This is me when I see a good review for one of my books: This is me when I see a bad review for one of my books: Authors react in many different ways when they receive a bad review. A lot of times, those reactions lead to a bad reputation for that writer. Some even end up on the Authors Behaving Badly list. As I always say, I'm not an expert, but I want to help other emerging authors get their career off to a good start. With that in mind, here are three things NOT to do when you get a bad review: 1) Contact the reviewer to explain something about the book that you think they misunderstood. 2) Contact the reviewer to bitch at them because you don’t like what they wrote. 3) Contact the reviewer to ask them to take the review down. Basically, DON’T CONTACT THE REVIEWER. Don’t even look at them. And for book god’s sake, don’t track them down and attack them with a wine bottle. Yes, that happened. Do not argue with the reviewer in any way. No matter how nasty the things were that they wrote about you, your book, your dog and your grandma, you’ll be the one to come out looking like the unprofessional monster that no one wants to deal with. Once you put your book out there, people are entitled to their opinion about it. And nothing you can say to them is going to change that opinion. Also, don’t try to be slick and send your fans, friends or family after someone either. You know what I mean, the sly post where you say, Sally Reviewer was so mean to me but I’m not going to sink to her level. But here’s the link if you want to see it. And all her social media handles for good measure. And her email address. And her blood type. Then your fan/friend/family member says, I’ll give them a piece of my mind! So they attack Sally Reviewer, then a bunch more people attack Sally Reviewer. Meanwhile, you’re sitting there with dirt free hands, playing the tragic victimized author role, and only after it gets truly nasty do you maybe think about calling off your rabid horde. This is gross. Don’t do this. Be professional. So what can you do about negative reviews? 1) Cry 2) Go in your closet and scream with rage 3) Eat ice cream 4) Play Mortal Kombat and pretend it’s the reviewer’s ass you’re kicking 5) Call your mom (or other lovingly sympathetic family member or friend) and complain 6) Buy yourself something pretty for some retail therapy 7) Take that pissed off fire and write another book Now, I’m not saying I’ve used any of the above methods (I’ve totally used all of the above methods). But they are helpful. Get your hurt feelings out in private and then move on. You can also just avoid reading your negative reviews. In my opinion, this is the review scale for sites like Goodreads and Amazon and how I think you should read them:
5 Stars – Oh my gawd, this book was the best! Top ten for my whole life! Read these, but sparingly. Save ‘em for when you’re having a shit day writing and need a confidence boost. 4 Stars – This book was amazing! Definitely going on my reread pile Read these and bask. You did good work. 3 Stars – This was a good book, but it had some issues. Read these. They usually have legitimate critique that you can learn from to improve your craft. 2 Stars – This book was awful. But I did like the dog. You should probably skip these. They’ll just make you sad. 1 Star – This book was the dirt worst! Somebody take this so-called author’s keyboard away so she can never write again! And for good measure, cut off her hands!!!! *heavy breathing through the keyboard* Don’t read these. They more than likely didn’t offer any helpful feedback and they will piss you off. I know what you're thinking. Why is this important? And, I have the right to express my feelings just the way that reviewer did. But look at it this way. You, the writer, are a business. You might be a one woman/man show, but you are still a business. It is up to you to protect your reputation. Imagine if Target, Dunkin Donuts, or Nine West went off on rants every time they had a customer give their products a negative review. You'd probably be turned off and not want to shop there anymore, right? Same goes for readers. Your core group of fans might not mind your review rage. But readers who are out there on the fringes might feel differently. They'll take a look at that unprofessional rant about a reviewer and decide they don't want to support an author who attacks readers. After all, who's to say you won't attack them if they don't give you a glowing review? And just like that, that reader has decided not to support you with their book dollars. So ask yourself, is it worth it losing potential fans by internet screaming over a bad review? In my opinion, it's not. Reviews are tough. You need them, they can make you feel good, but they can also hurt something fierce. If you're going to be a writer, you'll need to learn to accept reviews graciously and find a closet to scream in when you can't. Thanks for reading! Christa www.ChristaTomlinson.com Follow me around the internet! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads View my titles on Amazon
2 Comments
