October 2, 2013
What I’m Insecure Writing About
This post is for Alex Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writers Support Group (click the link for details on what that means and how to join. You will also find a list of bloggers signed up to the challenge that are worth checking out like Kate and Rebecca who inspired me to begin). The first Wednesday of every month, we post our thoughts, fears or words of encouragement for fellow writers.
This month’s insecurity for me: Writing about love, sex, and that sort. I got this idea from reading Kate’s post last month. Which she got from another writer (and that’s how we grow–each inspiring the other). My hand went up as I was reading–me too. I have difficulty writing romance and that’s not good because lots of people read books for a peek at what other people consider ‘love’. In preparation for this article, I researched what is required in a romance novel. Here’s a list of the biggest differences between romance and thriller:
- Romance writers have a wonderful, loveable, sympathetic heroine and hero–both. Thrillers usually have one main hero who is tough, stoic, flawed.
- Romance main characters are usually beautiful. Thrillers like muscles and rigor–beautiful brains.
- Romance plots require that early in the story, something throws the two main characters together. Thriller heroes are more likely thrown into a nest of terrorists.
- Romance writers create a sex/love scene if the plot slows down. Thriller writers blow something up.
- Romance plots revolve around people who fall in love then struggle to make it work. Thriller plots have people trying to kill each other, prevent the world from ending, with a conspiracy around every corner.
- Romance plots include what they call a ‘cute meet’ where hero and heroine meet. Thriller plots–boy and girl meet trying to destroy each other. Not much cute about that.
- Romance plots are as much about emotion as action. Thriller plots are all action.
- Conflict in romance novels is internal. In thrillers, it’s played out on a world stage, announced in the media, and usually causes physical mayhem.
- Romance novels must Include good romantic scenes. Thrillers–a romantic scene usually means one of the characters is about to die.
- Romance novels–readers expect a happy ending. No real-life lesson-learned-the-hard-way. Thrillers–yeah, sure, we like a happy ending, but we understand happiness has a price.
I am none of the former and most of the latter, which is probably one of the reasons my genre is thrillers. I have good company. Consider Val McDermid, Lee Child (aka Jim Grant), Daniel Silva. They put so much action and brains in their writing, you don’t even miss the other.
They are my model.
What else am I insecure about:
Will I Find Employment if I’m an Older Job Hunter?
6 Things I Wish I’d Known When I Started Blogging
Traditional or Indie? I’m Really Stressed Over This
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Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, Cisco guest blog, IMS tech expert, and a monthly contributor to Today’s Author. In her free time, she is the editor of a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum, and creator of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
