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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Writing Craft » Page 27

Writing Craft

Romance Writing: Is Your Couple Compatible?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon July 11, 2019
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Recently, my husband and I watched an old movie focusing on a romance. The couple devoted their time to fighting with each other over issues, both major and minor. The heroine complained to her friends about the love affair.

My husband and I agreed that this couple was not compatible. They had no business marrying. But! Sigh! He was veddy, veddy rich. She married up! So surely all will be well! Yay????

A heroine marrying into royalty and/or money is not prominent in Christian fiction, at least as a goal. For that reason, I won’t devote this post to the folly of showing a character ecstatic about marrying into status and money, even if only implied.

However, a Christian author still wants the couple to be compatible. In a Christian romance novel, either both parties enter the relationship as Christians, or, if one is not, he or she returns to the faith before they proclaim to love each other. Sharing our faith is enough, right?

Wrong, in my view. I know many wonderful Christian men who would not make an ideal partner for me. No doubt they’d counter that I would not be suited to them.

A couple can agree on significant life points, such as kids, politics, sex, and religion and still not get along day to day. And day to day is what sees marriage over the decades.

No relationship I’m in is perfect because I’m in it, but I’ll highlight my marriage since it’s the long-term romance I know best.

I like to hold a debrief of every function on the way home in the car. My husband prefers to concentrate on driving and thinking about work the next day.

I love the great indoors. He enjoys yard work and fills the bird feeders so I can appreciate viewing the birds from inside the house.

We agree on the division of chores. Guess what! He is responsible for the outdoors and a few thankless tasks (hello, air filters and light bulbs); and I cook, do laundry, and take care of the indoors.

That’s not to say we’ve never been hiking or on a picnic. We both enjoy family, church, travel, TV, dining, the gym, journeys along Skyline Drive, even running errands together, along with many other common interests. Over the years, I have developed a fondness for some SYFY-channel programming and movies with multiple, gigantic, explosions, thanks to his taste in entertainment.

All this to say, we are different, yet still compatible. My husband loves me enough to put up with my eccentricities and lets me be myself. I appreciate everything about him. We have fun.

Back to books:

Of course, no one wants to read about a couple discussing who will replace the refrigerator water filter once they move into their tiny apartment after the wedding day. However, I believe the compatibility of a romantic couple should be both obvious and implied. When a couple experiences substantial interaction, day-to-day styles become apparent. Harmony will be organic to your story. Does your couple love being around each other? How do they resolve conflicts? How do they have fun?

Christian romance readers want a solid foundation for a long-term romance. When they close the book, they want to feel assured that this couple will last forever.

 

Your turn:

Who is your favorite couple in Christian romance? Why?

How do you show compatibility between a hero and heroine when you write your novels?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Category: Book Proposals, Genre, Writing Craft

How to Write Poorly

By Bob Hostetleron July 10, 2019
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To paraphrase a pretty good writer of several centuries ago, “Some are born writers, some learn to be writers, and others have writing thrust upon them.” Whichever category you fit into, it takes practice and perseverance to write well. But it takes only a little effort to write poorly. Here are seven tips to help you write poorly: Write for everyone. Don’t write for a specific demographic or a …

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Category: Writing Craft

Reflections on a Busy Writers Conference Season

By Bob Hostetleron July 3, 2019
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The first six months of 2019 were an exciting whirlwind of writers-conference activity for this author and literary agent. I presented and met with writers at eight conferences from February through June—four I’d never attended before and four others I returned to. I delivered six keynote addresses and more than a dozen workshops.  I met with more than 150 writers in appointments. And I renewed …

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Category: Conferences

What Are Average Book Sales?

By Steve Laubeon June 24, 2019
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A writer asked me, “What does the average book sell? An industry veteran at a writers conference recently said 5,000. What??? I know it all depends …. but … nowhere near 5,000, right?” My simple answer? It’s complicated. It depends. Average is a difficult thing to define. Each publishing company defines success differently. If a novel sells 5,000 copies at one publisher, …

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Category: Book Business, Book Sales, Get Published, Money, The Publishing Life, The Writing LifeTag: Book Business, Book Sales, Get Published, Trends

How Long Does It Take to Get Published?

By Steve Laubeon June 3, 2019
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How long does it take to get published? I came to the publishing business from the retail bookstore side of the equation. In the beginning, the biggest adjustment was understanding how long the process for traditional publishing takes. In retail there is instantaneous gratification (customer walks in, buys something, and walks out). With indie publishing there can be nearly instantaneous …

Read moreHow Long Does It Take to Get Published?
Category: Book Business, Book Business, Book Proposals, Contracts, Get Published, Marketing, Publishing A-Z, Self-Publishing, The Publishing Life, The Writing LifeTag: Agents, Book Business, Contracts, Editors, Proposals, waiting

Real vs. Fictitious Settings

By Guest Bloggeron May 23, 2019
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Today’s guest post is from our client Mindy Obenhaus. She is a three-time Carol Award nominee who writes contemporary romance. Mindy is passionate about touching readers with biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren at her Texas ranch. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com. …

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Category: Craft, Guest Post, The Writing Life, Writing Craft

Tips on Writing a Novella

By Guest Bloggeron May 16, 2019
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Today’s guest post is written by one of our clients, Lynn A. Coleman (www.lynncoleman.com). She is the founder of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), as well as the author of more than 50 novels and novellas. She lives with her husband of 45 years, who is the lead pastor of a church. ___________ Novellas are fast paced, short novels that run anywhere from 20k to 30k words, depending …

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Category: Craft, Creativity, Editing, Get Published, The Writing Life, Writing Craft

New Words for a New World

By Bob Hostetleron May 15, 2019
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The good folks who produce The Merriam-Webster Dictionary recently announced the addition of 640 new words to the newest edition. Words like “go-cup” (a beverage cup to take out of the restaurant), “bioabsorbable” (a substance that can be absorbed by living tissue), and “on-brand” (consistent with a particular public image or identity). Some of the additions, such as “screen time” (to refer to …

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Category: The Writing Life, Writing Craft

Every Word Counts

By Steve Laubeon May 13, 2019
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The popularity of last week's post on the phrase counter set me on a journey to find something that would do the same sort of "counting" but instead focus on single word usage instead of phrases.

Use this link to the Word Counter web site and run your WIP (work in progress) within its walls.

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Category: Editing, Grammar, Writing CraftTag: Editing, words

Gems of Writing Wisdom from Writers Conferences

By Bob Hostetleron May 8, 2019
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I attend and present at eleven or twelve writers conferences a year. That’s a lot. But it’s always a joy to renew friendships and talk writing and meet promising writers. It’s also amazing how much writerly wisdom flows at these events, some of it in such volume that attendees and faculty can struggle to hear and process all of it. So I thought I’d offer a little help and record here some (a small …

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Category: Book Business, Career, Get Published, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life, Writing Craft
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