Welcome to Kim Town, my corner of the Romance Weekly blog hop. Where 20+ fabulous romance authors answer questions about what it’s like to write.Thanks to the fascinating Veronica Forand, author of Tackled By the Girl Next Door, for the intro and to Fiona Riplee, author of The Sixxers, for this week’s fun questions.
Does humor help or hinder you in your creative process?
Absolutely helps. Doesn’t humor help everyone, through everything? That being said, what I think is funny is not always appropriate. (Just ask my gym buddies) I love corn. (My husband has the corniest sense of humor and I just love it.) But this doesn’t always fit with my characters. In my twenties, I hung out with several comedians – including the fabulous Miss Carla Collins, (whom my daughter peed on —’nother story) pictured here—even took a nerve shattering stab at stand-up myself once. I find situational comedy relatively easy to write. Humorous internalizations are more difficult. The gems are those one line zingers that seem to effortlessly fall from the hero’s or heroine’s mouths that take so long to come up with.
What is a favorite go-to book or movie you use to unblock a problem in your writing?
Legally Blonde, MGM
This may sound really dumb, because it’s not strictly a romance and Blake Snyder call it an example of the “Fool Triumphant”, but I love to watch Legally Blonde. Something about a girl who grows and wins, who drops the loser and picks up the dreamboat, and doesn’t have to change her core beliefs and or her fluffy feminine penchant for pink and feather boas. I just find that so inspiring. Elle Woods is my favorite character study. My favorite romance movie for plot derived from character study is The Princess Bride. I LOVE William Goldman. Before Snyder, before Vogler, before Truby, before Robert Keyes, I read Goldman’s Adventures in the Screen Trade. His treatise on character derived plot still enthralls.
What’s the most inspiring book you’ve read this week or month that’s generated a new idea?
There’s two. In the non-fiction category it’s Kristen Lamb’s Rise of the Machines: Human Authors in a Digital World. I’ve spiffing up my blog site and adding new weekly features. And I credit that to Kristen’s advice. If you haven’t read her book, or heard of her, check her out. ❤ She’s awesome: http://authorkristenlamb.com/ In the fiction category, I’m going to have to say it’s friend Sarah Hegger’s forthcoming medieval Fairest Faye. I really ‘got’ her main character (and love her hero) and it helped me decide on a plot direction for the Victorian paranormal I’ve outlined. That being, fixing the B-story with strong elements of the emerging feminist movement of the 1880’s. Bang up to the elephant, wot?
Fun questions! Thanks for stopping by. Keep hopping. Next on the tour is my good friend Vicki Mixon, writer of romantic suspense.
kimhandysides.wordpress.com 
Great blog, Kim. I love The Princess Bride novel as well – and can still remember how gob-smacked I was to discover even the frame was fiction!
Nice blog. After reading Blake’s book, I actually watched Legally Blonde for the first time with my eleven year old granddaughter. My fifteen year old grandson joined us a few minutes in, he scoffed, but didn’t leave the room until the credits rolled. My seven year old grandson also joined the party and declared at dinner that he LOVED the romance movies. Nice that he’s so in touch with his feminine side. 🙂
SO cool, Vicki. My husband also loves Legally Blonde – although he says it’s to support his 2 daughters 😉
Great and informative post, Kim! You’ve given me so much food for thought here. I want to read Goldman’s book and Kristen Lamb’s too. And I am absolutely dying to read your Victorian paranormal. I try to incorporate the emerging suffrage/women’s movement of the late 1800’s into my Whitechapel Wagers series as much as possible. Viva Victorians! 🙂
Christy, you’ve given me new reading fodder. Thank you!
I’ve read a lot of Kristen’s blogs. Now I’ll have to get this book. If for no other reason than for the title. Great post, you corny thing, you.
Takes one to know one my peaches and cream friend!
I just finished Kristen’s book and it changed my ideas about social media. Now I need the time to incorporate some of her advice into my daily routines. Great post, Kim. And I’m a “Legally Blonde” fan too!
Ah, The Princess Bride! How can that not get the creativeness flowing? 😀
Great answers!
I love Legally Blonde! Mainly because she shows everyone she does have what it takes and she’s classy and beautiful to boot!
And this is why I love you. We both find the innappropriate appropriately funny 😉 And I will check that book out! I’m intrigued!
Oh the Princess Bride, around here we have our very own Princess Buttercup 🙂 Okay, so we call her Princess Buttercup Airi 🙂 Loved your blog!!!
Love your post, Kim! It reminds me that I need to do better at reading the source material for the films I love. Also, you know you’re going to have to tell us the story of how/why your daughter tinkled on Carla Collins. =)