Playing Fastball, page 31
I believe it would be hard to write a historical romance where the heroine is suffering from painful bound feet or where she is expected to throw herself on her husband’s funeral pyre. It’s difficult to enjoy a romantic comedy where the heroine is subjected to the whims of her mother-in-law who held all the cards and power in the relationship. Most of the historical women’s fiction written in these time periods are not romantic but tragic.
Asian women fared no better in the New World or in the outback of Australia, if they even made it there. While there are stories of white women who had excellent adventures during the California Gold Rush, most Asian women were imprisoned in the worst type of brothels—isolated by language and customs far away from their families.
Writing a romance in an historical era means you would need to create a very courageous and unusual character who is able to rise above her circumstances. She has to have a special skill that allows her to be fairly independent and able to take care of herself. Maybe she’s an excellent archer or great with knives, or she’s learned how to mix poisons and is seen as a mystic or fortune-teller.
Study the historical context and familial dynamics that would allow your heroine to learn the skills she needs and show her rebelliousness against the traditions she is expected to adhere to. Pair her with a free-thinking and open-minded hero who sees her as a real person in her own right, and be sure that they respect each other as equals.
One thing to beware of when writing a historical romance set in an Asian country or with an Asian heroine is to avoid the “white savior” trope. This is the one where a white outsider comes in and fixes all of the problems for the local people. The outsider also gains the love of a native woman and defeats the rival who is typically portrayed as one of the oppressive and cruel men of the culture.
While stories with white saviors sold well in the twentieth century, it is not a true representation of an Asian hero or heroine if they or their culture are waiting to be rescued by someone who drops in and fixes everything.
Another thing to watch out for is writing everything from the point of view of the white character—how foreign the place is, how strange the customs are, and how different the people think.
Writing an Asian main character means seeing and feeling through the point of view and lens of his or her cultural background and unique personality. Let your reader pick up the differences in time and place rather than telling them through a white character’s interpretations.
Accents and Foreign Words
I have a friend who decided to write a romance from a Southerner’s point of view. She wondered if she should end every -ing word with -in’. Like singin’ instead of singing, walkin’ instead of walking. We advised her not to do it. Not only would it be tedious, but it would remind readers that she was viewing Southerners as quaint and highlighting their differences.
The same holds true for portraying accents for Asian characters. In old films and books, authors confused the letters L and R in their portrayals of Asian characters without realizing that it was only a lack of distinction among native Japanese speakers learning English.
They used it indiscriminately in movies depicting Chinese and Korean characters, such as having Chinese restaurant employees singing “fa ra ra ra ra” in the movie, A Christmas Story.
Whether applied to Chinese or Japanese or any Asians, phonetically imitating accented speech can be offensive and limiting. It is also bad writing, as you can readily agree with substituting every -ing word with -in’ for Southern speech.
My suggestion is to simply state that a character is speaking with an accent if it makes it hard for the listening character to understand. It’s probably okay to use some common shortcuts such as ungrammatical English—but this depends on why you are portraying it.
For sure, a saying like “Bless her dear little heart,” from a Southerner has a double meaning, so you will need to include it. Having a white character talk in broken English to an Asian character may also be valid if you’re pointing out something about the character.
For example, in my story, Played by Love, Ella Kennedy is overly fond of Asian languages and tries to speak broken Korean to Jaden Sloup, a Korean-born but American-raised character. She ends up being rebuked in a funny way when she messes it up.
What you don’t want to do is what Mark Twain did, which is to phonetically spell out a character’s accent. It is not only a lot of hard work, but it is demeaning, hard to understand, and in these days, viewed as offensive.
What about foreign words or phrases?
The inclusion of foreign words, as they are commonly used, is in my opinion acceptable as they give voice to the character. Common titles are those for mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, and other relatives like uncles and aunts.
If your character is always using mijo to refer to a son, then it is okay, since that’s the way she speaks. However, be aware of regional differences.
