 Romance/Love: July 04, 2012 Issue [#5130] |
  Romance/Love
This week: Fifty Shades of Murky Gray Edited by: Crys-not really here  
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Fifty Murky Shades of Gray: Why Quality is Important in Erotica and Romance
A lot has been written lately about this new novel Fifty Shades of Gray. Maybe you've heard of it? I won't get into the details of the storyline here. From what I've read about it, it's more of an erotica than a romance. Since I've been known to write erotica on occasion myself, I was curious. I downloaded the first chapter or so for my Nook for free.
I will admit I have only scanned the first chapter, but I learned two things about the novel from it.
1) Absolutely nothing happens in the first chapter.
and 2) It is very poorly written.
Ok, so I probably just made some enemies with that comment. A few of you may be closing the newsletter now. Bring on the hate mail like I received when I said I didn't like vampire novels.  That's ok. I'm entitled to my opinion. For the rest of you, let's now talk about what it means to write quality work.
Just because you write romance or erotica, that doesn't mean you have an excuse to write poor prose. I see time and time again romance and erotica writers who self-publish work that has no plot, character development, and/or is littered with spelling and grammatical mistakes. (Let me tell you, poor grammar isn't sexy or romantic!) I strongly believe that all writers, regardless of their chosen genre, should learn how to write well, and revise thoroughly, before publishing.
Why is this especially important for romance and erotica writers? Because we write in genres that are already not taken seriously by many readers. We have to work twice as hard sometimes to find appropriate publishers. We have to make our writing stand out among all the other authors writing about love, sex, romance, or desire. Because we are professionals and in order to be treated like such, we should act like it!
From this writer's standpoint, Fifty Shades of Gray reads as stilted, uninspired prose. I know next to nothing about the main characters from the first chapter. Description and setting are non-existent. I'm pretty bored by it. I have no reason to read on. (Not even knowing the tantalizing parts are coming later.) So, although some people may object to the book based on its subject matter, I'm actually more offended by its lack of literary merit.
So, how do I think this novel went from self-published to bestseller? It's probably just a matter of timing. We live in a world where sex sells and when some women dedicate days on the beach over the summer to reading trashy novels. Like all best selling literature, it offers people an escape from reality. But I also think its wild success sends the wrong message to all writers trying to be published, not just in romance and erotica. The message is that if you self publish a novel on a shocking or trendy topic of the moment, it will blow up into an international bestseller. If that was true, there would be many more mediocre bestsellers out there! Selling millions of copies isn't easy, and it shouldn't be the norm for every poorly written novel on the market.
New writers should be working hard to get their work published, not expecting it to be handed to them on a silver platter. If you truly want to win the respect of publishers, agents, other authors, and most importantly the readers, you need to know what goes into writing a good story, not just what topic will entice people. As with any genre, a romance or erotica writer can do a number of things to strengthen his or her writing.
 Read widely in your genre. Although I find Nicholas Sparks' novels formulaic, he's definitely the master of storytelling. Nora Roberts' novels tend to be plot-driven and unique. Read anything and everything you can get your hands on, but read it with a critical eye.
Take a writing class. Whether it be on WDC or at your local community college, taking a writing class or joining a writing group can help you improve your writing drastically.
Have your manuscript read and edited! You can hire a professional to do this, but I would also recommend having a group of first readers among your writer friends. They can point out flaws in plot or grammatical errors you might not notice.
Take your time. Writing is a process that can't be hurried through with good results. If you're not revising or paying attention to punctuation before running to the publisher, then you're not giving potential readers the best product possible, and you will look like an amateur to publishers and other writers. That's not a good way to gain a positive reputation as a writer!
You owe it to yourself to be the best writer you can be, and you owe it to your genre too!
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