Tag: pride and prejudice

Appearance is everything – or is it? How much character description should a writer give?
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Appearance is everything – or is it? How much character description should a writer give?

Helena Fairfax17 Comments

Another month, another authors’ Round Robin. And another through-provoking question in our writers’ group… What do you define in your writing about your characters and what do you leave to the reader’s intuition? Is there anything you never tell about a character? There’s a LOT to these questions but they got me thinking in particular…… Continue reading Appearance is everything – or is it? How much character description should a writer give?

Making Readers Care: 9 Tips on Crafting Compelling Characters
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Making Readers Care: 9 Tips on Crafting Compelling Characters

Helena Fairfax25 Comments

This month’s authors’ Round Robin is all about character, and the inspiration for the topic comes from author Connie Vines. Jane Eyre, James Bond, Harry Potter, Fagin, Bridget Jones and Anne of Green Gables – human beings are always interested in the story of other human beings, and we remember the characters in a story…… Continue reading Making Readers Care: 9 Tips on Crafting Compelling Characters

helena fairfax, romantic hero 6 of my favourite romantic novels
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6 of my favourite romantic novels

Helena Fairfax18 Comments

This month our authors’ Round Robin question is one of the most difficult so far… What are your favourite books of all time, in your favourite genres? Vintage romance. Image courtesy of Pixabay What a question to have to answer! I have SO many favourite books, whittling down a list is like having to kill…… Continue reading 6 of my favourite romantic novels

Helena Fairfax, freelance editor What draws you into a story? How to create a great opening #amwriting
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What draws you into a story? How to create a great opening #amwriting

Helena Fairfax23 Comments

It’s March 2020, and time for one of our authors’ Round Robins. When author Rhobin Courtright set this topic a few weeks ago, we didn’t know then that we’d be plunged now into the middle of a pandemic such as the world hasn’t seen. The world is suddenly a very different place. Human beings carry…… Continue reading What draws you into a story? How to create a great opening #amwriting

helena fairfax, romance editor Three essentials for creating page-turning tension in your novel #amwriting #writetip
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Three essentials for creating page-turning tension in your novel #amwriting #writetip

Helena Fairfax12 Comments

Creating a page-turning read is the topic for this month’s Round Robin… How do you develop the tension every story needs to keep the reader involved? This is such an excellent question. There are so many elements to this that at first I felt overwhelmed. Then I decided to follow my own advice in a…… Continue reading Three essentials for creating page-turning tension in your novel #amwriting #writetip

helena fairfax, romance novels How important is a book’s title? And how do you decide on one?
authors · books · novels · romance

How important is a book’s title? And how do you decide on one?

Helena Fairfax27 Comments

A couple of weeks ago I started a competition on my blog to come up with a title for my collection of romantic suspense novellas. Lots of people got in touch. I was really excited with the response, and I’m thrilled to announce I’ve chosen the winner…and it’s the perfect title. Hooray! I’m absolutely chuffed to bits. Thanks so much to everyone who…… Continue reading How important is a book’s title? And how do you decide on one?

pride and prejudice, helena fairfax romance Why romance writers are “frittering their talents away” writing a predictable genre
romance · writers

Why romance writers are “frittering their talents away” writing a predictable genre

Helena Fairfax59 Comments

Earlier this week an author colleague posted a link to a review of her latest novel. The reviewer was highly complimentary regarding the author’s writing skill, but he expressed deep disappointment that a writer of her ability was “frittering away her talents in a genre that didn’t deserve them” – ie romance novels. Boy meets girl, boy…… Continue reading Why romance writers are “frittering their talents away” writing a predictable genre

helena fairfax 36 Questions to Make You Fall in Love
authors · books · romance · Uncategorized

36 Questions to Make You Fall in Love

Helena Fairfax18 Comments

A couple of days ago I read an article in a newspaper about two people who decided to recreate a 1997 experiment devised by psychologist Arthur Aron. The experiment consisted of two strangers asking each other 36 set questions within the space of an hour, after which they had to stare into each other’s eyes…… Continue reading 36 Questions to Make You Fall in Love

helena fairfax, j.k. rowling, ron, hermione Valentines or marriage guidance: which fictional couples really get their happy ever after?
authors · books · novels · romance · romance novels

Valentines or marriage guidance: which fictional couples really get their happy ever after?

Helena Fairfax23 Comments

Well, perhaps this post is a little cynical for Valentine’s Day!  I decided to write it, though, because a couple of weeks ago J.K. Rowling said she thought Hermione and Ron in the Harry Potter series are heading towards marriage guidance counselling and not a Happy Ever After.  She explained how she brought Hermione and…… Continue reading Valentines or marriage guidance: which fictional couples really get their happy ever after?

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries Pride and Prejudice at 200 (and a genius YouTube interpretation)
authors · books · conflict · film adaptations · jane austen · pride and prejudice · reading · romance · romance novels · the lizzie bennet diaries

Pride and Prejudice at 200 (and a genius YouTube interpretation)

Helena Fairfax11 Comments

If you’re a Jane Austen fan like me (and if you’re not, I beg you to read on anyway! you’re in for a surprising and fabulous treat!), you’ll know already that Pride and Prejudice is two hundred years old this week. I first read this book when I was fifteen and it was as gripping…… Continue reading Pride and Prejudice at 200 (and a genius YouTube interpretation)