Friday, August 11, 2006
Writerly Type StuffGenerally, I hate rules. I know, how messed up is that when I'm a lawyer? But I digress (not uncommon, I know). I don't buy into the "rules" about romance writing except for the HEA and basic punctuation stuff (and I am sort of a fascist about certain things like when people automatically put apostrophes in every word with an "S" at the end, WTF? There's plural and plural possessive, LEARN THE DIFFERENCE) Whooops, that was a tangent.
Okay, back on track - So essentially I write the book that comes to me how it comes to me. I didn't even know it was like some uber sin to kill off a character until I did it (and I'm not saying which book for those who haven't read it). But you know what? Readers love that book, even if I make them cry (and he had to die, I swear).
And I write in multiple POV too. I can't tell you how many other authors have clapped a hand over their hearts and gasped at me that I'll never sell a book and how much readers hate multiple POV books. And I know there are readers who don't like multiple POV books. Just as there are readers who don't like erotic romance or who don't like inspirational romance or whatever - you read what you like and that's unavoidable and frankly, if I tried to write something everyone would love, how boring would that book be?
As a reader, I have my likes and I buy accordingly, but POV isn't something I find jarring or distracting if it's done well - so if you tell me a great story in 3rd person, go on with your bad self, or first or in multiple - the key is, tell it well. Tell it organically because if you are obsessed with the rules it shows. It bogs the story down and it becomes about form instead of substance. If you hate multiple POV don't write it, if you hate to write erotic, don't do it. Write your own story your own way.
Anyway, I do my thing and it seems like I've got folks who like it and I've sold 13 books so far which seems pretty darned good in my judgment. I write what I like and I'm darned lucky that people seem to like what I write (and there are exceptions, LOL).
I don't outline unless I'm working on proposal either. I do pants it, I admit. As my mother would say, I'm a free spirit, I can't help it. A free spirited control freak, which does not make me an easy person to be married to, LOL.
But I am superstitious. I don't want to be, but I am. I have this new book I'm fleshing out, my husband and I are actually doing a bit of collaboration on the plotting and I'm really excited about it. But I won't give details until I have a title and I'm further along. I can't work until I get a title. It drives me insane!
This is all pretty pointless but I simply can't think about Jan Butler anymore and so I thought, hey, Lauren, wouldn't it be cool if you like, talked about, oh I don't know, writing?