Ah, 2016. It was a year that existed. I had a lot of plans for 2016. Unfortunately, they didn’t all pan out. Probably because I didn’t actually sit down and plan out my plans. Or even write them down so I’d remember what they were. Funny how that works. But I did manage to accomplish a few things. I published The Detective’s Pleasure, Officer Ryan Bennett and Detective Sam Roberts’s story. I published Showing Him the Ropes, a romance set in the world of professional wrestling, and something I’d been wanting to write for two years. And I sold my house, so I could move into an easier to manage apartment. Yay! All good things! ![]() For 2017 I’m already one step ahead. I actually wrote down my professional goals. Progress! Publish Five Works Now is the time for me to be more focused in my writing. I realize that only publishing one or two books a year won’t get me over that hump from part-time/hobbyist writer to full-time career writer. Which means I’ll be buckling down and dedicating my time and effort to producing more stories that I, and hopefully others, will love. Attend at least one genre conference I went to Rainbow Con in 2015. And like a typical introvert I was tense and stressed. I liked the panels and learning, but having to talk to people I don’t know and be around so many people at the same time was exhausting. When I got home, I swore I’d never go to another. But I didn’t really mean it. I want to know my fellow m/m romance people and I love talking books. So I’m determined to try again. Attend at least three meetings for the West Houston RWA Again, I’m forcing myself out of my comfort zone. I want to learn more about the business of romance writing and connect with others in the industry. Getting out from behind my computer and into public spaces with other writers is the way to make that happen. I was a little concerned about joining West Houston RWA because of my genre. But when I spoke with Membership Chair, Karen Pugh, she was very welcoming and assured me they embrace diversity. They even had Damon Suede there as a guest speaker. I’m so bummed I missed it. Here’s hoping he’ll be back in 2017. Public Speaking I don’t miss the politics or endless and often ridiculous demands of being a teacher. But I do miss teaching. It’s in my blood. I love learning and sharing my knowledge with others. It’s the best feeling when I help someone understand something they didn’t get before. With that in mind, I’d like to give a guest lecture or sit in on a panel. Rainbow Con has some cool ones, so I’m considering signing up for a few. Post regularly on both my blog and Café Risque I’m so thankful Cardeno C. invited me to participate in Café Risque. It gave me the motivation I needed to start blogging on a regular basis. I’m enjoying it and I’ve started posting on my own blog on a regular basis as well. I definitely plan to continue posting on both throughout the year. If there’s anything you want to see me blog about, let me know! Get back into writing fanfiction I miss it! I had a lot of fun writing fanfiction. And it’ll be a chance for me to write without the pressure of publication. It will also help me explore some things I want to try before I take them to market. *cough* Historical Fantasy! *cough* So I’ll be seeing you soon, FFDN! Read 50 books. Okay, don’t laugh. I know fifty books isn’t a lot. Especially compared to how many I used to read before I started publishing. But lately, I haven’t had the time to read that much. Or I should say, I haven’t made time to read like I used to. This year, I’m determined to make more time to read and relax. That’s it! I think it’s a pretty manageable set of goals. Now I just have to stay patient and realize I can’t accomplish them all by January 15th. I’m looking forward to working hard to reach these goals in 2017. And you’d better believe I’m giving myself a cookie every time I accomplish one. I’d love to see your goals for the year. Feel free to share in the comments! ![]() Happy New Year and I wish you all the best for health, wealth, and happiness in 2017. Thanks for reading! Christa *Originally Posted on the Cafe Risque Blog www.ChristaTomlinson.com Follow me around the internet! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads View my titles on Amazon
Before you can get to editing, you have to get your first draft out. I call this the vomit draft. Why? Because when I’m writing a first draft, I don’t stop to do paragraphs or even punctuate. I leave sentences half-finished if I can’t immediately decide what I want to say because I don’t want to break my flow. And I definitely don’t stop to look anything up. If I’m unsure of a fact or need a character name, I just type XX as a place holder. (I learned this tip from another writer, but I can’t remember who. Thank you, smart writer!) It’s easy to find with Word search features because there are few (maybe none?) words that have XX in them, which means you won’t get a lot of unnecessary results. When I’m finished vomiting on to the page (yuck!) I take a break and get away from it for a while. **Side Note! Should you edit while writing? I don’t recommend it. Writing and editing are two different brain processes. And if you stop your writing to edit, it will take you forever to actually get the completed story out because you keep nitpicking over little bits. Let your brain tell the story. Then go back and whip it into shape.
