need some recommendtions...good "how to" books for a new romance writer?

sunna · Jan 29, 2008

Greetings oh ye romance writers...

Help! I'm looking for suggestions for a good solid getting-started book on how to write a romance novel. My sister's an avid romance reader, and is toying with the idea of writing one. I'm doing rabid cheerleader because a) I think she'd be good at it, and b) selfishly, I want someone who lives nearby to share the craziness of novel writing with (madness loves company, after all).

This is not my genre (so far, anyway), and I'm a bit out of my depth. Any favorites you could suggest?

Jersey Chick · Jan 29, 2008

How to Write a Romance by Kathryn Falk might be a good place to start. Also, there's You Can Write a Romance - by Rita Clay Estrada (one of the founders of RWA).

Also, she might want to check out RWA (dues are $95/year) and/or a local RWA chapter (but if she decided to join a local chapter, there's a good chance she will have to join RWA as well - I think most of the chapters have this requirement.) She might want to check out a meeting at a local chapter if that's possible.

Hope this helps!

choppersmom · Jan 29, 2008

What Jerz said. I have both of those books, and I'm a member of RWA. I have not joined my local chapter yet, but I'm planning on it soon, maybe in the next month or so. Their newsletter alone is worth the dues, and there are so many other tools they offer to romance writers. I'll never not be a member.

There's also this:

http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesTitle/Writing-a-Romance-Novel-For-Dummies.productCd-0764525549.html

I love the "For Dummies" format, so I'd recommend this one. I'm 99% sure I own it already, but I haven't read it yet, and if I do have it, it's still packed in a box somewhere, but now I'm inspired to either dig it out or go buy it.

Good luck to your sister!

Trish

Susan Gable · Jan 30, 2008

The basics I always recommend for writing ANY kind of novel, not just a romance are:

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King -- this book gives a FANTASTIC education on the basics of good craft, such as POV, show vs. tell, writing strong dialogue, etc. You can buy this book from most bookstores, including Amazon.

GMC: Goal, Motivation & Conflict by Debra Dixon. This book gives a highly readable, easy-to-understand education in how to create the building blocks of strong fiction. This is more about STORY than about the words you use to tell the story. You can buy this book from:

www.gryphonbooksforwriters.com .

With those two books, your sister will get a good, solid education on writing.

Then, the Dummies book by Leslie Wainger (who is an editor in romance who knows what she's talking about!) will teach her about the romance genre.

Best of luck to both of you!

Susan G.

Don Allen · Jan 30, 2008

I'm going to share something with you that happened to me because it really screwed me up for a while. First, I know nothing about writing a romance novel, But I can tell a pretty good story all the same. However, when i decided to write my still unpublished book I read every book I could find on how to write a book, what agents and editors are looking for blah, blah blah...Anyway, it turns out that there really is no cookie cutter way to write anything, ofcourse you should know how to structure your story and stuff, but all that nonsense about if it bleeds it leads sort of thing on how to start, and what people in the business want is so freaking subjective that its crazy. My point is that read whatever you need to in order to understand what you want to write about and generally how to write it. But don't write something in a way that some book tells you is the only way to do it, because you might just find out like I have that it simply ain't so.

sunna · Jan 30, 2008

Wow, great suggestions. Thanks folks! I think maybe I'll grab Falk's as a starter for her...I own Self Editing and GMC, and am planning to loan them to her as long as she signs a contract in heart's blood saying I'll get them back.

I'll check out the RWA as well. I don't think she could afford membership right now, but it's definitely something to think about for the future.

I hope she goes for it. It'd be so nice to have someone nearby who won't look at me like I'm nuts when my characters go on strike...

Erin · Jan 30, 2008

Susan Gable said:
The basics I always recommend for writing ANY kind of novel, not just a romance are:

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King -- this book gives a FANTASTIC education on the basics of good craft, such as POV, show vs. tell, writing strong dialogue, etc. You can buy this book from most bookstores, including Amazon.

GMC: Goal, Motivation & Conflict by Debra Dixon. This book gives a highly readable, easy-to-understand education in how to create the building blocks of strong fiction. This is more about STORY than about the words you use to tell the story. You can buy this book from:

I highly recommend these 2 books. This particular GMC book really put the perspective in the whole GMC theory for me where everything else was just a blur. I'd read just one of the Romance books mentioned above, probably the Dummies book, just to get an idea of the "formula" for romance. Other than that, I wouldn't spend any other money or time on reading more than 1 targeted for romance writers.

Gillhoughly · Jan 31, 2008

READ. There are hacks and brilliant artists in any genre. You want to be brilliant, and it takes a lot of reading to learn how to write.

You don't have to love every book you read. I've learned a lot by finishing truly bad books, then listing everything I hated about them to avoid their mistakes.

