tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post8866069690917467460..comments2024-02-04T04:40:23.122-08:00Comments on Harlequin Heartwarming: What Does It Mean To Write Fiction? by Roz Denny FoxPamela Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834270662017246137noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-9715972703833666452015-11-29T14:49:25.316-08:002015-11-29T14:49:25.316-08:00I love your posts, Roz. I had a friend track me do...I love your posts, Roz. I had a friend track me down wanting to know where the small Indiana town I wrote about was, but he laughed when I told him it was fictional. I do love that our peopled and events are real to readers (though I think yours was a bit unreasonable!)<br /><br />Re: what Muriel said--I wish I had the knack of saying the right thing like my people do!Liz Flahertyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794565644883272260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-8468084513270283092015-11-29T06:02:53.671-08:002015-11-29T06:02:53.671-08:00Muriel, Isn't that the truth. LOLMuriel, Isn't that the truth. LOLrozdennyfoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06506701706951201107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-28179461287182504812015-11-28T16:40:10.146-08:002015-11-28T16:40:10.146-08:00I think a substantial number think out stuff is au...I think a substantial number think out stuff is autobiographical. I wish I could do some of the things my heroines do!Muriel Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12065629068634892645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-3592128405195007872015-11-28T06:59:36.018-08:002015-11-28T06:59:36.018-08:00Yep, that's it, Laura! I write for a strict Ha...Yep, that's it, Laura! I write for a strict Harlequin line so they asked me to remove it. Funny as I never even knew it was an acronym! Dana Mentinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04366110757864439082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-16958755528218000692015-11-28T06:44:26.725-08:002015-11-28T06:44:26.725-08:00Sandra, you and the others have been so supportive...Sandra, you and the others have been so supportive in this instance. I think we're all a tad fragile when a reader isn't altogether happy no matter the reason. What her questions did was start me wondering if readers understand that the books we write aren't real, but made up out of our heads.rozdennyfoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06506701706951201107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-71893073498932925672015-11-28T06:36:43.198-08:002015-11-28T06:36:43.198-08:00Roz, I think it was a real compliment to you that ...Roz, I think it was a real compliment to you that she thought your town was real. That means you did a great job with the characters and setting. Woo hooo. And so what if she is disappointed? She just gave you a fantastic compliment. smileSandra Leesmithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13911169281960710923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-50871681188406300122015-11-27T16:29:05.009-08:002015-11-27T16:29:05.009-08:00I'm not sure what motivated her to write twice...I'm not sure what motivated her to write twice about the fictitious town. I wondered if she wanted to see if anyone she knew could tell her who the people in the story were. But I really don't know.rozdennyfoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06506701706951201107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-45698826313756421752015-11-27T16:16:16.912-08:002015-11-27T16:16:16.912-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17478912840797103106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-59178012862287011092015-11-27T14:59:18.646-08:002015-11-27T14:59:18.646-08:00Oh Roz, I'm picturing this earnest reader pori...Oh Roz, I'm picturing this earnest reader poring over her map, becoming aggravated when she can't find your made-up town!! Is she a kind person, eager to visit the town you made so appealing? Or does she delight in skewering people who make mistakes, and wanted you to know that you'd made a big one?<br />Thanks for telling us about her.Laura Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04853245627578360220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-335672271195493372015-11-27T14:55:00.467-08:002015-11-27T14:55:00.467-08:00Uh, I think snafu stands for situation normal, all...Uh, I think snafu stands for situation normal, all f'ed upLaura Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04853245627578360220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-64017704540126840162015-11-27T14:44:31.325-08:002015-11-27T14:44:31.325-08:00LeAnne, I think it works well to build the locatio...LeAnne, I think it works well to build the location, partly because things come and go so fast in a town you may have recently visited---the businesses could turn totally around.rozdennyfoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06506701706951201107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-15606430951761103732015-11-27T14:37:47.658-08:002015-11-27T14:37:47.658-08:00I agree with Rose. How awesome that someone took y...I agree with Rose. How awesome that someone took your story that seriously. To be able to inspire that much passion in someone! Most of the time, when I pick up a book, I just assume the town is fictional. I think it makes more sense to build your own town than risk getting something wrong about a real place. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14212962875627421803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-79853036030851901392015-11-27T10:33:43.482-08:002015-11-27T10:33:43.482-08:00Thanks for sharing your answer, Jill!Thanks for sharing your answer, Jill!