FreshFiction...for today's reader

Authors and Readers Blog their thoughts about books and reading at Fresh Fiction journals.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Patrice Michelle | Always evolving…

The great thing about being an author is that the learning curve on your job is limitless. You’re probably wondering why I think that’s a good thing. LOL! I think it’s great because in my mind, I’m always learning. When I look at the books I wrote five years ago and the books I’m writing today, I can see how much I’ve grown as a writer; how my style and my approach to writing stories has changed.

I’ve always loved a good story alongside my romance, but somewhere along the line, I wanted more. So I delved headlong into the vast paranormal genre. But even writing a straight paranormal romance wasn’t enough, and I began to add subplots, which evolved into suspenseful plot twists, which turned into more surprises in the story than even I had expected.

Layering emotional romance over complicated plotlines with mystery elements forced another transition in my writing—moving from being a pantser writer (write-by-the-seat-of-my-pants), with no planning at all, to morphing into a hybrid style author where I wrote a high-level outline as to how the story would play out to the end. Would I follow it? Not necessarily (hence the reason I’m a hybrid writer *g*), but it gave me a loose roadmap to follow.

Along the way, I began to add more action scenes to my stories: from fight scenes to chase scenes. I loved them. But the writing style for an action scene verses a love scene is very different in tone and structure, and yet another facet learned and tucked away in my writer's tool box.

Throughout all these transitions, there’s one aspect I’ve had to keep in mind with my stories. Blending fast paced and complicated plotlines with main characters that are just as deep, just as complex and just as intriguing is a delicate balance, one that leaves me challenged, energized and…always evolving.

Patrice Michelle

http://www.patricemichelle.net/

Patrice's latest release Scions: Resurrection, the first book in her SCIONS trilogy is out on the shelves now!

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3 Comments:

At January 11, 2008 6:38 AM , Blogger Stacy~ said...

I think it's great that you've been challenging yourself and that your writing has become stronger. I totally believe writers should explore and try different and exciting things. Sometimes I enjoy reading the stories that have a bit of romance thrown into a suspenseful paranormal, but lately, I've been strongly craving straight-up romance. I've gone back to re-reading old favorites because I'm just not finding too many of them out there these days, the kind that make me sigh with happiness.

Good luck with your latest book. I know a lot of readers are clamoring for it :)

 
At January 11, 2008 9:07 AM , Blogger Patrice Michelle said...

Thanks so much Stacy! I understand what you mean about reading straight up romances. I love reading urban fantasies, but I'm a romance reader at heart, so I crave MORE romance in those books, especially loads of sexual tension with that HEA at the end. I gobble that up! :) My SCIONS world is definitely paranormal with suspenseful and adventure elements, but I've included a strong romance too. I love the excitment and promise of finding true love too much not to include it. It's ingrained. I cut my teeth on historical romances from the age of thirteen and even though I read in many different genres, romance is my mainstay. :)

 
At January 11, 2008 9:19 AM , Blogger Patrice Michelle said...

Stacy...I just read your blog where you commented on Judith McNaught! *sigh* A Kingdom of Dreams was the book that encouraged me to start writing. LOVE HER historicals!!

 

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