All About The Good Bits
Have you ever read a romance novel and skipped to the, ahem, ‘good bits’? I know I have. Not only that, but I have a couple of books on my kindle that are so blisteringly hot that I often find myself re-reading these special pages. If you’re the kind of person who skips to the juicy parts of a romance novel, then I’m about to blow your minds and maybe some extra bits as well. Are you ready?
How to have a book spa
What is a book spa? I first came across this idea at a local independent bookshop ‘Mr B’s Emporium’ in Bath. They advertise ‘reading spas’ and I bought one for my mother as a birthday present. You go along, get plied with drink and cake, and discuss your favourite books with your ‘bibliotherapist’. They then hand you a massive stack of books and introduce them to you, whilst you sit back and relax.
On writers block
You know your characters, you love them, and then they turn their backs on you and give you the cold shoulder. Suddenly you no longer know what they’re going to say or do. Writer’s block is where you simply don’t know what is coming next in your story or how to get around a problem. So what to do? How can you get over writer’s block?
On confidence in writing
My writing career is a long road strewn with abandoned cars, bicycles, and the odd scooter. I was the queen of starting and then never finishing a piece of work, coming up with great ideas, only to abandon them. In terms of Belbin team roles, I’m a Resource Investigator, not a Completer Finisher.
On why I write romance novels
Why do I write romance novels? Why do I write love stories that make you laugh and leave a smile on your face? Because I reject the reality fed to us by the mainstream media and substitute my own. I used to consume the news many times a day. I would wake up in the morning and check online for what had happened whilst I slept. I would listen on the radio in the car whilst driving, and then watch it later on the television.
On plotting vs pantsing
In the writing world, people often like to describe themselves as a ‘planner’ or a ‘pantser’. Are you someone who carefully plots their stories, writes pages of notes about the backstory of their characters, and only writes the first word when you know how each scene will play out? Or are you a pantser, the kind of person who wakes up from an awesome dream about a dinosaur having sex with a werewolf in space and decides to write about it, without any clue as to how or when it will end?
On finding the right word
Often when I write, I find it very difficult to find the right words to describe how a character is feeling, or how an environment should be described. I see it in my head and feel it in my body, but it’s like trying to find a word to describe it that doesn’t exist in the English language.
On editing
Once I have an idea, and the bit between my teeth, getting words on the page is often easy. They aren’t necessarily the right words or even in the right order, but they are there. Writing too many words is a far better place to be than not writing enough, as cutting your work down creates a better draft. Having to add fluff just to up a word count is rarely going to end well.
On writing to market and finding your audience
I read a lot about the phrase ‘writing to market’ in the author community. The idea is to identify a reader group, for example people who want sweet and clean Billionaire romances, or YA (young adult) urban fantasies, and then write books targeting those markets. It makes business sense - find the market and then supply them with the product they demand.
On how to be a writer
If you want to write then just do it. You don’t need an English literature degree or a diploma in creative writing. There are many professional writers who have never taken a writing course in their life. Many flunked school or never had any support. Anna Todd started writing on her phone in the checkout queue at a supermarket. She was a 24 year old new mum, and worked to bring money by babysitting and working at a beauty counter. She’s now a millionaire.
