This page contains articles written by members of Washington Romance Writers. In accordance with RWA policies, we no longer publish the current issue of our newsletter, The WRW Update, on the public part of our website, but we archive all available issues in our Members Only section.
by Karna Small Bodman
Author of Romantic Thrillers Checkmate, Gambit, and Final Finesse
When I decided I was going to write a novel and I finally finished my first manuscript (which, along with the second one, never saw the light of day—both are still under the bed), I began the arduous process of researching agents and endeavoring to compose clever query letters. I probably sent out 50 of those suckers…and only received answers on post cards or “letters” run off en masse by some intern with a box checked off indicating that the story “wasn’t right” for that particular agency.
Not to worry. I signed up for an RWA convention, wrote more letters about how I was going to be in New York and would welcome a meeting and lo and behold, one agent agreed to a (short) meeting over coffee. It turned out to be a lecture on how tough the business was… punctuated by a daunting set of statistics. “You have to understand,” she said as she finished her Caffe Vanilla Frapuccino and two croissants, and I reached for the check, “of all the manuscripts submitted to publishers whether a mystery, sci-fi, romance…whatever…just one in 75,000 is ever published.” I started to choke on my decaf, but she did not offer representation.
Okay, next stop was a series of other writers’ conferences where I heard all the stories about how Stephen King wrote four novels and hundreds of short stories before anyone published his work. About how Mary Higgins Clark had 40 rejections before getting a deal. And then a newer author, Steve Berry, told me that he had 85 rejections from various agents and editors before he found one willing to take him on and publish his first novel, The Templar Legacy. And now Steve is a New York Times bestselling author.
I finally met an editor at a conference put on by the New Jersey Romance Writers Chapter. They had a good line-up and I figured it was only a quick train ride from DC. I pitched my (third) story. She liked it, she recommended an agent, and I finally got a contract. Of course, then she wanted revisions. But that’s all right. I mean, Tolstoy rewrote Anna Karenina 17 times. So after many months, the manuscript was approved, and my first book, Checkmate, was on its way to the “New Release” tables at Barnes & Noble. Then the same editor bought the sequel, Gambit, and now the third, Final Finesse, was just released in May.
Yes, it took years. It took patience. It took Kleenex (after opening the 49th rejection letter). But it was all so worth it. The message to aspiring writers: Don’t just “follow your dream,” create a new one…or two… or three… if the first one turns into a bit of a nightmare! Keep writing, keep researching, keep traipsing to conferences, and above all, keep the faith!!!
Karna Small Bodman’s Final Finesse was released in May 2009.
Melissa Jeglinski is a name that gets attention when talking to romance authors. Her reputation for professionalism, along with being a first class editor, is known throughout the RWA. After 17 years as an editor for Harlequin/Silhouette, she made the move to the role of agent, at the Knight Agency. As one of her clients, I often get asked about her, what she is looking for, what is she like. I will say from an author’s perspective, she is wonderful. She has a real love of the romance genre, and is probably one of the most patient people in the business.
Mel: You had much success as a Senior Editor for the Desire Line. Why did you decide to make the career move?
MJ: Well, after 17 years in New York, I was ready for a change of pace. I loved publishing but had really done all I wanted to do on that side of the desk. Agenting appealed to me because of the range of genres I could work with. I knew I could give my clients a little something extra because of my editorial background and I was ready for the challenge.
Mel: How involved do you want to be with an author? Do you just want to give advice, or do you still want to wear your editor hat now and then?
MJ: Most of my clients sign with me because of the years I spent in publishing and they really want some feedback. But I never push. It has to be agreed upon jointly but I do feel my clients trust my judgment and knowledge of the industry. I do read all of my clients’ projects because I want to be up to date with what their editor is also reviewing.
Mel: What are you looking for in an author?
MJ: I would like to work with an author who has a plan for their career beyond just their current work. It’s great if they have a lot of different ideas they want to pitch. They need to be dedicated to their craft but not obsessed with it to the point that they can’t relax and enjoy their writing. I believe a writer should be able to take constructive criticism and be willing to make changes if necessary.
