Holding out for a Hero was one of my favorite workshops
so far. Panelists Cynthia Eden, Lisa Renee Jones, Elisabeth Naughton, and
Caridad Pineiro talked about how to create a hero that we can care about. They
mainly talked about the alpha hero, the beta hero and the anti-hero. Beta
heroes are gaining popularity, they say. They defined the beta hero as the
underdog, the man who isn’t comfortable being a hero (in some level, even
reluctant to be one). They pointed out that at first it’s hard to sell the beta
hero for a paranormal or suspense book, since those genres usually call for
take-charge, problem-solver alpha males. However, usually they can introduce
the beta hero as the alpha hero’s sidekick; and, as the readers begin to like
and want to know more about the beta hero, he usually gets his own book. By the
way, Caridad Pineiro is one of the nicest authors I’ve met. She congratulated
me for my Indulgence sale and gave me not one, but two hugs.
Lisa Renee Jones emphasized that the hero can’t just be
good-looking. The physical part matters, but what will take the reader into the
emotional journey is his inner conflict.
Cynthia Eden delivered a great speech about the
anti-hero. She described him as someone who has the qualities of a villain, but
at the same time has qualities we must admire. The key is backstory, letting
the reader know why the anti-hero became this way. We don’t have to agree with
his actions, only understand why he acts the way he does. Eric, from True
Blood, came instantly to my mind. (Sighs)
Writing Big in a Short Format was presented by Harlequin authors
Caitlin Crews, Molly O’Keefe, and Ann Voss Peterson. They delivered a succinct,
strong, and enjoyable presentation about three key factors (emotion,
characters, and plot) to keep in mind when writing novellas or short,
contemporary romances. Really, these three are connected. Molly said that the
magic happens when we bring fresh characters to tried and true tropes (like the
secret baby, the sheik, the bad boy millionaire, etc). The secret is to find
the specificity of these characters, what makes them unique and what will make
them different from what else is out there. Ann talked about plot and how every
scene in the book must move the story forward. Asking questions out loud, like
“What does my character want?” and “What will make my character change?” may
help. She also said that she outlines an emotional arch, which I thought was
pretty cool.
Caitlin Crews finished the presentation by talking about
the importance of raw, naked emotion. It’s about showing not only how the character
reacted physically, but also inside. What did the heroine feel when the hero
told her he was leaving?
Another workshop I enjoyed was Surviving Edits and
Revisions, by Stacey Kade and Linnea Sinclair. They talked about their
experiences and shared letters from editors. Upon receiving a long list of
revisions from your editor, here’s what they suggested: First, go through the
positive feedback and small changes. Second, edit the things that you don’t
necessarily agree with, but that won’t kill you if changed. Last, do the ones
you don’t agree with. They also said that editing is a cooperative effort; so
if there’s something you feel strongly about, you can tell your editors
something like, “I can see why you think that way, but this is what I was
trying to do,” and see what happens. Hey, trying never hurts, right?
Last but not least was What’s Hot Now. Panelists Kelli
Collins, Lindsey Fober, Miriam Kriss, Kate Pearce, Reece Butler, and Kelly
Jamieson all talked about the trends of erotica romance. I really enjoyed
watching these smart and funny women share their ideas on the matter. They
talked about the rise of erotica romance, and how it’s gaining popularity even
amongst traditional New York publishers. Agent Miriam Kriss said that she
doesn’t think this will be permanent, but would like it to be. EC Senior Editor
Kelli Collins is confident that erotica romance is in high demand. Someone from
the audience pointed out that she has finally started to notice male/male books
gaining space on the shelves. I was surprised to find out that male/male books
are written by women, for women. Someone said that the ones written by gay
males are different in style, content, and emotion level. Interesting stuff.
Well, that’s it for now. I just wanted to share my
impressions before I forget them—I might have a couple of drinks later, so it’s
a possibility.
What do you think about these trends?
