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AOTW: Romance authors are prolific writers. Knowing that there are so many romance books published each year, how do you keep your ideas fresh and avoid traveling over well-worn territory?
Nora Roberts: For me, character is key. Whatever book I'm working on, I've never written this book about these people in this situation before. If I want the characters to be real to the reader, important and distinct to the reader, they have to be real, important and distinct to me first. If I do my job there, the story is going to be distinct, too.
Susan Wiggs: In all genres - including mainstream and literary - the territory is limited if you look at it from the perspective of topic, issue or subject matter. In romance, the "well-worn territory" probably refers to fairytale situations like Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast, or traditional "hooks" such as "his secret baby" or "friends-to-lovers." But as far as I'm concerned, there are no limits. I tend not to think about the "idea" or "situation" so much as unique character's choices and responses. Nobody can own a setup or situation-each author puts her own unique spin on the familiar. For example, my recent "secret baby" book (The You I Never Knew, Warner, 2000) avoided being a cliche because the "baby" was a sixteen-year-old juvenile delinquent.
Amanda Scott: I do a lot of research for every book, and I'm constantly finding tidbits that stir ideas for new books. I keep detailed notes, a journal, etc., and although I write things down in a notebook as I go, I transfer the information to my computer as soon as I can. I also note things that people say, fans particularly, so if I get fan mail from several people who all want to know more about a particular characters, or want to know if that character is going to get his or her own book, I listen and the gray cells dance. And I take note of current incidents or characters (people I meet while I'm traveling, for example) that can be translated to earlier times.
Brenda Joyce: I do not pay attention to what other romance authors are writing, unless it is to have a general market-trend kind of conversation with my publisher and agent. In fact, I hardly ever read fiction, partly because I am simply too busy to do so. But it serves the loftier purpose of making certain that my work is my own, that I have not borrowed ideas (unconsciously) or imitated anyone! And when I do read, I prefer reading out of my genre. Of course, we all know it's ALL been done before. Nothing is new or fresh! So the idea is to do it better, your way, in your own voice and style.
Elizabeth Thornton: In my view, all fictional territory is well worn. There are no new plots and no new storylines. They only sound new because the author puts a fresh spin on them and, of course, peoples her books with her own characters. It was ever thus! Check out the ancient Greek dramatists, e.g. Euripides, Sophocles, Aeschylus. Their one and only source was Greek legends. Sometimes these dramatists even used the same characters, yet their work never sounds borrowed or repetitive. They were brilliant, and we still read them today.
Character, character, character - that's what makes or breaks a book.
Sharon Robinson: Still the Storm is my first published romance story. Prior to this I've published nonfiction. But, I seem to have a wealth of stories floating in my head. Since I spent twenty year working as a midwife, I've heard the gamut of relationship stories. I also travel extensively so I'm always finding new locations.
Lauren Bach: I try to come up with unique characters and unusual situations. Beyond that, I cross my fingers and trust no one in the universe thinks the way I do. One of the wonderful things about romance is that, just as there are no two people exactly alike, we never fall in love in exactly the same way, under exactly the same circumstances. Ten storytellers, viewing the same pair of lovers, will write ten completely different tales. "Boy meets girl" truly has infinite possibilities.
Kat Martin: Finding new ideas for stories is a constant challenge. I think traveling helps, and staying up with current events. The more exposure, the more opportunity for your mind to stay fertile and produce something new.
Madeline Hunter: I don't think about all the other books that have been published or that are being written. If I did I would go mad. I hope that my voice will make my books different, even if I use a plot device that has been used before. I also try to connect my stories to larger events taking place in the world at the time the story is set, so that the context of the love story gives the plot freshness and distinction and complex, high-stakes conflicts. Betina Krahn: I read a great deal and with a great range... a variety of fiction, psychology, science, self-help, theology, biographies... the best way to keep from stagnating as a writer is the same as the best way to keep from stagnating as a lover or as a person... keep learning and growing. The fresh and innovative insights of other minds are available at your local bookstore! Donna Kauffman: I don't think finding new stories to tell will ever be difficult. As an example of what I mean -- look around you, at any group of people currently in a committed relationship. Do you think any two of them fell in love the exact same way? With the same exact fears/baggage/hangups/expectations/ hopes/dreams? I think the possibilities of uniting two people under a unique set of circumstances is a limitless proposition. Making those circumstances exciting and rewarding enough to sustain a 400 page manuscript is the challenge -- a fun one! -- but the paths are all there and no two are the same.
Glenna McReynolds: With romance novels, the characters themselves are the hook for the reader. The hero and the heroine are what matter, and their story is going to be unique to them no matter how many familiar plot elements are in the book. They are just exactly like the real people you meet. We all share a tremendous amount of common background, but if you really listen to someone tell their story, listen to them talk about their life, it will be absolutely unique - like a snowflake. That said, I know I tend to take my stories outside the norm, beating the backwaters and the byways for those people who are doing unusual and exciting things, because those people fascinate me.
Jacquie D'Alessandro: I don't think there really are any "fresh" ideas that have never been done. What is different is an author's individual voice. If you told ten authors to write a "road" romance, or a "cabin" romance, you would get ten completely different stories. Some would be light and funny, some dark and spooky depending on the author's voice. By adding her own individual touches, an author makes the tried-and-true something new. Keeping ideas fresh, I think, comes from keeping current. Reading magazines, newspapers, checking out the latest television programs. Avoiding clichés - taking the expected and turning it around 180 degrees. Surprising the reader. Making them ask themselves how are the characters going to solve this problem? Let's face it, all genre fiction travels over well-worn territory. In every romance, two people fall in love. In every mystery, a whodunit is solved. In every suspense, we wonder if the characters will survive the situation. It's up to the author to put new twists on what's been done before to make the reader want to go along for the ride.
Sherri Browning: For a while, I was so worried about losing my perspective that I simply stopped reading romances. In retrospect, this was a big mistake. Not only did
I miss reading romance, but I lost a source of inspiration. There is no greater inspiration than reading a great book. As soon as I started reading romance again, I became filled with all kinds of unique ideas for new books. The best way to keep the fresh ideas coming is to keep reading and keep thinking and not worry too much about what other authors are doing. No two authors will tell a story in the same way.
Shana Abe: I go to the National Idea Bank and make fresh withdrawals, just like all the other authors (and apologies to the person who said that first!). Seriously, every story is unique because every author is unique. Romance is no different from any other genre in that regard. Yes, there are some universal themes, but even Shakespeare resurrected an old folk tale and turned it into "Romeo and Juliet." You have an idea--a word, a phrase, a castle, a character--that speaks to you. You go with it.
Sue-Ellen Welfonder: I write Scottish medieval romances because my greatest passions are medieval history and Scotland, my own ancestral land. These interests provide me with a plethora of fascinating legend and lore to sift through when looking for ways to make each story unique. Because the mystical also intrigues me, I look for little-known folklore customs and beliefs that I can weave into my tale. Scotland has a wealth of such gems and the difficulty is not finding a way to give a story a special twist, but deciding which such possibility to explore.
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