Once I’m finished with a few rounds of self-editing, I have the For Your Eyes Only draft. At this point, I’m ready to send it off to someone else to read. That can be one of two persons, a beta reader and/or an editor. I’ll break and explain what each one is and does. Beta Readers. They are precious cinnamon rolls of perfection. These are people who already read your genre that you can give your manuscript to for reader feedback. Why is it important for them to be fans of your chosen genre? Because they have an innate ability to know what to look for as far as what they’ve already seen and enjoyed or hated in similar books. With that knowledge, they can tell you if you’re in the ball park or way off in a park of your own. Their job is to tell you things like did I enjoy this book? Are the characters likeable? Were there any parts I didn’t like? Their job is not to edit your work as far as grammar, sentence structure, spelling, time line, etc. Editors. These are the folks with the red pens. It is their job to find grammar mistakes and work with you on sentence structure. They address plot holes, eliminate passive voice, point out time line mistakes, etc. It is not their job to fix or re-write your book, which is why you don’t give them a first draft. The editor only receives a book after you’ve made it the best you can make it. They can turn silk into a purse, but they can’t do the same with that pig’s ear of a first draft, you know what I’m saying? I’m going to detour for a moment here to address a debate that I see often and have been a part of. The Do I need an editor? debate. (This is for self-published authors. If you’re with a publishing house, you will be assigned an editor.) In my opinion: yes, you do. You shouldn’t take a story that only your own beautiful eyes have looked at and send it out into the ether. Just like people can’t see if they have an ugly baby (even though all babies are beautiful!) you can’t see if your book baby is ugly. But. If you’re self-publishing, it can be difficult to find an editor. Or, maybe hiring an editor isn’t financially feasible for you. If that's the case, there are other options. ![]() Remember those super-duper lovely beta readers? Some of them actually do edit. You can also work with people like English teachers or majors, or even try a swap with another author. Will your results be as good as working with an actual trained editor? Nine times out of ten, the answer there will be no. It’s a risk you take. But again, the point is other eyes besides your own (and your loving mother’s) must take a look at your story. Finally, the day will come when you get the email that your beta and/or editor has sent with your document corrections and suggestions. After taking a day to work up the nerve to open that email, you start reading through the edits. Do you have to take all of the suggestions? No. But this is where it’s important not to get Writer’s Big Head. Your first reaction to suggestions may be, “What do you mean you don’t like that I gave the hero purple arms? That’s who he is as a purple armed man!” It can be hard to change something that you birthed in your brain. But take a second and think about it. If multiple readers don’t like, or are squicked by something in your story, that may be an indicator that it needs to be changed. If your editor tells you that you spent too much time getting from plot point A to plot point Z, or worse, got to point Z with very little explanation how, that might be something you need to address. The betas and editors are there to enhance your story, not tear it apart or make it their own. (If you get a meany-faced beta/editor who does want to rip up your story, run away) Alright, you’ve made the suggested changes so that means your book is ready to go. Haha! J/k. Now it needs to be proofread. This is where someone goes over the manuscript with laser eyes to look for incorrect names/words, missing punctuation and other tiny errors.
Having someone else do the proofreading is the best option. But if that isn’t an option for you, here’s a little trick. Change up the format you’re reading the document in. If you’ve been working in 12 pt Times New Roman Black, change the font to 16 pt Courier Purple. Even better, save it and read it as a PDF. Even triple better, make an e-book version of it (you can do this in Calibre) and read it that way. The change in the way the WIP is formatted will help you slow down and catch errors, rather than speeding over the words because your eye is so used to the way they look. Okay, now you’re ready to upload that manuscript for sale. Whew, that was a lot of work! And crazy enough, even after all that you still might have an error or two. That’s okay. We’re not book writing robots and readers are generally kind enough to understand that we aren’t. Thank you, readers! So, that’s editing! Friendly reminder that I’m not an expert and I’m just sharing the knowledge I’ve gained so far. If you’d like more knowledge, check out Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing and Write and Revise for Publication. And if you have any questions, feel free to let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading! Christa www.ChristaTomlinson.com Follow me around the internet! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads View my titles on Amazon I’ve been nominated for two awards in the M/M RomanceGoodreads Members Choice awards! I’m so happy. The Detective’s Pleasure was nominated for best BDSM, and Showing Him the Ropes was nominated for Best Athletes/Coaches. Yes! I don’t expect to win at all, but knowing that readers enjoyed those stories enough to nominate them in a Best category makes me all scrunchy-faced happy. Thank you, Readers! But. Oh, but. Knowing that there are readers who enjoyed Showing Him the Ropes so much puts me in quite the pickle. You see, as much as I loved that story, I have to admit that it didn’t do very well. In fact, it did so poorly in sales that I was big, tearful anime eyes sad. Which leaves me with a dilemma.
