Columns – A Romance Writer's World
Alissa Baxter shares her thoughts about writing romance and real-life relationships
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A Romance Writer's World
Sweet Words Of Romance
I often wonder about the part that language plays in real-life romances. Some men use words and flattery to sweep you off your feet in the beginning of a relationship. Although the words are sweet to hear (who doesn’t like being told that they’re “exquisite” or “beautiful”?) when these words are said too easily, I must admit that I wonder about their sincerity.
A Romance Writer's World
TSTL Heroines in Romance Novels
In the romance reading community there’s an acronym for a certain kind of heroine – the heroine who is described as TSTL (Too Stupid To Live). Every romance reader has probably encountered her within the pages of a novel, and she can engender such frustration in you that you literally want to throw the book against a wall. (Books like these are often described as “wallbangers”).
A Romance Writer's World
Heroes and Villains
Listen to a friend talking about the new boyfriend she’s fallen in love with and you’ll more than likely hear that he’s smart, clever, funny, exciting, good-looking, fascinating, and altogether wonderful. Fast forward to when she’s had an upsetting break up with him somewhere down the line, and you’ll get a very different picture drawn of him – she’ll probably say he’s mean, selfish, nasty, ungenerous and ugly to boot.
A Romance Writer's World
Conflict in Romance Novels and Real-Life Relationships - Part Two
What is it about a relationship – fictional or not – that sustains it in the long-term? And can a conflict-ridden couple ever change their destructive pattern and live in peaceful co-existence?
A Romance Writer's World
Conflict in Romance Novels and Real-Life Relationships - Part One
Conflict is necessary in a romance novel to drive the story forward. If the hero and heroine of a book meet in the beginning of the novel, get on fabulously well, and decide straight away that they want to spend the rest of their lives together it would make for pretty dull reading.
A Romance Writer's World
Historical vs Contemporary Fiction
Writing modern day fiction vs. writing historical fiction… which is easier? I’ve been pondering this question recently, especially as I have published two Regency novels as well as a modern/chick lit novel. Writing historical novels is far less hazardous than writing modern stories, I believe.
A Romance Writer's World
Inspiration for a novel
My life as a “servant” was short-lived, memorable, humbling — and became the inspiration for my second Regency novel, Lord Fenmore’s Wager. Regency novels are often about wealthy rakes and feisty debutante heroines, but what about those heroines who work for the privileged of society?
A Romance Writer's World
Writing is not simply putting words on a page
Writing is not simply putting words on a page. The process of writing begins somewhere else, and the words on the page are the result of this process. So where does the process begin for me?
A Romance Writer's World
Writing on Valentine’s Day
The month of February is always about romance, yet the nature of expected romance means that it isn’t always all that romantic in the classic sense of the word. Have you ever read a romance novel where the hero proposes to the heroine on Valentine’s Day?
