The first time I saw a depiction of a romance writer was in the movie “She Devil.” Meryl Streep played a romance novelist who lived in a mansion by the sea. She was glamorous, rich and could get any man she wanted. I figured all writers were either like her, or looked liked their cover characters. Don’t laugh, I was young.
After joining RWA and interacting with other writers, my eyes were opened. Writers are real people with real lives. Some are even grandmothers. (Raising my hand here.) They clean the cat box, do laundry, raise children, and scrub toilets. Some of them manage to do all these things, work outside the home, and still manage to find time to write. No housekeeper, no sexy young lovers knocking down the door.
I was relieved to find out that romance writers weren’t a bunch of twenty something women with glamorous lives. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with that. I just thought that getting serious about writing in my late thirties meant I had probably missed the boat.
I discovered something else. Writing is hard work. Getting the story on paper, rewrites, yelling at your characters, having temper tantrums because they won’t do what you want, editing, synopsis, query letters, rejections… Scared yet? I was. At times, I still am.
But I want to write. Sure, I have days when the last thing I want to do is sit in front of the computer and put words on paper. But the thought of never writing another story, never letting characters speak through me, I can’t imagine it.
Now, as I sit in front of the keyboard, after doing another load of laundry, curlers in my hair, I chuckle at my old notions. I’m a romance writer. Unpubbed, but still a writer. Without a feather boa. Who knew?
What were some of your ideas of romance writers and writing before you knew the facts?
The truth?
Joan Wilder in Romancing the Stone.
And lots of my romance writing friends are still just like her in my imagination.
LOL David! I did too for a long time. I thought these folks must have such a glam lifestyle, going to parties, slaving over the book with tears and cocktails. Then I became one. Boy is it way different LOL
I always thought writers just wrote until I started going on authors blogs and such. My eyes were opened too. I found out you all are regular everyday people just like us readers. I remember romancing the stone movie too. That was a good one. I never used to read romance novels cause I didn’t think I would enjoy them. Boy was I wrong. I love them! Have a great week Sandra.
At least we don’t have to deal with crocodiles and Michael Douglas though, eh?
I remember romancing the stone. Loved that movie.
Thanks for coming aboard Shawn! I’m excited to have you as a contributor on the blog!
Call me naive, but I didn’t realize until I took my first online classes last year. =) I’m a little slow sometimes…..lol
carrie
Thanks for having me! I’m excited to be here.
Like you, Sandra, I thought that all writers must be rich and living it up. Boy was I wrong. Writing is darn hard work with little monetary reward. And I loved the movie Romancing the Stone.
I thought writers were a kind of elite race, separated from the rest of humanity. I was wrong! You’re so right, Sandra, writers do all the day-day stuff, the family stuff, the day-job stuff and manage to squeeze in time to write. Writers write about heroes and heroines but they’re quite heroic themselves!
alcoholics…I mean, all the ‘greats’ were, right? And Joan Wilder and Felicia Galant (from soap opera Another World). I still wanna wear a feather boa and not look silly doing it…..
I want a feather boa too. Shhhh, don’t tell anybody. LOL.
The first “real life” romance writer I ever met was Margot Early, and she looked like a romance heroine herself, with waist-long auburn hair and one of those throaty, sexy voices.