I’d originally planned for Chance and Devin’s story to be the first in a series set in the world of professional wrestling. But with the reception so poor, I’d hate to spend the time and money taking it any further. But (so many buts) I’d also hate to disappoint readers who were actually happy to read a story in a setting that they enjoy. If I wrote for a publisher, the series would be killed dead. But I don’t. That means I have to make the decision on my own. Waaaah! I want to fight for the series. Make some improvements to Ropes and the subsequent novels and give it another go. But I also have to make smart business decisions. Sigh… We’ll see. I’ll at least do one more story to wrap up the mini cliff hanger. Partly because I loved the Showing Him the Ropes, but mostly as a thank you to all the readers who loved it and nominated it. I love you guys! Whatever happens with the series, I'm super duper happy that I took the risk and wrote about professional wrestling, which I love. And I fell so in love with Ryan and Sam, Ryan in particular, that them receiving a nomination is the cherry on an already awesome sundae. So thank you again for the nominations! P.S. To celebrate, I’ve put both The Detective's Pleasure and Showing Him the Ropes on sale for .99 on Amazon, B&N, ARe, and Kobo. If you haven’t read them, now’s your chance. And if you enjoy them and are a member of the M/M Romance group, I’d love to have your vote. Thanks for reading! Christa *Originally posted on the Cafe Risque Blog www.ChristaTomlinson.com Follow me around the internet! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads View my titles on Amazon Hey, it's Sunday! This week I'd like to share with you an unedited excerpt from my WIP - part two of Logan and Clay's story. Enjoy! "Come here." Clay followed the gentle pull Logan gave his hand to drop down to the couch and straddle his lap. "You're my lover. My submissive. It's my right and my pleasure to protect you always." He brought a hand up, his thumb sliding across the metal collar that circled Clay's neck. "I won't let anything or anyone hurt you or take you away from me." A thrill shot through Clay at that declaration. Logan was unapologetically possessive of him. It had caused problems early on in their relationship, but they'd worked on it and come to an understanding on boundaries. Now, he was able to revel in Logan's possessiveness and caring, because he knew it wouldn't get out of hand. Clay pressed his forehead to Logan's and closed his eyes. "I love when you talk to me like that." Logan's hand moved to grip the back of his neck. "Do you?" His eyes still closed, Clay nodded. "Tell me why." "Because it makes me feel like the most important thing in your world. I've never felt like that with anyone." "It's true. You are the most important thing to me. Having you in my life, wearing my collar, means everything to me." Clay opened his eyes and looked into his lover's gaze, seeing the sincerity there. Not that he doubted him. Logan had proven time and time again how much he loved him. "I feel like I don't deserve you. Like I don't do enough to show you how much I love you in return." "That's not true. You don't have to do anything to deserve me. I'm with you because I don't ever want to be with anyone else." "Well, maybe I can show you tonight." He brought a hand up to rub the pad of muscle on Logan's chest. "Physically." Awww, they're so lovey-dovey. For now... *insert evil author laugh* I've got a title and a sexy cover and I can't wait to share them with you. Hurry up 2017! If you haven't read The Sergeant series, catch up with the first three books. Thanks for reading!
