writing romance Archives - Addicted to Writing

Movies with Writer Protagonists: Book of Love starring Sam Claflin

Posted on August 14, 2023 Written by Pinar Tarhan

In this fun and sweet romcom from 2022, we don’t have one but two writer characters.

Let’s get the plot summary out of the way; then we will go over why Book of Love (aff.link) is a must-watch for romance writers.

Plot Summary for Book of Love (with minor spoilers)

Henry Copper (Sam Claflin) is an English author scheduled to give interviews in Mexico due to the success of his book there. There, he’s welcomed by his translator Maria (Verónica Echegui), her young son, and her father.

Comedy and conflicts start when Henry realizes that while translating, Maria has essentially turned his story into erotica, creating the sort of fan base he’s in no way ready or willing to deal with.
But as his Mexican publisher puts it, it’s simple: either he accepts the cash and popularity or he goes back home, disappointing readers. Henry and Maria tolerate each other until they realize the other person is a lot more charming and impressive than they initially thought, and sparks start flying.

But just getting over their differences isn’t enough: They are forced to write a book together and Maria’s estranged husband will stop at nothing to stop this blossoming attraction. Can these two get a book-worthy happy ending?

Book of Love’s Writer Characters

And now, there will be more spoilers. You might want to watch the movie and come back.

At first, I was on Henry’s side. OK, I never really left Henry’s side. I just understood and empathized with Maria about certain aspects.

I am a writer after all. My stories are dear to my heart. Hell, who am I kidding? They are my babies. They’re personal and they take a lot of effort from coming up with the premise to seeing through final edits. And after that, you have to work even harder because now people have to hear about it.

I’d be shocked and pissed if I found out a translator just wrote almost a completely different book.
Frankly, I think Henry took it better than I’d have.

But, and this is an important but, Maria caused something very important: money and popularity (as in lots of sales and devoted – albeit slightly crazy fans).

Money and popularity matter because they bring power and options. Flexibility. The freedom to write things you love.

So like Henry, I’d eventually suck it up and play the game. And hey, the romance between two smart, sweet, and sexy creatives? More than welcome.

What can I say? I am a romantic I mean, hello, I’m a romcom author who writes happily-ever-after endings. I even wrote a guide on how to write the ultimate non-tragic romance.

Romance Tropes of Book of Love

Haters to lovers
Opposites attract
Close proximity

Co-Writing

This is a bit tricky. You need to share a similar vision for the future of the story. You need to like each other as people.

If you get on each other’s nerves, it’ll become a bit of a nightmare. Writing, like all professions and activities, has ups and downs. And it can get difficult, complicated, and frustrating. But at its core, it should be a labor of love. And you can’t co-create if you are miserable. (Or is it just me?)

Luckily, our characters from the film work things out. And I wouldn’t say no to working with a cute, romantic Brit. (Yes, you got me. I’ve been crushing on Sam Claflin since he appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. (aff.link))

My Writer Characters

I love writer characters on the page and screen. I feel seen. And I definitely relate. Unless the character is a total jerk, that is. In addition to dedicating an entire category on this blog to fictional writers, I sometimes feature writer characters in my novels as well.

In my New York-set romcom Making A Difference (M.A.D.) (aff.link), novelist Colin initially self-publishes only to find success after Zoe, a talented publicist, stumbles upon his book. Sparks fly, but their blossoming romance is threatened big time when Zoe’s offered a job to work with her mentor, humanitarian Jay Clark. How can a guy compete with someone who’s actively making the world a better place?

Jay’s sister, Angie, is a free-spirited rock journalist. So you‘ve got two important (supporting) writer characters in Making A Difference (M.A.D).

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How do you feel about writing characters? What are your favorite books, movies, and series with writers?

Note: This post uses affiliate links. They don’t cost anything for you, but I do earn a little something when you buy something through them.

Romantic Comedy Writing Lessons from Netflix’s A Tourist’s Guide to Love

Posted on April 29, 2023 Written by Pinar Tarhan

A Tourist’s Guide to Love is a 2023 romcom by Netflix, starring Rachael Leigh Cook and Scott Ly. It’s a fun, sweet and romantic story about a woman who is challenged to get out of her comfort zone first by a break-up and then by a free-spirited tourist guide in Vietnam.