In the Chinese Mandarin dialect, there are many words for grandparents. Some refer to a paternal grandmother (po po or nai nai), whereas maternal grandmothers are referred to as (wai po or lao lao). If your speaker is Cantonese, the pronunciation will be different. I’d say choose one and keep it simple.
For example, in Black Tied: Sapphire, the main character always refers to her grandmother as Lao-Lao, and the reader gets used to it.
Foreign phrases can be used judiciously as long as you’re aware of the reader’s ability to understand. For example, more Western readers can understand or transliterate Spanish than Mandarin Chinese, so adding in a few Spanish phrases will cause less confusion than sprinkling Mandarin phrases.
Some style guides insist that foreign words are italicized wherever they appear, whereas others say that only the first occurrence is italicized. My opinion, in the interest of readability, is that commonly known words such as chow mein and margaritas, are not italicized, whereas likely uncommon words, such as char-sui and horchata are italicized.
I italicize foreign words and phrases throughout the manuscript, because honestly, I’m not sure the reader will remember if I italicized the first occurrence and then “forgot” to italicize later on. Because of the italicizing throughout the manuscript, it also reminds me NOT to use too many foreign or unfamiliar words as it impacts readability.
This is a matter of opinion, and I feel you have vast jurisdiction over the amount of foreign words and phrases you incorporate into your story. Be aware, however, that if the context is unclear, you should provide a brief translation.
Differences in Opinion
As writers, we are hyperaware of people’s feelings, emotions, and opinions. We are constantly making choices for our characters that put them in conflict with other characters.
The same thing happens with the opinions of others to our writing. Whatever direction we choose, there will be readers or critics who dislike your character’s actions.
The key to writing a character from a culture you’re not familiar with is to write them as real people, fully fleshed out with distinct personalities.
A variety of personality traits, backstory, talents and flaws, likes and dislikes will add richness to your story and avoid the tired tropes that have been overused.
You should write your Asian characters like you write any characters—introverts and extroverts, busybodies and quiet ones, organized and scatterbrained.
Also, don’t always make them valedictorians or Chinese restaurant owners or have parents want them to be doctors. For example, my mother doesn’t like to go to the doctor, and she didn’t want her children to be doctors. Two out of four are doctors and one is married to a doctor. Go figure. Her friends joke that she used reverse psychology.
It’s up to you how much your plotline or theme deals with their “Asianness.” If you’re unsure, back away from a story that centers around a cultural conflict. For example, if you’re not familiar with arranged marriages, then don’t make that the centerpiece of your story.
Your character can be mostly American in outlook but happens to be Asian, and the plot can be anything you wish. Just because a character is Asian does not mean you should only explore “Asian” issues, especially if you’re not prepared for it.
Include only what you know or have researched, and leave the heavier subjects to those who know more.
For example, in Hidden Under Her Heart, I included a minor character who is Desi, or South Asian. Because I lived and worked with enough people from the subcontinent, I knew they have many languages and ethnic groups with many individual customs. Some ate meat, others didn’t, and some allowed chicken but not beef. While most were Brahmin, there were also many from the second-ranking caste. I overheard attitudes toward the untouchables, and of course, my coworkers or roommates told me funny stories from their childhood.
It wasn’t enough for me to write a main character who is Desi, so I left Priya as a nurse who works with my main character.
We can’t be everything to everyone, but we can still be inclusive if we know our limits and respect our characters enough to know when not to tackle a deeply emotional topic like arranged marriages, the effects of the internment camp, or the resettlement of refugees after the Vietnam War.
There will always be differences in opinion about who gets to write a character outside of their background, and I’m not here to be the gatekeeper for Asians—far from it!
My opinion is that every character that is not in your autobiography is “foreign” to your experience. I write viewpoint characters who are male without ever having been male. We can’t be all things, but what we can do is be true to our characters, which means developing them fully as individuals with a full set of attributes while respecting the culture, gender, class, nationality, or religion they hail from.
In the end, you own your characters, no matter what their backgrounds. Gustave Flaubert (a male writer) was quoted as saying, “Madame Bovary, c’est moi.”