Christa Originally posted on the Cafe Risque Blog www.ChristaTomlinson.com Follow me around the internet! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads View my titles on Amazon Hello there! Thanks for joining me as I continue to talk about writing. Today’s post is aimed at answering a few common questions on what makes a romance novel a romance novel. As I stated before, I’m not an expert. But I am a giant nerd. I will research things until the cows come home. If I had cows. I don’t, so I research until my brain feels appropriately full of knowledge. I know the world of publishing is always a-changing, but these are fairly basic guidelines to follow when writing romance. ![]() Question 1 - What is a romance? A romance is a story that predominately focuses on the growing relationship between the main characters, or MCs. It HAS TO END WITH EITHER A HEA - HAPPILY EVER AFTER OR HFN – HAPPY FOR NOW. Yes, I wrote that in all caps. Yes, I bolded it. If the characters aren’t together at the end because one of them dies or they decide to go off on separate paths or whatever, it isn’t a romance. It’s fiction with romantic elements. If you would like more official wording, the below descriptions are from the Romance Writers of America - the professional organization for the romance genre: A Central Love Story: The main plot centers around individuals falling in love and struggling to make the relationship work. A writer can include as many subplots as he/she wants as long as the love story is the main focus of the novel. An Emotionally Satisfying and Optimistic Ending: In a romance, the lovers who risk and struggle for each other and their relationship are rewarded with emotional justice and unconditional love. Readers purchase a romance because they want assurance that they are buying a love story with a happy ending. That’s not to say you can’t write a story that doesn’t have that happy ending. You can, but you will have some dissatisfied and possibly pissed off readers if you write that story and list it as romance. A romance reader isn’t looking for the bittersweet ending. They want the fluff and happiness. They’ll be confused if they go into a book expecting a happy ending and don’t get it. The HEA/HFN rule is important. Don't get special snowflake syndrome. You can't sidestep this rule because your story is amazing and you think readers will appreciate your new twist on the genre. If you’ve written a story where the characters do not end up together, that’s great and I’m sure it’s lovely. But please, market it correctly as fiction and not romance. Question 2 - What’s the difference between a HEA and a HFN? With a happily ever after, the couple is together for the long haul. They either get married or the writer makes it clear that there will be a wedding or commitment ceremony of some sort. With a happy for now, the couple (or throuple) is committed, but there may not be any talk of marriage. They are happy and monogamous. Question 3 - What’s the difference between erotic romance and erotica? Hey, you can make your characters super-duper nasty who boink on every damn page if you want. But if the story focuses on the sexual journey and it doesn’t end with a HEA or HFN it’s erotica. If the characters have lots of graphic sex but also an emotional story arc and are committed to each other at the end, it’s an erotic romance. Question 4 - How long should a book be? This one is a little trickier and there’s lots of wiggle room. And of course, it varies by genre. You wouldn’t expect a children’s book to have the same word count as an adult romance.
Question 5 - What’s the difference between a serial and a series? A book in a series has a complete ending. A real THE END. In romance, the lovers are together. There may or may not be a cliff hanger for other plot points. A serial is an ongoing story. The characters may not be in love and committed until the final book in the serial. Dear god in book heaven, please let your readers know if your story is a serial. I can grudgingly deal with a cliff hanger on non-major plot points, but starting a story only to realize I’ve gotta wait for and read multiple other books to get to the end of the main story? I will jump through my Nook to come after you if you swerve me like that. ![]() Question 6 – Can I write cheating in my romance novel? Oh, boy. Well, you can. *ducks barrage of flaming arrows from readers* But it’s not appreciated as a plot point. The general rule is that the MCs do not share intimacy with anyone else once they have met and established a connection with one another. I may have broken this rule in Bad Boys Need Love Too. But he’s a bad boy! He’s supposed to break the rules! *ducks another barrage of flaming arrows from readers* Romance readers DO NOT like cheating in their novels. It’s one of the few things they are unlikely to forgive a hero for, so think hard before you decide to write any kind of cheating scene. And be ready for those flaming arrows to come your way if you do. That's the romance novel in a nutshell! If you'd like to know more about what makes up a romance or how to write one, I recommend reading On Writing Romance by Leigh Michaels. It's a great how-to book for the genre. If you have any questions for me or blog post topic suggestions, please let me know in the comments. Next week I'll be back to talk about drafts and editing. Thanks for reading! Christa www.ChristaTomlinson.com Follow me around the internet! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads View my titles on Amazon To be a writer, you have to learn how to write. I’m not saying you have to go out and get an MFA – although that is a wonderful thing to have. But if you want to write stories for other eyes to read and enjoy, you must learn the craft of writing. Now, I’m not an expert. But I have learned a few things that I’m happy to share with you. So, here’s my top ten list of things you can do to become a writer. 1) Read. Read everything. Read both in your genre and outside of it. Above all, this will help you to internalize the methods of telling a story. Reading in your genre will help you to understand the expectations of that genre and to discover what you do and do not like. It will not mean that you copy other writers’ work. Your first attempts might be heavily influenced, but as you learn and grow, you’ll develop your own voice. Reading outside your genre is important as well. Think of the athlete who does cross training to improve their overall fitness. The same is true for writers. Cross train in your reading so you can build up your writing muscles. For example, if you write science fiction, reading romance can help you understand how to develop a love story arc for your characters. 2) Read. Read craft books. Many people are natural storytellers. But if you want to go to the next level and are considering writing for publication, you’ll need to learn the mechanics of telling a story. You’ll learn pacing so you don’t bog down your first pages with a giant information dump, have a soggy meandering middle and then a hectic end. You’ll learn how to create characters as people, rather than cardboard cut outs of people. You’ll learn conflict and setting and so much more. 3) Pay attention to various forms of storytelling. When you’re watching a movie, take note of the little things. Did they make a point of showing a character’s red sweater tossed in the back seat of a car? If so, that sweater might mean something later on. This is foreshadowing and is a great device to use in writing. You should also go and see a play. It’s one of the best ways to see the three-act structure of storytelling (set up, confrontation, resolution) in action. 4) Pay attention to the world around you. This is a great way to come up with story ideas, settings and characters. For example, you don’t want all your characters to sound the same on the page, so listen to the way people talk. You’ll develop an ear for different rhythms and vocabularies and can use that to give your characters a unique voice.
