You are reading: Vol 1 Issue 3: November 2002
| In this issue: About Lord Ruin Carolyn's Projects Questions and Answers Tips for Writers End Notes |
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Lord Ruin, December 2002, Leisure Books
With a captivating, innocent young woman and a handsome virile rake of a man, Ms. Jewel's sensual and powerful love story keeps to the classic lines of the Regency Historical and while adding a fresh voice.
"For pity's sake, Anne, he's not a monster."
"I'll take issue with that." In truth, she knew little of the duke except what she read in the papers and that consisted primarily of melodramatic accounts of his social exploits. Still, if even a particle was true, he was the sort of man a lady avoided at all costs. Satirists rendered the duke's amorous pursuits in droll cartoons, frequently showing him addressing the House of Lords while women swooned at his feet. The caricatures made clear where his interests lay, and it wasn't the subject matter of his speeches.
Meet Anne Sinclair
Ghosts! The past haunts Captain Sebastian Alexander - literally. When this younger son inherits the family title and a haunted estate in remote northern England, the family spirits decide he should marry Olivia Willow. Just over 75% complete. With the ghostly elements established, I'm fleshing out the relationship between my hero and heroine. I've made some substantial changes in motivation. Check out what's in the planning stages: The List and The Barbarian.
Who's Your Favorite Romance Author?
I couldn't possibly limit myself to just one. Julia Quinn is a recent favorite of mine. I love her stories and characters. Teresa Medeiros, of course. I wish Catherine Coulter were writing more historicals, and I'm thrilled to pieces that Karen Robards is writing Historicals again. I adore Patricia Gaffney, she's such a fine writer, and I miss her voice in the genre. And, lastly, I confess I recently read my first book by Jennifer Crusie, and I loved it! I was laughing so hard I could hardly breathe.
What's the hardest thing about writing?
I have to work hardest at plotting, finding just the right scene to keep things going. However, although you often hear plotting, characterization, and craft addressed separately, in the end, these elements can't, or shouldn't, be separated. They depend on each other. Weakness in one area creates and hightlights weaknesses in another.
Ask Carolyn a question. She promises a personal reply. Suggestions about what you'd like to see in the newsletter would be greatly appreciated.
Strong Verbs - Part II
Strong verbs make your images, well, strong. By using strong verbs, you're more likely to cure another writer's ill: over use of the verb to be. Don't entirely avoid the verb to be, but be aware that to be is less active than other verbs. Read on for a great tip on finding a stronger verb. As ever, let's start with an example:
She was racing to the door.
The verb here is a form of the verb to be. It's weak and needs to be modified by "racing" to provide specificity. Here's the tip: the strong verb often lurks somewhere near the weak verb, disguised as an adverb or adjective. So, can you identify a stronger verb in the above example?
She raced to the door.
Here's an example from my Work In Progress (WIP) with weak verbs, including "to be." The example directly following uses stronger verbs.
The mood of the dream was like the scent of smoke on a man who had gone too near a fire. "Andrew never had eyes like that." He still felt the impact of having stared into those eyes. Blue eyes. Alexander eyes. But instead of the affable gleam so typical of his brother, they were eyes of keen appraisal. "Like ice in the morning."
Here's the passage with stronger verbs.
The mood of the dream clung to him like the scent of smoke on a man who went too near a fire and needed to excise the stench. "Andrew never had eyes like that." He still felt the impact of staring into those eyes. Blue eyes. Alexander eyes. But instead of the affable gleam so typical of his brother, eyes of keen appraisal. "Like ice in the morning."
To make sure the differences are clear note the following:
| Weak passage/Replaced With | Explanation |
|---|---|
| The mood of the dream was like The mood of the dream clung to him like |
was like replaced by clung to him like |
| who had gone too near who went too near |
who had gone replaced by who went |
| He still felt the impact of having stared into those eyes He still felt the impact of staring into those eyes |
having stared replaced by staring |
| they were eyes of keen appraisal eyes of keen appraisal |
they were replaced by Ha! verb eliminated |
Visit Carolyn's Workshop for more tips on writing.
Last romance Novel read: Irresistible by Karen Robards (Week including November 10, 2002)
Last non-romance Novel read: Seven Houses by Alev Lyttle Croutier (Week of November 4, 2002.)
School: The Tragedy of Sophonisba, by John Marston
Last Updated: 11.15.2002