Like the mouthwatering smorgasbord available at a great salad bar, the components of published romances abound. Strong characterization and an event-filled plot are the basic ingredients, but what about everything else? How do we select other trappings to round out the story?
Each container of tempting offerings at the genre bar is chock full of great ideas. Werewolves and vampires are in high demand. Regencies and inspirationals get a lot of interest too. What about that bucket of sexy cowboys on the genre bar? Hard to pass that one by with just a lingering glance.
Sensuality comes in a wide variety too. There’s everything from romances with chaste kisses to singe-your-fingers-on-the-pages books. Making a choice here is more than a matter of personal taste. It varies by the realm of possibilities for your character and what is expected in today’s market.
And there’s the whole temptation of time. What time period do we go with? Something contemporary? Something based in the past or made up for the future? Maybe we start here and go there or vice versa. Decisions, decisions.
It would be so easy to dump a little of everything onto our empty genre plate, but then what would we have? A jumbled mess. Unless we are skilled enough to have one element predominate, no one will pick through the clutter to tell what we’ve written.
Aha! A key point to consider at the genre bar – the book type should be definable. It should fit in a known market slot, such as romantic suspense, western, paranormal, historical, inspirational, erotic, woman’s fiction, etc. Editors and agents look for books to fill publication slots; therefore, conforming to market standards can increase the likelihood of a book contract.
Happily-ever-afters are a given at the fully-loaded genre bar, but what about for you? Are you writing the best book you possibly can to create your own HEA? Fall in love with your characters and outfit them with the trappings of an established genre. Or if you’re a seasoned pro, experiment a little with the blend.
What are you waiting for? Sidle on up to the genre bar and create a page-turning work of art.
Maggie Toussaint writes in three genres, and she’s a member of Washington Romance Writers. Her romantic suspense, House of Lies, recently won the National Readers’ Choice Awards Best Romantic Suspense 2007. Read more about Maggie, her books, and her other articles on writing at http://www.maggietoussaint.com.