First, let me get this out of the way. This is a happy movie about a non-toxic romantic relationship that starts as a friendship. So, if your favorite romantic movie is The Notebook, you will probably not enjoy this one.

This is not to say the protagonists don’t have problems. They do. But no one dies or gets sick. No one plots to keep people apart, and minor disagreements do not turn into shouting matches or served under the guise of passion:

Plot Summary

After travel executive Amanda (Rachael Leigh Cook)’s 5-year relationship comes to a disappointing end, her best friend/business partner Mona (Missi Pyle) sends her to Vietnam to get over her disappointment and to evaluate a local tour guide company for purchase. Amanda is all ready for a packed visit jammed with activities, but her tour guide Sinh (Scott Ly) has other ideas.

As he encourages her to take a moment and enjoy everything, the instant chemistry and connection between them grow. But unfortunately, their different residences aren’t the only thing standing in their romance: He doesn’t know Amanda is there to buy his uncle’s company. Add the ex who is regretting the break-up, and things get complicated.

The movie is like slow travel. It appeals to your senses, presents another culture respectfully, and introduces you to fellow travelers who could be your best friends. And there is a lovely romance brewing which will end happily of course.

What can the movie offer you if you write romcom?

You can tone down the chaos. Sometimes readers and watchers need and want to relax. You can offer beautiful escapism with a sense of calm.
Internal and external conflicts can be introduced and amped up without people acting like jerks to one another.
Adults can (and should) experience romance in a healthy, respectful, non-toxic way while still conveying passion and attraction.
Cultures can co-exist wonderfully.

Fun cast facts:

Mona is played Missi Pyle, who played the love interest of Ross in an episode of Friends. She’s the girl Ross whitened his teeth for. If you know, you know. 🙂
The leads are in their 40s (even though they look younger), so you don’t have to give the movie a pass if you’re bored of only seeing 20-somethings find love on the screen.

Want more love non-toxic, escapist love stories? You can try my romcom novels Making A Difference (M.A.D.) and A Change Would Do You Good. (Though my chaos levels are higher due to the premise and large cast of the books.;))

Why I Think Men Should Read My Romcoms Too (Why Finding Your Target Audience Is Tricky)

Posted on March 21, 2023 Written by Pinar Tarhan

This post is for two groups:

Authors struggling to find and reach their target audience. (PS I am still figuring this out. But I have some useful tips to get started.)
Men who love short and entertaining romcoms that don’t devote 40 pages to how hot the male main character is.)

Let me explain.

As authors, we are expected to have our elevator pitch, aka a brief but intriguing description, for all our books ready at all times. Mine is:

I write short and fun escapist romcom dramas even men can enjoy. I feature big casts and multiple POVs.

So why “even men?”

There are a lot of romcom fans out there, and not all of them are women. Sure, some men are dragged by their girlfriends to the movie theaters, but many enjoy the experience. And they are probably more comfortable buying movie tickets than being seen reading books with hot men on the cover.

Men reading this post, be honest: How many of you hated watching The Ugly Truth?

Or What Women Want?

Or The Wedding Crashers? (If you did, why???)

Okay, okay. Taste is subjective. But surely you see my point. And if you haven’t seen these movies, please watch them. They are hilarious. And romantic. And so much fun.

Maybe I am weird. Maybe the reason I am not a bestselling author yet is I have strange tastes.

But I’ll name two romcoms or romances I didn’t love with the passion as the rest of the public:

Notting Hill.
The Notebook (based on a book)

They aren’t bad. They are great in some ways even. They are just not for me.

With Notting Hill, I didn’t like the romantic storyline.

With The Notebook, I am a bit turned off by how incompatible they are. I also don’t like unhappy endings, no matter how much romance and love you pour into them.

Here are some romcoms I adore:

Pride and Prejudice (movie and book)
Just Like Heaven (The movie. Didn’t read the book.)
The Holiday (Yes, I love writer/director Nancy Meyers)
While You Were Sleeping
Someone Like You
27 Dresses
Kate & Leopold
Friends with Benefits
10 Things I Hate About You
Laws of Attraction
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Can You Keep a Secret? (Great book. Fun movie.)

Some are rated PG, some are PG-13 and some are R.

The majority have biggish casts and interesting subplots. Some have elements of sci-fi or fantasy.

