By Christie Craig and Faye Hughes

 

 

Thanks, guys, for having us at your blog, and for helping us to celebrate the launch of our new non-fiction, The Everything Guide to Writing a Romance Novel from Adams Media.  We’re sharing a few snippets from the book today, on staying motivated as a writer and on the importance of setting and pacing in your novel. 

 

We hope you enjoy!

 

Christie and Faye

 

Stay Motivated

Because the main entrée of writing automatically comes with a side dish of rejection, it’s important that you work at staying positive. Staying motivated.

 

This may mean ridding yourself of the negativity demon that lurks within most people. You know that demon, don’t you? It’s the one that whispers in your ear that you’re wasting your time writing.  Well, it’s time to send that demon packing!

 

Start the exorcism of pessimistic thinking by changing all the negative thoughts that imply you can’t do something, to ones that say you can accomplish anything. Remove all the can’ts and shouldn’ts from your internal thoughts. To paraphrase and take creative licenses with the old adage: “If you think you can write and believe you’ll sell soon, you are right. If you think you can’t write and will never publish, you are probably also right.”

 

Start believing in yourself and you might be surprised how other people will believe in you as well.

 

Tips on Staying Motivated:

 

·         Get Rid of Negative People

 

While generally, you will be your own worst enemy, there are some people who are just inherently negative—people who make you doubt yourself and question your sanity for even wanting to become a writer. If possible, eliminate these people from your life.

 

When eliminating a negative person isn’t an option—for example, when the person is a part of your immediate family—explain to them that you need to focus on the positive. Ask for their support.

 

·         Surround Yourself with the Positive

 

Removing the negative influences from your life will leave you with some room—room for the optimistic influences. Positive people, people who believe in you, can be essential to your outlook and long-term success. This is why a lot of authors find attending writers’ meetings and visiting with other authors to be so helpful. Sometimes, only another writer will truly understand your woes about this career.

 

·         Write It Down

 

Getting published involves a lot of small steps. Each step is another goal completed. Write down these goals. Make sure your goals include both the larger and the smaller steps. Large, as in finishing a book. Small, as in finishing a scene or polishing a chapter.

 

·         Never Stop Learning

 

Feed the brain, nourish the soul.

 

Something amazing happens to your spirit when you are learning. Knowledge offers a sense of empowerment. Feeling empowered, you are able to overcome hurdles, make wiser decisions, and persevere. With the numerous online writing classes and the amazing amount of how-to books available for purchase, you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your own home to learn.

 

·         Dedicated Versus Obsessed

 

Every writer who made it to the bookshelves will tell you that it took serious dedication to get there—giving up some lunches with the work colleagues, staying home to write while the rest of the family goes to the latest blockbuster movie. Being dedicated to your career goals is a must in the writing business. However, sometimes there’s a fine line between dedication and obsession.

 

Importance of Setting

 

You’ve probably heard the old adage that in real estate, location is everything. It applies to romance novels also. From small towns to big cities, from barren, alien landscapes to lush tropical forests—the options for a setting for your book are endless. But it’s how you use the setting that is important in a romance novel.

 

Remember, it’s not paragraph after paragraph of dry information about your setting that the reader expects in a romance novel. It’s the integration of that setting into the novel. Is your novel set in the tropics? If so, describe the warmth of the sand on the beach beneath the heroine’s bare feet. Explain how the scent of the flowers growing in the garden outside her room reminds her of an event from her childhood—a good memory, perhaps, or a sad memory. Incorporate the setting into your novel and give the details an emotional impact, rather than simply provide a travelogue description.

 

Using the Five Senses

 

Evoking the power of the five senses can bring a scene to life in the reader’s mind. After all, romance readers, more so than the readers of any other genre, want to experience the novel as though it were happening to them. They want to pretend they are the characters you’ve written about on the pages of the book. They want to live your story.

 

To make this happen, always ask yourself the following five questions when writing a scene:

 

1.       What can my POV character hear?

2.       What can my POV character see?

3.       What can my POV character smell?

4.       What can my POV character taste?

5.       What can my POV character touch?

 

While it’s important to know the answers to these questions when you write your scene, you don’t have to include an example from each of the five senses. Just choose the most vivid ones that best describe the scene you’re writing.

 

Writing a Book They Can’t Put Down

Do you remember the first time you got so swept up in a novel that you stayed up half the night reading it? As a reader, you hope you’ll find that with every book you read. As a writer, you hope yours is the book that readers can’t put down. There are many reasons why a reader finds a book a compelling read—great writing, wonderful characters, unique plot. But pacing, or the speed with which an author tells the story, is why they keep turning the pages.

