Aug 06 2007
RWA steps up… sort of
The “Up Close and Personal” column of the August 2007 edition of Romance Writers Report contains the sentence “RWA is working a ‘new image’ for the genre of romance,” contradicting an earlier statement I made that they’re doing nothing to further this cause.
I still can’t find any other evidence of it. What are they doing? How are they doing it? Whose input are they seeking? Not mine. Yours? If not, whose?
But it’s sweet that they say they’re trying, at least.
Unfortunately, I imagine it will be another piece-of-fluff campaign like Harlequin’s perennially embarrassing Romance Report (view any of them here—but you might want to have a drink first).
I strongly believe the only time people who don’t read romance think about romance is when they see someone holding a romance and that smirk hijacks their lips. Therefore, the front line of defense for romance is always going to be the person on the receiving end of the smirk and inevitably forthcoming snotty comment. The only effective way to do that is to arm yourself.
Do you prefer a blade, firearm, or cudgel?
Words. Arm yourself with words. Of course that’s what I meant.
(But cudgels are on sale at Target this week. Right next to the cordless drills, which also make… No. Forget I mentioned it.)
Detractors will never respond to a generalized public statement that “you’re wrong about romance” because they will never feel it’s aimed at them, because of course they’re right about everything. But when you, the assaulted reader, get in somebody’s face and make it personal to them because they chose to make it personal with you, there’s no getting around the fact that it is meant for them.
(Yes, I do so love the wondrousness of italics.)
Therefore, I continue to encourage you, romance reader, to study Self-Defense for Romance Readers. Share your concerns, your experiences, your guerrilla assault tactics. If each of us makes one person think twice before saying something ignorant and insulting to the next romance reader they see, the world will truly be a better place for romance.
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