Australian, Wendy
Lee Davies began writing romances as a lark after leaving her communications
and editing job of many years.
Wendy enjoys
cycling, especially cycle touring which she did a lot of in her younger, some
say more foolish, years. Now that she’s older and wiser, Wendy is wearing out
the bike paths around her home town, making good use of her amazing
pedal-assist electric bike. She's also traversed most of the incredible rail
trails available in Victoria, and one in New Zealand as well.
If she's not
writing or riding her bike, Wendy can be found enjoying a coffee in some cafe.
Or taking landscape photographs. Sometimes she makes cookies or muffins. She’s
even been known, on occasion, to annoy her writing friends with long, detailed
editorial comments on their latest writing endeavour. But don't worry. They get
her back, tenfold, when it comes to critiquing her latest romance-in-progress.
You can catch up
on her latest news via her website ( www.wendyleedavies.com ). She loves hearing from readers, so
don’t be shy about dropping her a line.
Wendy Davies on the web:
Three things I wish I’d
known before writing a romance novel
1. Know your main characters (including their greatest
fear, what they really want, and
what’s motivating them) better than you know yourself.
I would highly recommend spending time
getting to know your characters before
you start writing that novel. Unfortunately, it took me far too long to know
Amber and Zach well, to know what they wanted and what was holding them back
from grabbing their chance at love.
Yes, I know. Sometimes, I’m a bit slow on
the uptake. But turning Amber and Zach into people with hang ups, secrets and
hopes that were theirs alone was dead easy once I’d gotten to know them almost
better than I knew myself.
You know, I could have saved so much time,
and uncertainty, if I’d only sat down and thought about my characters before
heading straight to the keyboard and started writing.
2. Understand that showing emotion improves your story.
Writing emotion, whether your character is
scared silly or falling in love, is not easy. Emotion, any emotion, involves
the way you feel inside as well as what you’re doing on the outside (and
sometimes these are completely opposite), even if you’re unaware of them. And
don’t forget your inner thoughts, those feelings and desires that no-one but
you can feel or know or experience. Expressing your character’s emotion in a
way that makes it real and authentic means you, the writer, must become the character. Be them as you are
writing their scenes. Sounds crazy, but believe me, it helps.
3. Persistence is necessary.
It took
me something like four years to write Good
Enough For Love. It was sometimes frustrating, sometimes depressing, trying
to write a book that will set the world on fire. It also took a lot of
dedication and belief in the story to finish my novel to publication standard.
And after all that, there’s still no guarantees, especially when it comes to
the “setting the world on fire” bit. But when I began, I had no idea how long
it was going to take. Or even if I would
finish writing the story at all.
I don’t
regret the time it’s taken me. I learned a lot. About writing romances, and
about myself. Of course, I want my book to do well, to have others read my
story and love it. That would be hugely satisfying and make all that effort
worthwhile.
And all
those things I’ve learnt will hopefully make writing my next romance story that
much easier. And faster.
Renovating a
country hotel challenges everything Amber knows … about family and about love.
When Amber Hutchinson inherits a country hotel, she wants to sell it and move on. The money she’ll earn will secure her future, even if living in the country while renovating a hotel never featured in her plans.
Zach Wentworth, a local sheep farmer, wants to do the right thing. When he comes across a woman stuck in the hotel window, he naturally tries to help.
Sure, Amber knows their sizzling attraction won’t last. It never does, because she’s never been good enough for anyone to love.
Without the hotel, Willow’s Bend is likely to die a slow death, so Zach does whatever he can to secure his town's future. But doing the right thing might mean risking his heart.
With the town eagerly watching their every move, Amber and Zach must choose between protecting their hearts and taking a chance on love.
When Amber Hutchinson inherits a country hotel, she wants to sell it and move on. The money she’ll earn will secure her future, even if living in the country while renovating a hotel never featured in her plans.
Zach Wentworth, a local sheep farmer, wants to do the right thing. When he comes across a woman stuck in the hotel window, he naturally tries to help.
Sure, Amber knows their sizzling attraction won’t last. It never does, because she’s never been good enough for anyone to love.
Without the hotel, Willow’s Bend is likely to die a slow death, so Zach does whatever he can to secure his town's future. But doing the right thing might mean risking his heart.
With the town eagerly watching their every move, Amber and Zach must choose between protecting their hearts and taking a chance on love.
Buy on:
I'm not a writer, but I know when a book grabs me. You have to feel what the characters are experiencing to rate the book a good read. I just hadn't thought of these things.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. ♥
I agree, Sandee. A good story is usually one that has characters who become friends, ones you care about. That's what I've tried to do with my story, too.
DeleteGreat advice. Happy Writing!
ReplyDeleteThank you Darla.
DeleteGood advice! However, sometimes even when you think you know your characters inside and out, they still don't conform to your expectations. I did intensive character analyses and backgrounds on the main characters in my second novel, and the ingrates still insisted on doing things their own way.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, yes! The characters in my story did not behave at all Susan. They kept going off on tangents and down alleyways I was not expecting. And there I was, thinking I knew them soooo well!
DeleteFantastic advice, especially that first one! Congrats, Wendy!
ReplyDeleteThank you Cherie. And I'm re-learning that first point again with the next story, too.
DeleteThis is such a good post and advice. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a pleasure, Janet.
DeleteIt's good advice to know your characters before you start writing. The better you know them, the easier it is to write your story.
ReplyDeleteIt's taken me a while to really know the characters in my next story - like what they fear, what they want and what their go-to reaction is to conflict. So, not as easy as it sounds, unfortunately Sherry.
DeleteYou are so right about emotion being difficult to write. It's not just love--it's those feelings that can't be put into words. Good article, Wendy.
ReplyDeleteThank Jacqui.
DeleteExciting to see Wendy on another blog. :) I just met her on another blog today. Wishing her all the best with her writing. Her latest book sounds very exciting.
ReplyDelete~Jess
Thank you Jess. Good to meet you again, too. :)
Delete