6) Finish what you start. This is a tough one! It’s common for a writer to start a story with lots of enthusiasm and then get bored with it half-way through. Once that happens, it’s easy to be tempted away by the shiny allure of a new plot idea. But don’t do it! You’ll never complete a book if you jump from story to story. To avoid this, have a designated area where you can write down future story ideas so you don’t forget them. Do a quick free write of whatever plot bunnies are bouncing around in your head, then put it away and get back to your Work In Progress. This is important. You must finish a story. Otherwise you’ll end up with multiple half-finished WIPs and you’ll never have anything completed to share with the world. 7) Put your writing out there. Put it on Watt Pad, publish fanfiction on Fan Ficton.net or Archive of our Own, write your book in a series of blog posts on Tumblr or your personal blog, upload it to Goodreads. Do whatever you can to get your writing in front of readers’ eyes. You’ll have fun sharing your stories, gain confidence, build an audience of readers, and get feedback from people besides your mom. 8) Learn to accept criticism. It’s wonderful hearing someone loves your story. It’s awful hearing someone didn’t like your story. But you have to listen and learn so you can improve from that criticism. It’s the only way you’ll grow as a writer. For example, if someone tells you a plot point doesn’t make sense, don’t just get offended and blow them off. Yes, your feelings will be hurt. But take a look at that plot point and see if there is any merit to what the reader is saying. Maybe something was so clear in your head that you failed to realize it didn’t make it to the page for the reader to see. Or maybe you forgot to establish something early on in the story that would help a future plot point seem plausible to the reader. Basically, keep an open mind for opportunities to improve your craft. 9) Connect with other writers. This is helpful for many reasons. It’ll give you someone to help pep you up during writing slumps. You can make writing dates, whether in real life or online, to do writing sprints. They can serve as critique partners and they can share their knowledge. There are lots of benefits for connecting with other writers, these are just some of the biggies. You can find other writers by joining writing organizations. I just rejoined Romance Writers of America, as well as a few special interest chapters, and I’m looking forward to interacting with members. You can also follow the #writers, #writing, and #amwriting hashtags on any form of social media and find someone to connect with. And of course, you can chat with me. I think I'm pretty nice. 10) Be sensitive, diverse and fearless. When writing, take one finger off the keyboard and put it on the pulse of society. Keep the world in mind when creating your stories and characters. Your words have meaning and power so use them responsibly. Also, write diverse characters. Write women, men, GLBT, minorities, the disabled. Write everybody! Yes, you might need to do a little research to write someone who is different than you, but that’s okay. Research is fun. And last, be fearless. Tell the stories of your heart and never let fear stop you. Good luck and happy writing. I'll be back with more posts on the writing process. If you have any questions, let me know in the comments. I'll be happy to answer and it might be something I can add to my lists of topics to cover.
Thanks for reading! Christa www.ChristaTomlinson.com Follow me around the internet! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads View my titles on Amazon I have a type. A type that my eye immediately goes to and my heart always gets involved with. But I’m not talking about real life people, I’m talking about characters. My favorite character type is the tortured, dark-haired pretty boy. I love those guys. They make me want to wrap them up in a warm blanket hug and feed them cookies until they smile. So who are some of my favorites? ![]() Number one has to be Sergeant Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier. The poor man doesn’t even have control of his own mind! And all he wants is to be with his boyfriend – I mean errr… pal, Captain America, Steve Rogers. He's so emotionally wounded. He gets all the heart eyes from me. Another favorite is CM Punk. He just wanted to show the wrestling world what he could do, but he was held down by the evil corporate bosses of WWE. How unfair!
