Introduction 1
About This Book 2
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 3
Where to Go from Here 4
Part 1: Welcome to the World of Romance Writing 5
Chapter 1: Romance Writing at a Glance 7
Tuning in to the Market 8
Defining a romance 8
Subdividing romances into genres 9
Practicing Your Craft 10
Everything starts with characterization 11
It’s all about emotional tension 11
Plotting, pacing, and point of view 12
Choosing Indie Publishing or Traditional Publishing 13
Exploring the pros and cons of each 13
Choosing your path 13
Best Practices of Indie Publishing 14
Working with editors and graphic designers 14
Marketing and selling your book 15
Submitting Your Manuscript 15
Choosing the right publisher 15
Putting together a selling submission 15
Chapter 2: Romancing the Marketplace: Identifying Your Options 17
Knowing Your Reader 18
Meeting the romance reader 18
Meeting the romance reader’s expectations 19
Starting from Square One: Reading 20
Drawing up a reading list 20
Reading like a writer 21
Getting to Know Your Genre 22
Historical versus contemporary 22
Mainstream versus category 25
Subgenres and niche markets 28
Related women’s fiction markets 35
Choosing Your Subgenre 37
What do you like to read? 38
How do you fit into the market? 39
Chapter 3: Setting Up for Writing Success 43
Finding the Perfect Time to Write 44
Making time to pursue your dream 44
Creating your writing routine 46
Building a Writer’s Tool Kit 48
Sharpening up your office supplies: More than just pencils 49
Stocking the shelves: Your home library 49
Booking it: Accurate financial records 50
Accessing Resources for the Would-Be Writer 51
Joining writers’ organizations — romance-related and otherwise 51
Going where the writers are: Conferences and more 52
Taking advantage of courses and critique groups 52
Online resources 54
Part 2: Laying the Foundation: The Building Blocks of a Great Romance 57
Chapter 4: Creating Compelling Main Characters: Alpha Males and Fiery Females 59
Depending on Your Characters 60
The Key to Every Romance Is the Heroine 61
Drawing the reader into your story 61
Making your heroine feel real 61
Introducing imperfection 63
Naming your heroine 64
Creating Your Hero 66
Heroes are for loving 67
Holding out for a hero: Alphas and others 69
Looking for love in all the wrong places 74
Hello, my name is 74
Keepin’ It Real: Secondary Characters 76
Remembering their roles 76
Avoiding stereotypes 77
Speaking up 77
Naming the baby (and everyone else) 78
Factoring in the future 78
Laying Concrete Strategies for Creating Characters 78
Chapter 5: Crucial Ingredients for Every Plot: Conflict, Climax, and Resolution 81
You Can’t Have a Novel without a Plot 82
Where do ideas come from? 82
Letting your characters drive the plot 85
Suspense: Every Story Has It 86
Using romance to create suspense 87
Other ways of creating twists and turns 88
Making Sense Matters 89
Creating Emotional Conflict and Tension 91
Emotional versus intellectual conflict 91
Internal versus external conflict 95
Personal versus situational conflict 95
Handling Conflict Effectively 96
Keeping them together 96
Letting conflict complicate your plot 97
Taking two steps forward and one step back 98
Using sexual tension to deepen conflict 100
Dreaming of love 101
Saving “I love you” for the right moment 102
And They Lived Happily Ever After 103
Making your reader believe 104
Dark moment: Where all is lost 105
Climax: Timing is everything 105
Resolution: Endings made easy 106
Epilogue 107
Chapter 6: Setting the Scene 109
Deciding Where Your Story Takes Place 110
Following the lead of your characters and plot 110
Joining the real world or living in your imagination 112
Keeping your setting in check 113
Telling Time 114
Using Your Setting to the Fullest 115
Illuminating your characters 115
Making your setting a character 119
Chapter 7: Outlining versus Discovery Writing 121
Identifying What Kind of Writer You Are 121
Outlining methods 122
Discovery writing methods 123
Outlining: Mapping Out Your Story 124
What can an outline do for you? 124
What belongs in an outline? 125
Using your outline effectively 126
Listening to your creativity 127
Discovery Writing: Letting Your Story Unfold 127
Letting the characters guide you 128
Plotting as you go 129
