Writing a Romance Novel For Dummies

Name: Writing a Romance Novel For Dummies
Brand: Wiley
Price: 16.99 EUR
Availability: OnlineOnly

Victorine Lieske Leslie Wainger(Autor*in)

Wiley (Verlag)

2. Auflage

Erschienen am 10. Januar 2023

384 Seiten

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978-1-119-98904-2 (ISBN)

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Inhalt

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here
Part 1 Welcome to the World of Romance Writing
Chapter 1 Romance Writing at a Glance
Tuning in to the Market
Defining a romance
Subdividing romances into genres
Practicing Your Craft
Everything starts with characterization
It's all about emotional tension
Plotting, pacing, and point of view
Choosing Indie Publishing or Traditional Publishing
Exploring the pros and cons of each
Choosing your path
Best Practices of Indie Publishing
Working with editors and graphic designers
Marketing and selling your book
Submitting Your Manuscript
Choosing the right publisher
Putting together a selling submission
Chapter 2 Romancing the Marketplace: Identifying Your Options
Knowing Your Reader
Meeting the romance reader
Meeting the romance reader's expectations
Starting from Square One: Reading
Drawing up a reading list
Reading like a writer
Getting to Know Your Genre
Historical versus contemporary
Paging through history
Living in the present
Mainstream versus category
Making the most of mainstream
Keeping track of category
Writing in a series as an indie author
Subgenres and niche markets
Futuristic: Looking ahead
Gothic: Simply sinister
Inspirational: Relying on faith
Paranormal: Hauntingly good
Regency: Crowning success
Romantic comedy: Looking for laughs
Romantic suspense: Thrills and chills
Western: Riding the range
Related women's fiction markets
Chick lit
Erotica
Family sagas and multigenerational novels
Young adult
LGBT Romance
Choosing Your Subgenre
What do you like to read?
How do you fit into the market?
Knowing your own strengths
Matching yourself with the market
Chapter 3 Setting Up for Writing Success
Finding the Perfect Time to Write
Making time to pursue your dream
Reconciling your family to the new you
Factoring in your new priorities
Creating your writing routine
Building a Writer's Tool Kit
Sharpening up your office supplies: More than just pencils
Stocking the shelves: Your home library
Booking it: Accurate financial records
Accessing Resources for the Would-Be Writer
Joining writers' organizations - romance-related and otherwise
Going where the writers are: Conferences and more
Taking advantage of courses and critique groups
Online resources
Checking in with publishers
Helpful websites
Part 2 Laying the Foundation: The Building Blocks of a Great Romance
Chapter 4 Creating Compelling Main Characters: Alpha Males and Fiery Females
Depending on Your Characters
The Key to Every Romance Is the Heroine
Drawing the reader into your story
Making your heroine feel real
Responding realistically
Sowing the seeds of conflict
Exhibiting identifiable traits
Keeping complexity in mind
Overlooking her own great looks
Introducing imperfection
Naming your heroine
Choosing an accurate name
Connotations count: Pretty is as pretty does
Covering gender
Is exotic erotic?
Creating Your Hero
Heroes are for loving
Selling the sizzle
Digging deep
Creating conflict from character
Making things equal
Shining but not outshining
Revealing his softer side
Laughing it up
Holding out for a hero: Alphas and others
Leading the pack: The alpha hero
Opening up (but slowly): The beta hero
Breaking the rules: The bad-boy hero
Feeling the pain: The tortured hero
Living and loving in style: The playboy hero
Looking for love in all the wrong places
Hello, my name is . . .
Strong men need strong names
Avoiding childish nicknames
Hitting your mark: Accuracy counts
Switching order: Last names as first names
Keepin' It Real: Secondary Characters
Remembering their roles
Avoiding stereotypes
Speaking up
Naming the baby (and everyone else)
Factoring in the future
Laying Concrete Strategies for Creating Characters
Chapter 5 Crucial Ingredients for Every Plot: Conflict, Climax, and Resolution
You Can't Have a Novel without a Plot
Where do ideas come from?
Approaching the world from different angles
Finding ideas around every corner
Asking questions develops your characters and plot
Letting your characters drive the plot
Suspense: Every Story Has It
Using romance to create suspense
Other ways of creating twists and turns
Working your plot
Using secondary characters
Making Sense Matters
Creating Emotional Conflict and Tension
Emotional versus intellectual conflict
Highlighting emotional conflict
Taking care with intellectual conflict
Internal versus external conflict
Personal versus situational conflict
Handling Conflict Effectively
Keeping them together
Letting conflict complicate your plot
Taking two steps forward and one step back
Using sexual tension to deepen conflict
Dreaming of love
