Ruthy here, giving you a delightful post first done in 2017.... and still relevant today!
In Ruthy's world, "nobody puts Baby in a corner".... and writing diverse genres and stories suits her... and might be just the thing for you!
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Loving Women's Fiction! Most of the Time!
I love writing romance. Check out this video my daughter Beth made for me... Twenty Love Inspired books so far. #21 comes out in February and #22 in August... and then a Christmas novella duo with my buddy Linda Goodnight... and then #23 in January of 2019.
I am blessed.
I love writing mysteries!!! Who knew? This was my first mystery for Guideposts, and I've just finished mystery #2 and I'll be plotting #3 in a couple of weeks!!!
I love writing big books and smaller books, too.
Link to bestselling "Back in the Saddle" on Amazon...
And I've always loved writing women's fiction... with women empowerment plugged into the story because I believe women should all feel empowered. They should feel ready to handle whatever life sends their way, and when I wonder why women might not feel that way, I look around the world where oppression and lack of women's rights... and the fact that we only gained equal rights in the grand old U.S. of A. a hundred years ago. Historically, that's like YESTERDAY...
But while I love a splash of romance in Women's Fiction, I don't want the heroine rescued. There ain't no Disney princess on my watch, although their newer varieties are more my cup of tea.
Note to everyone reading this: PLEASE DO NOT TRY AND RESCUE ME. Rescue not needed, not appreciated and clearly unnecessary. And that's the spirit I like to see in my heroines... even the ones that might benefit by a little help and a ragingly cute, cool guy.
BUT... I don't want her saved by a knight in shining armor.
I don't want her to be relegated to a life of raising kids in a worn kitchen while the hero earns a living.
Not because that's bad... It's not.
But if we don't learn to take care of ourselves and stand up for ourselves, neediness can become a major step backwards in the story plot... and I don't want to see women stepping back when God calls us forward. But if your heroine is strong, what makes the conflict relatable in your story? Why does she need a story at all?
Here's where Mandisa hits the nail on the head with "Overcomer" on Youtube. I love this song... and what it represents.
Plotting the Wishing Bridge series came from multiple inspirations, but today we're sticking to heroines and Thanksgiving. I brought pumpkin pie and cranberry orange relish!!!! YUM!
Back to plotting.... In a women's fiction story, your women need to be the crux of the stories/series. The stories and plots should revolve around the woman's story. She's the ice cream in the sundae. The fruit in the pie. The cake... not the frosting. Because the solid base of the woman and her issues is what your story grows from.
In Wishing Bridge, all three women are from abusive pasts. All had troubled teen experiences. All were in group foster care at Hannah's Hope, a home for troubled girls near Philadelphia. And they'd made two promises at age 18: To never repeat the mistakes of their mothers... (mothers take a lot of heat in this series!!!!) AND...
If one ever runs into trouble, all she has to do is send the others an SOS and they will come running.
And of course, that's the beginning of the series.
Book One: Cinderella-looking Kelsey has always longed for the All American dream. To be a teacher, to be beloved, to fall in love with a wonderful man and raise a family.
OOPS. How about a con-man disguised as Prince Charming, an unexpected pregnancy and an $8000.00 line of credit taken out in your name... only it wasn't you who signed the application.
Book Two: Jane Eyre-styled Thea is the big city loner. Sold into human trafficking by her crack/cocaine addicted mother, she was eventually released from captivity by a kind man... Now a family practice nurse practitioner, Thea's determined to work in the big city and help the teens and tweens that remind her of herself... and here she is in a tucked-in-the-hills snow-belt town that rolls up the sidewalks at seven o'clock, every night. Yawn....
Book Three: And then there's long-legged, drop-dead gorgeous bi-racial Jazz, a supermodel living the high life, a runway favorite, destined for continued greatness... If she survives the eating disorder threatening her life.
And that's where it begins, with strong, flawed characters who might need help, who may seek redemption but who are inherently overcomers... the kind of women who don't blame others because they're too busy carving a life for themselves.
I try not to belabor my own slovenly upbringing when talking about stories... not because I don't like talking about it. I don't lean on it, I don't use it as a crutch. It's the past. Over. Done. Finis. I don't dwell in the past. Ever. But I'm not afraid to use my past, my experiences, or those of others to deepen a story.
I don't wallow, and I don't want my heroines to wallow, either. Wallowing is for piggies, down on the farm. Not for successful women, even if they still question their own strength.
We know they've got what it takes, and as authors build their stories, we can construct a path that helps readers reach for success. Just because it's fiction doesn't mean it ain't real.
Keep it real.
Keep it upbeat.
Keep it moving.
Stay on the upside of the crises, never miring down in the seamy side of life for too long. We know it exists... we don't have to drown ourselves in it.
