Thursday, March 24, 2011
On one side of the ring, we have the historical contenders: Teresa Medeiros, Julia Quinn, and Eloisa James! On the other side, we have the contemporaries: Julia James, Rachel Gibson, and Susan Elizabeth Phillips!
For years, I was mostly only interested in historical romance. I suppose that's because the first romances I ever read were historicals. Naturally, I gravitated toward that subgenre when I picked up my own pen to write. Lately, though, I'm discovering how much I also love a good contemporary romance. I've been trying my hand at a contemporary of my own.
I thought it would be easy—writing a contemporary—especially since there isn't as much research involved.
Or so I thought.
Let me just say I thought wrong. In fact, there may be more research involved with a contemporary since our world changes so much every day. The good news is you don't have to be quite so careful with your hero or heroine's gestures, mannerisms, and language with a contemporary. They speak like we do today. They act as we do, and there are no restrictions from "polite society" other than those we place upon ourselves. Women are much freer in today's world (particularly American society) to educate themselves, work, travel, and say (mostly) what they please without fear of being effectively shunned by their counterparts. In this sense, a historical romance is a bit easier to write because all of the research you could possibly want has already been recorded in the history books. We can base the characters upon historical figures. We can even toy with history a bit, introducing important figures to our heroes and heroines to fit the time period.
With a contemporary romance, history hasn't been written yet. Today's technology changes so quickly that while Twitter didn't exist in 2003, it does exist in 2011. It even seems a bit antiquated to write about a landline phone since almost everyone I know doesn't have one. If you want to write about the FBI or engineering or a rocket scientist, you'd better know your stuff because what might be true one day could most certainly not be true the next.
I'm writing a contemporary, and I'm having a devil of a time getting it going. I sit down to write, and I struggle to find the right words. It almost seems easier to start a scene in a ballroom than it does to start it at a contemporary wedding. They always say you should write what you know, but in this case, perhaps what I know best is historical romance.
Still, I appreciate the challenge of writing a contemporary. It's going to stretch me as a writer. It's going to force me to look beyond what I'm accustomed to. I also find that my writing voice seems to flow more smoothly in a contemporary romance. Whether this one ever finds its way to a shelf is anyone's guess, but as a writer, I'm enjoying the exercise of stretching my brain muscle. But darn it, getting started is hard! They say there's no such thing as writer's block, and I used to say the same, but now I wonder.
Is it real?
For years, I was mostly only interested in historical romance. I suppose that's because the first romances I ever read were historicals. Naturally, I gravitated toward that subgenre when I picked up my own pen to write. Lately, though, I'm discovering how much I also love a good contemporary romance. I've been trying my hand at a contemporary of my own.
I thought it would be easy—writing a contemporary—especially since there isn't as much research involved.
Or so I thought.
Let me just say I thought wrong. In fact, there may be more research involved with a contemporary since our world changes so much every day. The good news is you don't have to be quite so careful with your hero or heroine's gestures, mannerisms, and language with a contemporary. They speak like we do today. They act as we do, and there are no restrictions from "polite society" other than those we place upon ourselves. Women are much freer in today's world (particularly American society) to educate themselves, work, travel, and say (mostly) what they please without fear of being effectively shunned by their counterparts. In this sense, a historical romance is a bit easier to write because all of the research you could possibly want has already been recorded in the history books. We can base the characters upon historical figures. We can even toy with history a bit, introducing important figures to our heroes and heroines to fit the time period.
With a contemporary romance, history hasn't been written yet. Today's technology changes so quickly that while Twitter didn't exist in 2003, it does exist in 2011. It even seems a bit antiquated to write about a landline phone since almost everyone I know doesn't have one. If you want to write about the FBI or engineering or a rocket scientist, you'd better know your stuff because what might be true one day could most certainly not be true the next.
I'm writing a contemporary, and I'm having a devil of a time getting it going. I sit down to write, and I struggle to find the right words. It almost seems easier to start a scene in a ballroom than it does to start it at a contemporary wedding. They always say you should write what you know, but in this case, perhaps what I know best is historical romance.
Still, I appreciate the challenge of writing a contemporary. It's going to stretch me as a writer. It's going to force me to look beyond what I'm accustomed to. I also find that my writing voice seems to flow more smoothly in a contemporary romance. Whether this one ever finds its way to a shelf is anyone's guess, but as a writer, I'm enjoying the exercise of stretching my brain muscle. But darn it, getting started is hard! They say there's no such thing as writer's block, and I used to say the same, but now I wonder.
Is it real?
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1 comment:
YES! I feel the same way... not to mention that technology is changing so fast that adding it to your book feels "dating it" but not adding it feels wrong. I mean, your MCs will of course be using the internet and cell phones when they need information or in a crisis but, on the other hand, you're writing a book for the 2013 or 2014 publishing world in reality. Contemporary is just as hard, if not harder, and you do have to consider that it'll feel "dated" before it even hits the shelves.
BTW... loved your author picks. I also love Elizabeth Hoyt for historicals.
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