Announcements

[LauraMae]

Yeah, Darcy's kinda stuck up and a bit distant at times, not as lusty as Rochester :P

I've always found older Romance stories are better tbh, I Slightly Dislike chick lit and fluff with a passion. All my friends have read Jackie Collins and other similar stuff where the main characters are called silly things like Paradise Jackson and Lilac Serene, and have these ridiculously perfect lives :blink: and are clones of Bella Swann from the dreaded Twilight. Yuk.

[LiVenture17]

I know - the classics are so much more mature, and (bringing Rochester back into the picture) those authors weren't afraid to make characters unattractive or even downright Grotesque (I mean, both Rochester and Jane were anything but movie star quality, and that was what made them so wonderful as opposed to both their "fiancees" who were beautiful). Chick lit and fluff are rather difficult to cram down, and since that is what is popular today, that is why I did not pick Romance up there on the poll thingy XD

[LauraMae]

But Rochester in the BBC version of Jane Eyre (recent one) is gorgeous! :)

The novel I'm currently planning is a romance, lots of drama etc. My main male character isn't attractive in a traditional sense. He's got scars, and is almost 20 years older than my FMC. Yeah. But it's love, so who cares.

What did you choose on the poll then?

[LiVenture17]

lol I want to read it! A word of advice: Be sure to make your readers care about your characters before your characters care about each other - otherwise there will be no personal investment for the readers. They will not feel the need for these characters to get together. The only reason we love the relationship in Jane Eyre so much is because we related to the characters' trials before they related to each other's.

Anyway, I picked sci-fi but only because there wasn't a fantasy genre and it was closest. XP

[LauraMae]

Yeah I know it's gonna be emotional lol. I'm not just going to put them together anyway, they'll naturally develop into a relationship because of other characters and stuff like that.

You know, I really wish I could read fantasy but I just can't. This is probably going to sound stereotypical, but I Slightly Dislike reading the same stuff in a book. Like a lot of fantasy stories have all the same elements, like elves and dwarves and evil overlords and noble families etc. or variations of the typical fantasy. I need to find a book that has stuff like this but it doesn't appear to me be like that, if that makes sense.

[LiVenture17]

Laura, you are completely correct in your beliefs. It is exactly the same: elves and dwarves and evil overlords. That is EXACTLY what I fight against as a fantasy writer. I detest the way fantasy has reached such a stereotypical level. Ever since Lord of the Rings in 1950, people have merely copied and never come up with anything new. My goal is to be a publisher of adult fantasy novels and to bring fresh blood to the genre that is currently languishing. (whoops, I'm ranting lol sorry about that). But anyway, I would advise you to definitely steer clear of any books that have dragons or princesses or wizards on the covers - they are pure poison to the genre. But don't give up on fantasy altogether - try browsing the sci-fi section of your library and picking out books that (apart from the label on the spine that says sci-fi/fantasy seem to have nothing to do with fantasy whatsoever). The Jim Butcher books (or what I've read of them) are rather good; urban fantasy is definitely an outlet.

[LauraMae]

Yeah same I wish I could write fantasy, because my imagination is permanently hyper-active with all these fantasy ideas, but I need to read more fantasy. I want to be able to write a story with all that stuff, but for it to not be cliché or anything. It's gonna be difficult. I'll definitely look up about Jim Butcher though, thanks for the tip :)

[LiVenture17]

No prob :) Actually, it might be better if you attempted at least a first draft of that fantasy of yours BEFORE getting into other peoples' versions of fantasy - that way you could completely steer clear of any stereotypes.