Todays post is kindly provided by Heather Tyler.
Its easy to rubbish romance fiction. I did it. I dont read it and have occasionally compared its literary'merit to shopping dockets. But 18 months ago I'covered the'the annual Romance Writers of Australia (RWA) conference in Sydney,''as a curious journalist, and at the end I had ripped up my shopping docket insults. The 230 delegates were having a good-natured bonding session and attending multiple workshops on how to improve their writing. Writing romance is a really serious business.
The romance writers might be competitors, but the market is so large, theres room for everyone. According to the American Bookseller Association its a multi-billion industry worldwide that comprises about 54 per cent of all adult popular paperback fiction sold in the US. Almost every major publisher has a romance title section.
One of the most popular workshops was given by American romance lit queen Debra Dixon. She says she can teach aspiring writers in one day how to write a romance novel. Her formula understanding the characters goals, motivation and conflict (GMC) is her mantra.
If your hero has everything he or she wants and just wants more, no-one will want to read your book, Dixon says.
Readers of mass market fiction want characters who are flawed, who will make mistakes, but will ultimately achieve their goals. Our business is about happy endings.
Australian writers are published in 120 countries in 26 languages. RWA spokeswoman Carla Molino says: Our heroines are feisty, independent, empowered women and thats attractive to women readers in any country. It may strike a nerve with women in conservative countries. The days of submissive women helpless at the hands of any man, are long gone.
About the author:'Heather Tyler is an editor, author and journalist who also runs'http://TasteforTravel.com.au', a travel website with a books section good reads for armchair travellers and books to take on holiday. She wonders whether she should list more romantic novels, because thats the type of thing people like to read while on vacation. Shes open to suggestions.'info@tastefortravel.com.au
Thanks Stephanie. The illustration of Scottie McMullet is a scream.
My pleasure, Heather! Thanks for the wonderful post. (And re: Scottie McMullet, I spent a long time on Google trying to find a pic with that certain special something ;) )
I love me some romance. I was at the Sydney conference that year (and the Melbourne one last year) and am constantly impressed and delighted by how great the Aussie authors are.
And Stephanie, thank you for the pic of Scottie McMullet! That right there is pure magic.
Im definitely tempted to head along to the next one, Ebony. I went to a women crime writers convention last year and came away similarly impresse. Though Im not a huge fan of the genre itself, I was blown away by how thoughtful, intelligent and dedicated the authors and their fans were. It was a brilliant convention.
Ah, Scottie McMullet. Hes ousted Dyer Straights as my favourite romance hero character, I have to say