Show your heroine emerging from her cocoon like a butterfly escapes the chrysalis... To spread her wings and take flight. And if that flight includes a wonderful man, well that's not a bad thing. But it shouldn't depend on the wonderful man outcome. That should be the frosting on the cake... the whipped cream on that sundae... And a drizzle of hot fudge is never in bad taste!
I am so excited about this release. I love the story, I love the series, and I've had a great time working with Amazon's Waterfall Press to launch this book.
I am blessed.
I love writing mysteries!!! Who knew? This was my first mystery for Guideposts, and I've just finished mystery #2 and I'll be plotting #3 in a couple of weeks!!!
I love writing big books and smaller books, too.
Link to bestselling "Back in the Saddle" on Amazon...
And I've always loved writing women's fiction... with women empowerment plugged into the story because I believe women should all feel empowered. They should feel ready to handle whatever life sends their way, and when I wonder why women might not feel that way, I look around the world where oppression and lack of women's rights... and the fact that we only gained equal rights in the grand old U.S. of A. a hundred years ago. Historically, that's like YESTERDAY...
But while I love a splash of romance in Women's Fiction, I don't want the heroine rescued. There ain't no Disney princess on my watch, although their newer varieties are more my cup of tea.
Note to everyone reading this: PLEASE DO NOT TRY AND RESCUE ME. Rescue not needed, not appreciated and clearly unnecessary. And that's the spirit I like to see in my heroines... even the ones that might benefit by a little help and a ragingly cute, cool guy.
BUT... I don't want her saved by a knight in shining armor.
I don't want her to be relegated to a life of raising kids in a worn kitchen while the hero earns a living.
Not because that's bad... It's not.
But if we don't learn to take care of ourselves and stand up for ourselves, neediness can become a major step backwards in the story plot... and I don't want to see women stepping back when God calls us forward. But if your heroine is strong, what makes the conflict relatable in your story? Why does she need a story at all?
Here's where Mandisa hits the nail on the head with "Overcomer" on Youtube. I love this song... and what it represents.
Plotting the Wishing Bridge series came from multiple inspirations, but today we're sticking to heroines and Thanksgiving. I brought pumpkin pie and cranberry orange relish!!!! YUM!
Back to plotting.... In a women's fiction story, your women need to be the crux of the stories/series. The stories and plots should revolve around the woman's story. She's the ice cream in the sundae. The fruit in the pie. The cake... not the frosting. Because the solid base of the woman and her issues is what your story grows from.
In Wishing Bridge, all three women are from abusive pasts. All had troubled teen experiences. All were in group foster care at Hannah's Hope, a home for troubled girls near Philadelphia. And they'd made two promises at age 18: To never repeat the mistakes of their mothers... (mothers take a lot of heat in this series!!!!) AND...
If one ever runs into trouble, all she has to do is send the others an SOS and they will come running.
And of course, that's the beginning of the series.
Book One: Cinderella-looking Kelsey has always longed for the All American dream. To be a teacher, to be beloved, to fall in love with a wonderful man and raise a family.
OOPS. How about a con-man disguised as Prince Charming, an unexpected pregnancy and an $8000.00 line of credit taken out in your name... only it wasn't you who signed the application.
Book Two: Jane Eyre-styled Thea is the big city loner. Sold into human trafficking by her crack/cocaine addicted mother, she was eventually released from captivity by a kind man... Now a family practice nurse practitioner, Thea's determined to work in the big city and help the teens and tweens that remind her of herself... and here she is in a tucked-in-the-hills snow-belt town that rolls up the sidewalks at seven o'clock, every night. Yawn....
Book Three: And then there's long-legged, drop-dead gorgeous bi-racial Jazz, a supermodel living the high life, a runway favorite, destined for continued greatness... If she survives the eating disorder threatening her life.
And that's where it begins, with strong, flawed characters who might need help, who may seek redemption but who are inherently overcomers... the kind of women who don't blame others because they're too busy carving a life for themselves.
I try not to belabor my own slovenly upbringing when talking about stories... not because I don't like talking about it. I don't lean on it, I don't use it as a crutch. It's the past. Over. Done. Finis. I don't dwell in the past. Ever. But I'm not afraid to use my past, my experiences, or those of others to deepen a story.
I don't wallow, and I don't want my heroines to wallow, either. Wallowing is for piggies, down on the farm. Not for successful women, even if they still question their own strength.
We know they've got what it takes, and as authors build their stories, we can construct a path that helps readers reach for success. Just because it's fiction doesn't mean it ain't real.
Keep it real.
Keep it upbeat.
Keep it moving.
Stay on the upside of the crises, never miring down in the seamy side of life for too long. We know it exists... we don't have to drown ourselves in it.