At the end of the day, they have fun premises and end HEA. No one dies. The main characters find The One. The main characters don’t cheat on their loved ones, most people are very attractive, and the characters are flawed but likable and relatable.

I use multiple POVs, because I get bored if we are only in one person’s head. Especially if that one person is only about the girl/boy they like. Remember the Joseph Gordon-Levitt movie 5oo Days of Summer? I like that film as a character study of an obsessed young man who’s clueless about how real love works. And I love watching Gordon-Levitt as an actor. But if you try to sell that film as a realistic romcom, we’ll have words. A romcom is about two people finding mutual love. Not one guy spending an entire film chasing a girl and ignoring what she says or wants. And guess what, Levitt is on my side. He believes his character’s the villain if you are desperate to find one.

Back to my romcoms and why men can and do enjoy them:

While my characters meet, fall in love, and stay together, there’s more to their life than each other. They have dreams about their careers, close friends, and hobbies. They listen to each other.

I simply don’t have the book space just to talk about how they look for so many pages on end. They are hot. End of.

But if you don’t like good-looking characters, you won’t like most romcoms. Not just mine.

What about realism?

What realism?

Kidding. But there’s a reason I put the word escapist in my elevator pitch.

Look some of my favorite movies include Braveheart (historically inaccurate), The Crow (dude comes back from the dead), and Speed. I adore Atomic Blonde and John Wick. So…

Of course, my characters live in the real world and they have problems. But it’s not all problems. They have good things going for them too because life is like that. You have ups and downs.

If my character’s boyfriend dies, I’m not going to give her cancer.

If my character’s broke and stuck in a bad job and relationship, you can bet she’s going to have amazing friends who will help her out of this mess.,

Now that we got that out of the way, let’s take a look at some of the things that will help you find and/or reach your target readers:

Choosing a genre-appropriate cover

This is where things get tricky, at least for me.

My audience is more women than men, but it’s not only women.

My books are semi-steamy: My characters have sex. And I tell you this. I just don’t describe it in detail. Unless you only read clean romance, you’ll be fine reading my books.

My books are romcom dramas, especially A Change Would Do You Good, the first book in the A Change Would Do You Good series. The main character’s boyfriend is dead. One of the major characters struggles with agoraphobia. Naturally, I didn’t think a pink cover or a cover with a semi-naked dude would be appropriate or reflective.

You can study covers of well-selling novels in your genre all you’d like, but it doesn’t mean much unless you also look at the plot, style, and themes of those books.

I believe my cover designer did a fantastic job. Remember: big cast, surfer main character, several surfer supporting characters, big moves, and changes. Set in San Diego.

Writing your blurb

I shelled out and hired Best Page Forward to rewrite mine. I like the result. I hate writing summaries, blurbs, and synopses with a passion. If you need it, get help.

Until I could afford it, mine was written by me with feedback from author friends who read in my genre.

Bad reviews (news flash: they do suck.)

It doesn’t matter how much you emphasize what your book includes, you will have people complaining about what it includes.

If you only want to read about a small cast of characters, detailed sex scenes, and one-person POV, don’t read my books. If you hate swearing, don’t read my books. If you love literary books and pages and pages of narration about things unrelated to the plot, don’t read my books.

Why lose time over something you are not into?

Unfortunately, your non-target audience will find you and will leave you 1-2 stars.

I am not going to tell you to develop a thicker skin. I hate it when people do that. It’s easier said than done, and I hate impractical advice.

Sure, if you have 5,000 awesome reviews, even 500 bad reviews won’t hurt. (At least it shouldn’t hurt much.)

But when you just have 5 or 10, or if you have many but a few is all you have on a given Amazon page (because they are scattered around Amazon’s various country-specific pages and Goodreads), you freak out.

So, Authors, what do you do?

Continue your search. Tell whoever asks about your book, but also tell them what it isn’t.
Trust that the right people will find you, and that remember that you probably have a couple of favorite movies on IMDB rated only 5-6 stars over 10. A high rating means the writer reached their target audience. Not that you’ll necessarily enjoy that book.
Write more books so you increase the chance of being discovered.
Love your fans. Even if you only have a few.
Improve your writing and marketing, but don’t stop being you.
Check if you are meeting genre expectations. If you aren’t, notice if this is on purpose or by accident.

