romance readers expect something very specific when they buy or pickup a book they expect a happily ever after. Now, that being said, too, I think there are also some very specific recognizable tropes that romance readers also look for. And they choose which stories they want to read based on those tropes that are included.
One of the most enduring and often under appreciated genres of fiction is romance. Some readers consumed romance novels by the dozens and think maybe I could do that. Well. If you think you can, there are a few things you need to know first. This is random acts of knowledge presented by Heartland Community College. I'm Steve fast your host. Today's guest is a romance novelist and writing instructor will tell you some of the basics of starting your own romance story. Like any good romance story, there are a few obstacles that might need to be overcome along the way to a happy ending.
My name is Juliana Vicus. And I serve as a continuing education instructor at Heartland Community College. Most recently, at least this fall semester, I've been able to do a crafting a letter to sell your work. And that really pertains to the traditional publishing industry and how to find representation for your book or your novel that you're writing. I have also been able to do some of the fundamental supervisory skills courses. But the one I'm most excited about getting to do is writing romance coming this December. So writing
romance what I've always heard people say advice for people writing is write what you know, well, how does that pertain when it comes to trying to write romance?
Yeah, you are absolutely correct, write what you know, and write the story that you want to read. One of the things that I love to do is kind of like a I'll call it a side hobby, but I write romance myself. And I've had one book release just this fall semester, and have another one that's due to release in just under a month. So it's just kind of become a side hobby for me, but something that I've become really passionate about and really excited to do. romance novels, they're just a lot of fun. It's a great escape from just the every day. And storytelling can be such an incredible, just unique place to take a break from everything that you're expected to do. So my passion is storytelling. And now I get to share that with anyone who's interested in the romance genre.
So what inspired you to write your own romance novels? And how did you approach that genre? Did you start out to write a romance when you sat down and started writing? Or did it just kind of start to go that way?
Yeah, kind of a funny story, I suppose. Way back in 2008. I was in a graduate school course. And the class was in script writing. It was like advanced writing for mass media. And our large assignment for that course was to develop a full length feature film script. Now reflecting back on that, I know I did an absolutely terrible job of putting that script together. But it was one of those stories that I developed that just kind of stayed with me for years and years, never touched it again, didn't look at it, printed it out, kind of threw it in a drawer. But then if I fast forward till about, I don't know, maybe like April 2020. Everybody knows that that was a moment of a lot of difficulty, right? Kind of in the early days of the pandemic. And at the time, I was working from home, like everybody else, right. But the kicker for me was that when the state of Illinois shut down daycare, I found myself having to work full time, but also be a mom to my three small kids. At the time, they were ages three, two and one. So it was just stupid, impossible, right to try to figure out how to be a parent and still teach classes advice students on Zoom, basically. So it was a really stressful moment. And I knew that to be good at both of those things. I had to find some kind of outlet for myself. And I turned to storytelling, thinking it'd be great to pick up a creative writing habit, just something to keep my mind occupied and happy with my current situation. And the first thing that came to me was, well, if I'm going to write a story, why don't I start with something that I kind of already knew. So I'm going back to that silly script that I did in 2008. And I laughed at it knew it was terrible, but knew it had so much potential. So yes, I kind of went into it knowing that I was going to write a romance story, but I had no idea what it was going to look like. And I really had no clue, like how large this hobby was going to become for me.
