Experiencing a Slowdown

I'm in the midst of a creative slowdown. Bummer.

My creative juices seem to have thickened up. They're just not flowing freely like I want them to. I'm not calling this episode writer's block, but I'm experiencing a meltdown of sorts. In sports terms, I'm in a slump.

I need to regroup. I'm doing that by listening to Nora Roberts' alter ego. I'm spending time listening to J.D. Robb's In Death series of novels. Thanks to my wife, I'm hooked. I have not laid eye to print on anything that Nora Roberts has written, but the audio books are intriguing. I'm paying close attention to how she describes characters, events, and settings. I think listening to a book sometimes allows the ear to "see" things the eye might miss.

I think the one aspect of the series I prefer is seeing how the main and minor characters are developing and evolving. I will admit that the romantic aspects of the novels are well written, but for me, it's the action (not that I'm not a romantic guy). I want to see how our heroes solve the next series of crimes and how they circumvent the obstacles thrown in their way by the criminals they pursue. While balancing their personal and private lives, as well as dealing with their own human foibles.

I'm also looking at fan sites and encyclopedia information to learn what Nora Roberts' motivations/intentions are, to gauge what readers are experiencing when they read these novels in this series, and what they want out of the series and what they expect Nora Roberts to do.

I also learned that there is a huge fan base of men who read romance novels. Not that I intend to switch tactics and begin writing romance stories, but I do want to better understand what formulaic techniques motivate romance writers and readers.

Maybe I can incorporate some of those techniques into my own writing. It's worth a try.

One of the minor complaints I've seen is with fans who have mentioned the predictability of the stories. Well, isn't that why they keep coming back for more? Because they are so predicable. They're like you favorite comfy chair. You know what to expect from it before you sit in it. But you continue to sit in it because it is exactly what you expect, a place to comfortably sit and enjoy yourself over and over again.