It's funny, every week I sit down to write an update, and I almost never have a plan on what I'm going to talk about. This whole “rambling redux” started on a whim.
I was tired of “hiding” which most of us authors do. We are, almost all, introverts. We tend to paint a glossy picture of what it's like to be an Indie author and I don't know, I just had enough. That is why I wrote the first one of these where I was going to be honest with you, my dear reader.
I'm working on Red Planet Dragons of Tajss #34 and I have thoughts to share with you. The tropes for this one are, obviously, Fake Marriage and Woman-In-Jeopardy.
Now for this week's subject I want to talk about “fluffy” romance versus… well whatever it is I write. Probably not my most popular subject, but maybe it will be. I hope it's not as controversial as my discussion of AI. 🤣💕
The very best-selling books in romance tend to be what I call “fluffy”. James and I lurk in a lot of Facebook groups, Subreddits, and other places that readers gather and talk.
We both see a lot of “complaints” about no depth romance stories. Fated mates used as the deus ex machina (the why? Because fated mates! use of the concept, not a story reason). The oh my god I have to bang him right now because he's so incredibly sexy. Etc. etc.
But! Despite this, the majority of the top selling romances fit into this “fluffy” style of storytelling. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with it. This is merely an observation.
These are the easy reads. The ones you read multiple books a day of because there's nothing to really pay attention to your just flowing in a new version of the same story. It's good for what I think of as “mindless” reading. Total escapism, you know what's coming, what's next, and that's great because you really just need to step away from whatever is happening in your life.
James and I tried, for years, to write like this. If you look a lot of the earlier books, they are closer, much closer on some, than anything he or I have written in the last few years. (Can you believe we've been doing this for ten years now?)
It's also something we both struggle with to do. When he or I write like that we don't enjoy it as much ourselves. It feels, for us, like a stifling of our creativity. Tajss and its entire universe is very real for me. And yes, there are direct allegories and themes from our world in the Tajss universe. I did that on purpose.
No, our world isn't nearly as simple as it usually works out in the stories, but that's also why almost all of them end with a Happy-For-Now, not an Ever-After. We want to write stories that matter to us, to you, and a world that you want to come back to.
Tajss is deadly dangerous. The entire universe looks is out to get you. There are some truly evil beings that call it home. There are misunderstandings, miscommunication, heartbreak and yes love.
And that is the heart of what I write. Love conquers all. I know, in my heart, that love is the only way we can win. No matter the barriers or problems, hate will never get us anywhere anyone wants to go. Love and understanding will.
I constantly strive to improve my craft of writing. To find ways to make both the world and the characters more real. I want you to be able to put yourself into them and escape your world for at least a little bit and know, that yeah, it's hard, but in the end love will win.
I have tried really hard to write light and fluffy, but I just can't. When I started the Red Planet Fated Mates series it was supposed to be light fluff. A day in the life story series. But then I thought about Desiree and her having to overcome the loss of her husband. When I started writing, it took on a lot deeper meaning for me and I hope for you too.
She's an example of what I mean that I really can't right “fluffy”. She was supposed to be an eye into the “religions” of the Tajss universe, fall in love, and heal her heart.
Simple but when I wrote those opening scenes I felt her grief. I was in tears as I typed those lines. Her pain was my pain, and I tried to pour that onto the page for you to experience with her. And that, dear reader, is anything but fluffy.
I've come to terms with I'm not a “fluffy” writer. I write fast, thankfully, but I write deep. It is what I do. It's what makes me happy and keeps my writing well full. Anything else isn't me and so my hope is that it will make you not just a “reader” but what we call a “super-fan”.
I know many of you are already, whether you know the term or not. It means, basically, that my books are an automatic “buy” or “read” the moment they come out. You're waiting for the next one, not because of cliffhangers but because you want that next “fix” of my style.
That's my thoughts for this week. I hope you're safe and well and ready for a great new year! Heres' your poll to let me know your thoughts quick and easy and thank you if you read all this!
Do you prefer “fluffy” or "deeper?
1. I like my stories light and easy, thank you.
2. Damn Miranda, give it to me “deep” and hard! 🍆🤣
Until next time.
xoxo,
Miranda