Why Writing Regency Romances
Is Such Fun
by Susannah Carleton
Writing Regency romances is one of the most fun things
you can do. Legally do. Why? Because . . .
1. The most dashing, honorable, eloquent gentlemen
are found between the covers of Regency romances. Dukes who dance
with grace and flair. Corinthians who can drive to an inch. Daring military
men. Seductive rakes who will steal your heart. Even the rogues are
courteous and well-mannered. Well, relatively well-mannered; although
polite, they are not overly concerned with the proprieties.
2. Ladies and gentlemen in Regencies wear the
some of the most beautiful and elegant clothing in the history of
fashion. Dressing your heroine and hero in lovely gowns -- and tight
breeches -- like those worn in Emma, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense
and Sensibility is a lot more fun than having them drag on a pair
of blue jeans.
3. The people who write Regency romances, from
New York Times best-selling authors to aspiring-to-be-published writers,
are the nicest, most supportive group of people you will ever meet.
You'll be welcomed into the Regency community from the moment you first
put pen to paper (or fingers to the computer keyboard). At first, you
may just rub shoulders with your colleagues in cyberspace, via several
email lists devoted to Regency romances and their authors, but eventually
you will do it in person, at conferences and seminars. Via the email lists,
you'll get the inside scoop on who is doing what, you'll know what books
are coming out months before your local bookseller, and when Mary Balogh,
Jo Beverley, Mary Jo Putney, and others are dealing with troublesome
plots or characters, you'll be one of the first to know.
Need to know the number of buttons on a gentlemen's
shirt in 1815? Who his tailor was likely to be? How to fence or
dance the waltz or serve tea properly? All those answers and many,
many more can be found on the lists, where information is freely and
graciously shared.
Thinking of entering a contest, or submitting a manuscript
to a particular editor? The members of the lists will have the answers
to all your questions -- even for questions you didn't realize you
had! -- and they will cheer you every step of the way.
4. The Regency genre is the only romance genre
in which shopping, gossiping, visiting, and flirting are not only
de rigueur, but art forms.
5. People talk a lot in Regency romances, and
as every writer knows, you can fill a page with dialogue a lot faster
than you can fill it with narrative.
Have I convinced you yet? <g> Pick up your pen,
or sit down at the computer, and give it a try. : )
Copyright © 2003 by Susan A. Lantz.
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