Those who support, encourage, comfort, give positive feedback and very helpful suggestions.
Anyone who knows me (and probably read my books) will I hope, recognise themselves in that sentence.
They all mean more to me that words can say.
Why?
For a lot of different reasons. Chiefly because I know if they say something needs x, or y, or z, then that's what it does need. If they like it but...listen to the but. If they give it a thumbs up I give myself a high five and a congratulatory extra cup of coffee.
I trust them.
Take this week for instance. I asked in my reader group on facebook (The RavDor Chicks) about ideas for blogs.
One person especially, backed up by another, gave me some great ideas.Enough to keep me going for several blogs, and each I reckon a great topic.
One made me smile.
How do you write m/m or f/f when you've had no personal experience.
Now I know some people should say that if you haven't got the personal experience or knowledge you don't do it.
Hmm.
Okay.
So how do we write anything historical?
We research. We have to.
It's the same with everything we write. Even if you do have personal experience of something, you still check.
Then if you get queried by your editor (or a reader) you have the answer.
And often if you (or I) don't someone else does.
That's where I get my reassurance that what I've written is correct. From people who know.
Take my m/m books for instance
(Teaching Teacher will be out soon.)
When I originally wrote this —this is a new updated reissue after being out of print for many years—I chatted about how and what I should write to two of my male friends who are in a relationship.
When I'd completed it, they read it. Made sure it was correct.
They loved it. Pointed out a few things that needed tweaking. I tweaked.
Reassured I sent it off to a publisher, (we will call them A), only to get a scathing rejection.
It basically said I know nothing of the subject and I needed to listen to people in a same sex relationship talking to each other!
As I had.
Right, okay then, that's your opinion.
I promptly sent it elsewhere, (Publisher B) where it was snapped up.
Then the fun began.
In the meanwhile another story (not a same sex one) had been accepted by A.
When the M/M book came out, the editor from A who had rejected it must have read it, because I got an email asking why I'd never showed it to them!
You can imagine the pleasure I got from replying telling that editor I had sent it there, and she, yes she, had rejected it and enclosing a copy of her original email!
Petty maybe but oh so satisfying.
We both moved on.
Research and ask questions is the key if you are unsure. People can only refuse to answer you.
Luckily for me, they rarely refuse.
On that note, I'm back to my research, this time on Regency Beverley in Yorkshire.
Happy reading,
love Raven xxx
No comments:
Post a Comment