End of Excerpt, to read more, please order Writing Asian Romance Characters.
READING LIST WITH HEAT LEVELS
WITH AUDIOBOOK LINKS
Note on Heat Level: Sweet, kissing only, love scenes (if any) are behind closed doors. Sassy, love scenes are summarized and non-descriptive. Steamy, love scenes are detailed and descriptive.
Don’t forget to download my Free Books: http://rachelleayala.net/free-books
American Heartland: Sweet Country Hearts Series (Sweet)
Longer Than Can Kyle’s dark storytelling, a haunted cabin, and horses draw newcomer Desiree from the arms of the town’s most eligible bachelor?
American Heartland: My Country Heart Series [Steamy]
Going Haywire, Vampires, zombies, and wolves, oh my! Honey’s vacation with her ex-husband goes haywire when he tries too hard to get her back. Audiobook link.
Going Toe to Mistletoe, Candi’s fed up with love and down on her luck. Troy gives advice to the lovelorn, but it hasn’t done his love life much good. Will a small town Christmas wedding open their hearts to love? Audiobook link.
Going Hearts over Heels, A city girl trades places with a country boy over Valentine’s Day. Audiobook link.
[Sweet] Going Gets Hot, A shy bookworm and a geeky scientist get makeovers and a new start in Sapphire Falls. Audiobook link.
American Heartland: Have A Hart Romance Series (Sweet)
Christmas Lovebirds Can two little lovebirds and Christmas cheer open Melisa’s heart to giving Rob another chance? Audiobook link. Spanish link.
Valentine Hound Dog A fashion designer and her basset hound puppy convince a burned ex-firefighter that beauty is never skin deep and neither is love. Audiobook link. Spanish link.
Spring Fling Kitty A stray cat shows a fire chief and his fiancee’s sister that doing the wrong thing is sometimes right when it comes to love. Audiobook link. Spanish link.
Blue Chow Christmas Two lost chow dogs and a mystery boy throw Brian and Cait’s Christmas rendezvous up in the air. Audiobook link. Spanish link.
Valentine Wedding Hound Jenna loses sight of the true meaning of her wedding when she signs up for a reality show full of tricks and dares. Audiobook link. Spanish link.
[Sassy] Summer Love Puppy Can love rebuild a ruined past? Grady and Linx share more than a hidden dog and devastating secrets. Spanish link.
Dog Days of Love Nessa has a doctorate. Dale is a dropout. Can a woman looking for Mr. Perfect fall for a happy-go-lucky Mr. Wrong? Spanish link.
Valentine Puppies and Kisses Jenna and Larry’s Valentine Anniversary party turns into a nightmare. Will puppies save the day and their marriage?
Happy Goose Year Will Pete’s idea of rekindling his romance with a cooked goose backfire before the countdown drops to zero?
Desiring Danger [Dark Romantic Suspense, Steamy]
Love Will Stay, Blackmailer Salem Pryde wants to be a bad girl gone good, but a fling with Fire Chief Scott Colson forces her to be gone for good.
Taking Me Back, Linx Colson fights fire with fire on smokejumper Grady Hart while a deranged arsonist targets their most precious secret.
All You Want, Town busybody, Tami King, has her sights set on Sheriff Todd Colson while a creepy stalker has her in his sights.
[Sweet] Kiss Me Tight, Sniper Rorie Rivera aims to disrupt a politician’s wilderness trek until she butts heads and kisses with tour guide, Chad Colson.
[Sweet] Hold My Love, Framed for the murder of a congressional aide, Kevin Colson aims for the real killers—with a little help from loud-mouthed drama queen, Virgie Rivera.
Not Mine - Romantic Comedy
[Sweet] Not My Dog Walker, When April Fu finds a dog in her apartment the day before April Fool’s, she’s not laughing.
Beach Reads
[Sassy] Lucky in Laguna, Scriptwriter Lucky Lenigan regrets writing dog walker Tally Tallahan into a reality show as another man’s love interest.
