I love to read romantic comedies or cheer on the love side plots in a novel, but I learned while trying to write my sequel (still working on this one) that I stink at actually writing any type of romance that goes deeper than shallow hints of interest.
Lucky for me, my critique partners had 2 great craft books for me to check out.
Romancing the Beat:
Have you ever picked up a craft book that was so thick (and repetitive) that you weren’t sure if you’d ever finish? Romancing the Beat is the perfect cure.
It’s short and to the point, and chock full of useful, practical advice. If you’re new to romance or need some more training (like me) this is an easy find and read that I’d recommend.
The Kdrama Cure:
I’d love to say that there’s only romance arc I attempted and failed buuuut that would be a lie. In fact, I’ve tried several times to no avail and of course one of those was a kdrama-esque one, so my lovely writing friends suggested this one.
If you’re like me and you love the pacing and the tropes of the kdrama world, this one is totally for you.
It’s slightly thicker than my first suggestion, but not by much and there’s so much good information in there.
The thing about writing is that there are so many stories to tell and it’s completely okay if you don’t have all the skills you need to tell a particular story just yet. Learn your weaknesses and dive into a craft book, then try again because who knows?
You might just tell your best story yet.
4 comments:
Showing my age, but what is kdrama?
Great question! A kdrama is a Korean Drama. It's a really interesting genre with it's own pacing and trope rules.
I was going to ask the same question as Nancy. That's very interesting. I'll have to check it out.
Had to laugh cause I thought I was the only one who had never heard the term, kdrama. Thanks for the explanation and the tips on the craft books. When I first started writing romance, the romantic scenes (not even spicy) sounded like a second grader inserted his storytelling on the page. I think the more you write and read good stories, the more comfortable you will become. Best wishes on your next writing projects!
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