Tag: novel
Characters Develop Your Romance
[found on writing-world.com; by Karen Wiesner]
“Let your characters decide the level of intimacy, not publisher guidelines.
I used to base everything I wrote on what the publishers might buy. I suppose it makes some sense to do that when you’re not published. Target your publisher, then tailor what you write to that set of guidelines. Sounds logical, right? I’m not so sure. A part of me really believes that the reason I didn’t sell all those years was because I was trying to write for everyone else except myself and what fit my characters. If you’re writing for someone else, you’re not writing what’s in your heart… and it’s going to show.
The same is true for love scenes. In every one of my books, the level of intimacy is a little different, depending on what that particular hero and heroine dictate. Restless as Rain and Forever Man are strongly what I dub “romantic erotica” because the emotions are as hot as the physical lovemaking. The characters in these books are very extreme, larger than life and they demand a sexuality that suits their personalities. In First Love, the sexual tension is definitely there from start to finish and the love scenes are satisfying without being overtly erotic.
However, the hero and heroine in this book are in need of emotional healing, more so than sexual healing. Their lovemaking is part of that healing process, and it suited them to have emotionally sensual loves scenes rather than down-and-dirty, deep ones. Leather & Lace, my first published book, was completely different. The heroine in the book was very innocent and naive. When she thought of lovemaking, it was always in a more “romantic” sense and, because she was so private, having more low-key love scenes were appropriate. The sexual tension remained throughout, however.”
For more tips on writing from Karen Wiesner, click here.
[found on http://www.writing-world.com/romance/love.shtml]
Share this:
Carve Your Time
“An idea is a gift, a finished project is turning that gift into a book by making yourself write even when you don’t want to. There is no such thing as a block of time to write. You have to carve time from a busy day.”
— Elaine L. Orr
Share this:
Flashbacks and Foreshadowing
[found on inspirationforwriters.com]
“Flashbacks and foreshadowing are tools that we can use to add dimension to our writing. Flashbacks give us the ability to see into a character’s past in real time. Foreshadowing drops hints of what may happen in the future. Are either one required in order to tell an effective story? No. However, there are times when they can add depth to our characters or suspense to our plot, and trust me, we can use whatever help we can get.
Flashbacks interrupt the current action of the story to show a scene from the past. As such, we must always weigh the advantages to the disadvantages. Are the benefits we receive worth leaving our characters dangling in time while we go into the past? If so, don’t hesitate to use a flashback. If not, continue with your story line and find other ways, such as exposition, discussion, etc. to entwine the past with the present.
If you choose to use a flashback, you must tip the reader that you are leaving the present. This can be done with a transition statement such as, “John remembered the day his father died.” Then, use past perfect (“had”) two or three times to complete the clue that we are entering real time in the past. And you are in the past. Act out your scene with action and dialogue, and when you are finished, clue the reader that you are returning to the present by using past perfect once or twice, and, if necessary, another transition sentence (“But that was then and this was now, and John had to let the past stay in the past.”).”
For more tips from Inspiration For Writers, click here.
[found on http://www.inspirationforwriters.com/techniques/flashbacks.html]
Share this:
Critics Think
“When dealing with critics always remember this: Critics judge things based on what is outside of their content of understanding.”
― Shannon L. Alder
Share this:
Strength In Belief
“An author’s strong belief and enthusiasm will affect the writing of the book and often the publisher’s commitment to it.”
― Sterling Lord, Lord of Publishing: A Memoir
Share this:
Top to Bottom
“Being a bestseller doesn’t mean they wrote a great book. Just means they knew a lot of people who would buy it.”
― David A. Santos
Share this:
Authors Oblivious
“On the day the world is blown up, the playwright whose show opened the night before will be leafing past the news section of the Times to find his review—as he ascends through the stratosphere, oblivious.”
― Arthur Miller, Salesman in Beijing
Share this:
New Writers, Listen Up
[found on goinswriter.com; by Jeff Goins]
“Getting started
- Start small. 300 words per day is plenty. John Grisham began his writing career as a lawyer. He got up early every morning and wrote one page. You can do the same. (Need some ideas for getting started? Check out these book ideas.)
- Have an outline. Write up a table of contents that guide you. Then break up each chapter into a few sections. Think of your book in terms of beginning, middle, and end. Anything more complicated will get you lost. If you need help, read this book: Do the Work.
- Have a set time to work on your book every day. If you want to take a day or two off per week, schedule that as time off. Don’t just let the deadline pass. And don’t let yourself off the hook.
- Choose a unique place to write. This needs to be different from where you do other activities. The idea is to make this a special space so that when you enter it, you’re ready to work on your project.”
For more tips from GoinsWriter, click here.
Editing Addict, LLC 