Strreeetttch

I’m writing a romance story.

Those of you who know me can pick your jaw up now.

You may have noticed I’m not big on romance as a genre. I had a scarring experience as a teen with 1970s era Harlequins. And I’m easily annoyed by sentiment. Those women who watch romantic comedies? Not me. My favorite romantic movie scenes are Hicks teaching Ripley how to use his gun and Martin Riggs boasting “that’s my girlfriend!” as Lorna Cole beats up three guys.

Not long ago I read and loved Jenny Crusie’s Agnes and the Hitman. The fact that I loved it, couldn’t find a fault with it, and didn’t want to go on and read everything she’s ever written says a lot about how I feel about romance–even with a heroine who regularly beats people with frying pans, it’s just Not My Thing. I like to write romance into my books, but the stories are never about the hooking up. It’s not me.

So can somebody tell me why I’m writing contemporary romance for the Goodreads m/m group challenge?

Okay, that’s not so hard. It’s a great group, and I wanted to contribute. Not to mention it’s a good way to get my name noticed among their ranks. I’ve had a lot more interest in my profile since I signed up.

Here’s the hard question: Why am I enjoying it so much?

I am loving this story. The setting–a village in Tuscany–is fun to research. The characters are a blast. The twists are fun. Trying to make my usually-sparse style fit the setting and the genre is challenging. In other areas a challenge might make me whine; in writing I tend to get a maniacal grin and a machete.

The fact is, I’m enjoying it so much that I’ve got three scenes out of ten and the manuscript is six thousand words. Umm…?