With these tortured dark-haired types as my favorite characters to watch, it was only natural that I would write my own dark haired pretty boy to pull on my heart strings. Officer Clay Foster from The Sergeant was inspired by that archetype. I’d say of the characters I’ve written so far, he’s my favorite. He was so angsty in book one and now in book two, I’m torturing him even more. Bad me! But I can’t help it. And it’s okay, because of course he has Logan there to give him that blanket hug and cookies.
Of course I don't only write or pay attention to this type of character. But archetypes are important in fiction. They help readers to connect with a character, giving them someone to identify with. And of course readers don't always have the same favorites. It's what motivated the whole Team Jacob vs Team Edward era, everyone has a preference. (Oddly enough, I was Team Jacob there) Reading a book with a character who falls into your preferred type is what makes you fall in love with that hero. I always enjoy listening to fans explain why a character from a book, movie or TV show is their favorite. We're all so different and that's what makes it fun. So what are your favorite character types to read and/or write? Are you on Team Dark and Brooding with me? Or do you like the sunshiney charismatic types? Or maybe you prefer the shy, quiet nerd boys. Let me know! I’d love to see everyone’s favorites. Thanks for reading! Christa www.ChristaTomlinson.com Like my Facebook Author Page Christa Tomlinson Follow me on Twitter @ShockZ314 Originally posted on the Cafe Risque Blog ![]() I’ve reached the point in my manuscript where I’m ready to share with everyone what I’m working on. I’m writing the sequel to The Sergeant! Logan and Clay are two of my favorite characters and I feel like they have a little more to say in their lives. So I’m giving them a second book. It’s nice to work with them again. I know them so well that their story and dialogue flow very easily for me. That’s a huge bonus when writing! But – because of course there’s a but – it also hurts to write this story. As much as I would love to, I can’t write 80,000 words of happy-happy fun time for Logan and Clay. Which means my boys are going to have to have more drama in their lives. Nooooo! But I know they’ll work it out somehow. My goal is to have the conclusion to their story out in mid to late January. I’ll have a more specific date next month. ![]() In the meantime, you’re welcome to check out the start to Logan and Clay’s relationship in The Sergeant. Or, if you’ve already read The Sergeant, you can stop by my site and read a couple of sexy-sweet one-shots I wrote for Logan and Clay HERE. Just scroll to the bottom of the page. Thanks for reading! Christa Originally posted on CafeRisque.com ![]() Today I want to talk about People of Color characters. Why? Because there was a big to-do this week about a YA book that appears to paint POC characters in an unflattering light. (I say appears because I haven’t read the book. But going by the blurb, I can understand why people aren’t loving the story’s premise.) I’m not going to talk about the specifics of that book or the arguments taking place around it. It’s not in the genre I write and there are already multiple posts and tweet threads on the topic. What I do want to talk about is writing POC characters in general. There are two issues here. Some writers don’t want / are afraid to write a POC character because they aren’t sure they will do it right. And then there are writers who write POC characters without considering that their portrayal might be offensive or hurtful to a member of that race or ethnicity. This post is to help with both of those issues. I don’t want anyone to avoid writing an amazing story featuring a gorgeous POC MC. I want to see those men! First and foremost, please don’t use stereotypes, especially those that are harmful. For example, if you’re writing Black or Hispanic MCs, think long and hard before you make him a prisoner or a gangster. If you’re writing a Black woman, she doesn’t have to be loud and sassy, or worse, angry. If you’re writing an Asian man, he doesn’t have to be a submissive bottom who is really good at math. Your readers don’t want to open your book and see the most negative thing about their cultural group when they just read ten other books that also mentioned that exact same negative thing. It hurts. It makes us tired. And it makes us decide not to give you any more of our book budget. Think outside those stereotypical boxes. How do you do this? WRITE POC CHARACTERS LIKE ANY OTHER CHARACTER. I read and enjoyed Morticia Knight’s Building Bonds. She mentions that he’s an attractive Black man who is a Dom. She doesn’t really get too much into any other details. And that’s a-ok. Seriously. Just think of it as describing what hair or eye color a non-POC character would have. He doesn’t need to have a dozen other identifiers to drive the point home that he’s Black or Southeast Asian or Hispanic. When I’m writing a book and my characters are white I don’t think of stereotypes like he must like country music, watch NASCAR and eat green bean casserole. I think of what makes that character who he is. Do the same thing