Writing Romance~~A-Z ~~C~~#amwriting #A-Zchallenge

 The letter C is pretty easy. There are lots of simple words and a few I don’t think I will ever use.  Let’s start with Characters. We can’t have any kind of story without them. Some may be good , some bad, some needy, but the Character is the main focus of a story.

The first descriptive word that comes to my  to mind is cute. It could be a synonym of pretty  or adorable. This is a word used a lot in romance and probably on the overused list. I don’t care. I will use it.

Cuddly means soft or plush. We may not want to use as a pet name for our leading man or woman (unless they are a furry shifter and that’s still debatable…they may eat you for it.) Then there is the derivative cuddly and cuddling. Pets are cuddly, kids may cuddle their stuffed animals. And cuddling our sexy love interest is always good!

Coddling is different. Coddle means to treat with too much care or kindness. To dote on. If we coddle our children (or characters) too much they may be spoiled brats or spoiled men(women).  It is also a way to cook eggs or an Irish dish which is often made to use up leftovers, and not a specific recipe. It usually consists of layers of roughly sliced sausages, thin fatty bacon back, sliced potatoes onions and sometimes barely.  I thought I would throw in a little tidbit there.  What does it have to do with writing romance? It could be something an Irish character could make or remembers their parents made. Or  our character could be a Chef. I love a story with a chef in it whether it be a male or female lead. I love to cook and therefore, if I see a book with a chef in it I am on it in a heartbeat!

Carefree. The definition says free from anxiety or responsibility. I prefer happy-go lucky- easy going. relaxed,  mellow. My character Gypsy Rose is like that but she is very responsible. I enjoy working on her story and character.  She adds some light to two men’s dark worlds and no this is not a ménage she will choose one.

Crazy. This is a fun word to use. It brings the thoughts of someone who has lost their mind perhaps the villain in a story. Or could be a simple term like ‘You drive me crazy’.

Then we have words like camera. Our character could be a photographer or model.

Calligraphy. This means decorative handwriting or lettering. It’s an art form. This is an interesting word. It could be a character’s hobby or job.

Choreography is the sequence of steps and movements in dance or figure skating, our character could be a skater, or dancer, especially in a ballet or other staged dance

Cop. Of course, we all like a sexy man in uniform. Correction officer is another form of this occupation.

Collector. This could go many ways with a simple doll collector for personality or someone with an expensive collection (another C word) that perhaps something has been stolen and our main character is helping find. This would work in suspense or a Cozy another c-word meaning a mystery with a touch of humor set in a cozy atmosphere. Our villain could be a cat burglar. No, he doesn’t steal cats (see how I slipped in another C-word) but he is stealthy like a cat.

Cats are a great one for me. I love cats and like to see them in stories whether a sweet, cuddly one or a big cat shifter like a Cougar.

Cougar can also be an older woman who is after a younger man or dates only younger men.

Christian stories are generally clean with no violence or on page sex. They can also deal with religion.

Christmas can be put in a story in many ways. A reunion, a holiday where they connect, it can be a main theme and released for Christmas or a sub-theme just mentioned in the story.

Now for some bad words.

Cock. I don’t mean as a chicken. It is a crude word for a man’s body part but this one I don’t mind too much. It’s hard to write an explicit sex scene without it. I have finally come to terms with it.  The woman’s C-word… nope, I won’t say it or use it.

And now for my favorite C- word and genre….Drum roll please>>>>

Cowboys! Now we are talking my thing. I adore a sexy cowboy. When I hear the word I automatically see a rough and tumble man. One that works hard with his hands, strong, yet caring because he works with animal’s day in and day out. A cowboy whether a wealthy one or not isn’t normally lazy. I also see a Cowgirl as a stronger personality for the same reasons. She isn’t a woman who is afraid to get dirty or work hard.  Cows could be part of their job or they could have other types of a ranch. In the book I am currently working on called Baseball Bats and Cowboy Hats.  The Cowboy hat part is my female lead. She owns a hobby farm with one or two cows, chickens, ducks, geese, a few horses and her main income is from the goats. One of her best friends is a Cowboy. He mainly runs his family ranch from the business standpoint but works in his feed store.  When Annie takes on the job as hostess for six baseball players for the local prospect league things change. (sorry I get excited when I talk about this story. I hope to have it out for you by year-end.)

Do you have any favorite C words?  Did I forget a good one? Is there C words you think are overused in romance?

Remember If you dream it~~ You can do it