[Sweet] Jade: Perfect Match, A matchmaking agency matches a romance author with a Navy SEAL who is a big fan of her plagiarizing ex. Audiobook link.
[Sassy] Bride for Breakfast, Bad Girl Brides #1, Jane must complete the renovations of her Caribbean bed and breakfast in time for her wedding, but the entire island is intent on sabotaging her plans—unless the groom is the caretaker’s son.
Christmas Romances
[Sweet] Christmas Stray And who doesn’t love a stray or two when snowed in for Christmas? [Gold Award Winner, 2016 Readers’ Favorite] Audiobook link.
[Sassy] Seashells & Mistletoe, after you’re dumped by your groom and end up on a holiday cruise ship with a guy full of mischief who impersonates the Norse god, Loki. [Audiobook available]
[Sassy] Santa on Strike, Bette’s bar is on the ropes when her biggest attraction, the barroom Santa, goes on strike two days before Christmas.
Christmas Creek Romances
[Sassy] Deck the Hearts, Can Holly’s jolly Christmas spirit help Grinchy Gordon Gills save the town of Christmas Creek? Audiobook link.
[Sassy] Her Christmas Chance, Bella’s cat, Mr. Klutz, runs roughshod over Chance Martin’s furniture restoration business. Can love be far behind when she takes a swing at him with her crutches? Audiobook link.
[Sweet] A Christmas Creek Carol, A reclusive writer, Ebony Cruse, is given a one-star review on her life by characters in her past, present, and future. Audiobook link.
[Sweet] Kitty, It’s Cold Outside, When mailman Mick Jolly delivers a kitten to an abandoned millhouse, he is ensnared by a beautiful Victorian woman caught in a Christmas curse.
[Sweet] A Christmas Creek Caper, Someone’s stealing packages off the Christmas Creek porches. Sheriff Brad Wing is on the case—until he’s caught with his hands up and his pants down.
[Sweet] Toy Soldier Christmas, Breast cancer survivor, Nutmeg Brown, finds a broken toy soldier under her Christmas tree. It’s love at first sight with a wooden toy or is it?
[Sweet] Red’s Christmas Woodsman, When Ruby Red Rumsey visits her grandmother’s Christmas Creek cabin, she finds a hunky woodsman asleep in her grandmother’s bed.
[Sweet] Dashing Through Christmas, It’s a case of mistaken identity, secret agendas, Christmas love and magic, all with the help of a “talking” dog with superhero qualities.
[Sweet] Dottie’s Christmas Wish, All Merry Jolly wants is to make Dr. Colton Dale smile. All his daughter, Dottie, wants is a dog. Will Christmas wishes come true for three lonely hearts?
Sweet Romance: A Veteran’s Christmas Series [Sweet]
A Father for Christmas Sweet romance between a homeless veteran and a single mother whose daughter asks Santa for an unusual gift. [Gold Award Winner, 2015 Readers’ Favorite] Audiobook link.
A Pet for Christmas A veteran suffering from PTSD fights to return from Afghanistan and give his family their Christmas wishes. [Finalist, 2016 Readers’ Favorite] Audiobook link.
A Wedding for Christmas A Christmas wedding seemed perfect for Kelly and Tyler, until a female soldier from Tyler’s past and the man who fathered Bree make requests that cannot be ignored. Audiobook link.
Contemporary Romance: Bad Boys for Hire Series (Steamy)
Bad Boys for Hire - Ryker Terri Martin gets caught in the middle of a motorcycle club vendetta when she tries to hire a biker for her birthday date. Audiobook link Translations available in German, Italian, and Spanish
Bad Boys for Hire - Ken After Jolie Becker is left at the altar, her friends secretly hire a hunky beach bum to cheer her up. Audiobook link.
Bad Boys for Hire: Nick, This Christmas, paraplegic Carol Cassidy is caught between the naughty and the nice: a hired Santa and a disabled firefighter. Audiobook link.
