Writers With Wrinkles: Patience Bloom on Romance Writing
Patience Bloom, a freelance book editor with 26 years of experience in romance publishing, joins Beth McMullen and Lisa Schmid on the podcast Writers With Wrinkles.
Key points:
- Elements of a captivating romance protagonist:
- Likable, even if flawed.
- Human and relatable.
- Vulnerable but strong.
- Possesses expertise in a specific area.
- Common pitfalls in portraying romantic relationships:
- Lack of conflict.
- Unrealistic or drawn-out conflict.
- Poor timing of romantic development.
- Current trends in romance writing:
- Increased inclusivity.
- More prominence of witches, sports, cowboys, dogs, and wilderness settings.
Patience Bloom's additional insights:
- Going through the process of publishing her own memoir, Romance is My Day Job, made her a more efficient, understanding, and empathetic editor.
Links:
Timestamps:
- 2:13 - Patience and Beth discuss their experience attending boarding school together.
- 6:43 - Lisa asks about the key elements of a captivating romance protagonist.
- 8:17 - Patience provides examples of characters with depth and expertise.
- 11:35 - Patience discusses the importance of avoiding one-dimensional characters and unnecessary conflict.
- 13:34 - She shares examples of how to create interesting conflict in a romance novel.
- 16:05 - Lisa highlights the frustration of drawn-out conflict in romance novels and television shows.
- 17:13 - Patience shares her controversial opinion on Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler from Law & Order: SVU.
- 17:58 - Beth and Patience discuss the importance of timing in the development of a romantic relationship.
- 18:51 - Patience emphasizes the need for urgency and emotional connection in a romance.
- 19:25 - Lisa asks about current trends and what aspiring writers can do to stand out.
- 19:44 - Patience discusses the rise of inclusivity, witches, sports romances, cowboys, dogs, and wilderness settings in romance novels.
- 22:55 - Beth shares her experience with Patience as an editor and how it impacted her writing.
- 25:29 - Patience reveals she is working on a new fiction book and considering another memoir.
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