Show your heroine emerging from her cocoon like a butterfly escapes the chrysalis... To spread her wings and take flight. And if that flight includes a wonderful man, well that's not a bad thing. But it shouldn't depend on the wonderful man outcome. That should be the frosting on the cake... the whipped cream on that sundae... And a drizzle of hot fudge is never in bad taste!
I am so excited about this release. I love the story, I love the series, and I've had a great time working with Amazon's Waterfall Press to launch this book.
RUTHY UPDATE 7/22: Wishing Bridge didn't just fly off the shelves... it still is flying off the shelves! This initial story "Welcome to Wishing Bridge" has over 800 reviews and a 4.6 star rating.... and it was joined by "At Home in Wishing Bridge", "Finding Peace in Wishing Bridge", "Embracing the Light in Wishing Bridge" and this October you'll see "Reclaiming Hope in Wishing Bridge", all with hundreds of reviews and 4.7 star ratings... I am so delighted that folks have fallen in love not just the people, but the town of Wishing Bridge, NY!
FIVE MORE DAYS!!!! COUNTDOWN BEGINS!!!! But you can pre-order "Welcome to Wishing Bridge" here.
What kind of women's fiction do you love? What speaks to you?
Come on inside and let me know and I'll put your name in the wishing basket for a chance to win a Kindle version of your choice of the Wishing Bridge stories!
They picked a great actress to do the voices... and she nailed it!
Thank you, Erin!
Multi-published, award-winning inspirational author Ruth Logan Herne is currently holed up on her Western New York farm with family, friends, 3 miniature donkeys, two dogs, three cats and a partridge in a pear tree! Friend her on facebook... follow her on twitter... and she'd LOVE IT if you followed her on Amazon and Book Bub!
FIVE MORE DAYS!!!! COUNTDOWN BEGINS!!!! But you can pre-order "Welcome to Wishing Bridge" here.
What kind of women's fiction do you love? What speaks to you?
Come on inside and let me know and I'll put your name in the wishing basket for a chance to win a Kindle version of your choice of the Wishing Bridge stories!
They picked a great actress to do the voices... and she nailed it!
Thank you, Erin!
Ruthy, you are such a role model for me. I want to write EVERYTHING! Mysteries, suspense, women's, middle-grade dystopian. I only hope I live long enough.
ReplyDeleteMore or less between projects now, and itchy to start writing again. Researching for two different series, both historical fiction, but in vastly different periods. Not a different genre, but it's something.
It is such a blessing to be able to do this...
Kathy Bailey
Your Kaybee
Blessed in New Hampshire
The other thing is that sometimes, not always, maybe hardly ever, a book is determined to Be What It's Supposed To Be. "Redemption's Hope" (coming out July 22 and discussed in paralyzing detail here on July 26) was supposed to be an historical romance and ended up being a sweeping Western epic. There's still romance and there's still a ton of history, but I'm more comfortable calling it a Western adventure story because that's what it is...But if people read my stuff, I honestly don't care what they call it.
DeleteKaybee
Not hung up on names in New Hampshire
I love all of the Wishing Bridge books I've read, but I need to catch up!
ReplyDeleteAnd your work ethic is inspiring. I know the impetus behind it is because you have these wonderful stories to tell, but they wouldn't be told if you didn't make your writing a priority at 0'dark-thirty every morning.
And you are SO right about fiction needing to be real. Readers don't relate to fairy tales (no matter how much we like to read them!) because we are living in the here and now. An escape once in a while is fine, but we need to see women dealing with the same issues we deal with and thrive. Not just survive, but move ahead to grasp the better life God has planned for us.
Kaybee is right, too - we are blessed beyond measure!
Jan, first time I've been right about anything today. I'll take it. BTW, happy belated birthday.
DeleteYou're often right, Kaybee! And thanks for the birthday wishes. :-)
DeleteI love the Wishing Bridge series, Ruthy. My book group is looking forward to your next one. I am looking forward to reading your new Guideposts mystery!
ReplyDeleteAll your stories are delightful, Ruthy! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteI love this post Ruthy. It comes at a great time. I've been contemplating whether I'd rather write women's fiction. I've never been completely sold on romance, but i never thought I could capture the emotion and depth of womans fiction or heavier topics. Im aim for more lighthearted stuff. I love WF for all you described. I love seeing a strong female arc and a women coming into her own, doing something she always dreamed, but never believed. As far as a hero I want him to be a strong supporter, not a rescuer. I been thinking about romantic women's fiction. Is that a legitimate genre?
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Ruthy, the above post is as relevant today as it was when it was first published. I love to read but I don't limit myself to the same genres. I don't want to eat the same foods every day and I don't want to read the same stories every day! So glad that you're willing to show strong women with worthy morals, imperfect but wanting to do so much better. Kinda like me! (at least in the imperfect part) I love your storytelling and I adore the challenging posts that you publish on social media! Keep up the good work, Ruthy, we all love you!
ReplyDelete