Mel: Are there any specific genres you are looking for?
MJ: Romance is my first and greatest love, all kinds: historical, paranormal, contemporary and category. I am also looking for young adult and middle school fiction as well as women’s fiction and thrillers.
Mel: When looking at an author’s proposal, what is the first thing you are looking for?
MJ: I look for writing I can connect with and enjoy. I strongly believe that if an agent isn’t behind a writer’s work 100% then they can’t be an advocate for that work 100%. So, I have to be won over by the writing and the plot. The work doesn’t have to be perfect, but if I can see potential, I’m willing to work with the writer to make it as wonderful as possible.
Mel: What is the most important advice you can give an author who is trying to break into romance?
MJ: It’s not as easy as you might think, so really do your homework. If you are trying to break into category, read tons of books in the series you are aiming for. If you want to write historical romance, do your research. And then really put together something that will fit the genre but still be uniquely you.
Mel: How does an author submit to you?
They should go through The Knight Agency’s website: http://www.KnightAgency.net and submit a one page query letter to directed to my attention. Include details on the genre of their work, applicable writing credentials and a brief synopsis. Do not include any attachments as that can cause the email to be caught in the Spam filter. Right now I’m working on a two to three week turnaround for queries. Please note that the agency does not accept paper submissions, so only send them electronically.
I am actively seeking to sign on new clients—both published and unpublished--so I hope to receive lots of queries. Thanks!
Melissa’s Upcoming Appearances
July 15-17: Romance Writers of America National Conference, Washington, D.C.
August 14-16: Australia Romance Writers National Conference, Brisbane, Australia
August 21-23: New Zealand Romance Writers National Conference, Auckland, New Zealand
October 2-4: Moonlight and Magnolias Conference, Norcross, Georgia
November 6-7: RWA DFW Chapter Conference, Dallas, Texas
About the Author:
Melissa Schroeder is a multi-published international bestselling author, with more than 25 novels, novellas, and short stories to her credit. A military wife, with a somewhat dubious background, she writes in anything from historical to futuristic because it works with her ADD. Her latest releases are Her Mother’s Killer, available May 1st from WCP Torrid and Saints and Sinners from Ellora’s Cave. She is the mother of two humans and one adopted dog daughter and thanks the good Lord she is living where the bugs die in the winter. She can be reached at her site: http://www.melissaschroeder.net.
Like the mouthwatering smorgasbord available at a great salad bar, the components of published romances abound. Strong characterization and an event-filled plot are the basic ingredients, but what about everything else? How do we select other trappings to round out the story?
Each container of tempting offerings at the genre bar is chock full of great ideas. Werewolves and vampires are in high demand. Regencies and inspirationals get a lot of interest too. What about that bucket of sexy cowboys on the genre bar? Hard to pass that one by with just a lingering glance.
Sensuality comes in a wide variety too. There’s everything from romances with chaste kisses to singe-your-fingers-on-the-pages books. Making a choice here is more than a matter of personal taste. It varies by the realm of possibilities for your character and what is expected in today’s market.
And there’s the whole temptation of time. What time period do we go with? Something contemporary? Something based in the past or made up for the future? Maybe we start here and go there or vice versa. Decisions, decisions.
It would be so easy to dump a little of everything onto our empty genre plate, but then what would we have? A jumbled mess. Unless we are skilled enough to have one element predominate, no one will pick through the clutter to tell what we’ve written.
Aha! A key point to consider at the genre bar – the book type should be definable. It should fit in a known market slot, such as romantic suspense, western, paranormal, historical, inspirational, erotic, woman’s fiction, etc. Editors and agents look for books to fill publication slots; therefore, conforming to market standards can increase the likelihood of a book contract.
Happily-ever-afters are a given at the fully-loaded genre bar, but what about for you? Are you writing the best book you possibly can to create your own HEA? Fall in love with your characters and outfit them with the trappings of an established genre. Or if you’re a seasoned pro, experiment a little with the blend.
