Hello Everyone,
It is the first Wednesday of the month, and IWSG Time.
IWSG is a writers' support group created and led by Alex Cavanaugh. It is a big help to many of us who do not mind sharing our insecurities, our successes or giving encouragement and help to others.
So, if you are interested and would like to join, the link below will lead you directly to us:
Submissions:
No submissions so far this month. I’m still pondering over whether I can find time for the WEP. My plate is rather full because of a class I am taking.
Charlotte, Emily, and Mary Ann
If I had to pin myself down to one genre, even though I mix in elements from other genres that I like in my writing, I would definitely say that I am a romance writer. I believe wholeheartedly that love changes people and makes miracles happen. Therefore, I do my best to write positive, realistic romance and romantic suspense stories that impact hope, faith, and acceptance in a human race that seems to be growing more and more antagonistic toward each other.
I have to admit that I had a hard time accepting that I was a romance writer, at first. Having received a minor in Literature at what is now the acclaimed Georgia Regents University, where I studied the classics and deciphered with the microscope of my mind the books written by great authors, it shocked me. Dickens, Salinger, Fitzgerald, Conrad fascinated me, but I fell in love with Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bronte, and Mary Ann Evans (better known as George Eliot). Their stories regenerated my mind and changed my way of thinking about relationships, physical attraction to men, and life twists that challenge you to examine yourself.
Charlotte, Emily, and Mary Ann didn’t have it easy either in a male-dominated world, so, when I start floundering around in the murky waters and want to complain about things that I cannot change, I get a big boost from them.
I see their writings as romantically inclined and the inspiration I receive, after reading a passage or a chapter out of one of their books, is a stepping stone upward that inspires me to hold my head up and keep moving forward.
Wishing all of you a lovely hot month of June.
Shalom aleichem,
Love does result in miracles.
ReplyDeleteNo need to wish us a hot June. It will definitely happen!
I love your take on romance. Love can change things for the better. I don't think I've ever read anything by George Eliot. Might have to give her a try.
ReplyDeleteCheers - Ellen
I "loved" your answer to today's question. With that philosophy, I'm sure any romance you write will be wonderful.
ReplyDeleteMy kindred sister! I absolutely LOVE romance. I've spent the majority of my professional career studying the classics, and much prefer the happily ever after scenario. However, one of my favorites is WUTHERING HEIGHTS - go figure! Happy Writing!
ReplyDeleteI love romance in the novels I read. I am drawn to love stories but I mostly read mysteries (with romantic elements!)
ReplyDeleteI know some folks don't believe romance writers are serious writers, not literary, but writing a romance takes a lot of skill and knowing how to pull those emotions out on the page to engage readers. I'm serious. It's a talent. I loved this line-" I do my best to write positive, realistic romance and romantic suspense stories that impact hope, faith, and acceptance in a human race..." We were in England last year and visited the Bronte Museum in Haworth. You're close to England in Germany. Well, a lot closer than me in Michigan. LOL..I had no idea the trials and tribulation those women and their brother lived through. Good role models for you to emulate. Keep writing!
ReplyDeleteJQ Rose
Hello fellow romance writer. I hop around with genres but the past couple of years I’ve been mostly romance.
ReplyDeleteAnd I understand about the full plate. Have one myself and the pile is getting high seeing how behind I am in cleaning it. It’s great that you see those three as inspiration to keep going.
I thoroughly enjoyed the PBS movie on the Bronte sisters. Although I'd read Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, I didn't realize what they'd gone through to get their stories published. Great role models. I, too, love romance, include it in all my books. Love gives me hope for the future.
ReplyDeleteHey if bring more love into the world is wrong, arrest me. I'm proud to know you're able to do such a thing. Keep going. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
I so agree! Romance is all about hope and possibilities and love and becoming better versions of ourselves! Keep that head up and keep stepping forward!
ReplyDeleteI looked for you email, but can't spot it here. I'd love to send you an ARC of Dancing With Dementia (won't be for a few weeks). All I ask is that you consider leaving a review at Amazon or Goodreads or... Send me an email at jemifraser@gmail.com and I'll add you to the list. Thanks!! :)
DeleteLove does change the world, usually for the better. =)
ReplyDeleteYou know, Pat, I would never define you as a romance writer. I've read quite a few of your stories and enjoyed them all, and you strike me more a women's fiction writer. Love stories - yes, that's you. Romantic and lyrical - definitely. Deep and emotional - you bet. Romance - I'm not sure. Romance is a very rigid genre at its core, with narrow parameters, and your writing seems to expand much wider than the romance genre borders.
ReplyDeleteAmen! I also took a degree in English, plunging deep into the "best" American literature--meaty stuff that we dissected down to the atomic level in our classes. These days, I much prefer stories with a humorous, hopeful bent. Huzzah for romance!
ReplyDeleteI tend to put a little romance in my stories even though that is not the focus and I read it. I like it in my paranormal and urban fantasy reads too. Happy IWSG and Hugs.
ReplyDeleteI'm a romance writer most of the time too. To me, romance is the genre of hope.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely tribute to those women writers who inspire you! :)
ReplyDeleteHello dear Pat. I tend to agree with Olga. I think you, like me, tend to women's fiction. The hard core romance genre is very prescribed, but you do go for the HEA. In women's fiction the scope is broader, more about the woman, not necessarily with a romance at the core, but of course, how could you stand reading a story of any genre that doesn't have love in the mix, that romantic element? I wish you a great month Pat. WEP will miss you, but it'll be there in August. Happy writing!
ReplyDeleteRomance is a strong genre. Love is a very applicable theme anyone can relate to. This is a nice tribute to writers who've inspired you.
ReplyDeleteI like to play across genres, always experimenting with something I haven't done before. I think that's where the fun is! @mirymom1 from
ReplyDeleteBalancing Act
I've never attempted writing in the Romance genre. Might be fun to try, though!
ReplyDeleteI'm trying my first romantic suspense, Pat, though most of my writing has been historical fiction, so this one might well be romantic suspense pinned to a romance back in time. I too love Conrad, Follett, and a whole slew of those writers who care about the underdog (too many times, women are in that group!). Maybe the best of advice is to write from the heart. Which you do.
ReplyDeleteI think writing romance is super hard - and it definitely fits with a literary bent.
ReplyDelete