I’m back for another look at the various tropes found in romance and/or urban fantasy. These tropes are the underlying theme of a novel, such as “enemies to lovers” or “fated mates.” Some are beloved standards in the industry. Others are a hard line drawn in the sand. All draw different reactions from different readers (and sometimes from the same reader at different times in their lives). I’ll provide links to my favorites.
Part of this is an older piece I\’ve had on my computer for a couple of years now, lurking to see if it will become something more. It hasn\’t, but with a bit of work, it\’s the perfect length for a flash. It\’s also a bit morbid, which makes it good for a Friday the 13th post. It\’s not a happy piece, so if you need to maintain your happy, perhaps give it a pass.…
The word “trope” has several definitions, but the one I’m focusing on in this series is “commonly recurring literary and rhetorical devices, motifs or clichés in creative works.” So, things like “friends/enemies to lovers” or “secret billionaire” or “forced proximity.” I’ll be covering my likes, my dislikes, the ones that just make me shrug, and the reasons why they elicit that response. For clarity, I will say I got this idea from a YouTuber/author named…
Smashwords’ Summer/Winter Sale Continues until the end of the month, so grab some discounted goodies before they’re all gone. If you’re so inclined, check out my list of books here. Promo done and out of the way, let’s move on to the sneak peak!
Well, I totally forgot to post this last month. We skipped May due to our scheduled meeting date falling on Mother’s Day and the library not having an opening on other dates, so we met in June. This should have been posted in July at the latest but… well, we all know how well I remember things. Anyway, the prompt was centered around Midsummer (or the summer solstice). I wanted the day to be important…
In looking for a way to provide content on the local creative writing group’s Facebook page, I toyed with the idea of posting our monthly flash pieces. It would serve a few purposes: highlight great stories, highlight lovely people, and blow away the cobwebs forming in the corners of the page. But 500 words, while not a lot, is a pretty big wall of text for a Facebook post. So, I decided on a test…
Have you ever looked at something and wondered why? Check out any major media release—whether it’s music CDs, DVDs, or yes, books—and you’ll find a strange coincidence. They’re all (usually) released on a Tuesday. Smaller titles across the spectrum of media might pop up on the other days of the week, but the major titles, the Star Wars and the Stephen Kings? Tuesdays. Always Tuesdays. But why?
March’s prompt was based around an old saying, “In like a lion, out like a lamb.” The proverb, first recorded in the early 18th century, was used to predict spring weather. If March was stormy and windy, it was a “lion,” and the month would end in a much calmer fashion. The reverse was also believed to be true, a calm first of March meant storms by the end of the month. Since this is…
The prompt for the February flash fiction was, unsurprisingly, related to Valentine’s Day. Instead of choosing the day itself, we decided on Valentine’s Cards. This piece, longer than the requirement of 500 words, was an idea I simply couldn’t compress enough and be happy with it. It’s a world that’s been stewing in my brain, an alternate history ruled from the shadows by a vampire caste called the Night Barons. Not steampunk, just…Regency with a…
Back in late October, a member of my writing group brought an unusual writing contest to our attention. Travel Lit – small pieces designed to draw readers to a particular area or attraction for the tourism industry. The November, 2018, contest sponsored by the SouthEastern Literary Tourism Initiative (SELTI) centered on Montgomery, the capital of Alabama and only a 15 minute drive from my house. Limits were 2000 words, had to center on a tourist…