Is there anything in particular that is different if you're trying to write romance versus writing some other kind of fiction? Is it something where you have to, you know, meet the readers expectations to a certain point because because when you do any genre thing, right if you write a ghost story there better be a ghost in it. There's a you know, a mystery story, there has to be some sort of formula that is followed. There's somebody that figures out the mystery and and all that. So what is it about romance that you have to make sure to prepare for that might be different than just any other generalized story that doesn't have a label? Yeah, fantastic
question. Write romance readers expect something very specific when they buy or pick up a book, they expect a happily ever after. That is like number one staple to any book, any story that is deemed the romance genre, you have to have a happily ever after. Now, that being said, too, I think there are also some very specific, recognizable tropes that romance readers also look for. And they choose which stories they want to read based on those tropes that are included. So much of what I'm kind of learning through this process is that when you go to market your story, you have to identify to the reader specifically what types of tropes are going to be in the story. So common ones, just to kind of give a couple of examples, right? Friends to lovers. A love triangle, opposites attract. Different readers are drawn to different tropes. So if you give those types of things away, you're automatically either inviting a reader into your story, or you're turning them off completely. So romance, I think it's, it's pretty obvious which ones are more friendly to a reader just based on their previous experiences in the genre.
When you decided to rework this screenplay you had, did you have to mess with the story to fit into those tropes? Or did you have some of that there already?
Oh, gosh, yes, I had to revisit pretty much everything that was in that script. One thing that I learned and I honestly had no idea when I started this, I kind of just started writing just to do it, for me thinking it would just be a good, you know, escape a good place for me to spend some time on my own. But as I started to kind of go through that story, I started to recognize some of the traps that I was falling into, I wasn't telling a linear story, I wasn't doing it the way the industry wanted me to. So I wrote quite a bit, and then deleted quite a bit, reworked quite a bit, to start to find kind of what that expectation level was for the genre. And it was absolutely a learning experience, I now approach my planning process quite differently than I did from that first get go. But that first book was solely a Learning Adventure. And now I know what I'm doing. But it's certainly hard to figure out and piece together as you're trying to write while you're learning at the same time,
when you have a student come in to this class. What are some of the things the first things you try to develop with having them get a start and come up with their idea is having them build up habits that will keep them going so they can complete a project or make their way through some tough spots? What's the first thing you try to tackle?
Yeah, that first thing I think is helping everyone understand what the industry expects of them. Like I kind of just alluded to write it, there's a formulaic approach to writing a romantic storyline. So what I first thought I would do when we get started in this course, is to introduce and orient everyone to what is the romance genre? What are the expectations, what are things you have to do and identify before you even put pen to paper. So we'll start there, for sure. But then I also really want to focus not just on the genre, but on the writing itself. Romance is all about emotion. It's about feeling, right. It's what the characters are giving you as a reader what kind of experience you're having. So there's a very specific style and a different way to approach your writing that you would do in a maybe a mystery novel or a thriller. So it's focusing specifically on how to adapt and kind of modify your own writing skill set to fit the specific needs of the reader in the genre.
I think all writers get to a point where maybe their idea didn't have the legs that they thought it did or something isn't quite working, and how do you advise your students to kind of push through and to keep their project going, and to figure out how to solve some of those problems, including whether or not their idea is a big enough idea for what they intended at first?
Oh, yeah, I love that question. I've learned over time that writing, it's not a solo endeavor, there is so much benefit to having BETA readers, critique partners, and honestly, just individuals who are familiar enough with the genre to tell you if you're moving in the right direction. So when it comes to teaching a course right, one of the benefits is having that built in pool of peers who can start to look at things from an objective stance. You know, as writers we get so into our story And we think this is amazing. This is working out exactly the way I anticipate. And then you get a beta reader who hops in and goes, I'm huge plot hole right here, this is not going to work. And here's why. So it's having those external perspectives that make or break the story to be honest. And I'm really looking forward to that. Because having somebody to bounce ideas off of each other, talk through different strategies, different ways a story can move, what character gets to do what what kind of emotion it pulls from the reader, there's just so much benefit from sharing that conversation and getting a feel for each other's writing style, too. You learn so much from reading another author's work,
when you're writing romance, you have plot and you have character does one of those kind of take precedence over another because as you said, there's certain tropes that you follow. So when you have character you already very broadly laid out what are three types of characters that you could have. And then you say that the readers are always looking for a happy ending. So at least you know that whatever happens is going to follow a pattern or at least have a certain plot. So what's harder when it comes to romance plot or character? Oh,
that's such a good question. And honestly, I think you might get a different answer, depending on what author you're speaking to. For me, personally, I think I always answer characters drive the story, you can have a beautiful, external conflict, right? Something that's preventing two people from being together, something that's impacting the story as the character is growing, right. But ultimately, it's the characters that we relate to most as a reader, not that external plot. That's just what's pushing the story forward. So when it comes to characters, if you do it correctly, characters also have internal conflict, something that they're working to overcome some kind of goal that they have to achieve something that's going to drive them from point A all the way to point Z throughout the story. So I think personally, characters are going to drive the story further plot is always going to be secondary. But again, that's totally my opinion, you might get something very different from a different author, or even somebody who writes in a different genre to it could be completely different for you know, a thriller, or mystery, or, you know, women's literature or something like that.
