The "heaving" question...

glyka · Jan 11, 2012

Having sent my MS and partials to some agents, plus a busload of queries for my mystery novel, I'm now in the waiting phase.

Waiting doesn't sit very well with me, so I've set myself a challenge: write a romance novel, if possible in under two weeks. Started yesterday and written approx. 10k, so it is going pretty well. I'm rather enjoying it actually, but I have a problem with the "heaving" part: I'm always afraid my MC will seem ridiculous.

Anyone have any ideas how to deal with this (obviously Freudian) problem?

Tks!

Irysangel · Jan 11, 2012

What do you mean, heaving?

veinglory · Jan 11, 2012

Ditto that. Who is heaving what? Is that a euphemism?

glyka · Jan 11, 2012

Heaving bosoms! And other physical manifestations which I'm not sure I can mention in this thread...

glyka · Jan 11, 2012

Ahem..."throbbing" and "chiseled", also. Can I dispense with them or are they prerequisites?

Karen Junker · Jan 11, 2012

I have read entire romance novels that failed to use any of the terms you mention.

glyka · Jan 11, 2012

Karen Junker said:
I have read entire romance novels that failed to use any of the terms you mention.

I find that extremely reassuring! Thank you!

toogrey2 · Jan 11, 2012

The best advice I got about writing sex scenes is READ other romance, erotica novels. See how other authors handle the scenes. Then write and edit and edit again. Then find a naughty friend to see if it turns them on. What I have found is making a scene work is all about the foreplay not necessarily the act itself.

Also, you need to be comfortable with the language, if your sqweamish then your scene will sound fake.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

veinglory · Jan 11, 2012

I ma not sure of you are asking of you have to use silly words (of course not), or just don't know how to write romantic and/or sexual feelings. Because the latter should have come up earlier than 10,000 words for most genre romance. If you meaning writing actual sex acts, there is a sticky thread on that. But, basically it is people doing stuff and thinking stuff and feeling stuff, like any other scene in the book.

TamaraLynne · Jan 11, 2012

I don't read many romance novels but if I was to write one I would remain true to my real body reactions...like if I was to be near someone I liked ..the heaving would be not being able to breath...holding ones breath...

I tended to make just one eye contact...after that if I was attracted I pretty much avoided eye contact after that. It was very hard to breath and who I considered myself would go out the window...I was a stranger even to myself and if that person(the one I was attracted to ) was to come any where near me and accidentally touched me...it drove my senses wild...but yeh...if I was attracted I waited...and waited while being nice...waited and it was excruciating ...

but yeh...I would not write it as clumsy like as above but I would take my euphoric senses and spice em up a bit.If I was to write romance.

but romance isn't just about the euphoric senses

just expounding on the heaving part..

TamaraLynne · Jan 11, 2012

that did not sound right

Alessandra Kelley · Jan 11, 2012

Irysangel said:
What do you mean, heaving?

Thank you. I was sooo afraid to ask ...

MeretSeger · Jan 11, 2012

TamaraLynne said:
that did not sound right

At least now I have a new euphemism! 'Expounding' always did sound naughty, anyway.

Filigree · Jan 11, 2012

'Expounding': sex *and* rhetoric. I love AW for moments like this.

For Glyka: I'm new to writing romance, too. And I was so relieved when I read some newer romances last year, and realized the soggy 80's tropes were long gone. Some seriously great writing out there, and very inspirational. Along with the sex.

Happy writing!

girlyswot · Jan 11, 2012

You can't write it if you don't read it. Read some and you'll know the answer to this question.

glyka · Jan 12, 2012

Thanks everyone! Your answers have been both educational and entertaining! I have to admit my romance novel reading history has been...episodic! I used to enjoy Barbara Cartland (eons ago) and loved Georgette Heyers. And then I tried the "new" romance in the 80s and Filigree is right...it was absolute...***.
I've begun writing this as a writing exercise, but if I don't try to keep to the rules of the genre there is no point. So you guys are right, I think I have to read a couple of them while I'm writing!
Tks for your answers!

Becky Black · Jan 12, 2012

You've got to read some recently written Romances if you want to have any success at writing them. Nothing dates as rapidly as Romance, because it reflects the lives and expectations of women - something that's constantly changing. Women are different than they were twenty, even ten years ago, and Romance will reflect that more than any other genre I think.

I have to ask, are you someone who thinks "hey, Romances, they're a piece of cake to write. I'll knock one off this weekend! Use the formula, slap in a few heavings bosoms and they'll buy it in droves!"? It's just, many people do think that. They're usually people who haven't read a romance book for about twenty-five years and assume they are still exactly the same. You're kind of coming across that way.

glyka · Jan 12, 2012

Becky Black said:
You've got to read some recently written Romances if you want to have any success at writing them. Nothing dates as rapidly as Romance, because it reflects the lives and expectations of women - something that's constantly changing. Women are different than they were twenty, even ten years ago, and Romance will reflect that more than any other genre I think.

