumbo?

As you can imagine, this round quickly descended into the macabre. Chop him with an ax. Throw him in the wood chipper. Make him tell lies until his nose falls off. At least that last one didn’t make it onto the board. My favorite answer was the one I least expected–slow torture. Termites.

This doesn’t really have anything to do with writing except that it made me think of all the lengths mystery/suspense/thriller writers go to to have a, if not unique, interesting death occur in their stories. Murder can’t be mundane anymore, it’s got to have flair. Either the motive, the means or the murderer him/herself has got to have a bit of panache. And serial killers fuggedaboutit. I myself had my Amazon killer in Body of Lies who cut off the right breast of all his victims. oogie if you ask me, but others are far worse.

Just something to think about as I get back to my work for the day. In this one, the murder is quite ordinary, but what happens the next day when the body is found–that’s the doozy.

But nevermind that. Tell me, what’s your favorite fictional kill and why? But let’s leave the cartoons out of it this time.

Feb

Poke it with a Fork

By writerds Leave a Comment

Categories: blogosphere, writer's resources and writing

Maybe your manuscript is done and maybe it isn’t. In deciding I usually follow the Cantstandit litmus test. When I can’t stand even the sight of the manuscript anymore, then it’s time to send it in. Either that or my deadline is up. But I found an article in the blogosphere to aid those not quite as circumspect as I.

Big Bad Book Blog’s post begins thusly:

Forget all that business about checking a publisher’s submission guidelines before you send your manuscript in. The most important consideration when you’re preparing to take a project to the next level is whether your work itself is ready, fully conceptualized and mature. Who cares about typeface and font size if the content is half-baked? There’s no setting for “masterpiece” on my egg timer, but these guidelines will help you know when to call it done.

To find the six ways to tell if your book is done visit here.

Feb

Hello It’s Me

By writerds Leave a Comment

Categories: blogosphere and writing

It’s great to be back from deadline hell. Just turned in my very sexy Marine story for the forthcoming Soldier Boys. All I can say is that if your fingers or sensibilities are easily scorched, don’t pick it up. By the way, notice my boy on the cover.

Anyhoo, I love to admit it when I read someone else’s posts, especially rookies and see that they “get” what this business of writing is about. I tooled over to Patricia Woodside’s blog to view her entry on beginnings. Very pithy stuff. My favorite part is:

Some writers say, “Jump into the action!” Others say, “Set the scene.” Took me a while but I figured out that one does not negate the other. The scene, or ordinary world, may be established in an active way, using character actions and dialogue as opposed to descriptive narrative. Still, it’s important to ground the reader (unless it’s a murder mystery and someone is shot in the first sentence)!

Most of everything in life is making sense out of dualities and writing is no different. The rest of Patricia’s post is just as good.

Jan

Lazy Days and Fridays

By writerds 3 Comments

Categories: blogosphere, entertainment, industry, mystery, publishing, romance, romantic suspense, writing and wtf?

Okay, not exactly lazy, just busy. instead of posting I’ve culled a few interesting posts for you to ponder.

The first comes from Editorrent, dealing with story reversals, Charles Dickens and a few other useful tidbits.

Angela Jefferson’s blog pointed me toward NY Times coverage of the Cassie Edwards brouhaha. Personally, I’ve never read any of Ms. Edwards work and have been offended myself by the use of the word savage in many of her bajillion titles (which is why I didn’t read her). I don’t know what she did or didn’t do, but it is an important discussion, since few folks seem to know what the P word is or even if they do, they don’t care. I was pleased the other day, though, when my daughter had a research paper to write for her English class (high school, you know) and her teacher told her that she had to be careful how she paraphrased or incorporated research material so as not to plagiarize. Send that teacher an apple!

Getting back to Angela for a minute. She claims herself to be a font of useless information. I was a font of useless information way before she came around. But I digress.

Don’t know much about the writer’s strike in Hollywood, but Booksquare posts some interesting information on the ramifications of all these indie deals on whatever the major settlement turns out to be. My message to the studios: pay the two dollars and get your houses back in order.

And finally–the Edgars are coming, the Edgars are coming. Or the nominations for the awards have been announced. You can find commentary on who’ll win at Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind, or if you just want the list of nominees, go here.


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  --Debra Ross,
     Romance in Color

A skewed sense of humor has kept me sane through 10+ years of teaching and almost as many writing. I invite you to come in and look around. Leave a comment if you like. My goal is to leave you with a smile on your face and a few new thoughts to mull over. If you like the blog, please tell your friends. If not, tell your enemies.