Morning rant
Yes, there are different strokes for different folks. I prefer not to read stories with children in them. My mom loves them, so I'm glad there are folks who write with her in mind. She wouldn't pick up a vampire novel if it was the last book on the planet, so I'm extremely glad there are folks who write with me in mind as well. But that's entirely different from those who speak from their ivory tower of multiple publication and proclaim to the apparently a-literate peons below that their reading preferences are unworthy.
HEA? If you don't buy into the Happily Ever After, take a walk over to the women's fiction section. Buy something with divorce, disease and death. Real enough for ya? That should make you happy.
Women with balls of steel who don't need a man? Kind of short-shrifts the romance, if you know what I mean. I'm not saying I don't like kick-ass women -- I'm a Xena fan from way back -- but you know what? They make great f***-buddies, but they're sucky romance heroines. It would be out of character for them NOT to beat the crap out of a man who wanted some softness in his life.
For those who are so jaded that they can't even be bothered to read what's out there anymore, my advice is, "Don't let the door smack you on the ass on your way out." Cuz, sugar, I love romance, I write romance ... and I'm coming for your spot.
10 Comments:
Love the "attitude" in that last line, but I don't believe the vast majority of those phonies have a "spot" to be taken. Editors can spot fake emotion in a romance novel from a mile off.
Whenever someone suggests to me that they could easily write (and publish) in a genre they despise, I always encourage them to try it. I figure it's a good way to keep them off the streets -- and out of my way.
By 
Brenda Coulter, at
8:45 AM
LOL, I blogged about this not too long ago. If I had even a penny for every time someone said to me "I could write a romance", I'd be so stinking rich I'd be in the Bahamas right now ...
Great post.
By 
, at
10:20 AM
Go get 'em, girl! *g*
By Sasha White, at
2:33 PM
WHOOOOOOOOO U GO BABE!!!!!!!
I will admit I don't (ducking) read a lot of romance anymore but I cut my teeth on Barabara Cartland and I do still buy it--I'm a die hard SEP fan.
And I might not write straight romance but that doesn't mean I don't have any respect for those who do/can. I do however still write about relationships =)
Writing is hard PERIOD no matter what genre(s) you find yourself tackling.
By Amie Stuart, at
2:46 PM
There's a world of difference btwn someone saying they prefer chick-lit or suspence over straight romance, and saying that if others like romance they must be settling for 2nd best. That's just rude.
And when I'm rich and famous I promise not to be rude to you people in the rabble. LOL!
By Sela Carsen, at
2:58 PM
Whoa girl! *vbg* Calm down. No need to ruffle your feathers for someone who's so unworthy. People like that don't know what they are talking about. Like grandma used to tell me, "Never argue with the ignorant. It's a sin to take advantage of those mentally challenge ones."
*g* You mentioned I'm not saying I don't like kick-ass women -- I'm a Xena fan from way back -- but you know what? They make great f***-buddies, but they're sucky romance heroines. It would be out of character for them NOT to beat the crap out of a man who wanted some softness in his life.. Betina Krahn successfully took up this subject in "My Warrior's Heart"(recently reissued as "The Enchantment") in which the heroine was a warrior raised like a boy and the hero was a warrior who vastly preferred the softer side of life. It is an awesome romance, ad you should try it if you haven't already.
By Evangeline Holland, at
3:39 PM
Thanks for the recommendation, Evangeline. I've liked Betina Krahn's books before, so I'll keep an eye out for that one. It sounds interesting.
By Sela Carsen, at
5:58 PM
If you don't like the genre you're writing, it shows - and means either a) your editor will nix the book or b) your readers will be turned off. I've read a few lately where I've felt the author is jaded, and I found the characters unsympathetic (hero AND heroine), so I'm putting my money where my mouth is as a reader. It's a romance author's job to make the reader fall for their hero/heroine. If the writer doesn't like them, the reader doesn't stand a chance!
By , at
1:38 AM
Hear, hear Kate! Well said! And, I might add, far more level-headedly (and without the swearing) than I did. LOL!
By Sela Carsen, at
2:29 PM