What are you waiting for? Sidle on up to the genre bar and create a page-turning work of art.
Maggie Toussaint writes in three genres, and she’s a member of Washington Romance Writers. Her romantic suspense, House of Lies, recently won the National Readers’ Choice Awards Best Romantic Suspense 2007. Read more about Maggie, her books, and her other articles on writing at http://www.maggietoussaint.com.
(from the October 2008 issue of the Update)
Today I want to talk about beginnings. Opening lines. And since only I know what the meaning is behind my opening lines, I’m going to have to use the opening lines from my own books to explain.
When you’re writing a book, you want to draw the reader in immediately. You can’t take a whole bunch of pages to get to where your story really begins, because in doing so, you run the very real risk of losing your reader, or losing a sale. You know who I’m talking about. Those readers who stand in the book aisle and pick up books and start reading the first page, then either put the book in their cart or back on the shelf. I figure you have about 30 seconds tops to capture their attention, a page or two at most.
So your opening has to be a grabber. One that gets the reader wondering what is going on here immediately. In a mystery or suspense, we say, start with a body on the floor.
So here goes:
In Thin Ice, my original opening line was: If there was such a place as hockey player hell, Eric Cameron was in it.
Unfortunately, that was in the prologue, and the prologue got cut during edits. But the rest of the paragraph went on to explain how his team was losing, time was running out, and it was up to him to pull off a win. His reputation was on the line, his having been named Captain of the team earlier that day by the owner with a public challenge to turn the team around.
Unfortunately, the other team knew this and were gunning for him. He knew it, they knew it, and in short order, the fight was on.
Instead, I opened with: It was no way to spend a birthday, drinking alone in some hole in the wall dive, but it beat sitting at home alone, staring at the contents of his rented apartment.
Not quite as engaging, but it still draws you in. Why is this guy sitting alone in a bar on his birthday with no one to go home to? No home to go to, really, if the stuff in his apartment is rented.
Obviously he lost the game he was supposed to win, and was on everyone’s s*** list from the owner to his teammates to the fans.
Why? How did this come about? I’m hoping the reader will want to know and read on.
In Jake’s Return, the opening line is: Rebecca Reed would never forget the sound of Jacob Donovan walking back into her life.
Sort of sums the book up, doesn’t it? You have the heroine on the first page, reacting to---what’s the book about???—Jake’s return.
Return to where? Why did he walk away? Why did he come back? What happened between them? How will his return affect Rebecca?
I’m hoping the reader wants to know.
Next, Ashton’s Secret: It was a hell of a homecoming.
Okay, so that alone won’t do it. I could have done better. I’ll add the next line and see if that helps:
It was a hell of a homecoming. No sooner had he rented the slip at the Ashton Marina than people had gathered on the dock. People he’d known most of his life, people whose expressions ranged from surprise to wariness to outright hostility.
Now we know that somebody has just come home and it’s not going well. Why? Why did they leave? Why is it not going well? What happened to make the people of Ashton hate/mistrust/dislike this man so? And why would he come back if he knew they would feel that way?
Justice is a Lady: “What do you mean, the gun isn’t there?”
This is from my current WIP. Samantha Dallas is an assistant district attorney, on her way into the courtroom for a trial against a gang member, and she’s just found out, in the corridor outside the courtroom, that a key piece of evidence has gone missing from the evidence property room. Suddenly she’s looking at a case that’s going down the tubes.
First, the gun gets your attention. Then the fact that it is missing. Missing guns make everybody nervous. Where is this gun, who is missing it, why do they need it, and why are they so upset that it is gone? (as indicated by the italics on the word “mean.”)
I’m hoping the reader will want to find out.
Letters to Laura, written in epistolary format:
June 15, 2002
8:15 a.m.
Dear Laura,
In an hour and 45 minutes I will begin my 25th year in prison.
Okay, you know it is a letter, you know it is about a real person, you know someone is in prison and has been for 25 years, and you know they know and remember the exact moment they entered prison.
