Creating the Fantastical

As an intern, I spend the majority of my time reading through manuscripts. And, admittedly, a lot of them tend to blend together. That’s why I get so excited when I come across a fantasy romance manuscript. Getting lost in another world for 50 pages? Yes, please. But, as fun as fantasy can be, it has the tendency to go awry.

One thing that seems to pose a problem for fantasy writers is defining their setting. Some writers seem to assume that the reader already knows the ins and outs of the fantasy world they’ve created. Don’t assume that! Writers need to define the setting and situation to help the reader better understand what’s happening. You don’t want your reader to feel lost or confused after just a few pages. If it seems like the characters all know something the reader doesn’t, they’ll feel disconnected and they won’t want to keep reading.

Fantasy is supposed to be fun, so don’t make your reader work to understand it. There really aren’t limits to what you can do in a fantasy world, but there needs to be something to allow the reader to relate to the characters. There has to be some grounding in reality. If the reader can’t identify with any of the characters or situations, they won’t be interested in the story. Don’t isolate your reader!

Of course, I can’t broach the topic of fantasy romance without covering Twilight. I can hear your groans now, so I’ll be brief—avoid the Twilight effect. Many of the manuscripts I read tend to fall into this category, where wolf packs and vampire covens abound. Yes, Meyer’s series is a smashing success, but that doesn’t mean that every fantasy romance must include someone named Edward.

The most important thing when writing fantasy is to have fun with it! Reading fantasy is an escape from reality. Be creative and let your reader in. I’m looking forward to reading what you have for us!

--Beverly, GWU ‘11

The Devil in the Details: What to Leave Out and What to Keep In

I have a tendency to get incredibly concerned with life’s little details – you know, the ones that don’t matter in the slightest, like squeezing toothpaste from the end of the tube instead of from the middle. In doing so, I often miss seeing what my family likes to call “the forest through the trees,” or the big picture. Is squeezing from the middle of the toothpaste tube really more important than brushing one’s teeth? No, not really.

Being so caught up in detail is occasionally a problem for me, but it has been a big help to me here at Elaine’s where small details could make or break a partial for us interns. Over the past few weeks I have noticed that lots of writers add plenty of details and minutiae to the descriptions stories. Don’t get me wrong- this is a good thing- but it’s also something one should be wary of.

For example, many of the partials I read here contain passages similar to this one:

As Alice stepped into the foyer, he heard the click of her Prada stilettos echoing across the marble floor. Bertram tried not to pay her any attention, but her crisp white oxford shirt (with the top three buttons undone) and gray silk skirt caught his glasses-framed eye, and he turned his head towards her. She was a vision, with her seemingly endless legs moving closer and closer towards him.

For the record, the above passage is not something I read in a partial. But what’s wrong with it? If I were to read something like this (and trust me, I have), I would get annoyed at the level of unnecessary detail used to describe Alice. For example, it doesn’t make a difference to me whether the white oxford shirt Alice is wearing was ironed earlier today or a month ago. It’s not particularly important to the romantic A-couple plot, and definitely not something that needs to be in the partial. Her clicking stiletto heels are important because they signal her arrival to Bertram, but unless the story is about Bertram’s magical ability to pick out shoe brands by the sounds of their heels on marble floors, we don’t need to know that they are Prada.

As a general rule I am more interested in seeing how the characters react to seemingly insignificant details than we are in knowing the details themselves. Let’s say, for example, that a partial involving a banker spent at least half a page describing the rising mortgage rates at his bank (also not something I have actually read about). The mortgage rates themselves are not interesting to read about – what is interesting is whether the banker starts jumping up and down or smoking at the ears after seeing them. Likewise, the three buttons undone on Alice’s shirt are more interesting if they clearly do (or do not) affect Bertram in some way.

It’s a fine line to walk. If there isn’t enough detail it will bother us, but it will also bother us if there’s too much detail. But this problem is not unsolvable – there are ways to practice adding just enough detail. One way I learned involved verbally describing to a partner how to draw an object. You know what the object of choice is, but your partner does not. Your task is to describe to them exactly how to draw the object without naming the object itself. Sound’s easy, I know, but it’s actually a lot more difficult than it sounds. This exercise is something I learned in a writing class at Georgetown University, and it has been a tremendous help to me. I hope it’s a help to you too!

Until next time,

Becca

What do agents do on vacation?

So what is it that agents do when they go away on vacation, you might wonder? Well, this agents reads.

So how do you tell it's vacation? Well, first, I get to read "real" books, the kind that are typeset, that have those lovely covers, feel so wonderful as you hold them in your hands, and have that divine aroma of glue and "new book." That alone kept me entranced for the first day. But then after that, it was just the pure enjoyment of the stories.

First, I finished Judi McCoy's Death in Show, a fun story about a dog walker who solves mysteries and uncovers the inside scoop on dog shows. As you can see, Harry was less than thrilled, because as a rescue mix, dog shows are just not his thing.

Then I lost myself in Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games. Wow, what pacing and could you raise the stakes for those characters any higher? Yes, I know I'm a bit late starting the series, but now I can't wait to get to books 2 and 3. Hopefully, I can squeeze in time for those before the next vacation. (Because you'll soon see, that my entire reading list is made up of bestselling books from 2008 and 2009. Just a little behind . . ..)

After that, I plunged into Little Bee, by Chris Cleve, a heart-wrenching story of not only the immigration issue but also what it means to try to do good.

Then it was back in time with Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, by Kathleen Howe, a most thought-provoking, fresh look at the era of the Salem Witch trials. If you're a history buff, I'd definitely recommend this one. It really sheds new light on what seems like much more probable explanations for the witch frenzy than just those hysterical young girls.

And, then I topped things off with Margaret Atwood's The Year of the Flood. I'm a great fan of hers and have read, I believe, all of her novels and most of her short stories. Again, this was a book that really got me thinking -- not only about what was happening in the story but the larger, universal questions she raises. Organic rooftop gardens take on new significance in the kind of dystopian universe she portrays.

In fact, I was so into survival mode by this point, that when they announced Hurricane Earle was on it's way, I was ready to sharpen all the knives and stockpile food.

Ever find yourself so lost in the world of books that it's reality that seems to be unreal?

New Release

One Fine Cowboy, by Joanne Kennedy, is released in stores today! PETA activist and graduate student Charlie Banks finds a whole lot more than she expected when she visits a horse whispering clinic for research purposes in Wyoming, including a gifted, but broken-hearted, cowboy named Nate Shawcross. Click here to read more!

New Release

September marks the release of Riding the Waves, by Tawny Weber. When an uptight workaholic takes a vacation from her career aspirations, she finds a the perfect playmate for her fantasies in Mexico. She just never imagined her temporary boy toy coming back into her life after vacation. Read more about the book here!