Saving "I love you" for the right moment
And They Lived Happily Ever After
Making your reader believe
Dark moment: Where all is lost
Climax: Timing is everything
Resolution: Endings made easy
Epilogue
Chapter 6 Setting the Scene
Deciding Where Your Story Takes Place
Following the lead of your characters and plot
Narrowing down the geography
Digging even deeper
Joining the real world or living in your imagination
Keeping your setting in check
Telling Time
Using Your Setting to the Fullest
Illuminating your characters
Demonstrating competence
Uncovering vulnerabilities
Bringing out the best
Making your setting a character
Chapter 7 Outlining versus Discovery Writing
Identifying What Kind of Writer You Are
Outlining methods
Discovery writing methods
Outlining: Mapping Out Your Story
What can an outline do for you?
What belongs in an outline?
Using your outline effectively
Listening to your creativity
Discovery Writing: Letting Your Story Unfold
Letting the characters guide you
Plotting as you go
The first quarter
The second quarter
The third quarter
The fourth quarter
Getting stuck in the rewriting trap
Part 3 Putting Pen to Paper
Chapter 8 Finding Your Own Voice
Speaking Up for Yourself
Revealing where readers hear your voice
Making the language your own
Choosing your words wisely
Mixing what you say with what your characters know
Putting the Show in Show and Tell
Knowing what you need to say, and then saying it
Avoiding lost readers
Preventing boredom
Speaking metaphorically
Describing your characters
Making every word count
Talking too much
Telling It Like It Is
Keeping your writing clear
Moving right along
Mixing action with dialogue or thoughts
Writing prose that moves
Making life interesting
Breaking up the action
Chapter 9 Letting Your Characters Speak
Giving Your Characters Voices
Making every character unique (and real)
Reining in your own voice
Bringing up backgrounds
Separating the sexes
Avoiding clichés
Speaking up
Working out the quirks
Giving every character a consistent voice
Meeting the secondary-character challenge
Writing Great Dialogue
Using dialect and accents effectively
Keepin' it cool: A word about slang
Using dialogue to convey information naturally
Putting dialogue on paper
Choosing and Using Point of View
What are they thinking?
Articulating the attraction
Feeling the love
Getting practical
Knowing whose voice to use
Determining where to begin
Moving from scene to scene
Internal monologues and how to use them
Chapter 10 Pacing: The Secrets of Writing a Page-Turning Romance
Pacing Doesn't Mean Racing
Pacing and Plotting: Two Halves of a Whole
Knowing what readers care about
Recognizing key plot points
Reaching key emotional moments
It's not only what happens, it's when and where
Knowing what to tell and what to leave out
Avoiding the Dreaded Sagging Middle
Recognizing a sagging middle
Stopping the sag before it starts
Dealing with it
Show It, Don't (Always) Tell It
Harnessing the power of dialogue
Speeding up the pace
Avoiding the pitfalls
Telling it like it is: Using narrative effectively
Finding the balance between showing and telling
Prose That Goes and Prose That Slows
Chapter 11 Taking It All Off: Writing Love Scenes
Comparing Sex and Romance
Knowing Where and When
Creating sexual tension
Deciding when the time's right
Using love scenes to increase the tension
Upping the emotional ante
Sexual tension feeds . . . on sex?
Using love scenes to support your pacing
Writing the Scene
Knowing your market
It's not what they do, it's how you describe it
Focusing on feelings
Matching language with the moment
Suiting your language to the market
Using all five senses
Letting your setting work for you
Part 4 Putting It All Together: Mechanics Count, Too
Chapter 12 Starting and Stopping
Mastering the Winning Beginning
How to hook your reader
How to bore your reader
The cute meet: Necessary or not?
Putting Theory into Practice
Finding your starting point
Backtracking to the background
Picking a quiet moment
Doling out details as you go
Making use of flashbacks
Opening lines that work
Going solo
Keeping it short
Talking the talk
Asking questions
Setting deadlines
Bucking conventional wisdom
Constructing Can't-Miss Chapters
Viewing every chapter as a new beginning
Leave 'em wanting more: Effective chapter endings
Hanging by a thread: Cliffhangers made simple
Sending mixed messages
Packing a punch
Keeping transitions fresh
Moving from Scene to Scene
Stringing scenes together
Seeing scene endings as mini-chapter endings
Intercutting scenes
Chapter 13 Getting Your Story Straight: Doing Research
Getting It Right: Priority Number One
Making Research Work for You
Figuring out what you need to know
Starting with the basics
Finding the devil in the details
Avoiding information overload
Weighing down the reader
Delaying your writing progress
Getting Down to Business
Timing is everything
Organizing like a pro
Backing things up
Keeping info handy
Completing the project
