Writing Tip of the Day-Characters

Tolerance and a broad view of the world make a heroine more appealing. A narrow, uninformed mind doesn't lend itself to the open emotions which inspire devotion in the opposite sex.

Writing Tip of the Day-Characters

Ready humor at her own expense makes a heroine more likeable in the same way that it makes any real person more likeable.

Writing Tip of the Day-Characters

The ability of the heroine to see humor in a situation, and to indicate this in speech or facial expressions, makes her more sympathetic.

Writing Tip of the Day - Characters

A primary characteristic of the heroine should be intelligence. She must think before she acts and always be aware of the consequences of her decisions. She may proceed despite the cost, but it should be a reasoned choice rather than thoughtless impulse.

Writing Tip of the Day-Characters

A heroine must strive to reach her goal. She should not be passive, allowing events or the decisions of others to dictate her actions.

Writing Tip of the Day-Characters

Though the traditional "quest" method of telling a story refers to a hero, in a romance novel the person who sets out upon this quest is always the heroine. The adventure, the trials and the triumphs belong to her.

Writing Tip of the Day-Characters

The protagonist, or main character, in any romance novel is always the heroine. The crises that occur in the story should change her life, and she should make the decisions which drive the story forward. No matter how dynamic the hero may be, his basic role is as a secondary character.

Writing Tip of the Day

Some people claim story-telling is a talent, others call it a craft, and a few say it's an art. The truth is that it's all three. You are born with the talent, learn the craft by study and practice, and develop the art by years of hard work.

Writing Tip of the Day

MS Office OneNotes is a good electronic version of a writer's desk book. It's already set up with tabs that can be labeled with various book elements, as well as a scheduling feature and note-taking capability for the instant recording of ideas.

Writing Tip of the Day

Advance plotting and story organization enables the writer to work faster because it eliminates the staring-at-the-wall required when what's going to happen next is a mystery. Prolific writers are usually adept at plotting and story organization. Writers who want to quit their day jobs need to learn them.

Retro Romance

"Retro romance." What does the phrase mean? I came across the description the other day in a review for one of my historical titles, and have been mulling it over ever since. Does it mean the book has something to it beyond mere Lust At First Glance? Do the characters develop a relationship before melting into each other's arms? Do they display concern for the mores surrounding male-female relationships in the society to which they belong? Is there actually a story there somewhere, one with (What an idea!) a modicum of historical background to support it?

I ask these questions because I've read several of the more recent historical romances. By and large, they seem generic. Remove the occasional mention of a horse, petticoat or sword, and they could take place anywhere, any time. Why is this? Why do authors set their stories in historical time periods if they can't be bothered to do the research? Why do they make their characters behave like 21st century adults on the prowl? Why call their books romances if they gloss over the story and go straight for the sex? Why not just label them erotica and be done with it?

Oh, right. They're doing that now, except they confuse the issue by tagging them as Romantic Erotica.

Yes, the sensual relationship has always been central to historical romance novels, just as it's always been central to life itself. Yes, the love scenes are key. Still, there was once more meat to the books, more story and exploration of male-female dynamics set against a backdrop of history. The love scenes were about the power of emotion to heal, to bind and to transcend instead of about mechanics and anatomically correct body parts. The relationships were romantic, in the best sense of the word, instead of merely erotic.

I like to think my books continue to reflect the elements which fueled the rise of the romance genre, making it the most popular in the history of publishing. If that makes them "retro" then so be it.

Writing Tip of the Day

A common perception is that planning a story in advance stifles creativity. The majority of writers find that it does the exact opposite. Knowing what's going to happen gives you the freedom to concentrate on character development, emotion, dialogue, narrative flow, atmosphere, foreshadowing and all the other nuances which make a book better.

December Newsletter

Greetings:

December already. Weren't we here only a week or so ago? And the holiday season is upon us again, too. Some people love it, others hate it. I fall somewhere in between, I think, grumbling over all the preparation, but looking forward to the traditional gathering of the clan.

Much has happened over the past twelve months. GALLANT MATCH was published in February. I met Deb Werksman of Sourcebooks, Inc. in March, spoke to her publisher and CEO, Dominique Raccah, in Orlando in April, and signed for publication of several of my backlist books in their "Re-launch of a Classic" program in July. I received a much appreciated Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times BookReviews Magazine in April, and, in June, completed Book 1 of my new medieval trilogy, BY HIS MAJESTY'S GRACE. During the summer, I worked with my two daughters on book collaborations and created the proposal for Book 2 of my trilogy while seeing my February 2010 book, TRIUMPH IN ARMS, through the publication process. Then September was taken up by a short contemporary romance written as a lark. Time whips past when you're busy!

A project in the works this fall has been the revamping of my web site. This was partly to give it a much-needed facelift, but also to reflect my transition from books set in Louisiana to medieval romances. Tara Green of "Eye on Romance" did a beautiful job of the redesign, and the new site went live over the past weekend at: www.jenniferblake.com It's designed to be more colorful and atmospheric than the old one, with a richer vibe. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Featured on the site is the cover for TRIUMPH IN ARMS. Clicking on the "Next Book" button at the top will take you to a special page for this title. There, you can read the back cover blurb plus a 1600-word excerpt that is actually the complete prologue from the book. TRIUMPH IN ARMS is available for preorder now from Amazon.com, and you can click through to set that up if the prologue snags your interest. The title should ship around the end of January, as its official "On-Sale" date is February 1.

New additions to the web site home page are button links for Twitter and Facebook. I told you about my foray into "tweeting" on Twitter last month, but the Facebook page just went up a few days ago with a collection of photos and book covers. It's so new that I have few friends as yet. Click over and join me if you have a presence there. I promise to accept all friend requests!

And I'm still adding a Writing Tip of the Day to my blog on the web site. I've posted 50-something of these now. It's actually been fairly painless; I didn't realize I knew quite so many little tidbits about writing. At present, I have well over a hundred tips typed into MS Word for future additions, with a goal of 365 by next fall. Will I make it while concentrating on Book 2 of my trilogy that I'll start January 1? We'll see!

In other news, the feature article done in Q&A form by Shalla Magazine has been posted at www.shallamagazine.com You just might find something you didn't know about me there. Romantic Times BookReview Magazine (www.rtbookreviews.com) has also created an information page for TRIUMPH IN ARMS, with a short article on where the story idea came from. Then under the heading of foreign sales, Verlagagruppe Random House recently licensed my medieval trilogy for publication in Germany.

Over and above these things, I've been involved in special holiday charitable projects with friends in my local sewing group, Magnolia Stitchers. And while not shopping, decorating and cooking for the holidays, I've been reading the backlist of Elizabeth George, author of the Inspector Lynley, Lord Asherton mysteries. In other words, my life is full and most blessed. It's my hope that yours is the same during this time of year.

With warmest wishes for all that's bright and joyous in the season,

Jennifer

Writing Tip of the Day

Many writers like to keep a Desk Book. This can be a blank book or composition notebook, but I prefer a 3-ring binder with sheet protectors. Divide the pages into sections labeled Plot, Characters, Scenes, Dialogue, and Notes. Place your chapter and character charts here, and then add other ideas that spring to mind. You'll have a fast visual reference that won't require navigating away from your manuscript page.