Before I share today's 20 Tips for Writing Lovable Romance Novel Heroes, let's look at what keeps your target audience buying books in a $1.36 billion market that has dominated the world's fiction paperback sales for more than 30 years. (Learn more in my bestselling ebook series, The Secrets to Getting Your Romance Novel Published.) Readers […]
So there we sat, two innocent but extremely vocal writers, brainstorming the story plot of my Fantasy fiction in a restaurant. We’ll call this eatery “Benny’s.” On this particular day, Patty had graciously agreed to reschedule her afternoon's itinerary of laundry-folding and sock-matching to act as my brainstorming buddy. When I get stuck […]
When I’m connected with my Writing Muse, all is “write” with the world. My characters surprise me with new and better plot twists; cliff hangers magically present themselves at the end of every chapter; ideas transmute into sassy one-liners that make me think, “Wow! I wish I’d said that!” One day I stopped typing -- […]
One day, after I became a bestselling author, I dragged out the first manuscript I'd ever finished. Secretly, I had always believed that novel was the most wonderful story in the world. In my not-so-humble opinion, every New York editor who' d rejected it was a numbskull. Yes, picture me, gloating in all my new-found […]
I love, love LOVE villains! What could be more fun than booing Darth Vadar? Throwing popcorn at Dracula? Or covering your eyes when Leatherface revs up his chainsaw? The ultimate fiction experience – be it a book or a movie – is one in which the reader gets to emote. Sure, when you’re writing a […]
Pseudonyms abound in writing circles. What doesn't abound is clear and insightful advice on how to choose the best pen name for a long-term career in novel writing. Let's have some fun. Check out the names of these genre fiction authors: Robin Hobb, Stephen King, Jack Higgins, Rebecca Brandewyne, Issac Asimov, Barbara Michaels, Alistair MacLean, Eboni Snoe . […]
Thanks to iPhone downloads, ebooks are competing directly with movies as on-demand entertainment. That means that the opening pages of your novel have to be more clever than ever if you want to sell your book. I just finished judging a commercial fiction contest for aspiring authors. Without exception, the entries had the same problem. […]
Are you writing commercial fiction? Then consider becoming a judge for a writing contest to help your career. Many aspiring authors already know the benefits of entering a writing contest. These days, even the larger regional contests have celebrity judges (a.k.a. literary agents and acquisitions editors.) Why would these professionals take time from their busy […]
I was in the throes of writing Devil in Texas, when my Muse went on vacation -- for nine months, mind you. Seriously. What writer doesn’t know the ending of her novel for nine FREAKING MONTHS?! “God hates me,” I whined to my favorite mortal writing goddess (whom we’ll call Claire.) “I don’t know the […]
Recently, I overcame a bout of writer’s block by challenging myself. Since April is Poetry Month, I entered a poetry contest. Entering that contest while I was doubting my fiction-writing skills wasn’t an easy choice. I had to overcome my Internal Critic, who was viciously echoing the voice of my high school English teacher. When I […]