Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Romance Writers Weekly: Creativity Questions


Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn’t you like to know more about your favorite authors?

Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all... About our writing of course!

Every week we’ll answer questions and after you’ve enjoyed the blog on this site we’ll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride!


Thanks for clicking on my link from the wonderful Collette Cameron's page, and big huge thanks for this week’s questions from Fiona Ripley.

Here we go!

1.Does humor help or hinder you in your creative process?

I don't necessarily set out to write funny characters, but sometimes they just turn out that way. :) And humor as part of my life—being able to laugh at myself or a situation—is essential. I'm lucky to have married a man with a great sense of humor, and I consider laughter a necessary part of our daily life. 

Humor helps you unwind and release tension, so it's definitely useful during my creative process.


2.What is a favorite go-to book or movie you use to unblock a problem in your writing?

Penny Dreadful's Reeve Carney and Eva Green.
Hmm, this is a great question and there are probably too many films and shows to list. However, as a historical romance author, I'd have to say that watching costume drama gets me into a sense of the history and the setting and sometimes inspires me. Any Jane Austen novel adaptation will do. :)

With my current series, Whitechapel Wagers, watching anything set in London during the late 19th century is useful, so I love watching shows like Ripper Street and Penny Dreadful.


3.What’s the most inspiring book you’ve read this week or month that’s generated a new idea?


So this might sound odd, but I really love reading outside my genre for inspiration. Alternately, I love reading nonfiction history books about the period, though they usually aren't directly related to my current plot line.

For instance, I recently finished reading Thomas Harris's Red Dragon, which is about as far from historical romance as you can get. I loved his spare style of writing, and he inspired me with his ability to sketch a character quickly yet thoroughly by giving them idiosyncratic quirks. 

I'm also reading a nonfiction book called The Fasting Girl by Michelle Stacey about a young woman during the Victorian era who claimed to live for years without consuming any food. The book has given me insight into late 19th century history and women's roles during that era. 


Now follow me over to Leslie Hachtel's blog to see how she answered these questions. :)

Thanks for visiting!

14 comments:

  1. I've never thought about reading outside my genre for inspiration, but realize I do that too. It's almost like give my brain a break and then it latches onto tidbits from other work to use in mine. Great post!

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    1. Thanks, Collette! I read just about any genre, but I do really love crime thrillers and even true crime. So sometimes it does confuse me that I'm a historical romance author rather than a crime writer. :)

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  2. Fasting Girl? I'm intrigued. Great post, Christy. Welcome to the tribe.

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    1. Thanks, Kim! It really is a fascinating read. It seems that women no eating much was a sort of fad during the Victorian era, and claiming to live on air alone was quite a respectable feat. This was, of course, associated with the notion that women were more otherworldly, idealized creatures than flesh and blood. Makes me crave a big dish of pasta. ;)

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  3. Reading outside your genre is vital, I think. We can get too caught up in our own little world and forget about all the other great writing out there.

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    1. Agreed 100%, Brenda. I love reading great writers in all genres. I just with I had more time to read! :)

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  4. I love Penny Dreadful. All those great monsters in one show. Great post.

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    1. Me too, Gemma! It's inspired me to want to go back and read all the stories - Frankenstein, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dracula, etc. :)

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  5. How did I not know we had a Victorian romance writer in the gang? Your books are now on the old TBR list. :) Great answers, by the way.

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  6. Thanks, Victoria! I hope you like the Whitechapel Wagers series. I'm hard at work on the next novella. :)

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  7. I love Penny Dreadful! It's amazing! And I love reading history/non fiction as well. It gives me inspiration, just imagining another time and the way they worked through things is so interesting. Thanks for the post!

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    1. It sounds like we're sympatico, Jami. ;) Thanks for commenting!

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  8. Great post! I binge-watched Penny Dreadful right before RWA. I avoided it, initially, because I wasn't a big fan of Eva Green (long story.) I really love her on this series, though, and it has really grown into a can't-miss. Can't wait for next season!

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    1. I binge-watched it too, Xio! ;) I adore Eva, but the biggest surprise for me was Reeve Carney's performance as Dorian Gray. Like you, I can't wait for season two.

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