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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:

• Romance Is My Day Job blog
• Editorial Services
• Romance is My Day Job: a memoir

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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