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Young Writers Society


Too Darn Hot



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55 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 890
Reviews: 55
Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:14 am
zoeybird13024 says...



Hmm, I'm glad I read this! I always tell my friends, whenever I start a new story, that I'm a sucker for romance. It's just not fun for me to write if there's no romance. Now I need a little advice...
Okay, I normally write between the 1800s and the present. NORMALLY. I've been known to wander off into the distant past a few times. Now, most of my characters fall in love quickly. I normally thought it was a problem and my friends always tease that it's too rushed--you can't go from hating to loving or from nothing to loving so soon. But as I read more and more books, like the Twilight Series and the House of Night novels, love comes quickly between two characters. It's complicated, sure, but quick. So here's my question--should love take a long time in a novel, reguardless of the setting/time, or is it okay if it starts unexpectedly? Most of the time, it takes about a week or so for my characters to 'hit it off'. Unless it's my main story, but that's getting away from my question. My characters range in personality, too, so it's not all...stereotypical, I suppose is the correct word, love-at-first-sight. Besides, most of them have things in common.
  





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1258 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 6090
Reviews: 1258
Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:52 am
Sam says...



The problem with having characters fall in love right away is the lack of conflict. Sure, it's easy for the writer to have everything be just peachy--but not so easy for the reader to accept. Make sure you have some roadblocks. Perhaps they like each other, but there's something external keeping them apart. Or maybe one isn't so sold on the other, and they go back and forth for a bit before deciding they like each other. Make sure you pace things so that conflict is set up, and your readers will love you. Forever.
Graffiti is the most passionate form of literature there is.

- Demetri Martin
  





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55 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 890
Reviews: 55
Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:59 am
zoeybird13024 says...



Okay, I'm not so bad after all--there's ALWAYS a conflict between my characters. In one instance, guy meets girl, guy and girl fall in love...guy's brother decides he likes girl more. In a lot of cases, they two shouldn't be together. Forbidden love, you could say, and there are always people trying to stop them from being together.
I have to leave now, but could you private message me, please, so that we could talk more? Your advice is really helping me decide changes I need for my stories.
  





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210 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 6040
Reviews: 210
Fri Mar 21, 2008 2:17 am
Meep says...



Caligula's Launderette wrote:In most bodice rippers I have read, the woman is always smart and beautiful, and the man is always devilishly handsome. GACK! Stop perpetuating the steroetype. Romance doesn't have to be between two heavenly beautiful people. Look at your own experiences and draw from that.

Represent.

I am so sick of reading romances about beautiful and/or highly successful people. (I've actually been mentally planning a romance between the beautiful fashion designer's harassed secretary and Fabio's driver, but anyway ...)
✖ I'm sick, you're tired. Let's dance.
  





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55 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 890
Reviews: 55
Tue Mar 25, 2008 1:39 am
zoeybird13024 says...



Normally, my male characters are the attractive--and in some cases, overly-attractive--and my female characters are, for the most part, quite plain and quiet. Only a few of them are very attractive and everyone ends up falling in love with them. Ah, I do love conflict.
  





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183 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 2168
Reviews: 183
Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:08 pm
LoveableLittleSock says...



Which can be a satifying read for some,


"Satisfying."

They will bring their issues, predujidices.


"Prejudices."

~

Um, yeah. Good, good, I liked this. A great help to all the wannabe Nora Roberts's out there. =)

~*Sara*~
Got YWS?
  





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241 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 1090
Reviews: 241
Mon Jul 21, 2008 7:55 pm
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lyrical_sunshine says...



Reading this after I wrote my first romantic scene ever, I'm feeling pretty proud of myself. :D My guy was covered in cuts and bruises, my girl was faintly hysterical (and she's not a beauty), and there was some twisted humor involved. Plus, I avoided the bodice ripping.

*Napoleon Dynamite moment*

Yesssss!
“We’re still here,” he says, his voice cold, his hands shaking. “We know how to be invisible, how to play dead. But at the end of the day, we are still here.” ~Dax

Teacher: "What do we do with adjectives in Spanish?"
S: "We eat them!"
  





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108 Reviews



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Points: 3129
Reviews: 108
Fri Jul 25, 2008 5:29 pm
KailaMarie says...



practically all my stories have some sort of romance in it. my characters ususally aren't typically good looking, but they like each other's looks. idk if that makes sence, but i mean like they aren't like muchos mucsles and long flowy hair in the wind kind of thing. I hope they're kind of realistic.

actually the thing I'm working on now is like 12-year-old girl falls for 17-year old guy, who loves his best friend(who's a girl) who was just dumped, and their other friend (who is gay) thinks he likes guy number 1, but is really in love with his friend (who connected once they found out they were both gay) but a girl likes him, and he went on a date by accident and his friend is mad at him now.

unorthodox, no?
... :D ...
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80 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 890
Reviews: 80
Sun Jul 27, 2008 1:30 am
Jay says...



Yes! I could not agree more with you. In my stories, romance has a very small role. In a lot of books, high school romance is portrayed in an idealized fashion (the girl is beautiful and perfect, the guy is mature and romantic). Whenever I write about high school kids who "like" each other I try to keep it as realistic as possible-ie much more confusing, embarrassing and weird than really romantic.

I'm also sick of the love interest becoming the Mary Sue-beautiful, smart, athletic, all the guys love her, perfect in every way. In short, I find a lot of romance cheesy and annoying, so I tend to avoid the genre.
  





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Points: 790
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Fri Sep 05, 2008 1:55 am
kaonna says...



I've tried writing romance before and both of the characters were so cliche. The girl was a rich beautiful woman and the guy rich and beautiful as well, and they had to fight off love triangles. Boring I know. Though I changed it very much and made my MC not so beautiful and so perfect she has outer and inner flaws including the fact she mouths off quite easliy for her own good, and the guy is way to harsh in judgement. They have those things in common yet they don't end up together in the end. Its pretty good once I finish the rewrite eventually, though sometimes it is nice to embrace once cliche just make it your own
Die Heilung ist der härteste Teil jeder Tragödie
  





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73 Reviews



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Points: 2721
Reviews: 73
Sat Jan 03, 2009 1:35 am
Confused.pirate says...



I'm about to write a story about two people in love, and I really needed some pointers for my first romance story because I didn't want there to be anything graphic and cliche. Thanks :) These tips really helped.
"The differences in life are what create the challenges which open the door to discovery."
  





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42 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 1081
Reviews: 42
Tue Jan 06, 2009 8:19 am
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Ducati says...



My favourite Romance is in Jane Eyre...yep that ticks all the boxes. I've never tried romance, not being much of romantic myself. Maybe I could have a crack at it now :)
When you look at your life, in a strange new room, maybe drowning soon, is this the start of it all?
  





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25 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 11486
Reviews: 25
Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:49 pm
callmeLily73 says...



I like how you pointed out the horrible reality of
I have found about the romance genre is that people think it's all about sex,
I have been saying that to people for years! everyone thinks sex=romance, which it isn't and I hate it that when us girls feel that there is something missing in a relationship, so they have sex to try to bring it out. ( except me, the proud person who will not have sex till marriage) I'm glad to feel I'm not the only one :smt003
Be yourself
And no one else
dance to the beat
and loose control
Never forget who you are
Be an unforgettable shining star*
  





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884 Reviews



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Reviews: 884
Wed Feb 24, 2010 6:28 pm
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StoryWeaver13 says...



Grr, romance crud is so difficult!!! It's become so overworked that love itself is practically a cliche! Thanks for these tips, really helpful.
Reading is one form of escape. Running for your life is another. ~Lemony Snicket
  








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