The Art of Romance Writing: Practical Advice from an International Bestselling Romance Writer

Title page......Page 1
Contents......Page 5
Preface......Page 9
1 Why romance?......Page 13
Who reads romance fiction?......Page 15
Can men write romances?......Page 17
Chick lit......Page 20
Romantic comedy......Page 22
Paranormal romances......Page 23
Single-title romances......Page 24
Erotica......Page 26
Inspirational romances......Page 27
Mastering the art......Page 29
Submitting your manuscript......Page 30
2 Sense and sensuality......Page 33
People and places......Page 34
The fantastic hero......Page 36
Love and sex......Page 39
Sweet romances......Page 41
From spicy to erotica......Page 46
Sexual tension checkpoints......Page 48
3 Characterisation......Page 49
Naming the baby......Page 55
Know your characters inside and out......Page 58
External profile......Page 62
Getting inside your characters......Page 63
Bring on the hero......Page 77
Internal profile......Page 80
Memory reveals character......Page 81
Flashbacks......Page 84
Character checklist......Page 89
4 Viewpoint......Page 91
Omniscient......Page 92
First person......Page 93
Third person subjective......Page 94
Multiple viewpoint......Page 96
Viewpoint as a writing tool......Page 98
Expressing viewpoint......Page 100
Which viewpoint should you use?......Page 102
How to switch viewpoints......Page 105
Viewpoint checklist......Page 108
5 Dialogue......Page 110
Claim the reader\'s attention......Page 113
Allow characters to reveal themselves......Page 114
Impart information......Page 115
Add pace and tension, create mood......Page 116
Move the story along......Page 117
Variety in dialogue......Page 119
Avoid repeating information......Page 120
\'She said angrily\'......Page 121
Dialogue presentation......Page 122
Dialogue checklist......Page 125
6 Plot and conflict......Page 127
Old ideas, new plots......Page 130
Internal or external conflict......Page 133
Outline the romance......Page 134
Some writing hints......Page 136
Story structure......Page 137
What happens next?......Page 142
The importance of pace......Page 145
Happy endings......Page 148
Plot checklist......Page 151
Plot chart......Page 153
7 Setting......Page 154
Professions......Page 158
Getting the facts right......Page 159
Art brief......Page 160
8 Query and outline......Page 162
How to present your synopsis......Page 164
The query letter......Page 165
Sample synopsis......Page 167
Sample query letter......Page 171
9 A pitch in time......Page 172
Keep it simple......Page 174
Ten-point plan......Page 176
Questions to ask......Page 178
10 To market, to market......Page 180
How to do a word count......Page 181
Writer\'s organisations in Australia and overseas......Page 183
Magazines and websites of interest to romance writers......Page 185
Critique services......Page 186
International manuscript appraisals......Page 188
Contests......Page 189
Some frequent queries answered......Page 192
Romance-friendly publishers......Page 194
11 Questions and answers......Page 209
Appendix I Sample writers\' guidelines......Page 213
Appendix II How to submit a novel......Page 218
Select Bibliography......Page 221
Index......Page 228