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17478912840797103106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-13225795301494490912015-11-27T10:32:47.524-08:002015-11-27T10:32:47.524-08:00Okay, you've got my interest. Someone e-mail m...Okay, you've got my interest. Someone e-mail me please to let me know, to save me having to Google it.... :-)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17478912840797103106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-46105530298765784342015-11-27T10:29:54.339-08:002015-11-27T10:29:54.339-08:00Rose, so true. That's probably where that sayi...Rose, so true. That's probably where that saying came from. What you're doing is what I've done in the trilogy I'm currently writing. I plunked a totally fictional town in a sparse location. But there are small towns around. In my "dear reader" letter, I believe I'll make note of my town not existing for real.rozdennyfoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06506701706951201107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-70472664991837111862015-11-27T10:26:44.893-08:002015-11-27T10:26:44.893-08:00Vicky, that sounds like a good plan to me, when yo...Vicky, that sounds like a good plan to me, when you are using a more finite spot like an island. rozdennyfoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06506701706951201107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-52449811730972793322015-11-27T10:25:27.164-08:002015-11-27T10:25:27.164-08:00Carol, it does my heart good to see how many great...Carol, it does my heart good to see how many great writers think about this subject. As an avid reader I don't think I waste a lot of time wondering if the story is real, especially if I like the characters, setting, and their journey to change. But that's me.rozdennyfoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06506701706951201107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-34697522444409999362015-11-27T10:18:37.729-08:002015-11-27T10:18:37.729-08:00I think it's a great compliment to you that so...I think it's a great compliment to you that someone was so wrapped up in your story that she was disappointed to learn it was fiction! Some of my stories take place in a town I created based on several of the small towns in Minnesota where I vacationed. I wouldn't want to write about a real town as the people who live there might take exception to my descriptions, characters, or whatever.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09351506305297047329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-432679366936211522015-11-27T09:58:21.996-08:002015-11-27T09:58:21.996-08:00Hi Roz. I've wondered the same thing, writing ...Hi Roz. I've wondered the same thing, writing a fictional resort in a very specific real place (St. John, USVI) - but in the end, I fall back on the some of the people some of the time adage & try not to worry. Maybe i'll change my own disclaimer to read "the events and locations depicted in this novel are, for the most part, purely imaginary." ? :)Vickyhttp://www.vickyloebel.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-18530217926933909792015-11-27T09:47:02.636-08:002015-11-27T09:47:02.636-08:00Such an interesting post, Roz. I've pondered t...Such an interesting post, Roz. I've pondered these questions so much. What can I use that is real and what to make up? I've been hesitant to use a "real" place because I've been afraid if I fictionalized certain details about the place then a reader might pick it apart and get annoyed. I like capturing the "flavor" of a general geographical location like you Carol Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02360417299528882416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-49490624809511440912015-11-27T09:04:12.754-08:002015-11-27T09:04:12.754-08:00Maybe you can tell the exchange of letters has mad...Maybe you can tell the exchange of letters has made me wary of taking poetic license. I've tried to plop a fictional town in the middle of areas I've lived or visited, hoping to project a real flavor. I also don't want to bug a reader.rozdennyfoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06506701706951201107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-27593502672911448372015-11-27T09:00:58.274-08:002015-11-27T09:00:58.274-08:00Patricia, I actually wondered that same thing abou...Patricia, I actually wondered that same thing about a disclaimer. Glad to hear your editor advised you on that. I can't say the book was so intriguing as more that maybe the woman really hoped to find out who the really bad mother-in-law was. LOLrozdennyfoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06506701706951201107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-10980035784001877242015-11-27T09:00:25.542-08:002015-11-27T09:00:25.542-08:00Hi! Just putting my 2 cents in. Was it the objec...Hi! Just putting my 2 cents in. Was it the objection to the initial for the F word that probably no one knows is in there?Muriel Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12065629068634892645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-91148721879386653822015-11-27T08:58:54.913-08:002015-11-27T08:58:54.913-08:00Oh yes, as a military family we all knew the real ...Oh yes, as a military family we all knew the real meaning of the acronym. Sometimes it's appropriate.rozdennyfoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06506701706951201107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2442063056672240555.post-70661767491274655542015-11-27T08:13:14.258-08:002015-11-27T08:13:14.258-08:00Great post, Roz! When I pick up a book labeled fic...Great post, Roz! When I pick up a book labeled fiction, I assume the characters and setting are made up. I agree with the others, I'd take the letter as a compliment. Obviously you made the setting very real to this reader. <br />In answer to your question, Kate, I read for escape, so the more real, the better. I do enjoy when a book is set in a place I'm familiar with.Jill Weatherholthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12935341991222337363noreply@blogger.com