FORBIDDEN LOVE and FICTION

I heard this song on the radio today while I was driving home from the grocery store.




I reminisced about when I first saw Dirty Dancing and how I felt about Baby and Johnny.  And how I loved the whole forbidden love thing and the bad boy goes good thing. 


Then my mind wandered.  (I concentrated on the road, really.)  I thought about the most recent forbidden lovers that make my heart ache.  CLICK HERE TO SEE WHO I MEAN.  And how badly I want to incorporate that emotion (that heartwrenching need for two characters to kiss and realize their undying love--no matter what stands in their way) and that facet of romance into my newest wip. 

Cassandre Claire took the whole forbidden love thing to a new level.  No spoilers here, but I must say, the obstacle she put in her characters' way threw me for a loop and it took me 6 months before I bought the sequel.  But I did and I loved it and just got the third in the series.  Still rooting for Jace and Clary.  No doubt about that. 

I thought, and am still thinking, about what barriers I can throw in my wip to make it THAT hard for my characters to love each other--guilt-free, fear-free.


I tried to come up with more forbidden lovers, or lovers who are too stubborn or scared to admit their feelings, in fiction today.  These are the kinds of stories I am drawn to and want to write!  (Although, I don't tend to read just straight romance novels.  I need the distraction of other plot twists: mystery, intrigue, danger, to make the sprinklings of forbidden romance that much more intense.)

How about these two?

And I can't leave this pair out.

ROMEO AND JULIET

And I'm not talking about a love triangle, although a second love interest may be a factor in why the main lovers aren't getting together. 

There have been some great triangles in both recent and distant past novels.  But the romance struggles for these characters don't necessarily make the pages turn as much as other facets of the plot.

Please, add to my list.  Tell me who your FAVORITE forbidden lovers are.  Or even name another love triangle that broke your heart.

What are you doing today?

Hello. My name is Erica. (hello, erica) I am a baseball fan. Worse, I am a Brewer fan. It's been a rough 30-some years for me (due to the addiction). Even the ups have been quickly followed by downs.

The Brewers clinched the NL Central division last week. That was an up.

Bernie was HA-PPY!



They won the first two at home. Super up - one to go to the NL Championship game!!



Then they lost the next two in Arizona. Downer.



ha. poor Ryan.

So, anyway. Tomorrow they're back home for game 5. Guess where I'll be? Yep, here:



Doing this:



fyi, this isn't me. just what I'll be doing

Almost definitely drinking one of these:

Miller owns Leinie's. I <3 Honey Weiss (in moderation, of course)

And cheering for my boys to eventually win this:



I'd do this whole "why writing is like baseball" or "how writing also has its ups and downs" analogy, but I'm busy packing. What are you doing today? (say cheering on the Brewers. say cheering on the Brewers. say...)

GO CREW GO!!!!

Whoops. Tuesday's Status Report (on Wednesday)

Christy's Campaign Challenge Post is still accepting "Likes" over at Rach's Blog.  To read it (and find the link to vote for it) GO HERE!

We also missed out on participating in Banned Books Week (it was last week).  To learn more about Banned Books Week and censorship (in case you missed it too) click THIS LINK (where you'll find a short list of the most challenged titles of 2010) .  To learn even more, click RIGHT HERE.

And our list of forgets doesn't stop there.

Whoops.  We forgot about the Tuesday Status Report for #WS4U this week!  (Writer's Support 4 You via Facebook).

*Christy's considering starting an OctoNano this Saturday.  From Oct 8-Nov 30 there are 50 days.  So, 1,000 words per day = a 50k novel. 

50K IN 50 DAYS. 

She's trying to convince erica this would be a great thing to do. 

ANYONE ELSE INTERESTED IN TAKING THE CHALLENGE? 

Is there anyone else who thinks NANOWRIMO sounds awesome, but is just not ready to commit to that this year?  If so, I'd totally come up with rewards/prizes/something to motivate you. 

LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!

*Christy's scrapped another 4-6 queries.  And then wrote 3 more.  And then she (re)read Mary Kole's post "Overthinking the Query".  Um. Yeah.


*Christy's having the worst school year in her 12 years of teaching.  She has students in her class that she is having a difficult time managing and feels like a failure.  She cries and is exhausted. 