 

Understanding Pacing

 

Pacing plays an important role in creating a saleable romance novel but it’s probably one of the least understood elements of the craft of writing. Basically, pacing is the author’s way of controlling how fast—or slow—a reader reads the book. The author does this by controlling the length of the sentences and paragraphs, the ratio of dialogue to narrative, and the amount of descriptive details offered in a particular scene.

 

Think of a scene as a song. Just as each song has its own rhythm and tempo, some fast, some slow, so will your scenes. Your choice of words, how short or long you make the sentences and paragraphs, the ratio of dialogue to narrative in your scene—all of these combine to form the pacing or tempo.

For a romance novel to succeed, it will need scenes that take away the reader’s breath (fast pacing) and scenes that make the reader sigh with pleasure (slower pacing). Like most aspects of writing, finding the right balance is critical.

 

Generally, when you want to speed up pacing, you will use the following techniques:

 

·         Shorter sentences

·         More dialogue

·         Crisper, sharper nouns and verbs

 

Conversely, the following techniques result in a slowing pacing:

 

·         Longer sentences

·         More narrative

·         More descriptive passages

 

So, how do you strike the right balance? The answer largely depends upon the type of subgenre you’re writing. After all, a lushly sensuous historical romance will usually have a much slower pace than a tightly plotted contemporary romantic suspense. Still, even within the same subgenres, certain scenes and situations call for a specific type of pacing.

 

Another way to balance your pacing is to vary the sentence structure you use. Instead of writing sentence after sentence that follows the same “subject-verb-object” format, mix it up by trying “predicate-subject” or other variation. This, combined with varying the length of your sentences and types of scenes, should ensure your pacing is well-balanced.

 

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THE EVERYTHING GUIDE TO WRITING A ROMANCE NOVEL is available wherever books are sold.  For more information on Christie and Faye’s book, including how you can purchase a copy directly from them (with an addendum of 25 additional pages not included in the book), you can visit their website, www.writewithus.net.

As a special bonus, one lucky commenter will win their very own copy of THE EVERYTHING GUIDE TO WRITING A ROMANCE NOVEL.  So join in the discussion and fire away with those questions!

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this in enough places around the web, but I happen to be moving.  Next weekend.  Yeah, it was sort of a spontaneous decision.  And threw me into a tizzy for a short while.  But then I realized I had much to do and got right to work.  That work included finding a little muscle to help move all my crap from my third floor apartment to a second floor apartment.  And did I mention I have about A MILLION BOOKS?  Yeah, I’m going to need some muscle.  Here are some of the volunteers I found.

 

You might recognize that last one.  He was looking for some side work and wanted to get out of the Hollywood scene for a while.  What’s a girl to do when a six pack like that asks to help?  That’s right, that’s exactly what a girl is to do.

 

This is a super week here on The Revenge.  In addition to great blogs from all the pirates but moi – they were nice enough to give me the week off to finish packing – we have Christie Craig and Faye Hughes hopping aboard Wednesday to talk about their current release, The Everything Guide to Writing a Romance Novel.  With a title like that, how could we go wrong?!  And one lucky commenter will win a free copy of the book, so be here Wednesday for all the fun.

 

Then Friday we finish out the week with a return visit from Kimberly Killion, author of Her One Desire.  Kim was a treasure chest of fantastic advice the last time she was here and I’m sure she’ll drop even more pearls of wisdom this time around. 

 

For all those in the path of Ike, keep your head down and your oars close at hand.  We’ll be saving an extra ration of rum for you when your galoshes finally dry out.  Oh yeah, and stay safe!

Yes, I own a set of mini marauding pirates. I couldn’t resist–I got them from this online site called Archie McPhee’s that had a whole slew of pirate stuff. I also have a pirate Mickey Mouse and a POC puzzle that came with a poster of Captain Jack Sparrow. The poster is now firmly attached to my wall. My favorite cereal as a child was Captain Crunch (yes, I know he wasn’t a pirate, but they didn’t have pirate cereal). You could say that I’m a bit of a pirate-lover. Just a bit.

 

So how far does YOUR pirate obsession extend? Do you

 

a. Own any pirate action figures?

b. Own any pirate DVDs?

c. Actually talk like a pirate on Talk Like a Pirate Day? (It’s only a week off, you know)

d. Dress like a pirate on any day OTHER than Halloween?

 

Come on, fess up! Anybody get all four? *G*

Let me start by saying this is my second blog of the day. To all those who commented on my earlier attempt, thank you.  But I decided I didn’t want to keep that one up.

