I began this post after receiving some negative feedback about Body Language. I am going to continue it now because I've decided I want to become more active on my blog and share a little bit more of myself with my readers.
After reading some of the responses to Body Language, an idea was born in me to write a little blog post about my books—about what type of audience each one is written for. I haven't made the final decision to do or not do that, since there are many factors involved, but the idea at face-value seems like it could be a good thing.
Relating to Body Language, a lot of reviewers complained that there was not enough romance in the book. Some people saw “romance” and expected a sex-fest.
I'm almost sorry I didn't give it to them.
There are a few reasons (not excuses) that Body Language reads the way it does:
It was my first novel. Ever.
That's right. Believe it or not, I had never written a full-length novel before.
It was my first attempt at writing a contemporary novel. Ever.
Everything I'd written was either an attempt at historical fiction (one which failed miserably and was abandoned) – or was bad poetry. There were a few short stories, but none of them were good enough to where I'd want to share them.
I wrote it for NaNo, which meant that it was written in a short amount of time.
I outlined the book in one day, and began writing it the next day. Before November 1st, it was not even a twinkle in my eye.
Those things being said, if I were to rewrite the book now, it would be completely different in terms of plot depth. It'd be longer and the characters would have more development. That's NOT to say the plot, characters, story and its twists, to most of my readers, were not sufficient. There were many people who absolutely loved Body Language.
But knowing that I'm not a perfect writer, and that writing is an ever-evolving, living art—I am willing to scrutinize my mistakes and give critique on my own pieces.
I love Body Language, and its characters, but I know it's not my best work. I know it's not the best book of all time. It has its flaws.
Feedback
“DNF. Stopped at 40%.” - No explanation as to why. I just take it at face value. The book wasn't his/her kind of book.
“This book was boring.” - Again, what you're used to may be a little more fast-paced? I guess?
“There wasn't any romance until the end and what was there was too much too quickly.” - Okay. This, is the comment that really inspired my original post.
Mind Over Mating
Now we get to the nitty gritty.
Mind = Intelligence, Mental, and the Brain
Mating = Physical, copulation, and the Body
I'm not saying that both of these can't connect or even switch places. Scientifically, your brain is the biggest sex organ.
What I mean is that, a lot of people believe a book is only romantic if you spend a lot of time playing kissy face or fucking.
My experience leads me to believe that at the beginning of relationships, it's the subtle things, the fact that he/she listens to you, the fact that you feel so much just touching their hand that is romantic. When I met my husband, it was those small things, those small hopes that he would respond to the connection I felt we shared through our friendship that really spurred me forward. I wanted him, but not just for his body. I wanted him for his soul and for his companionship. And while, yes, meaningful sex acknowledges the soul and the companionship one finds with a mate—along with all of those fantastic emotions that course through our respective bodies... Sex is not the ONLY romantic act.
Purely physical relationships can be completely unromantic and terrible. On the other hand, relationships without sex can feel devoid of that spark.
Carmen and Jacob share a different kind of relationship, one that takes place in their individual minds before it ever progresses. They understand each other on a special level, more a mental level than a physical. Mind over mating...
In the end, despite what the minority might think, I do believe I folded lots of subtle, soft romance in with the suspense and intrigue found in Body Language.
I hope that you can all feel that when you read it. And if you can't … well, I tried.
I should probably count it as a consolation that it got to the fourth round of judging in the Amazon breakthrough novel contest. So, I guess, it can't be ALL that bad...
I should mention that no matter WHAT you think about my books, I always appreciate honesty. I NEVER EVER dog anybody who gives me low ratings on my novels. I celebrate you and your opinion. It's a beautiful world in which we live where we can voice our opinions, live our lives, experience books, stories and characters. I 1000% LOVE my readers.
So thank you all. Every single one of you, whether you're satisfied with my writing or not.
As always, happy reading!