*She is behind on critiquing a beta's ms and is feeling guilty and, again, like a failure.  And she's behind on grading.  And figuring out the new online grading system.

(And she didn't mean for this to become a pit party post.  Sorry about that.)


*Christy just wants to write.  Writing makes her feel better.  She has no time to write.  Although, on the plane to and from Colorado (her brother-in-law got married over the weekend), she read City of Ashes and enjoyed it.  The break from reality was MUCH needed.

*Erica is also having a not-wonderful school year.  I don't think she cries about it though.

*Erica is polishing her ms. 

*Erica is considering taking notes to create new characters and a new plot for Christy's OctoNano.  And she's watching  the Brewers.  Who rock.

That about sums it up for this week (and, um, last).

Check out these other members of WS4U!

http://www.writersally.blogspot.com
http://jc-martin.com/fighterwriter
http://waibelworld.blogspot.com
http://NicoleZoltack.blogspot.com
http://susanfieldswriter.blogspot.com
http://skmayhew.blogspot.com
http://margoberendsen.blogspot.com
http://www.susanoloier.blogspot.com--in
http://www.sherryauger.blogspot.com
http://carrieannebrownian.wordpress.com

Get Your Bookshelves Ready!

HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT THIS BLOG?  FOR THE LOVE OF CONTEMPORARY
find all things contemporary:  author shout-outs, book reviews, contests and more!

and of course, there's always THE CONTEMPS!

Up and Coming YA CONTEMPORARY novels you shouldn't miss out on:

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez
release date:  October 18, 2011



Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall....(Goodreads)
Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe
relase date:  October 13, 2011



When high school junior Sara wins a coveted scholarship to study ballet, she must sacrifice everything for her new life as a professional dancer-in-training. (Goodreads)

In Too Deep by (Mandy Hubbard) Amanda Grace
release date:  February 12, 2012



 Revolves around a dark lie which spirals out of control. (Goodreads)

The Importance of a Strong Foundation

Before I start, I want to remind you of where erica and christy build their foundations (reading, writing, living, etc.). Go Wisconsin!!

(look at that cute little tiny icon. but if I enlarge it, it's blurry. so I stuck with cute) 



Faith is not a topic that we talk a lot about here at erica and christy, but it is important to us. No matter your opinion on that, though, I (erica) think the parable I read to my Sunday School kids today was one that can apply to everyone. It was about the importance of having a strong foundation, entitled The House on the Rock. (note, there is a House on the Rock in Spring Green, WI. It is very bizarre. The following picture is not it.)



this one's in Rhode Island

In the parable, Jesus tells us about the man who built his house on a rock (the word of God) and how it could withstand any storm (problem, etc.). He also tells us of a man who built his house on sand (false ideology), which fell apart as soon as the first storm (sign of trouble) brewed.

So . . . like I said, we're not here to preach faith. But I do think this analogy works for our writing lives - and that of our characters.





First - you and your writing. How solid is your foundation? Do you take care of yourself and your time? Are you able to move forward in your writing life - or are you stuck in analysis/paralysis phase (research, editing, taking the day off, etc. - over and over and over)? Do you feel more like the above picture, or more like this:



(I got this off google images, but couldn't find the original source)

If so, find your foundation, your rock, your belief system. Set small goals. Write a little bit. Then start climbing. You'll find your way - I believe in you.

Now, our characters. There is something I've discovered about my characters during lo, these long months of editing. To prove my character arc, they start out something like this:



is it weird that this picture of Dawson always makes me laugh?

And then - wowwie, zowwie - through the magic of my words, they end the story like this:



la, la, la, la, la, la, laaaa, la, la, la, la

Okay, maybe my writing doesn't EXACTLY go that way. But yeah, I get a little carried away in first draft form. Something that will help me clean up those messes a lot faster is thinking about my character's foundation. What do they live for - even in the beginning - that helps them move forward? What part of them stays strong throughout the journey?

Do you guys ever think about the complete backstory (which, of course, can't actually make it into the book. No matter how hard I keep trying...*whistles*)? Do your characters have strong foundations that they are able to stay true to until the end? Or is your story about starting in sand and then climbing out? How do you show that without seeming too weak at the beginning? Any tips?