My career was launched--same as many others--by flinging a book across the room in disgust and declaring "I can do better than THAT!"

:editor's hat on:

Things I don't want to see no matter how many other romance writers do it:

Head-hopping.

"His blue gaze" or its variations reads like he has glowing rays shooting from his eyes. Any color of gaze at all annoys me.

Groaning during intimate moments makes me think it's an S&M kind of read.

The word "retorted" should be illegal.

"Laughing derisively" or "with a derisive laugh" I'll either blue pencil it or shoot the writer, depends on my mood.

Detachable eyeballs that float, dart, and roll around any given space.

Guys named "Declan." It reads to my eye as though a family of Scots decided to go their separate ways and de-clanned themselves.

Not every heroine has to be a redhead.

Heroines who blush, stammer, and otherwise act like insecure schoolgirls. This is the age of Lora Croft. Secure women are sexy.

I will shave the head of any heroine who tucks whatever color hair they have behind one ear just so a reader knows that color. There are many gooming products available to keep those Medusa-like tendrils in place.

Characters who look in mirrors so the writer can describe them to us.

Women who pull and tug and otherwise fuss with their clothing so the readers know what they're wearing.

And this is helpful:

Popular Writing Blunders

Good luck!

sunna · Jan 31, 2008

Awesome. I'm forwarding her your whole post, Gillhoughly.

(and I cringed when I remembered one of the MCs in my fantasy WIP is a redhead...

)

burgy61 · Jan 31, 2008

(Delurking briefly)

Gillhoughly,

Thanks for the link to popular writing blunders, I'm going to print them out and hang by my writing desk.

(Back into the shadows)

Gillhoughly · Jan 31, 2008

sunna7kore said:
one of the MCs in my fantasy WIP is a redhead...)

Not to worry on hair color--I'm a redhead, too!

I noticed that every brainless too-stupid-to live ditz hacked out by a certain bloody awful, yet popular, romance writer (whose work I can't stand) was also a redhead.

And I've posted this before, but it's still enjoyable:

Cover Wank!

This week's new fav: "Lord of the Hissy-Fit".

sunna · Jan 31, 2008

Gillhoughly said:
Not to worry on hair color--I'm a redhead, too!

I only wish I were. I just can't manage charmingly awkward or irresistably feisty with my cloud of blond, wavy tresses constantly tumbling into my sparkling green eyes. It's crushing.

(New to romance, but I love the SmartBitches.

)

Heather Lewis · Jan 31, 2008

LOL!. Thanks for the list and the link, Gillhoughly. I think I've cured myself of most of these, but one or two may sneak in during a first-draft writing frenzy!

Heather

sunna · Jan 31, 2008

Gillhoughly said:
Cover Wank!

This week's new fav: "Lord of the Hissy-Fit".

I've never seen that, so thanks. I think my personal favorite has got to be the one right after it...

Cathy C · Feb 1, 2008

Detachable eyeballs that float, dart, and roll around any given space.

Just for that, I plan to write you a story filled with eyeballs---no heads or people. Just eyeballs.

Oh, and floating torsos. Those ones that are on all the romance covers...

job · Feb 1, 2008

I know OP is specifically asking for writing books. Can I offer two non-responsive comments?

-- Lend her the books you use for your own writing. There's no special way to 'write Romance,' any more than there's a special way to 'write mystery' or 'write fantasy'. There's just writing.

-- I'd advise a new writer not to read any advice books at all. I'd advise her to sit down and write a manuscript. Maybe three or four manuscripts.
Finishing those manuscripts will teach 90% of what a writer needs to know.
Advice books talk about the other 10%

Anyhow ... finish a couple of drafts and then go looking for advice,
would be my advice.

Cathy C · Feb 1, 2008

job said:
-- I'd advise a new writer not to read any advice books at all.

Actually, I have to agree with this. I own ONE book on writing, and only got it two weeks ago (a gift from Cie.) I don't know if any of you have read this, but already I've found it invaluable. Hero & Heroine Archetypes basically goes through all the classic types of personalities and discusses how they might conflict with each other, how each would need to grow in order to accept the other as a mate, etc. Since people in books don't come to me fully formed and I MUST create them from scratch, it's a really handy guide. But it's not a HOW to write book. It's just a reference book, like Elements of Style. :Shrug:

job · Feb 2, 2008

Hi Cathy --

For better or worse, I, too, never took much interest in writing books. Nowadays I have McKees 'Story' and find it interesting to dip into. That's about it in the way of 'how to write' books.

Somebody starting out, ISTM, doesn't need to know 'the rules'. She needs to find a work style and a voice.
Overall plotting, which is needed also, is best picked up from critical study of one's favorite authors. For plotting, I'd send her to read a dozen of N.R.'s categories, one after another, looking at the plot structure.

