GENREALITY

I’m not someone who attends a billion writing conferences eac year. It’s a good way to meet people, sure, but I am a homebody. I like being in my house and keeping my schedule. Life is pretty good around here, so I don’t have a huge need to leave. Of course, if a conference is close by and related to what I write or something I’m interested in writing, I tend to go. Last weekend was one of those times. I was lucky enough to attend Passion & Prose, a romance conference for readers. The speakers were great. Steampunk author Gail Carriger was interesting and really engaging. Writes-everything author Meg Cabot was pure entertainment. She’s adorable and funny and hearing her made me want to buy more of her books.

The other speakers were YA authors and they spoke as the last stop on their Breathless Reads Tour. These ladies were totally charming. More than one romance reader in the crowd talked about trying YA because of hearing these authors speak. It was a good reminder about the power of a personal connection.

I was reminded of something else. Authors talk all the time about inspiration for their books, the Whys and Hows of the plot and character decisions they’ve made. I love hearing about these things not because I need ideas for books – I have waaaaay more than enough and have to fight off one while I’m writing another – but because it’s the part of the craft/process question I find pretty fascinating. But YA Beth Revis touched on something else – the fun part of writing. She writes science fiction and fantasy and talked about getting questions on the real science behind her books. Her response: “I just like to blow things up.”

The answer was refreshing and honest. It also made me think about why I love writing romantic suspense so much – I get to blow things up. I also get to shoot, stab, chase, and generally inflict a great deal of fictional damage. It’s the stuff beyond the craft and process parts. It’s the part that’s so much fun…and next time I’m whining about copyedits or deadlines, I’ll try to remember that I can get back to the fun part soon.

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