Getting stuck in the rewriting trap 132
Part 3: Putting Pen to Paper 133
Chapter 8: Finding Your Own Voice 135
Speaking Up for Yourself 135
Revealing where readers hear your voice 136
Making the language your own 138
Choosing your words wisely 139
Mixing what you say with what your characters know 140
Putting the Show in Show and Tell 141
Knowing what you need to say, and then saying it 141
Speaking metaphorically 142
Describing your characters 143
Making every word count 143
Talking too much 143
Telling It Like It Is 144
Keeping your writing clear 144
Moving right along 145
Chapter 9: Letting Your Characters Speak 149
Giving Your Characters Voices 150
Making every character unique (and real) 150
Giving every character a consistent voice 153
Meeting the secondary-character challenge 153
Writing Great Dialogue 154
Using dialect and accents effectively 155
Keepin’ it cool: A word about slang 156
Using dialogue to convey information naturally 157
Putting dialogue on paper 158
Choosing and Using Point of View 160
What are they thinking? 160
Knowing whose voice to use 162
Internal monologues and how to use them 165
Chapter 10: Pacing: The Secrets of Writing a Page-Turning Romance 169
Pacing Doesn’t Mean Racing 170
Pacing and Plotting: Two Halves of a Whole 170
Knowing what readers care about 171
It’s not only what happens, it’s when and where 174
Knowing what to tell and what to leave out 177
Avoiding the Dreaded Sagging Middle 178
Recognizing a sagging middle 178
Stopping the sag before it starts 179
Dealing with it 180
Show It, Don’t (Always) Tell It 181
Harnessing the power of dialogue 181
Telling it like it is: Using narrative effectively 183
Finding the balance between showing and telling 185
Prose That Goes and Prose That Slows 186
Chapter 11: Taking It All Off: Writing Love Scenes 189
Comparing Sex and Romance 189
Knowing Where and When 190
Creating sexual tension 190
Deciding when the time’s right 192
Using love scenes to increase the tension 193
Using love scenes to support your pacing 195
Writing the Scene 196
Knowing your market 196
It’s not what they do, it’s how you describe it 197
Part 4: Putting It All Together: Mechanics Count, Too 201
Chapter 12: Starting and Stopping 203
Mastering the Winning Beginning 203
How to hook your reader 204
How to bore your reader 206
The cute meet: Necessary or not? 207
Putting Theory into Practice 209
Finding your starting point 209
Backtracking to the background 211
Opening lines that work 214
Constructing Can’t-Miss Chapters 216
Viewing every chapter as a new beginning 217
Leave ’em wanting more: Effective chapter endings 218
Keeping transitions fresh 221
Moving from Scene to Scene 222
Stringing scenes together 222
Seeing scene endings as mini-chapter endings 223
Intercutting scenes 223
Chapter 13: Getting Your Story Straight: Doing Research 225
Getting It Right: Priority Number One 226
Making Research Work for You 226
Figuring out what you need to know 227
Avoiding information overload 229
Getting Down to Business 230
Timing is everything 231
Organizing like a pro 231
Finding the Facts 233
Surfing the Net: Great information (and misinformation) 233
Supporting your local library and bookstore 235
Developing a nose for news 237
Taking time to stop, look, and listen 238
Traveling for fun and profit 238
Talking to experts 239
Getting Permissions 240
Determining when permission is necessary 240
Filling out the paperwork 242
Chapter 14: Neatness Counts — and So Does Grammar 243
Knowing the Importance of Good Writing 244
Finding good references 244
Using grammar and spell-check programs 245
Taking a course 246
Asking a friend 246
Making a Point with Punctuation 246
Comma placement 246
Using ellipses and em dashes 247
Talking about Dialogue and Narrative 249
Making Thoughtful and Relevant Word Choices 250
Don’t choose a fancy word when a simple one will do 250
Don’t use incorrect synonyms 251
Watch for repeated words 251
Formatting for Success 252
Setting your margins 253
Using the right fonts and spacing 253
Breaking your story into paragraphs 253
Avoiding common formatting mistakes 254
Formatting with indie publishing in mind 255
Checking Your Work One Last Time 256
Part 5: Traditional Or Indie Publishing — Which Is Best for You? 257
