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[MaggieW]

For about a week now the idea has been flitting around in my head to attempt a romance story.  YIKES!    I think I have a couple of stories that have small amounts of romance, but not enough to even think about calling them romance.  Anyway...

How could I possibly write this story without making it sound cheesy and overdone?  I'm not sure if I want to do it as an AU or as BSB.

It's not a town where everybody knows everybody, but it sure feels that way.  What few people in that town know is that Brian Littrell (yes, Brian; if you read my stories, you'll realize that) came to this town (to be named later) to escape/hide from his life, to change.  I don't know if I want him to go by another name while he lives there, but I think I might; course, i'll need to do something to prove that it's Brian and not just some random 5'7" blond-brown, blue-eyed country boy.

And of course, Unnamed Woman enters town for one reason or another, whether in travel, or esaping herself, unsure. She ends up staying for a while (maybe she's visiting a relative?), meets Brian, and over time they become close.  Close, not the kind of romance where you meet, fall in love and get married in one week/month.  Which probably means I'd need to jump forward in time a lot.

Eventually, an older woman - for now I'll call her Esther - who Brian is good friends with tells him to stop being afraid of falling in love and take the chance.

Now I'm wondering... why is Brian in this town?  The idea briefly crossed my mind that maybe he's in the Witness Protection Program, but I'm not so sure. ( I mean, I did read a book blurb at the library that starts off something like this: "He knew he was falling in love with a woman in the Witness Protection Program."  Hoo-wee.  How's that for a suspense?  (And I didn't pick up the book, nor do I remember it's title!) )

And why is the woman in town?  Do Brian's friends (yes, Nick, Howie, AJ, Kevin) look for him?  Should I do something for their POV?


Wow, this was a long rambly post.  I don't know if any of that made sense; but if it did, I could sure use suggestions to make this one flow right and be uncheesy and done in a way that doesn't seem like "Oh, another one of those stories; I've read so many I'm sick of them.  Moving on."

[Purpura Lipstick]

The easiest thing for me would be to make the story AU *shrugs* But if you want to keep it BSB related have it happen before Bailey was born and Leighanne dies or something and he needs a change a scene so that he doesn't see her everywhere or something.

As for not making it cheesy I don't know because *shrugs* I'm struggling with my own Romance story so as to not make it cheesy

[starbeamz]

Well, Maggie, that whole scenario you gave sounds pretty good actually. I think I agree with Lore about making it an AU, but, if you want to make it be in "real-life," you could totally do the Witness Protection program or you could just have Brian wanting to escape from his life. I think I'd get rid of Baylee and Leighanne--and this could somehow factor into why he wanted a change of scene. Maybe they died in a car accident and he's so distraught he needs to get away. Maybe he and Leighanne saw something illegal that they shouldn't have and, while Leighanne and Baylee are killed, the FBI manage to save Brian by putting him in the Witness Protection Program...eh. Whatever you want. Just giving you ideas as to why he came to this small town.

As for the woman coming to town, maybe she's got a past, too. I once read a book where this woman had been traumatized after her restaurant had been the scene of a massacre that she couldn't stay in one place very long, so she kept moving. If you wanted to do something similar, you could, and it would add drama to the story if somehow Brian helped her overcome this fear.

*shrugs* I sometimes feel like the super dramatic romantic one (as opposed to my fluffy partner, Kelly lol) so I've got tons of ideas for ya lol Hopefully, some of this helped

[MaggieW]

Oh, I'll take any ideas that I can get! Please!  Boy, it really is a toss-up between AU and "real-life."  You'd get rid of both Baylee and Leighanne?  I might do that, or maybe I'll keep Baylee.. I don't know.

That book you read reminds me of one I read called "The Witness" by Dee Henderson.  I should get that book from the library again; maybe it'll inspire me too.  I like my suspense novels and Dee Henderson is a Christian/suspense/romance writer.

