Writing Means Reading: Brynne Weaver

As an author, you shouldn’t live in a vacuum. You should consume books at an alarming rate. For me, that looks like roughly 50 to 100 books a year. Yes, most maybe novella’s but they still count, as do audiobooks. The point is that I am consuming stories and learning things about not only the genre that I write but also about the market and what others like.

Today, I want to talk about Brynne Weaver, who is the author of the Ruinous Love Trilogy. She is a master at blending rom-com with dark romance, and that is what I want to focus on today.

In the romance market, there is a ton of saturation. Dark romance, in general, is still a growing sub-genre is the romance section. At least mainstream. There has always been dark romance, but with authors like Brynne Weaver, dark romance is finally getting its day in the sun. People are starving for new content that takes classic tropes and spins them on their heads. They also crave a good genera blend, and that is what Brynne does so well. She blends the beautiful elements of a rom-com and slides them into her dark romance with ease.

The first book I read by her was obviously Butcher and Black Bird and every single laugh out loud moment I had surprised me. Seriously, I was at a stoplight, and I got a crazy look from the guy next to me as I listened to Sloan and Rowan go toe to toe with witty banter. This is something that other authors like Emily Henry have mastered in the traditional contemporary romance genera. However, I think it’s incredibly fresh to see in dark romance.

Now, this isn’t to say that dark romance can’t have strong, witty banter, but Brynne does it in a way that makes it feel like a natural choice. There isn’t one person in all of her books who can’t clap back with the best of them. It makes her characters feel three-dimensional in a way that other authors do not utilize.

One thing I’ve always prided myself on is my dialogue. I say it out loud as I write, and I even ask people to physically say the exchange with me. I think it’s one of the strongest aspects of writing that an author can focus on. Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to focus on everything, but people remember those one-liners more than they remember the description of walking through the woods.

So, how can you take this lesson and put it into practice? Well, the best way is to just write. Below you’ll find a sample prompt and an example from me of how I used it. Take this prompt and sit down to write just a scene that uses dialogue. When you’re done, go read it out loud with someone, then go back and add in the dialogue tags and actions to fully flesh it out into a scene. Remember this dialogue should not only feel like banter, it should hide deeper emotions. Brynne’s characters banter because they love each other, and that makes each word so strong.

Prompt: Two characters discussing making pancakes

My example, pre-adding dialogue tags and actions

“They look like blob’s not hearts.”

“Well, sorry, princess.”

“Well, if I’m a princess, then I think they should be hearts.”

“Really now? If you’re a princess and you deserve heart’s what else do you deserve? A crown? A group of people to wait on you hand and foot?”

“Exactly!”

“Well, I guess I’ll get right on that. And while I’m at it, maybe I can find someone else to fake marry. You know, someone who doesn’t need my dashing good looks and charming wit.”

“You, dashing? You, charming? Ha! I think you’d struggle to find someone else. Besides, it’s not me who needs this marriage, it’s you. Or did you forget that part?”

My example post adding dialogue tags and actions

“They look like blob’s not hearts,” Cherry said, leaning over my shoulder. I could feel her presence before she even entered the room, and it had put me on edge.

“Well, sorry, princess,” I grumbled, flipping the misshapen pancake. I was not suited to make breakfast, but my best friend suggested it might help to strengthen the relationship between us. After all, tomorrow I’d be meeting Cherry’s parents, and at least she could tell them I could provide for her.

“Well, if I’m a princess, then I think they should be hearts.” The words were sharp and grating. They slid through my brain, causing my teeth to clench and my knuckles to turn white as I gripped the spatula harder. Spoiled rotten, that’s what Cherry was.

“Really now? If you’re a princess and you deserve heart’s what else do you deserve? A crown? A group of people to wait on you hand and foot?” I asked, setting down the spatula and turning to look at her. She was beautiful, but that didn’t change the fact that I couldn’t stand her. Her soft, pouty lips would not sway me, especially when she acted like this.

“Exactly!” Cherry beamed. Each time she looked at me like that, I wanted to scream. I wanted to grab her and shake her. I wanted to remind her that this was an arrangement and her treating me like her servant was not part of that deal.

“Well, I guess I’ll get right on that. And while I’m at it, maybe I can find someone else to fake marry. You know, someone who doesn’t need my dashing good looks and charming wit,” I muttered, turning back to the batter. I could feel her eyes burning into me. Every time I dismissed her, she got angry. I could practically see her nose scrunching up and her chest puffing out. She was so easy to rile up.

“You, dashing? You, charming? Ha! I think you’d struggle to find someone else. Besides, it’s not me who needs this marriage, it’s you. Or did you forget that part?” She snarked, turning to walk away. The padding of her footsteps was the only sound in the room. At the end of the day, she was right. I needed her more than she needed me.