I’ve been thinking about this for a while and am undecided as to whether, as ideas go, it is brilliant or absolute rubbish. Romance publishers have very clear guidelines which can be easily downloaded. They’ll tell you how many words, what style and the home addresses for the main characters. It’s quite helpful. If only Random House would be so considerate. So here’s the idea: should I try and write a romance novel? The challenge would be to adhere to the conventions whilst bringing something new to the genre. Which is why I’ve come up with the idea for ‘Love In The Time of Bogans.’
‘Cheryl was only twenty two, strong-willed and always ready to speak her mind. Her male suitors universally described her as ‘going off like a frog in a sock’. Stevo was panel beater whose interests included beer and pornography. Born as a Taurus, he was contemplating having his birth date altered by deed poll in order to become a Scorpio.’
You get the idea. Our hero and heroine meet at the Dava night club in Mount Martha. Which, incidentally, was the original setting for Shakespeare’s Midsommer’s Night Dream. Or so I understand.