Romance With A Twist
And no, I don’t mean anything…particularly twisty. I mean adding something different, something you, to the books that you write!
In a genre with some pretty standard conventions, that can seem like an impossible task. But the Harlequin editors have been talking a lot lately about wanting new writers who can take their popular themes and give them a nice little twist. Because, and this is what my editor said to me, when they sign a new author they want someone who can push the line forward. They don’t want to put out the same old books with new names on the cover.
If you’re aiming for category, or even just a specified genre, you know that there are guidelines that apply. The RWA defines books that fit into the romance genre have the relationship at the center. It’s about two individuals falling in love and struggling to make the relationship work. It also has to have an ’emotionally satisfying, optimistic ending.’ So there you are!
So we know there are guidelines, in the genre as a whole, and in each category, if that’s where you’re aiming vs. single title.
But a twist? That still stays within the guidelines?? I confess, this confused me at first. I confess it still does a little bit. But I’m starting to get a little bit of a grip on what that means.
1. Write with your own voice. Don’t try to be someone else. Don’t worry if you don’t ‘sound’ like someone else. Obviously, your voice needs to fit the line you’re aiming at, but you still need to sound like…you.
2. It’s all been done…but find a new way to do it. There are a lot of common themes in romance. I’ll use Presents themes as an example: Marriage of Convenience, Secret Babies, Mistresses, Blackmail…these are themes that fit in the line because they resonate with the readers.
But there are ways to put a new twist on an old theme. And I’ll attempt to give some kind of specific example (if it sucks it’s because I’m not giving out any of my GOOD ideas…LOL) Ok, Mistress/Blackmail…what if the heroine offers to be the hero’s mistress. Rather than him suggesting it. He finds it morally repulsive on his and her part, but he’s far too in lust with her to turn her down…
See what I’m saying? Common elements with a different execution.
3. Build unique, engaging characters. Which we’ve talked about in character development. Again, there may be some common traits when keeping to category guidelines, but your characters still need to be their own unique people. Which means don’t fall back into conventions (which we know I’ve struggled with as far as heroines go!).
Put your own stamp on your characters too. Maybe your heroine is stronger than the typical Presents heroine, or more quick-witted, or maybe she tends to be wealthy, coming from a more equal financial playing field. Don’t shy away from it just because it’s not typically done. You may be offering them something they aren’t seeing often, and they may want to buy you for the different things you offer! It will make you the writer they HAVE to add, because no one else is coming to the table with what you have. And ultimately, that’s what you want.
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Ah, the elusive twist. I think this is akin to other phrase which is ‘pushing the boundaries’. Yes, the difficulty is pushing the boundaries or twisting, and yet not going too far. And in fact, I reckon the twist doesn’t even need to be that drastic, just make it a little different. Not that I know. Still waiting on my editor decoder ring after all. 😉
No, you’re right, Jackie. It doesn’t have to be drastic. It’s not a reinvention of the wheel or anything…just tying ribbons to the spokes to give it your own signature. 😀 I think if you do it right the reader won’t even really be going ‘oooooh, nice twist!’ but they’ll just be hooked into the story. I mean, maybe they’ll say ‘oooh, pushing the boundaries!’ but mostly I just think they’ll enjoy the story.
The reality is that there is no such thing as the ‘typical’ Presents heroine – or hero. There are as many different types of heroes/heroines as there are authors to write them and the individual books in which those authors write. In fact that’s the point with everything about writing for Presents – or for any romance line. If you think in terms of telling a ‘typical’ Presents/Romance/whatever story then your story will probably end up reading like so many other novels before it. But if you know your characters – tell your hero and heroine’s story as it is *for them* and not as you think a Presents/Romance/whatever editor will want you to write it then you’ll be more likely to have that essential spark they are looking for.
To quote the advice the editors and authors have been giving for years (certainly all the 25 years that I’ve been published):
There are no rules.
It’s all in the execution.
It’s very hard – just about impossible to be truly original in writing a romance plot but we can be truly authentic – ie write our story our way and that will bring a freshness to the plot we’re telling
Kate
I love a good twist! The twist in my new wip scares the heck out of me, and I know it’ll scare the heck out of the hero too, but someone has to step up and this time I’m determined it won’t be him riding to the rescue (although he does more than his fair share). Besides, my heroine’s just the kick ass kinda gal to do it! As to whether the editors will like it…it’s in the lap of the gods, I guess!
Kate, that’s so very true. You can’t be totally original, but you can be authentic, and you, and not try to parrot authors who came before you.
Maya, I was chatting with my editor this morning and she said, on the subject of pushing boundaries, if you can do it and keep the promises of the line, go for it.
Maisey,
You are so right — again. It’s hard to stick to your own voice, though, it you’re unsure of it. That’s what I’ve been fighting.
Abbi
twists are nice but what I love is that you could have ten people write the same basic story and it’d be different everytime because we’d all put our own spin on it. You’ve got to love when a twist, even a little one, unexpectedly writes itself in though.
Robyn
Very true, Robyn! And by twist, I think what I really mean is not being afraid to put your own spin on it, because we should come up with different stories, even if they had a similar premise, because everyone needs to embrace their unique voice, and their unique way of doing things.