You mentioned that you had started this project, the first novel that you were talking about during the pandemic, when you had to everybody was at home, including the kids, you had to teach the kids. Everybody had a fun experience with having all the kids home all day and having to help manage the lessons. So I would think that during that time, even though you said it was a release, it would have been hard to find time to sit down and write. Is that important for any writer to set aside a certain amount of time on a regular basis to work on their project? Oh, gosh, yes.
You're absolutely right, it was most certainly a challenge to find that time. What worked for me is my kids were relatively young. And they had a very firm bedtime at about 730. During those interesting days that we all experience, once the kids went to bed, that was my opportunity to pretty much catch up right on the work that I didn't get done for my jobs, grading papers, etc. But that also became a really powerful time for me to just rejuvenate myself a little bit. I needed that me time. But really what that experience instilled was, you know, you have to have that dedicated time to continue your development, your storytelling abilities. So even to this day, right? This has been well, well over two years at this point. But I dedicate time to my writing, mostly every day, it's become a priority for me. And it's something that I enjoy above most other things that I do in my life. And so when I get the opportunity, mostly in the evening hours, I dedicate, at minimum at least an hour to doing something for my book. It may not be writing, it could be more editing could be more marketing, promotion, social media, all that good stuff that comes with sharing a novel, but there's usually time dedicated in my day to further the effort in some capacity.
Are there any things that you teach about writing across your different classes, whether it be professional writing, or it'd be writing for romance specifically, or writing fiction? That is universal, something that applies no matter what you're doing?
Yeah, absolutely. So what I do in my professional role, as well, as I teach writing for public relations, I do feature writing as well. And I approach it from a journalistic perspective. But there is absolutely a crossover when it comes to creative writing. The one thing that drives me crazy is when individuals write with a passive voice. There's no room for that in a news story, there's absolutely no space for and creative writing. So if I I am identifying a writer who's writing from a passive perspective, that's automatically one thing that I tell every student, if you want to up your game, if you want to level up in writing, ditch the passive voice completely and write from an active perspective. So no matter where you're at, that's absolutely something you can do.
So can you give an example of that some people might know that not understand the difference between passive and active voice.
totally right. So if you're using passive voice, you could say she was standing by the bed. But instead, you can change the words up a little bit, make it a little bit shorter, but you could say something as simple as she stood by the bed, you're taking the reader in the moment, you're placing them in that specific place, instead of making them reflect on something she did previously. It's just a tiny little word swap, but it makes all the difference in storytelling.
Another thing that people say that, you know, write what, you know, sometimes people draw upon their own lives for characters, in situations in their fiction. And I wonder, is there any challenge in doing that writing romance, because some of those first readers you might have, or beta testers might be people, you know, and, and so, is there any kind of, I don't know, risk in trying to write a romance story, when you're using, you know, elements of your life for people, you know, and making up things maybe to extend about that, or people wonder, Oh, is that made up? Did that really happen? Is there any interaction in your own head when you're thinking about drawing from your own life for your writing?
