Category Archives: writing craft

Multi-Purpose Worldbuilding

Posted on January 4, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

This post was originally written for Star-Crossed Romance. In The Moonlight Mistress, werewolves are an important element. However, the world they live in is much like our world; the werewolves exist as “secret history.” Though several of the characters know … Continue reading →

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Setting and Characterization Through Food

Posted on December 29, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

This post was originally written for the Romance Junkies blog. I love food, both eating it and reading about it, and that interest sometimes translates into my work. I use food for several different purposes, most notably to establish setting … Continue reading →

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The Pronoun Problem

Posted on December 21, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

If you haven’t read it yet, check out this article in the LA Weekly: Man on Man: The New Gay Romance. Some of the arguments will be familiar to slash fans, but I was impressed that they interviewed Constance Penley, … Continue reading →

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Grit Under My Boots

Posted on December 16, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

If I’m reading a historical novel, or for that matter, a science fiction or fantasy novel, or a romance, or any other genre, I want to feel the grit underneath my boots. Even in a shiny futuristic city where everyone … Continue reading →

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Real People as Fiction – Linkgasm #3

Posted on November 13, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Timmi Duchamp on representing history in fiction, particularly using real historical personages in fiction. Here’s Part Two.Are novelists entitled to use real-world characters? by Guy Gavriel Kay, an essay for The Guardian that’s linked from the above post. This also … Continue reading →

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Visiting Star-Crossed Romance Today

Posted on November 9, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

I’m visiting at Star-Crossed Romance today, talking about Multi-Purpose Worldbuilding in Moonlight Mistress. Related posts: Why Werewolves? Werewolves in Moonlight Mistress. Of Wolves and Men. Tate Hallaway Guest Post, If You Built It…. Ann Aguirre Guest Post, On Worldbuilding.

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Oral Tradition, Epithets, and J.D. Robb

Posted on November 4, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

In many romance novels, particularly those in series, the reader’s familiarity with the characters and setting can be reinforced by repeated use of the same descriptive phrases. I think this is similar to the technique of assigning epithets, often poetic, … Continue reading →

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Wacky Story Elements and Laura Kinsale

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

So, there’s this novel, and it’s about a virgin who thinks she’s doomed to nymphomania and a ninja who used to be a child prostitute. Or in this one, the hero is afraid of heights, and the heroine has a … Continue reading →

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Writers, Live and In Person

Posted on October 27, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Yay, the French edition is now for sale at Harlequin France! You can also buy it at Decitre. And now for some actual content: Normally, my writers’ workshop meets once every couple of months, but it’s been a little less … Continue reading →

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The Intricacies of Marriages of Convenience

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

I may have mentioned once or twice (ahem) how much I love the “marriage of convenience” plot. I recently finished reading one of Mary Balogh’s recent novels, First Comes Marriage, which I really enjoyed, and which also got me thinking … Continue reading →

Posted in genre, historical fiction, romance novels, writing craft, writing process | 14 Comments