My Writing Goals (how I'm a different writer from most)

The reason I write is the same for most writers. I write because not writing would be literal torture. And as I'm sure you've heard from many others, writing is my escape.

I write based on my own experiences, and while I'm obviously not the only writer who does this, I wish more authors did it. I think there's power in writing fiction based on things you've gone through because you've felt it and lived it; your readers are more likely to relate and feel those emotions you felt because they're genuine.

For example, someone who has experienced a traumatic car accident will be able to write a story based on a car crash better than someone who has never experienced it. Someone struggling with a disability is the one who should write about that experience because they know it like the back of their hand. It wouldn't be good if someone who doesn't understand it tried to write a book about it and either intentionally or accidentally offended an entire group of people with that disability.

That's why I like to write what I know and only write the things I've been through. I love getting readers to feel things, whether it's a painful emotion like heartbreak or a happy one like laughter.

What makes me different from most romance writers is the message I want to portray. A good chunk of romance (not all; one of my favorites is the One to Watch) follows the same tropes. I use those tropes but make the story unique to what happened in my own life. I write themes of friendship, family, feminism, mental health, etc. in my romances. The romance is hardly ever the only point of my novel. I need more for my character than love. There's more to a woman or man's life than finding someone to share it with. Yes, it's an awesome thing, but I feel like in society people are pressured to romantically date and so I want to write novels where the protagonist doesn't always end up with the guy.

My Best Friend's Wedding is a brilliant example of not going with the cliché. The protagonist sabotages her best friend and does all these bad things to stop him from getting married. And she doesn't end up with him. She just looks manipulative and deceitful. The story is more truthful. I've read romances where there's someone toxic and the couple ends up together anyway just because "it's a romance." I want to be more accurate though.

I want to bring certain topics to light that aren't brought up enough. I want to write about suicide and depression and eating disorders. In particular, I want to have more diverse characters, INCLUDING body size (which is not common unfortunately). It's important to be diverse and include other races and cultures, but we forget about other things like body image portrayals, and simply having girls have dreams of their own. Feminism, body image, and mental health are probably my biggest topics I want to touch on.

That's what makes me different is I like to write romance where it's more about the self-journey of the female (more chick-lit) and the guy plays a role in her finding out more about herself. She learns from the relationship instead of learning how to be in a relationship.

Romance takes the form of many things. I can't do it on my own. I haven't experienced certain things. Some stories that need to be told aren't my story to tell. We need more same-sex romances (I was so proud when I saw a Hallmark one); we need more ones about suicide and sexual assault, and we need them addressed by survivors who can tell their story with heart, pain, and resilient strength. We need that more than ever. There's a lot that we can't change in the world, but as a writer, I feel like it's my job to move people with a certain character and, through empathy and engagement in my story, get them to change or revise their biases or stereotypes. We all have them. We're all grown up with different parents and in different environments so it's only natural some of us think in different ways. My goal with my writing is to give people the diversity they may not have had growing up so that I can change their views. I know someone who isn't accepting of LGBTQ+ but who has never had a friend or experience with someone in that community. I want my books to be those experiences for them so they can empathize and want to be more accepting after reading my book.

I want to help the world in my writing. I want to advocate AND write, not just merely entertain.

And that's what makes me different from most writers. I want to make room for other romances that may not fit the tropes but that are just as fulfilling.

A romance ending with a SINGLE woman loving herself is a happy ending too.