Chapter 15: Choosing Your Publishing Path 259
Weighing Your Options 260
Knowing the pros and cons of how you publish 260
Changing course 261
Staying on top of a quickly changing landscape 262
Comparing and Contrasting the Paths 263
Traditional publishing 263
Indie publishing 269
Becoming a Hybrid Author: The Best of Both Worlds 271
Chapter 16: Finding Success in Indie Publishing 273
Defining Your Success 274
Creating a Professional Product 275
Judging a book by its cover 275
Writing a tagline (it’s all in the hook) 277
Writing blurbs 278
Building your website 279
Creating Your Launch Team 279
Sending out ARCs 280
Finding helpful services 280
Forming Your Launch Plan 281
Networking 283
Boosting your sales 284
Building Momentum 285
Building a newsletter 285
Giving away a reader magnet 287
Purchasing an ISBN 288
Registering your copyright 289
Obtaining a Library of Congress Control Number 290
After You Publish 291
Doing market research 291
Paying for ads 291
Understanding the power of free 292
Chapter 17: Selling Your Manuscript: Traditional Publishing 295
Submitting Made Simple 296
Doing your research 296
Writing a successful query letter 297
Deciding Whether You Need an Agent 299
Understanding an agent’s job 299
Finding an agent 300
Sizing Up the Contract 303
Coming up with questions 303
Reading (and rereading) the fine print 306
Getting help 307
Strategies for a Win-Win Negotiation 307
Working with Your Editor 309
Making the relationship work 309
Revising your book one last time 310
Line editing set straight 310
Chapter 18: Handling Rejection 313
What the Rejection Letter Is Really Saying 313
Regarding rejections 314
Revising and resubmitting 315
Understanding the Revision Process 316
Addressing editor queries 316
Using an incremental approach 317
Being timely 318
When great minds don’t think alike 318
Handling the resubmission process 319
Identifying Common Issues 320
Your heroine isn’t as sympathetic as she needs to be 320
Your pacing is erratic 320
Your hero’s too strong/arrogant/tough 321
Your plot lacks the necessary complexity 321
Your characters’ motivations aren’t clear 322
Your characters seem more like types than real people 323
Maximizing Your Chance of Success 323
Keeping a positive attitude 323
Dealing with rejection, emotionally and professionally 324
Dealing with bad reviews 326
Part 6: The Part of Tens 329
Chapter 19: Ten Tropes Every Editor Knows — and Why They Still Work 331
Marriage of Convenience 332
Stranded with a Stranger 332
Runaway Bride 333
Secret Baby 333
Second-Chance Romance 333
Back from the Dead 334
Mistaken Identity 334
Woman in Jeopardy 334
The Dad Next Door 335
Even Sketchier Setups 335
Chapter 20: Ten Tips for Coming Up with a Successful Title 337
Speak the Reader’s Language 337
Know the Long and the Short of It 338
Try Single-Word Titles 338
Match Title and Tone Perfectly 339
Use Keywords 339
Consider Alliteration 340
Coin a Cliche 340
Name Names 340
Make Connections 340
Follow in Others’ Footsteps 341
Chapter 21: Ten Tips for Avoiding Common Writing Mistakes 343
Remember the Reader’s Expectations 343
Don’t Overwrite 344
Love It or Lose It 344
Let Your Characters Drive the Plot 344
Know That Effective Conflict Comes from Within 345
Make Sure You Have Enough Plot 345
Keep Your Story on Track 345
Keep Your Reader Interested 345
Don’t Forget the Details 346
Keep the Story Moving 346
Chapter 22: Ten Questions Every Romance Writer Needs to Ask Herself 347
Should I Write Romance Novels? 347
Why Can’t I Get Started? 348
What Can I Do When the Ideas Don’t Come? 348
How Can I Focus and Stay Positive When Things Go Wrong? 348
When Is It Research and When Is It a Waste of Time? 349
When Should I Publish or Submit My Manuscript? 349
Do I Need an Agent? 350
How Do I Handle a Friend’s Success? 350
When and How Do I Follow Up on My Book’s Status? 350
When Do I Let Go of a Book? 351
Chapter 23: Ten Ways to Beat Writer’s Block 353
Work Your Way Through It 353
Select a Different Scene 354
Look at the Last Scene You Wrote 354
Write a Scene That You Won’t Use 354
View the Scene from a Different Angle 355
Don’t Focus on Perfection 355
Stop in the Middle 355
Analyze Your Outline 355
Re-energize Your Creative Instincts 356
Start Another Project (If All Else Fails) 356
Index 357