Here’s what I mean: An action drama can kill off its protagonist. An action/thriller usually doesn’t. I love Jack Reacher. I read all the books, and watched the movies and the Amazon series.

Love them all. I’d be so pissed if Reacher was killed off. So if you want to write an action thriller with a super soldier, cop, or spy but want to kill them in the end, you will need to find people who will enjoy this.

If you think you might be betraying genre conventions accidentally, the fix is a little easier. You read the well-selling books in your genre, find the common ground and apply them in a way that will work for your story. If you don’t know what these expectations are, you’ve got some studying to do.

Men,

Worry not, a lot of my female MCs are beautiful. And while they might lust after Mr. Darcy and want to be romanced, they tend to love action films, having fun, and rock’n’roll.

Why not read about fun, flawed but decent people trying to make the most of their lives as they find passion and love?

How to apply vague/abstract marketing advice

It sounds abstract to me when marketing advice asks me to create a reader avatar to represent my target audience. They want to paint a clear picture so I know who I am talking to. Or create different several avatars which include sex, occupation, kids, marital status, age, outlook on life, and maybe even their income bracket.

Come again?

How do you do this when you are just starting out or have a small number of books and a small audience?

Let’s try the exercise for my books. You can try for yours.

You are a man or a woman.

I know that you – my target audience – believe in love. I know that you are a cynical or hopeful romantic. But I don’t know if you are single or married. Whether you have 0 or 5 kids. (Some of my readers are single. Some are happily married. Some have 0 kids. Some have 3.)

I know that you love life, even though it pisses you off sometimes.

I know that you love your friends and non-toxic family members.

I know that you desire or have a job you love.

You have hobbies. You can care much about both deep and superficial stuff.

You like money, but you like your freedom a bit more.

You are probably not too into literary fiction.

You care about the plot.

I don’t know your favorite drink or sport.

I can’t.

You are probably between the ages of 25-45, but this is a guess based on the average age of my characters, and the readers who talk to me.

And you like certain things left to the imagination, you know, like how much tongues are involved in a kissing scene.

This is as specific as my avatar can get. You tell me, where do these people hang out? 🙂 (Because that’s how we sell, right? By being where the readers are.)

How did your avatar exercise go?

Summing Up

Defining your audience is complicated.
People have complicated tastes. I can’t just go to the beach and ask surfers to buy my books.
You need to do a lot of research, go through trial and error, and yeah, suffer a bit in the process.
In the meantime, don’t ignore potential targets (or books you might enjoy) because of stereotypes.

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How to Write a Memorable and Non-Tragic Romance (And a Free Book Chapter!)

Posted on August 10, 2020 Written by Pinar Tarhan

Jonas and Martha Dark — You haven’t seen star-crossed until you have seen Jonas and Martha from Dark. Image via FilmLoverss.

Have you seen the TV series Dark? Dark is a highly fascinating and addictive German mystery series that revolves around time travel and whether it is all a big repetitive loop.

Obviously, it is so much more than that, but there are so many brilliantly woven storylines and interacting complex characters that saying any more could result in a spoiler.

Give it a shot.

So what does have Dark have to do with romance? In addition to having some intense and shocking romantic storylines itself, the “loops” and how certain things repeat themselves reminded me of how a lot of people write romance stories, especially tragic romances.

Loops can be understood, loved, appreciated or expected with science-fiction. (Not that Dark is predictable.) But with romance?

Now, being predictable and repetitive aren’t bad in and among themselves.

As a huge fan of romantic comedy, I am quite fond of happy endings, original meet cutes, and the “two strangers have to spend time together in the most unexpected/unorthodox ways” situations.

You almost always know where certain things are going, and you welcome it.

In the adorable 2018 romcom Love Jacked, Maya falls in love with a South African man and gets engaged. But when he cheats on her, she has to pretend pool hustler Malcolm is her fiancé to save face from her critical father. But now Canadian Malcolm has to pretend he is South African and sell it to the African culture obsessed uncle of the family…

Yes, we all know what will happen to Malcolm and Maya. Imagine how disappointed we would be if the movie ended like,

“Thanks for your help. See you never.”

“Yeah, sure thing. Best of luck in your life.”

Yikes.

Or, you know, if Maya learned she had a tumor and six months to live.

Exactly.

We love romcoms because they tend to be funny, uplifting, hopeful, and romantic. And there is a lot the writer can play with while bringing freshness as the characters grow more attracted to each other.

