Reading & Writing Romance: Analogies
Reading & writing romance is a lot like eating potato chips.
Did you ever notice that when you’re trying to watch what you eat, everything reminds you of food? The more you try not to think about something, the more you think about it. At least, that’s what happens to me. Which might explain how I came up with this week’s post.
Potato chips are kind of a weakness of mine, especially when I get some time to kick back and relax with a great romance and a nice glass of iced tea. Since I’m trying to be healthier, though, I decided to go with the unsweetened tea for my little slice of private reading time, and to skip the chips entirely. Which, of course, meant that as soon as I settled in and fired up my Kindle, I couldn’t stop thinking about potato chips and how good they would taste right about then.
But I knew if I caved and grabbed a bag, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself after a single serving. Just like I knew that once I dove into that new military romance from one of my favorite authors, I wasn’t going to be able to stop after a chapter or two.
And that’s when it hit me: reading romance is a lot like eating potato chips. Each page is a chip. Sometimes you eat (read) a lot in one sitting. Sometimes a few is enough to satisfy. One is never enough.
Sometimes you feel like you want cheddar and sour cream (comfort romance), but other times, you’re craving barbecue (spicy paranormal). And you don’t have to eat all the cheddar and sour cream to open the bag of barbecue, either.
Some readers are very organized. Not me. I pick my next book very much like a pick my chips: I read whatever I’m craving. My To Be R ead list is huge, so I’ve got lots of options (just like the snack aisle at the grocery store).
And, like chips, reading is a guilty pleasure for me. If a book is particularly tasty (I mean good), I might just find a cozy corner and eat the whole bag (finish it in one sitting).
So yeah. Potato chips. I think I’ll go fire up my ereader and grab a bag right now…
? Abbie