THREE THINGS I LEARNED WHILE WRITING – DADDY'S GIRL with Belinda Williams
1. Just because it’s hard to write, doesn’t mean it will be hard to read
Daddy’s Girl is the third and final book in my romantic comedy Freshwater series. Due to Covid resulting in me working fewer hours, I was well ahead of schedule on starting the first draft. Self Made, the previous book in the series, had virtually written itself as there is a lot to be said for writing rom com during lockdown—it’s a great mood lifter!
But when I came to Daddy’s Girl, things were very different. Due to a variety of outside factors, I was struggling to get the words onto the page. Some days I literally had to force myself to write, and my progress came in fits and starts. Not a great feeling! However, once I got to the end of the first draft and reviewed what I had written, I was pleasantly surprised.
This sentiment was reflected in my beta reader feedback and eventually feedback from my proofreader, who suggested that Daddy’s Girl might just be her favourite book in the series. The entire experience was a great reminder about having resilience in your writing career. No matter how hard it can sometimes be to get the words on the page, you can still create a positive result, and I’m super proud of the completed series.
2. Writing trends are fickle
When I began the Freshwater series, I was torn between writing more suspense or more romantic comedy, which are the two main genres I write in. I chose romantic comedy because that seemed to be what was selling best for me at the time, as well as what is popular in the market right now. Plus, I had a great story idea that I wanted to write!
The best laid plans… I released the three books in my Freshwater series over the space of roughly a year, and during that time my romantic suspense series overtook sales of my rom coms. Go figure. That’s not to say my rom coms still don’t sell, but it’s yet another reminder that writing trends can be like fashion—fickle!
As it turns out, I’m now beginning another rom com series, but I have plans for more romantic suspense down the track. When all is said and done, I’m a big believer in writing the story you feel called to write, as I’ve always found this approach is what produces your best work. I’m sure by the time I get around to writing some more romantic suspense it will be my rom coms selling the strongest!
3. Rom coms can tackle serious subjects and don’t always have to be funny
I already sort of knew this, because I have a habit of giving my rom com characters challenging life situations to navigate. Then I try to make them laugh about it! Case in point, the lead character in the first book of the Freshwater series has a mother with bipolar.
In Daddy’s Girl, apart from an overbearing father, my lead character Em has a relatively blessed existence. It’s the hero’s backstory that was tricky. You see, it was kind of dark. Like, he’s-buried-his-past-so-deep-and wants-to-completely-forget-about-it, kind of dark.
I remember having the distinct feeling while writing Daddy’s Girl that maybe it wasn’t funny enough… Yet, my readers loved it. From now on, I’ll never doubt that humour is a great lens through which to view the world and to handle more serious subjects, especially in rom coms!
About Daddy’s Girl
They’ve got no time for love. But what if love finds them first?
Em Georgiou looks like the sort of girl you take home to your family. But she’s got a PhD to finish and a career to kick-start first. And besides, Em likes men too much to settle down—much to her father’s exasperation.
Joel Scott doesn’t do relationships. He’s too focused on his architecture business. So when his hard-to-please, cut-throat developer client suggests that he ‘gets to know’ his daughter Em, Joel is prepared to add the spoiled daddy’s girl to his to-do list for the sake of his career.
Except Em is way more capable than her father gives her credit for. And she’s certainly not the type of woman you strike off your to-do list.
Can Joel convince Em that he’s not just trying to impress her father? Or that you can fall in love when you don’t want to… even if it involves facing up to a dark past you’d rather forget?
About Belinda Williams
Belinda Williams is a marketing copywriter who fell in love with romance and writes romantic comedy as well as romantic suspense featuring good guys. She’s occasionally tempted by bad boys, but prefers to write strong women characters and men with big hearts.
When she’s not writing, Belinda is a music lover who sings lead vocals in cover bands, and her eclectic taste forms the foundation for many of her writing ideas.
Her other love is the water. She can often be found counting laps instead of words at her local swimming pool. Or you might also spot her boating on the harbour with her husband and son in her home town of Sydney, Australia.
Website: https://belindawilliamsbooks.com
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6979975.Belinda_Williams