 

From my title I’m sure you can figure out our topic for today – dead characters.  Now, I do not mean characters who are deceased when the story begins.  Nor do I mean all those hapless victims in Romantic Suspense.  I mean killing off characters that are established in the story.  Writing deaths by accidents, natural causes, or some other medical reason.

 

In my WIP, I do have a character that dies about half way in.  I say about because I haven’t gotten there yet, so I’m not sure exactly when the event will occur.  But I do know this character will die and I’ll be honest and say I have a very good reason for the death.  It’s a major turning point in both the story and in the life of one of my characters.  It throws this character into another gear, forces them to deal with things they’ve long buried and hopefully, serves to bring this character closer to my other character.

 

Am I being vague enough here?

 

Anyhoo, we’ve all heard never to kill the pet.  That’s pretty much a given.  But what’s the rule on other characters.  In Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas, a somewhat main character was killed off and I’ll admit, I never saw it coming.  But I think that character had to die for the same reason I mention above.  It’s a major turning point in the story, forces the main character to grow up, and brings that character closer to someone else.  Plus, it makes the main character’s life all that more difficult.

 

What’s your take on killing off characters?  We’re not talking the hero or heroine, but what about the trusted sidekick?  Or the mentor?  We all know HP will come up right here.  If you’ve killed off a character in a non-RS novel, how did you do it?  What books have you read that included a death that took you by surprise?

I’m in a mood this weekend and decided it’s time to shed some light on those Hotties that don’t get enough attention.  The underrated Hottie.  After an evening of dinner and go-kart racing (yes, we have a track on the ship), I came home, plopped onto the couch and found the movie My Best Friend’s Wedding on television.  And this is where I was reminded of this weeks Most Underrated Hottie of the Week – Dermot Mulroney.

 

With an acting career that spans twenty years (I know!  I couldn’t believe it either!) and a talent for aging well, this man definitely deserves a little more attention.  From the original Young Guns in the 80s to My Best Friend’s Wedding in the 90s and even today in work such as Must Love Dogs, The Family Stone and who can forget The Wedding Date, Mr. Mulroney has more than earned a spot on our Hottie Crew and several spots in our DVD collections.

 

Now to the big announcement.  This Thursday, September 11, mark your pirate calendar and set your compass for fun.  The highly talented, highly successful and incredibly sweet Sabrina Jeffries will be joining us as our special Guest Pirate of the Day!  Her latest re-release, My Pirate Lord, hit shelves this month and we could not let a pirate book get by us!  Why, what kind of writing pirates would we be?!  Rumor is Sabrina might be bringing Will & Jane with her for a visit.  I hear they may have encountered some pirates of their own lately, but you’ll have to be here Thursday to see if all the rumors are true.

An official U.S. national holiday since 1894, Labor Day is celebrated the first Monday in September and pays tribute to the contributions of the working class to our nation’s prosperity, strength, and well-being (as per these people).

As someone who, well, works, I’m guessing I’m one of those people.  As are most Americans.  And if anyone wants to say stay-at-home-moms do not work or contribute, don’t be saying it aboard this vessel.  You may find yerself needing a peg-leg and I ain’t talking about the one that ends with a shoe.

 

Now, if there’s anything with which a writer is well-acquainted, it’s labor.  According to Dictionary.com, labor can be defined as “exert one’s powers of body or mind; work; toil.”  Do we toil for our stories?  Do we exert the powers of our minds?  You better bloody believe it.

 

So on this day paying tribute to all of us who labor, writer’s especially, I say raise yer rum and give a loud “HUZZAH!”  Now take the day off.

How are you celebrating Labor Day?  Gathering with the family?  Out on the water?  Having a picnic?  Whatever you’re doing, don’t forget to turn those dogs!

PS: I will be picnicking myself but I’ll check in when I can.

I’ve been at this writing thing for almost two years now, and in that time I’ve read countless blogs, emails and comments from other writers who say not writing makes them anxious, or irritable, or antsy.  I’m reluctant to say I’ve never felt that way.  I’ve written consistently for periods of time and gone without writing for long periods of time, but I’ve never felt like writing was essential to my mental stability.  [Note: If you've read my personal blog lately, you know my mental stability isn't as sound as it could be these days.]

 

I’m now happy to report this has all changed.  I’ve caught the bug and it is really taking hold.  I have not been able to open my WIP since before leaving for San Fran.  And where, in the past, this would be no more than another prod for my ever-present guilt, these days it’s more of an irritation.  It’s making me anxious and antsy.  I finally feel like a member of the club.

 

I’m guessing this virus was airborne at Nationals.  It hovered in the air, lingered in the elevators and manifested in the bar.  It passed from chair to attendee as the workshops rolled through and could have even been lifted from the moving rail of the escalators.  Heck, I might have even gotten it from the mouse in the business center.