I have to ask, are you someone who thinks "hey, Romances, they're a piece of cake to write. I'll knock one off this weekend! Use the formula, slap in a few heavings bosoms and they'll buy it in droves!"? It's just, many people do think that. They're usually people who haven't read a romance book for about twenty-five years and assume they are still exactly the same. You're kind of coming across that way.

Guilty as charged! I haven't read a romance book for a long time: in fact, I'm thinking of digging out some Heyers, she was such an excellent writer! I would like to read some more recent ones though, but the last time I tried I found it very frustrating. I looked today at some titles and excerpts on the Mills and Boons site and I still find them formulaic, badly written and stereotyped. Is there maybe another publisher I should be looking at ?

VoireyLinger · Jan 12, 2012

If you're getting a feel for the current market, I suggest trying several publishers and authors. Try a variety of authors and subgenres and take a hard look at books released in the last year and authors who are relatively new on the scene (about 5 years published).

If you want to write and sell in today's market, you really need to have a feel for what publishers and buying. Don't neglect your reading research.

aliceshortcake · Jan 12, 2012

Glyka, this site is an invaluable source of information about the current crop of romance novels:

http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/

It's also hysterically funny!

Stacia Kane · Jan 12, 2012

glyka said:
Guilty as charged! I haven't read a romance book for a long time: in fact, I'm thinking of digging out some Heyers, she was such an excellent writer! I would like to read some more recent ones though, but the last time I tried I found it very frustrating. I looked today at some titles and excerpts on the Mills and Boons site and I still find them formulaic, badly written and stereotyped. Is there maybe another publisher I should be looking at ?

If you don't like them, why are you trying to write one?

And if it's just because you think it's "easy," you're essentially insulting every person in this forum (aside from being very wrong).

You're welcome here, and we're very happy to help you, but please remember where you are; you're in a subforum specifically devoted to writing romance, and I assure you the writers here do not find them to be silly or easy.

You're asking for their help. It might be nice to be respectful of what they do.

/mod hat

Filigree · Jan 12, 2012

What Stacia said, Glyka. No writing is 'easy'. Some genres are more enjoyable to write than others, but each writer has their core obsessions and interests. Find yours and play. If romance is really your thing, you'll figure it out quickly.

Irysangel · Jan 12, 2012

It sounds like you like Heyer and Cartland, both of which are waaay out of date with today's market, but write very clean. My suggestions - Carla Kelly's regency romances are published by Harlequin Historicals. It is a category line and hers are on the clean side. You might also look at inspirational romances if you do not mind a Christian message.

If you don't like the sex in the romance, there are a lot of authors that write cleaner books - Addison Fox writes clean paranormals and contemporary romance, for example. Kristan Higgins writes very clean, very funny contemporary romance. Lynn Kurland writes very emotional medieval time travel romances with no sex.

You have to ask specifics about what you are looking for. The romance genre is more than just Harlequin, and the range is from sweet to extremely graphic.

Also, just so you know, references to 'heaving' and 'throbbing' are very dated and generally offensive to the romance community, because they show a lack of knowledge about the genre and hint at mockery.

But good luck! Come back with specifics as to what kind of stories you are looking for and we can probably help more. You mentioned Heyer and Cartland - are you looking to write Regencies then (there are many, MANY subgenres of romance).

Bubastes · Jan 12, 2012

Stacia Kane said:
You're welcome here, and we're very happy to help you, but please remember where you are; you're in a subforum specifically devoted to writing romance, and I assure you the writers here do not find them to be silly or easy.

You're asking for their help. It might be nice to be respectful of what they do.

/mod hat

This. I'm struggling with a story targeted for Mills & Boon Riva (a "just kisses" contemporary). Category romanaces are NOT easy to write.

thethinker42 · Jan 12, 2012

Karen Junker said:
I have read entire romance novels that failed to use any of the terms you mention.

Amen. The only "heaving" that's occurred in any book I've read or written has accompanied the violent reversal of the character's digestive tract.

The "heaving" question...

She of Many Names

volitare nequeo

Live a little. Write a lot.

toogrey2

volitare nequeo

Sophipygian

The Alydar of Writers

Mildly Disturbing

Writing my way off the B Ark

Angel Wing Fetish

Wilde about Oscar

Girl Detective

Mildly Disturbing

She of Many Names

bananaed

Abnormal Romance Author