http://stephaniedraven.com Modern Mythology with a Sexy Edge Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:51:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 http://stephaniedraven.com/2010/03/15/three-ways-to-create-intimacy-in-romantic-fiction/ http://stephaniedraven.com/2010/03/15/three-ways-to-create-intimacy-in-romantic-fiction/#comments Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:52:58 +0000 Stephanie Draven http://stephaniedraven.com/?p=1463 As a romance writer there are two crucial questions I must answer for every book I write. The first is: Why do these two people fall in love. The second is: How do these two people achieve intimacy? Now, sure, sex creates intimacy, but it should also be the culmination of intimate encounters. When it comes to structuring a romance novel, I like to think of intimacy as a progression--a series of gestures or tender moments that lead, inexorably, to a deep and abiding relationship between my hero and my heroine. We all know the expected tropes. The hero saves the heroine from certain doom. The heroine is that one plucky gal who tells the hero where to go, and he loves her for it. Thousands of writers have used these techniques to create intimacy, and done so effectively. But what about trying something different? Last night I was watching a film entitled Lie With Me. I'm not usually a big fan of independent art films--I gather that I'm just not smart enough to enjoy them--and there were many things about the film that annoyed or scandalized me. However, I was absolutely dumbstruck by the inciting incident between the hero and the heroine of the movie...]]> http://stephaniedraven.com/2010/03/15/three-ways-to-create-intimacy-in-romantic-fiction/feed/ 3 http://stephaniedraven.com/2010/01/22/piss-someone-off/ http://stephaniedraven.com/2010/01/22/piss-someone-off/#comments Fri, 22 Jan 2010 05:52:59 +0000 Stephanie Draven http://stephaniedraven.com/?p=1294 If you're looking for a way to write a story that doesn't step on toes, just pick up your toys and go home. You're trying to play dead on paper. It can't be done, you won't do it, and if you try you'll end up writing meaningless drivel. If you are a writer, you give conflict a voice. If you fear conflict, you can't be a writer---fiction is the art of pushing creative conflict to meaningful resolution through the actions of compelling characters in exciting places. If you're a writer, you're giving a voice to the people who have struggled all their lives to give words to the same thoughts you think. Her advice, though more lengthy than I can or should reproduce here, boiled down to: To be a good writer, it's important to piss someone off. It was sort of shocking advice for me. Given that I'm opinionated and argumentative, you'd think I would enjoy conflict more. But I don't. It's one of the reasons I left the legal profession. I could never find a way to leave any argument at work--it always followed me home and festered. Conflict stresses me out because I get a little too passionate about everything. I prefer to be unstressed, and I also like to get along with people. Hence, a career change. I never think of myself as a provocateur, but given my recent reflections on why I write dark fiction, maybe I am. And I guess Holly Lisle would probably think that's a good thing. Holly gives out a lot of good advice, so you might want to check her out.]]> http://stephaniedraven.com/2010/01/22/piss-someone-off/feed/ 0