I need to think of a name for the woman that won't sound like every other romance or "Mary-Sue-too-good-to-be-true."  I'm thinking Ruth, Emily/Emilee or maybe something foreign.  Ooh, I like Viviane and Caro from Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.  Or Kat.

Well, these things will come slowly but surely.  Thanks for any and all help!

Well, Maggie, that whole scenario you gave sounds pretty good actually. I think I agree with Lore about making it an AU, but, if you want to make it be in "real-life," you could totally do the Witness Protection program or you could just have Brian wanting to escape from his life. I think I'd get rid of Baylee and Leighanne--and this could somehow factor into why he wanted a change of scene. Maybe they died in a car accident and he's so distraught he needs to get away. Maybe he and Leighanne saw something illegal that they shouldn't have and, while Leighanne and Baylee are killed, the FBI manage to save Brian by putting him in the Witness Protection Program...eh. Whatever you want. Just giving you ideas as to why he came to this small town.

As for the woman coming to town, maybe she's got a past, too. I once read a book where this woman had been traumatized after her restaurant had been the scene of a massacre that she couldn't stay in one place very long, so she kept moving. If you wanted to do something similar, you could, and it would add drama to the story if somehow Brian helped her overcome this fear.

*shrugs* I sometimes feel like the super dramatic romantic one (as opposed to my fluffy partner, Kelly lol) so I've got tons of ideas for ya lol Hopefully, some of this helped

[Purpura Lipstick]

I'll tell you of the names you listed ... Ruth sounds the least like a "Mary-Sue" name to me.

[RokofAges75]

^Agree.  Ruth = totally not a Mary-Sue name.

[MaggieW]

ArrG.  And while I like Ruth a lot, that doesn't seem to be her name.  You know what I mean?  Have you ever named a character, but as you were working on the story, realized that the name you gave them wasn't the correct one and it wasn't until you changed it that things really smoothed out?

Hmm...  Who is she?  And what's her background?

[Purpura Lipstick]

Yes, I did that with my original fiction Wulf's Bane... I started with Lily and it just never fit and I kept going from name to name before I found one that worked.

Emily is common enough that it might not be Mary Sueish if you do well to avoid it. Caro screams Mary Sue to me... *shrugs*

[nicksgal]

Emily is common enough that it might not be Mary Sueish if you do well to avoid it. Caro screams Mary Sue to me... *shrugs*

Agreed. Emily is common enough that it shouldn't be a problem unless you spell it some weird Mary Sueish way.

[Rose]

Sounds interesting actually.

I've had that problem lol. Calypso's (from JAD) original name was supposed to be Scarlett or Dawn actually. But to me it just did not fit her personality the way Cally did. Sometimes a name defines the character, Mary Sue-ish or not. As long as the personality isn't Mary Sue, go with what you feel is the girl you have in mind.

[MaggieW]

Sounds interesting actually.

I've had that problem lol. Calypso's (from JAD) original name was supposed to be Scarlett or Dawn actually. But to me it just did not fit her personality the way Cally did. Sometimes a name defines the character, Mary Sue-ish or not. As long as the personality isn't Mary Sue, go with what you feel is the girl you have in mind.

I agree.  When I first started working on my novel (my brothers, their friends and I are taking a novel-writing class using the book "Learn To Write The Novel Way") my main character's original name was Mackenzie.  But when I went to work on her character bio, nothing came to me.  It wasn't until I changed her name to Selene that things started to fall into place.

[MaggieW]

Crap!  I had her name just last night and I didn't write it down!  Arrrg!  And it was so good too!

[Purpura Lipstick]

Oh I had that happen a couple of times. I get great ideas or names and don't have any paper and pen. I've started carrying around  apad of paper and pens now.

[MaggieW]

Agreed. Emily is common enough that it shouldn't be a problem unless you spell it some weird Mary Sueish way.

I used to teach a girl at church whose name is spelled "Emilee".  Although, in a little short that I started writing the other day, the woman's name is Heather Baty.  I might use that.

[nicksgal]

Is that pronounced like Batty? lol