Yeah, super awkward question, right? I get that question all the time. You know, they look at like the cover of my book. And they're like, oh, so is this you? Is this your husband? And I think well, no, right? That's not in any way, what I want people to think of when they read this story. Sure, there might be elements that come from my own personal experience, you know, my lived experiences, my personal life. But I almost certainly make it a point to develop something new and fresh, that truly has nothing to do with me. My experiences are honestly even the experiences of my friends and family. These are tropes that are tried and true in the genre. And while there may be some, I don't know, similarities, or crossover, much of what I do is try to infuse what I witness externally into my story. I think you'll always hear that you know, introverted people, are you No intuitive, they listen, they observe and they just kind of take it all in and soak it all in until it means something. I'm a people watcher, too. I like to just observe and see what people are doing. And it's incredible what kind of inspiration you can find just by going about your day, even if you're not looking for it. So for me personally, when I get that question, the answer's no. It's not based on my life. It's not based on anybody's life that I know. But it's just a conglomeration, right, it's a mix of different things that combine to tell a story and fulfill readers needs.
I wonder if you've ever had any students which come in, and in the review of their writing, you say, well, this part isn't believable, or this part isn't working for me. And they say, but it really happened. It kind of works the other way too, right? You have to be able to write about something in a way that the reader can relate to.
Yeah, that's one of the biggest criticisms I think is you know, I don't I don't identify with this. I don't like how this story is going. Well, if you want to write a story about something that's happened, then you're writing nonfiction, right? If you know what genre you're writing in, and you're telling a fiction based story, you have to do what's going to be most satisfying for not just you, the author, but the person who's reading it as well. So you might have to bend the story a little bit, right? Do what works best for the character, and ultimately, what gets you to that happy ending, the best path forward.
Well, one final thing I wanted to ask you about when you are approaching writing some romance yourself, is there any particular sub genre there's always all these little genres? You know, you have you mentioned the three tropes, but then there's, there's the ones that happen in historical settings, and there's what happened. There's even, you know, things that happen of supernatural romance story. Is there anything in particular that you are gravitating towards? Or does it? Is that not really even enter into it? Do you try to stick closer to the realm of your lived experience, externally right now?
Yeah, no, no, that's a really good question. I just typically gravitate towards reading contemporary romance. It's just what I've always, you know, liked and enjoyed the best. And so that's really where I started writing from. But you're absolutely right. I think romance has some of the largest sub genres that you can choose from everything from historical to paranormal. I mean, it runs the gamut, right? When it comes to subcategories and sub genres. And sometimes I don't necessarily think you even know what it is you're writing until you really get dig deep into the story and go Oh, actually, this is going to work really well for a specific group of fur readers. So yeah, tons of different things, but I kind of gravitate towards contemporary romance.
So Julie, what is the name of your book that's out now and what can people look forward to coming out soon and looking for.
So I have a trilogy. It's called the trading heartbeats trilogy. The first book released actually just two months ago, in the middle of August. And that first novel is called I loved you yesterday. The second novel in the series is called I love you today, and that one releases on November 8. And then the final story in the trilogy is I'll love you tomorrow. And that comes out on April 18. Of 2023.
Is it hard to write a trilogy of romances when everyone has to have a happy ending?
Yes, it is. And I honestly had zero intention of writing a trilogy. Like I mentioned, I was just writing for fun, and it kind of just spiraled and kept spiraling and kept going. And soon enough, I'm like, hey, this has got a lot of potential to keep the story going. So let's just keep going turned into a trilogy.
Well, Julie, thanks for joining us today and talking about this. This has
been a lot of fun. Thank you for the invitation.
Julian the Vicus teaches a variety of writing classes for Heartland Community Colleges continuing education programs. If you're interested in other interviews about writing, creativity, or other topics, check out our other random acts of knowledge podcasts on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you found this one. Thanks for listening