 

No matter where exactly I contracted this virus, I’m damn glad it found me.  I wish it would have found me when I have more time to treat it, but I’m happy all the same.  Ideas for scenes emerge in my mind when I’m least expecting it.  My characters pace impatiently, giving me flashes of the emotion, humor and angst that is to come if only I’d sit down and type.  Three more weeks of school and then I get a break.  Then I can begin the treatment.  Only I have no intention of curing this ailment.  In fact, I’m hoping to keep it for quite a long time.

 

Do you have this virus?  Do you get the shivers and fall into withdrawals if you’ve been away from writing too long?  If you’re a reader, how long do you go between books?  If you finish one and don’t have another to pick up right away, does it make you anxious to get to the store?

This week in my hunt for the next Hottie Crew Member, I came across a pic of an old (though he’s not really old) favorite and was surprised because I’d never seen the pic before.  I never would have known it was him if I hadn’t read it right there on the screen.  So, in honor of Leslie Langtry’s visit to the ship this Tuesday (the 26^th – Mark your calendars now!), we’re going to have a little mystery.  [Note: I realize this is a stretch as there are no assassins in this post, but her stories do have a touch of mystery so go with me here.]

 

 

Who is this Hottie with the beautiful hair and the lovely….pectorals?  The first person to guess correctly gets a free book from my RWA Nationals treasure chest.  Guess well and guess often, wenches.  If I’m in a really good mood, maybe I’ll pick more than one winner.  Goodness knows I have enough books. *rolls eyes*

 

And in case you missed it above, Lesley Langtry will be joining the crew this week!!!  Tuesday, August 26, be here when “The Assassin” herself visits to talk about her new release, Stand By Your Hitman, and explains exactly where she came up with this crazy family of professional assassins.  My thought is she has way too much inspiration right in her own house, but that could just be conjecture on my part.

I’ve mentioned here before that the hero of my WIP is a chef.  He’s recently purchased a restaurant and put everything he has into making it a success.  The irony of me writing a book about a chef is that I don’t really cook.  I mean, I make things like baked chicken, spaghetti, and several things that come out of a box, but I don’t think that really counts as cooking.  Spices are a mystery to me and though I know I like flavor, I don’t know how to incorporate it into my meals.

 

So why would I be stupid enough to write about a chef?  Well, first off, he showed up in my head that way.  My characters show up pretty much with names and occupations intact and I don’t have much say in the matter.  Secondly, I think chefs are hot.  Who needs a third reason when you have reason two?

 

I’ve read books and watched movies set in restaurants and I’m an avid Top Chef watcher.  But I know that isn’t going to be enough to really write a busy restaurant kitchen scene and make it come to life.  My goal was to find some restaurant that would allow me to hover in a back corner out of the way and just observe.  And by some miracle, I’m actually going to meet that goal and then some.

 

Turns out, a friend of mine who also happens to be a writer (I know, big shocker!) has a nephew that owns a restaurant in Richmond.  She’s willing to take me up there, introduce me to her nephew (who is about my age, single, and supposedly looks like Tom Cruise), and get me a seat in the corner of the kitchen.  Also by some miracle, this restaurant serves the exact kind of food I’ve already written into the story.  I mean, come on, this is too good to be true!

 

Have you ever created a situation in a book then realized you didn’t know a thing about it?  How far have you gone for research?  How far would you go?  If you’re a reader, what book took you to a place or taught you about an occupation or hobby and made you feel like you were right there doing everything with the characters?

Since it’s pretty much the middle of the night and I just got home from a date (Yay me!) and I’m really tired, this is going to be short…but sweet.  The Olympics continue (even though Michael Phelps is done…*sniff*) and we continue our Hottie Ode to Athletes.  I think every woman alive (over a certain age) will admit we fell in love with beach volleyball while watching Top Gun.  Yes, Tom is a bit looney these days, but he was hot as hell in that movie and any woman who can catch that scene while flipping channels and not stop to watch it is a stronger woman than I. 

 

So what better Hottie Athlete to go with today than a beach volleyball player?  This is the very attractive Jake Gibb.  In my dedication to complete research for this blog, I learned he’s 32 (Go Captain!), 6′7″ and likes some kind of bean burrito.  Not sure why I needed to know that but now I do. 

Enjoy the eye candy ladies and don’t forget to be here this Tuesday, August 19^th, when author Angie Fox will be stepping aboard deck.  Angie will be talking about her debut release, The Accidental Demon Slayer, and what it’s like to be a newbie author in the business.  Be here for all the fun!