You can do the same with romantic dramas, while of course the comedy will be gone or diminished.

But sometimes, the writer seems more interested in making the audience cry or making their story more memorable by making it tragic that the story no longer feels authentic. The journey of the characters and the conflicts they face feel forced.

Or they just seem like you saw it a million times before, and not in a way that you enjoy.

Familiarity is a good thing as long as it is welcome.

Let’s combine certain elements and you tell me if you are bored yet.

Boy and girl meet. Fireworks. But one of them is reluctant to start something because – drumroll! – they have cancer. Eventually, the sick character will get over their fears. These two will be together until death tears them apart. But, oh, the surviving one will have grown and will carry the memories.

Do you want to read or watch this story?

Probably not. Not unless I create two very compelling characters, come up with highly unlikely but exciting scenarios for their dates and encounters and their reactions, and whip up witty dialogue.

Then, if I’m making a film, cast two of your favorite actors. Shoot gorgeous cinematography. Get a skilled director. Invest in an amazing soundtrack.

And… cross my fingers.

Because how many times have you seen this story?

Look, I get it. Cancer is real. It is a horrible disease. It is hard to run into anyone who hasn’t experienced it, either themselves or through a loved one. My grandfather died of cancer.

So, I know.

But just because something is common in real life, it doesn’t have to dominate your writing – especially if it isn’t a way for you to deal with your own condition or the condition of someone you love.

If you or a loved one suffered from it, then by all means, write whatever you need to feel better. Get it out of your system. Put it out there, and help others who have gone through similar experiences.

But that is not the story I’m helping you with right now.

Right now, with this post and my book Writing The Ultimate Non-Tragic Romance, I’m targeting writers and readers who prioritize entertainment and escapism over depressing realism.

I love a happy story, and a happy ending, don’t you?

I love falling in love with the romance in front of me and living vicariously through these characters.

And I love helping my readers do the same.

Make your audience smile. Make them laugh. Make them fall in love, and celebrate the happy ending on the page or on the screen.

Art doesn’t always have to imitate life. And even life itself isn’t always depressing or disappointing.

Sometimes, life is just amazing!

So I took a bunch of my favorite romantic movies, analyzed what worked and why, and I created a guidebook on how to create a happy romantic story people will remember.

I wrote about films instead of books because it will be easier for you to remember the film’s plot points if you have already seen it (and get a refresher through the trailer) or just take 90 minutes to watch it.

And while I recommend you to read as well as watch romances, a lot of the romantic movies I picked are based on books. So you can do both. And you can see that the story has appealed to people on different media.

Can you ever not create a sick character in a happy romance, or at least a happy-ending romance?

You can.

Instead of killing off the character, you can write about the journey of their recovery or a happy-for-now ending. I included such examples in the book.

You can also research and find lesser-known (but still real) diseases and inform people of something they might not have otherwise heard about and do some good public service while you are at it.

At this point, I’m honestly pleasantly surprised when a character is sick, and it is not cancer or Alzheimer’s.

You can also not kill your characters for a nice change, even if it is a drama.

If you want to make your audience cry, you can still do it without killing people. Life is full of ups and downs.

So what does Writing the Ultimate Non-Tragic Romance cover? Including but not limited to:

My favorite romantic comedies (well, some of them. It is only one book) and what makes them work/memorable,
My favorite romantic dramas with happy endings (ditto) and what makes them work/memorable,
Mixing other genres with your romance – genres like mystery, horror, action, adventure, sc-fi, or fantasy,
Turkish romantic comedies and dramas (because I’m Turkish, and it is fun to go outside of Hollywood sometimes),
Exceptions – when unhappy endings and dead characters work, aka when your audience will forgive you for them,
Romance book suggestions (because you still have to read!)
Overused tropes,
Realism vs. escapism: Just how realistic do you need to be? And if some of the most common complaints about fictional characters are justified,
Real life ethics vs. fictional story worlds: What characters can or should get away that we wouldn’t condone in real life,
Help with writer’s block and overwhelm,
What you should do in addition to writing.

The book is 2.99, but you can read it for free if you are a Kindle Unlimited member. I’m currently working on creating different formats.

Want a free chapter? Subscribe below to read Chapter 4: Romantic Dramas with Happy Endings.