Different strokes, of course, but I've seen new writers get paralysed, trying to apply fifty different rules to the paragraph they're working on instead of just writing the durn thing and moving on.

para · Feb 2, 2008

On Writing Romance by Leigh Michaels gets good reviews. She's written something like 60 books. So she must know what she's talking about.

Other than that any good book on writing will be useful - e.g crafting characters, editing, plotting etc. Most publishers will have guidelines of what they are looking for on their websites - Harlequin for instance has guidelines for each of their lines and forums for readers and aspiring writers.

On the RWA - http://www.rwanational.org/ I think the majority of local chapters require membership of the national organisation first. If you don't have a local chapter nearby there are several special interest chapters that are based online. The RWA chapters also run a lot of writing classes (at the local chapter or online) which aren't just useful to romance writers. Some Chapters will provide these courses free for member e.g http://www.rwaonlinechapter.org/. Others will give a discount for members. You don't have to be a RWA member to take these courses. There a couple of yahoo groups that list upcoming classes but I doubt they catch everything -
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Announceonlinewritingclasses/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/workshopfinder/

HTH

sunna · Feb 2, 2008

job said:
-- I'd advise a new writer not to read any advice books at all. I'd advise her to sit down and write a manuscript. Maybe three or four manuscripts.

Cathy C said:
Actually, I have to agree with this. I own ONE book on writing, and only got it two weeks ago (a gift from Cie.)

Hmm. I never thought about that...but that is pretty much how I did it! (Well, minus writing 3 or 4 manuscripts - Ack! I stopped at 2.

) Though I will say there were chapters in Self Editing I really do wish I'd read before I got too far into the first draft of my 2nd MS...

I can tell I'm going to have to drag her into AW and make her read this thread so she can figure it out on her own; it's just too individual a thing.

Thanks everyone!

job · Feb 3, 2008

para said:
On the RWA - http://www.rwanational.org/ I think the majority of local chapters require membership of the national organisation first.

All RWA local chapters, without exception, require membership in the national organization before joining. Some chapters offer online writing courses and these may be open to anyone.

RWA is costly ... $100/year. If money is a consideration, I'd say to join for only one year. Join after the manuscript is completed. That will give the most value for money.

The unique value of RWA is the nitty-gritty common experience of the business side of writing -- how and where to sell, who the players are, how to plan a career, how to manage finances. This is most useful to somebody with a salable manuscript in hand.

Susan Gable · Feb 3, 2008

sunna said:
Hmm. I never thought about that...but that is pretty much how I did it! (Well, minus writing 3 or 4 manuscripts - Ack! I stopped at 2. ) Though I will say there were chapters in Self Editing I really do wish I'd read before I got too far into the first draft of my 2nd MS...

I can tell I'm going to have to drag her into AW and make her read this thread so she can figure it out on her own; it's just too individual a thing.

Thanks everyone!

Exactly. It's an individual thing.

I think learning some of those craft issues from Self-Editing are good things as you go along.

I have to remember, though, that I started writing in fanfiction, and I learned a lot of the craft stuff in that before I started my first actual ms. So I sort of had a head-start.

But I like to learn. I need to know things.

Susan G.

Heather Lewis · Feb 4, 2008

Perhaps a good way to look at it is to separate the "knowledge/learning about writing" from "the writing."

Reading the how-to books (if you're so inclined) can give you info that swirls around in your subconscious and helps shape your writing when you sit down to do it. And, it can certainly give you direction when you sit down and revise your first draft.

However, the how-to info can be an obstacle if it is too much in your consciousness when you sit down to write. Kind of like having a driver's ed manual in your lap and a huge map spread across your windshield as you try to drive somewhere. Better to clear your view and just drive! Stop and check the map if you get lost...etc. etc. The analogy could go on.

Heather

Lisa F · Feb 11, 2008

I just have to add a blunder. If I see the words "white-hot" one more time I think I'll scream! LOL! I've already determined I will NOT use this term in anything I write.

need some recommendtions...good "how to" books for a new romance writer?

sunna

Jersey Chick

Up all night to get Loki

choppersmom

---

Susan Gable

Dreamer of dreams, teller of tales

Don Allen

Seeking a Sanctuary of Intelligence

sunna

Erin

Listening to my other selves

Gillhoughly

Grumpy writer and editor

sunna

burgy61

Gillhoughly

Grumpy writer and editor

sunna

Heather Lewis

sunna

Cathy C

Ooo! Shiny new cover!

job

In the end, it's just you and the manuscript

Cathy C

Ooo! Shiny new cover!

job

In the end, it's just you and the manuscript

para

sunna

job

In the end, it's just you and the manuscript

Susan Gable

Dreamer of dreams, teller of tales

Heather Lewis

Lisa F