@rose-colored-fancy, that’s very interesting. There’s a formal “you” and a casual “you” in Persian, too…the formal “you” is just the plural form of the pronoun.

Actually I think it’s maybe more like “more intimate” vs. “less intimate” because kids generally address their parents with the casual “you”…and then have to be trained to use the…[Read more]

@melancholicwriter, to boil it down to the bones, a romance story is about two people either drawing closer together, or falling apart. In other words, the love relationship is the driving force of the story.

I may be wrong, but it sounds like the driving force of your story is not so much the relationship between the girl and the boyfriend who…[Read more]

Interesting question…I don’t write fantasy, per se (no magic, wizards or dragons) but my current series does take place in an alternative history Southeast Europe. So the cities and provinces that provide the locations for the stories are made-up.

For the names of characters, I used names of Southeastern European origin for the majority…[Read more]

@melancholicwriter, it sounds like you have a strong plot/story idea here, though I agree that the dark themes would be difficult to address well, even if–or perhaps particularly if–you have personal experience with this kind of situation.  However, I’m not sure that the story, as you described it, would technically qualify as a romance.

@jsclingman, if you’re looking for something in the comedy vein, Georgette Heyer’s Regency romances are super-fun. While they are not free of language, kissing, etc. it is definitely kept to a minimum. There are not inappropriate sexual scenes in any of the ones I’ve read.

While I have no claim to being an expert, I’ve done a lot of reading and…[Read more]

Interesting topic!

In traditional Persian culture, people sit on the floor, but it’s not polite to stretch your legs out or point the bottoms of your feet at someone. It is polite to always offer tea and snacks, even if you know the guest isn’t going to stay…

Babies get bundled up so tightly like little cocoons (for warmth and safety) you can…[Read more]

@kb-writer, I actually like most of these names as they stand. I think they work well for a fantasy setting…even “The Frozen Stopwatch” adds a little bizarre humor to a story that could have the potential to take itself too seriously…

For “Princelandia,” maybe something like, “The Confederation?” “The United Republics?”

As for character…[Read more]

My six year old son wrote (dictated) a story featuring a princess whose name was A Pearl! A Pearl! A Pearl!

@kb-writer, wow, that is hilarious! Sounds like it could have been one of those “so bad it’s awesome” stories.