when writing someone who is Asian or Middle Eastern or Canadian First Nations. Now, if you do want to write a story that delves into the culture of a specific group DO YOUR RESEARCH. If you were writing a story where Greek gods found themselves living as pioneers on the old Western frontier, what would you do? You’d research the Greek pantheon of gods, look up what it was like to live in the old West, and then you’d write your story. Do the same thing when writing a story featuring minority characters. And just like you wouldn’t throw every fact you read about Greek gods and the old West in your story without determining why you’re using that fact, do the same thing when writing cultures besides your own. For example, yes it’s true, many Black women don’t like when people touch our hair. But unless there’s a reason for making that point that is integral to the story, leave it out. Don’t write POC characters who are cardboard cutout representatives. Cardboard characters are always boring. And oh god, the dialogue in stories featuring minorities, especially urban minorities. Two things come to mind here. There was a book that made a brew-ha-ha last year because the author had the characters speaking in some hilariously strange and overly complicated version of Ebonics. No. Just no. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to read an accent throughout an entire book. If I were to read a Highland romance where everything the MC said was written in dialect I would toss that sucker in the trash. That’s too much for the brain to decipher without losing the flow of the story. Just give me a couple of lasses, drop the occasional ‘G’ at the end of a word and move on. If you’re writing an urban MC, mention that he has an accent. Maybe even toss in a slang word or two. That’s all that’s necessary to get the point across. You might also consider if your POC character even needs to use slang. If you’re writing an older Hispanic man who is a school teacher, he may not have slang words in his vocabulary. Again, think about what makes that character who he is, instead of going for that cookie cutter stereotype. But if you’re going to use slang, for the love of mocking reviews, please make sure you’re getting the spelling and usage correct. Last week, a journalist wrote coat-switching instead of code-switching* and I laughed so hard at the tweets about his goof that I had tears in my eyes. So ask. Start with Google. Hell, you can even try Urban Dictionary. Ask a friend. If they say no, they don’t want to help you, don’t get mad. Maybe they don’t know a lot of slang (I admit that I don’t) or they just don’t want to be “the ethnic girl that always has to explain ethnic culture to everyone” and that’s okay. Ask someone else. Post in the MM Romance Writers Group for help. I’m sure someone there will be able to answer your questions, or point you to someone who can. You can even reach out to me for African American culture information if you’d like. And then when you’ve got that beautiful book with your beautiful POC MCs ready to go, pass it off to a beta reader or two who is a member of whatever group you wrote about. Ask them for honest feedback and LISTEN to that feedback. If they tell you a plot point or description made them uncomfortable, really consider if it’s something you might want to delete or rewrite. Don’t just perch on that “it’s my story and I have to tell the story within me” high horse. Is it worth alienating a group of readers for writing a Black man who has kids he doesn’t support? If you want to die on that stereotype hill and get dragged on Twitter, go ahead. But if you want to write a story featuring characters that multiple groups can love and make their book boyfriends, take that feedback into consideration. The goal of this post isn’t to make anyone feel bad for anything they may have already written or deter a writer from creating a POC character. Far from it. Some people may think non-POC can’t write POC characters, but I’m not one of them. I think we need to have more minority characters. And yes, I do believe they can be written by authors who aren’t minorities. Because let’s be honest, the majority of m/m romance authors are women. So that means we had to do research to write about gay men and make sure we’re presenting their stories with compassionate consideration, yeah? That’s all us ethnic/POC/minority readers are asking for, a little bit of consideration. If you're looking for m/m stories with POC characters, check out my Bad Boys Need Love Too Series! *My own non-dictionary approved definition of code-switching: When a speaker switches back and forth between language dialects. In this instance, switching between what we think of as proper American English and African American Vernacular English. Thanks for reading! Love, Christa Visit my website: www.ChristaTomlinson.com Follow me around the internet! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, BookBub View my titles on Amazon Sign up for my Newsletter Book IV of the Cuffs, Collars and Love series is now available. Amazon - Amazon UK - Barnes&Noble - Kobo - iBooks |
Christa's Blog
My rambling and not at all edited thoughts on romance novels, writing, and pop culture. Tags
All
|