I’d want to find out who Laura was, who’s writing the letter, why this person has been in jail for 25 years, and how it could be that they would remember the exact date and time their life changed forever.
But that’s just me J.
Personally, my favorite way to open a book is with a line of dialogue. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work in all cases. You have to go with what fits the story. A lot of people like to open up their stories with describing the scenery, or the weather. This only works if you use the setting or the weather as a character in your story. In Eileen Dreyer’s Sinners and Saints, the weather is as much a character in the story as the characters themselves.
The story is set in New Orleans as a hurricane looms on the horizon, and she describes its imminent arrival as if it were an ominous character coming to town. Here is the opening to chapter one: Omens come in all sizes. Hair standing up at the back of the neck. Crows on a telephone wire. Shapes in a cloud or a chill in the wind.
In, say a story that takes place in a haunted house, or haunted village, or a different planet, you would want to set the scene right from the beginning.
But in a contemporary or even historical work of fiction, unless the weather or setting is to be used as a character element in the story, I’d highly recommend a snappy line of dialogue, a short one-liner that grabs the reader’s attention and implies something big is about to happen, or something philosophical (profound or whimsical, depending on the mood of the story) from the main character’s point of view. Here’s one I just made up: If she’d known this was to be her last day in Jamaica , she might have chosen to call her mother before she disappeared.
Who is she? Why is she in Jamaica ? Why does she disappear? How does she disappear? What will her mother think when she doesn’t hear from her daughter?
Try it. Just play around with opening lines. You never know. You might even come up with an idea for a book J.
Liana Laverentz is the author of two contemporary romances with The Wild Rose Press, Thin Ice and Jake’s Return. Thin Ice is a 2007 New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf Award winner, a 2008 EPPIE winner for best contemporary romance, and was a nominee for Best Romance of 2007 at Long and Short Reviews. Jake’s Return is also a finalist in the 2008 Golden Leaf contest. Her next release, Ashton’s Secret, a murder mystery romance, will be available from The Wild Rose Press in early 2009. For more information, go to http://www.lianalaverentz.com
By Danielle M. Angeline
(From the December 2006 issue of the Update.)
Three years ago, I was six months into my membership with RWA and WRW when I nonchalantly answered our group email to volunteer as a judge for the Marlene. “What’s a Marlene?” I wondered, yet I sent my information to the contest chairperson. As the holidays lapsed into New Years and the judge’s training meeting neared, anxiety caused me to question my previous actions. “Who am I to judge?” weighed heavily on my mind and that was just the beginning. The day of our January judges meeting, I was greeted with the same cold everyone else was fighting, and to top things off, I overslept and missed the morning session. Still, I dragged myself out of bed and arrived just in time
to be handed a package of information that overwhelmed me. I listened tentatively and took notes to better guide myself through my apprehension of, “What am I getting myself into?”
Once the entries arrived, my pounding heart and sweaty-palm affliction was replaced with anticipation and excitement. I opened the package and scanned through the titles. Being a “title” person, I looked at those first. One of the entries that caught my eye had a title that was the same as a popular Dixie Chick’s song. Being a lover of country music, I set that one aside, wanting to save it for last. Perusing through the other titles, I chose one that didn’t really tickle my fancy. Why? You may ask. When I was in elementary school, my mom taught me to tackle the subject I dislike the most first. I try to apply that wisdom today in my daily routine.
Back to the first manuscript entry. Judging was tough. The first four pages rambled on and on until - Eureka! One great sentence drew me into the plot. Quickly, I uncapped my red pen and circled the sentence. That was the hook, and I had to tell the author so, but I was quite hesitant to suggest it would be best placed on the first page. Again, the Doubting Thomas in me questioned, “Who am I to judge?” But I forged on, fighting the little voice in my head. When I finally finished reading and making notes on the first entry, I breathed a big sigh of relief. I had actually judged a Marlene entry!
Woo-Hoo!
