The heart of your story is in the hero's growth as a person. Learn how to start plotting the RIGHT story from your very first draft by digging deep into WHAT is holding your protagonist back and WHY they choose to become their best self. Sue's techniques break down storytelling in simple, intuitive ways that traditional writing methods often muddy. Stop wasting time spinning your creative wheels and start writing stories readers will remember... WITHOUT having to rewrite the story a million times.
The 'magical ๐ฑ' problem in romance
You know those romance books where everybody wants the heroine? It doesn't matter if she's a perfect Mary Sue ๐ฉ, a klutzy book nerd ๐ค, or a catty half-vampire ๐ง. Allll the boys (and even some of the girls) want in her pants. And I'm like, but WHY? ๐ณ๐คท I call this the "magical vagina" effect. (And yes, I said that out loud. On camera. On someone else's channel. ๐ ) It makes me crazy, because generic lust and forced relationships do not a good romance make. And it's a big reason I love how Fourth Wing handles Violet and Xaden. ๐ They are staunch enemies right from the start, and they stay that way for a LONG time. Xaden is both the danger to Violet's continued survival and her best chance at it. I get why Xaden wants her. Because the story builds up their characters AND their relationship at just the right pace. So sure, Xaden likes Violet's ๐ฑ but it's not โจ. ๐ Wanna watch me dish about it? ๐๐ฑ๏ธ My friend (and fellow book coach) Miranda Darrow invited me to cohost the Fourth Wing edition of her Novel Deep Dive series, and this episode is ๐ถ๏ธ SPICY! We dig into: ๐ Why the first kiss happens so late (and our conflicting opinions on that), ๐ก๏ธ What the Dain-versus-Xaden triangle says about "good boys" who want to protect you... ๐ And the sneaky character name choice hiding in plain sight. (You can't unsee it once you know.) This episode is long and cozy (90ish minutes), so queue it up for tonight's couch time and nerd out with us about why Fourth Wing is so damn popular. ๐ค (๐ท Don't forget your snacks! ๐ฟ) ๐ฅโก๐ โWatch the Fourth Wing Novel Deep Dive here! โ๏ธ๐กโฃ๏ธ
P.S. Xaden's whole brooding, intimidating shadow-wielder persona is an Augmentation, the protective behavior that shows readers what you're not ready to tell them about the hero. I wrote a whole article breaking it down (with the podcast episode embedded right inside ๐ง): Why some heroes wreck you, while others are forgettableโ |
Sue Brown-Moore
The heart of your story is in the hero's growth as a person. Learn how to start plotting the RIGHT story from your very first draft by digging deep into WHAT is holding your protagonist back and WHY they choose to become their best self. Sue's techniques break down storytelling in simple, intuitive ways that traditional writing methods often muddy. Stop wasting time spinning your creative wheels and start writing stories readers will remember... WITHOUT having to rewrite the story a million times.
Hi Reader! When I was an acquiring editor for a small press, I got to decide which books we published in my category romance lines. (Sounds exciting, right? What it really means is that I had to read a ton of slush, and that's not nearly as fun as it sounds. ๐ฅด๐) And there was this one story that I was SO excited to work on. It was the perfect fit, with all the right tropes and romantic chemistry that ๐ฅ promised to be off the charts. But when I got the manuscript, the story was kinda boring. I...
Hi Reader! Miranda and I disagreed. On camera. More than once. ๐ And we had SUCH a good time, we're doing it again! Stay tuned for our deep dive of Warrior, Princess, Assassin later this summer! And I'm not talking about the similar-but-different style of disagreement. I'm talking "Are we reading the same book??" disagreement. ๐ She prefers traditional, formal fantasy voice. I loved Fourth Wing's modern slang. (That book felt written for me.) ๐ I loved the Xaden bonus chapters. She thought...
Hi Reader! Confession time. ๐ I almost DNF'd A Court of Thorns and Roses. (I KNOW. Put down the pitchforks. ๐ ) It wasn't the writing, and it wasn't because of Feyre. It was the squalor. The starving, the freezing, the hovel house, the hunting-to-survive desperation... ๐คฎ I read romance to escape. And living through Feyre's medieval survival struggle felt more like a camping trip gone very wrong. โบ๐ฉ (And I'm barely willing to glamp.) But plenty of readers LOVE that gritty opening. For some of...