So it’s going to be really hard for me to keep to my schedule and post every Tues. I’ve taken on a part time job. Working full days Tues and Wed it’s just not feasible for me to do a Lasera post every Tues. Therefore I’ll be switching it to every Mon.
I’m sorry there’s no ‘real’ post today but to make it all a little better I’ll tell you that the post next Mon? Well it’s going to be about a very common mistake new writers make! Cheers till then.
So I was reading the unauthorized biography of Stephenie Meyer, when I found myself almost irritated by the tone the introduction was casting. The underlying subtext was that Stephenie was a complete original to have no explicit content in her books (there is some controversy on whether or not she did have explicit content anyways) and that she had completely stepped outside the norm to write a book without explicit bedroom scenes.
I know that there are so many others out there like me who know that this isn’t the case. Even though demand for clean romance books may not be on the rise, that market is still very much alive and kicking.
The Clean Romance Group I’m a member of on Good Reads? Their list of clean romance novels is over 800 stories strong and they have over 1000 members!
(Check out their list here Clean_Romances)
I’ve read a number of articles about how fed up readers are with all the bedroom scenes. Some think they’re just too overdone and boring and nothing new to read (I wouldn’t know this firsthand as I don’t want to read those types of scenes anyway). Other readers think that too many writers focus on sexual relationships or tension when all they want to read about is the courtship, the love, the wooing of the girl. Still others want to be able to have books in the house that their teenage girls can pick up and read if they want to. Each of these articles are saturated with comments of readers who utterly agree and want their voices heard.
Clean romances can be just as enjoyable (and I think more so) than erotica. I think that a clean romance in essence respects the privacy of the characters, I like these characters so much that I don’t want to know any more about their bedroom lives than I would a friends’.
I am so sick and tired of media, editors, publishers and agents who continually perpetuate that something has to have sex to sell. Yes things that have sex do sell, but if a romance book doesn’t have sex it can still be a best-seller!
One of the most famous books of all time, leaves the bedroom to the imagination – Gone With The Wind. Enough said.
As a writer I continue to hope that there will always be readers who want clean romances, because that is all I’m going to write.
~ Thank you Georgette Heyer and every other author who has given the world romance books that are purely about the romance and the relationship. You write exactly what I want to read.
Lots of changes! I spent a number of hours redesigning the whole site. There’s still a few tweaks I’m going to make but I’m very happy with the end result.
The plan is to do a post for the Lasera blog every Tuesday, and then one for my DanielleWAM blog every Friday. This weeks’ post is a day late because of the redesign, but enjoy!
Pet peeve: people who say I hate ______ movie or book, when they haven’t seen it or read it in its’ entirety.
You can say, I hate the hype about it, I hate how I can’t walk around the corner in a store and not see some type of merchandise for it, I hate the trailer for it, I hate the book jacket, I hate other books by that author, but unless you’ve read or seen the whole thing you are unqualified to give an opinion about said book or movie.
The biggest time I’ve seen this is with Twilight. I happen to love the Twilight books, and I thoroughly enjoyed the movies. There are a lot of people who don’t, who are more than entitled to their opinion. BUT don’t say you hate it if you haven’t read it.
I’m pretty much just wanting people to be more specific with their words. Don’t speak in generalities, don’t make sweeping comments based on personal experiences of one instance or one aspect. Your experiences, your likes and dislikes, are not mine. As a person who hopes to make a career with words, it’s logical that one of my biggest pet peeves is when someone is too general with theirs. This particular pet peeve is compounded by the fact that I have a fairly outgoing personality and on most things (especially movies and books) have an opinion. A sweeping statement such as “I hate Star Wars” means you have enough knowledge about everything Stars Wars so as to hate all of it. Don’t say that unless it’s true.
I find that almost every time someone says “I hate Twilight.” When I say “Have you read them?” and it’s followed with a “No.”, I instinctively follow it up with “So what you actually hate is…” or “Then how can you hate them?” and of course there is clarifying and explaining, and then they say what they actually meant.
I have many other word and language pet peeves, however this is the most irritating one at the moment. Cheers to anyone who doesn’t do this!
And although I’ve been talking about books, this most assuredly applies to movies too.
Happy watching and reading, let me know (specifically) what you think of things. 😀
So as of Jan 5, 2012 (when I actually pay the membership fee) I am a full-fledged ifwit. A member of IFWA – The Imaginative Fiction Writers Association. I went to my first meeting last week. I am so glad I found this group!
I’ve been writing and working on my novel for 3+ years. It wasn’t until this past spring that I actually met some other writers. What a lonely and isolating writing existence it had been. For the longest time I was the only one I knew in Calgary who was writing a novel. To meet such a number of established and talented writers was exhilarating. It was a thrill to be able to talk to people who understand my qualms, my struggles, my insecurities and my shared love of all things speculative (sci-fi, fantasy, ghosts, etc).
Needless to say I feel like this group will probably be a great fit for me. I’m already looking forward to the different workshops and events they have planned. Just to have people to bounce ideas off of, and other writers who are willing to read and help critique my work is a wonderful privilege. It will help me so much to hone my craft.
With the amazing programs that the Calgary Public Library has to offer writers, plus a great ‘Open Mic Night’ done through Alexandra Writers Centre and the awesome Ifwits, I really feel like I’m coming into my own as a writer.
Here’s to finding others who not only understand your passion, but share it.
© 2021