Finding the Facts
Surfing the Net: Great information (and misinformation)
Supporting your local library and bookstore
Developing a nose for news
Taking time to stop, look, and listen
Traveling for fun and profit
Talking to experts
Getting Permissions
Determining when permission is necessary
Filling out the paperwork
Chapter 14 Neatness Counts - and So Does Grammar
Knowing the Importance of Good Writing
Finding good references
Using grammar and spell-check programs
Taking a course
Asking a friend
Making a Point with Punctuation
Comma placement
Using ellipses and em dashes
Talking about Dialogue and Narrative
Making Thoughtful and Relevant Word Choices
Don't choose a fancy word when a simple one will do
Don't use incorrect synonyms
Watch for repeated words
Formatting for Success
Setting your margins
Using the right fonts and spacing
Breaking your story into paragraphs
Avoiding common formatting mistakes
Formatting with indie publishing in mind
Checking Your Work One Last Time
Part 5 Traditional or Indie Publishing - Which Is Best for You?
Chapter 15 Choosing Your Publishing Path
Weighing Your Options
Knowing the pros and cons of how you publish
Changing course
Staying on top of a quickly changing landscape
Comparing and Contrasting the Paths
Traditional publishing
Small presses
Mid-sized and large publishing houses
Vanity presses
Hybrid publishing companies
Indie publishing
Becoming a Hybrid Author: The Best of Both Worlds
Chapter 16 Finding Success in Indie Publishing
Defining Your Success
Creating a Professional Product
Judging a book by its cover
Writing a tagline (it's all in the hook)
Writing blurbs
Building your website
Creating Your Launch Team
Sending out ARCs
Finding helpful services
Forming Your Launch Plan
Networking
Boosting your sales
Building Momentum
Building a newsletter
Giving away a reader magnet
Purchasing an ISBN
Registering your copyright
Obtaining a Library of Congress Control Number
After You Publish
Doing market research
Paying for ads
Understanding the power of free
Chapter 17 Selling Your Manuscript: Traditional Publishing
Submitting Made Simple
Doing your research
Writing a successful query letter
Deciding Whether You Need an Agent
Understanding an agent's job
Finding an agent
Sizing Up the Contract
Coming up with questions
Reading (and rereading) the fine print
Getting help
Strategies for a Win-Win Negotiation
Working with Your Editor
Making the relationship work
Revising your book one last time
Line editing set straight
Chapter 18 Handling Rejection
What the Rejection Letter Is Really Saying
Regarding rejections
Revising and resubmitting
Understanding the Revision Process
Addressing editor queries
Using an incremental approach
Being timely
When great minds don't think alike
Handling the resubmission process
Identifying Common Issues
Your heroine isn't as sympathetic as she needs to be
Your pacing is erratic
Your hero's too strong/arrogant/tough
Your plot lacks the necessary complexity
Your characters' motivations aren't clear
Your characters seem more like types than real people
Maximizing Your Chance of Success
Keeping a positive attitude
Dealing with rejection, emotionally and professionally
Dealing with bad reviews
Part 6 The Part of Tens
Chapter 19 Ten Tropes Every Editor Knows - and Why They Still Work
Marriage of Convenience
Stranded with a Stranger
Runaway Bride
Secret Baby
Second-Chance Romance
Back from the Dead
Mistaken Identity
Woman in Jeopardy
The Dad Next Door
Even Sketchier Setups
Chapter 20 Ten Tips for Coming Up with a Successful Title
Speak the Reader's Language
Know the Long and the Short of It
Try Single-Word Titles
Match Title and Tone Perfectly
Use Keywords
Consider Alliteration
Coin a Cliché
Name Names
Make Connections
Follow in Others' Footsteps
Chapter 21 Ten Tips for Avoiding Common Writing Mistakes
Remember the Reader's Expectations
Don't Overwrite
Love It or Lose It
Let Your Characters Drive the Plot
Know That Effective Conflict Comes from Within
Make Sure You Have Enough Plot
Keep Your Story on Track
Keep Your Reader Interested
Don't Forget the Details
Keep the Story Moving
Chapter 22 Ten Questions Every Romance Writer Needs to Ask Herself
Should I Write Romance Novels?
Why Can't I Get Started?
What Can I Do When the Ideas Don't Come?
How Can I Focus and Stay Positive When Things Go Wrong?
When Is It Research and When Is It a Waste of Time?
When Should I Publish or Submit My Manuscript?
Do I Need an Agent?
How Do I Handle a Friend's Success?
When and How Do I Follow Up on My Book's Status?
When Do I Let Go of a Book?
Chapter 23 Ten Ways to Beat Writer's Block
Work Your Way Through It
Select a Different Scene
Look at the Last Scene You Wrote
Write a Scene That You Won't Use
View the Scene from a Different Angle
Don't Focus on Perfection
Stop in the Middle
Analyze Your Outline
Re-energize Your Creative Instincts
Start Another Project (If All Else Fails)
Index
EULA

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