Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

Janet Evanovitch

One of my favorite contemporary romance novel writers is Janet Evanovitch.

She is a stitch and writes a well integrated story. Sometimes when I get a minute I go back and reread her Stephanie Plumb series novels. Her strengths include the reality of her setting….New Jersey.

There is not doubt regarding the authenticity of this setting and anyone who has been in the area will attest to its accuracy….It is an accuracy that comes from having lived there.

A second strength is her character development. There are many ethnic groups in the New York City area and a reader can tell that she has spent some time listening to them talk. For example there are many displaced Palestinians and the way she describes their mannerisms and speech patterns is both accurate and humorous….If you have been there and heard them speak they ring true in the context of her story telling.

A third strength is her sense of humor….she doesn’t take herself all that seriously and the reader has a sense for her warmth and a sympathy for all the things that go wrong in the lives of her characters as they tries to sort out their lives and stay focused.

An aspiring writer willdo well to read Janet’s books. Taking the three points above….everybody comes from somewhere….It might seem boring to you but to people who have never been where you live have an interest in places they have never been and if your setting resonates as a real place readers will be interested and compelled to take note.

Where you live has people and these people talk….Listen to people talk about their lives and pay particular attention to what makes them laugh. If you can relate laughter and humor you will attract a readers interest….What makes you laugh will make others do the same….all you have to do is write it down. When you write about the things you know, that make you laugh and cry you have a head start on turning out a good chunk of literature. While you might think your life is dull and boring, keep in mind that it has had its moments and if you write about those you are on a fast track to literary success.