tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164684531570048336.post1134747110807899614..comments2023-10-09T04:28:16.384-07:00Comments on Writing about writing: 'Redemption Song': Laura WilkinsonTCWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13053437802878060775noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164684531570048336.post-68685626948080147292019-11-19T04:22:14.821-08:002019-11-19T04:22:14.821-08:00Your response, if I may be a bit clichéd and very ...Your response, if I may be a bit clichéd and very generalist, is typically male. I, and most women I know, are interested in the intricacies of relationships, the emotional landscape of the characters, of the journey (overused word) of indifference, through friendship, to love. My husband's typical reaction to TV dramas, for eg, that explore the inner lives of the characters, rather than an external, preferably exciting, dramatic story line, is either - "Bring on the monsters!" or "this is just a soap opera!" <br />It is simplistic and reductive, to say that women like 'romance' because it's comforting, like a box of chocolates. But I am sure that there is an element of truth in this, as much as there is an element of truth in the blanket statement that men prefer adventure and thrills, because they are insensitive, and uninterested in exploring their inner lives and wasting time trying to understand the delicate balance of relationships. <br />Saying all this, I don't write 'romance', I am not a typical female writer or reader. <br />Though I write books in which love is the engine of the plot, I don't write generic romance. I do write about relationships (not just romantic). I do write about people with 'pasts'. (Don't we all have one? Without getting into the nature nurture debate, isn't your past what forms your present?) But I hope I write a whole lot more than that. We are all different and enjoy different things. Gilli Allanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13234069151918319605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164684531570048336.post-55429377737449840462016-03-29T06:28:24.330-07:002016-03-29T06:28:24.330-07:00Terry, I'd be very interested to know what you...Terry, I'd be very interested to know what you think of my next then - Skin Deep's not out till spring 2017 but I'd say it's very different again to both RS and PBPWs. I have a short attention span!Laura Wilkinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05123567406016946332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164684531570048336.post-7682556332141505402016-03-29T03:14:37.703-07:002016-03-29T03:14:37.703-07:00Tom, I do that too! If I've reviewed a book th...Tom, I do that too! If I've reviewed a book that's not for me but I can see it's good of its type, I give 4* as well. I can never give a romance novel more than that simply because I don't like them much. I mean, we know the guy is always going to get the girl in the end, and the endless contrived misunderstandings and emotional blockages do little for me.<br /><br />I agree with Laura about your 'frittering away' comment - what drives all books is personal relationships, be they romantic ones, friendships, whatever. If you don't care about the people, you don't care about the plot. Many people are scathing about the romance genre - it's down there with vampires for me, too, but a good book is a good book. <br /><br />This was a very different book from Public Battles, which I loved; I felt as though it had been written by a different person, but I get that writers develop. I loved Wynne's, too - it reminded me of Cromer Indoor Market, where one could buy anything from net curtains to polyester blouses to screws and nails. :)Terry Tylerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15077413235902203848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164684531570048336.post-19828239415044824822016-03-26T12:21:27.212-07:002016-03-26T12:21:27.212-07:00Sound advice - generally 'straight' romant...Sound advice - generally 'straight' romantic fiction doesn't work for me. <br />I started this because I know you, but I kept going because the quality of characterisation really was very good. I just wish there had been real challenges for the characters to face and overcome - or an unhappy ending. I'm sure there are people who hate my books because so many (spoiler alert) do not end well. But, as you say, we can't be all things to all people. And I wouldn't say this is a bad review - just an unenthusiastic one. If I were going to post on Amazon, I'd post a 4* (which is what I give books where I think they're a good choice for people who enjoy that genre).TCWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13053437802878060775noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164684531570048336.post-68808417639794814692016-03-26T09:59:44.004-07:002016-03-26T09:59:44.004-07:00I’m not sure whether or not to thank you for this ...I’m not sure whether or not to thank you for this piece, Tom, and I have never yet responded to a bad review – but hey, there’s a first time for everything! And because we know each other it feels OK to do so.<br />You read the novel till the bitter end, it seems, so I’ll take that despite the ‘ploddingly predictable’ main narrative. What I will say is that I did not set out to write a Romantic Novel (like the capitals?), though I’d argue that even if I had, why would this have been a waste of my ‘undoubted power and ability,’ why would I have been ‘frittering away [] considerable talents in a genre that doesn’t deserve them’? Stories of romantic entanglements are enduring – Wuthering Heights, Rebecca, any Jane Austen to name but a handful of classics that are romances. I set out to write a story about coming back from terrible events, resilience, forgiveness, and love (romantic and otherwise). For sure, there’s a love story, or two, at its heart, but for most of us, this reflects our life experience. As for endings… well, I like both happy and sad, and I chose an upbeat ending this time. It won’t be the right choice for all readers, but most readers of romantic fiction read for the journey; the how the hero and heroine get together, not the if, though there are always exceptions to that rule. After all, we know from outset that Bridget and Mark Darcy will hook up… As for reflecting real life… well, stories should be like life with the boring bits taken out in my humble opinion. Are you saying that happy endings don’t reflect real life? One in three marriages end in divorce, which means that two in three don’t – and marriage is still popular despite the depressing statistics, which suggests to me that humankind is mostly optimistic. Thank goodness.<br />Rationally, I know that I cannot be all things to all readers all of the time. But, being an irrational human sort, I am sorry that you didn’t enjoy Redemption Song – it’s a writerly curse that we feel we’ve let people down when they don’t enjoy our work. Perhaps the best advice I can offer is that you stay away from romantic fiction? <br />Laura Wilkinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05123567406016946332noreply@blogger.com