Over the next three weeks, I took my time with each entry and even returned to the first entry to make sure I wasn’t too harsh. It was interesting and exciting to examine the work that other authors devoted hours to perfecting with their blood, sweat and tears. I wanted to applaud these brave writers for taking the risk to have their labor of love read, evaluated and the bottom line --judged. Overall, it was a rewarding experience. But in the end, I didn’t necessarily learn how to be the perfect judge, but I did learn two things about myself: one, it’s important to put myself out there and get involved - whether it is volunteering as a judge or entering a contest. I will never know what the results will be until I try. And two - “Who am I to judge?” I still cannot answer this question because when it comes to trying something new, I will always be a novice, and it is with time, patience, and a little confidence that I will eventually become an expert.
By Danielle M. Angeline
(From the November 2006 issue of the Update.)
The following terms, though far from a completed list, were compiled for the education of those writers who are new to the industry. They were gathered from the following websites:
http://aalbc.com/writers/publishing_glossary.htm
http://www.peacecorpswriters.org/pages/depts/resources/resour_writers
Acquisition Editors - A person at a publishing company in charge of reviewing and rating incoming manuscripts for possible publication and then supervises the publication process.
Advance: A sum paid to the author in anticipation of royalty earnings.
Agent: A person who sells your work to a publishing house for a fee of 10% - 15% of the writer’s entire income from the work.
Blurb: Abbreviated, positive review of the book appearing on the back cover.
Book Proposal: Package submitted to an agent, editor, or publisher for consideration; usually includes a cover letter, synopsis, outline, sample chapters, and a SASE.
Content Edit: An edit of a book that checks the flow of the text, its organization, continuity, and content.
Copy Edit: An edit that checks for grammar, spelling, punctuation and other “typos.”
Copyright: Legal protection given to intellectual rights such written and published works in a variety of forms such as books, audio, and software.
Cover Art: The design of the book jacket.
Cover Letter: A brief letter accompanying a manuscript containing a paragraph about you and a paragraph about the manuscript.
Distributor: A company that buys books from a publisher or other distributors and resells them to retail accounts.
Epilogue: Additional text at the end of the book, that provides readers with additional information on the subject.
Final draft: The last version of a polished manuscript ready for submission to an agent, editor, or publisher.
Font: The typeset used in page design.
Foreign Rights: Rights granted or sold that allows books to be printed and sold in other countries.
Front Matter: The series of pages that appear before the body of text.
Galley: The pre-publication copies sent to the author for final proofreading or to reviewers for pre-publication reviews.
Genre: A specific category of literature, marked by a distinctive style form or content.
Graphics: The non-type parts of a book such as drawings, illustrations, photographs, charts, and clip art used to enhance the content of a book.
Hard Copy: A print out of the manuscript.
Imprint: The name of the publishing company on the title page.
ISBN: International Standard Book Number- An identification number code uniquely assigned to every book.
List Price: The retail sales price printed on your book.
Manuscript: The book in typewritten or word processing form; double-spaced, with numbered pages.
Marketing Plan: A book’s selling plan that includes a budget, synopsis of book, target audience, distribution, promotion, timeline and how you will create demand.
Mass Market: A small format paperback edition usually sold in airports, grocery stores, and drug stores.
Media Kit: See Press Kit.
Partial: A portion (up to the first 3 chapters) of your manuscript sent to an editor or agent (usually by request).
Press Kit: Provides reporters, reviewers, bookstore managers, and others information on the book. It includes a press release, author biography, book cover, testimonials, etc.
Proofreader: Checks the manuscript to make certain that the copy is correct and verified before final printing.
Publication Date: The date set, usually after actual printing of the book, announcing when the book will be available to its audience.
Publicity: A marketing technique using free advertising outlets such as press releases.
Publisher: The person or company responsible for the entire process of producing books. Includes overseeing the writing, editing, design, production, printing and marketing of the book.
Query: A letter or email to an editor or agent proposing what you written, sparking interest so they request a partial.
Review: A critical evaluation of a book.
Review Copy: A free copy given away to be reviewed.
Royalties: Percentage of the sales price earned by the author on sold copies, charged against the advance until it is earned out.
SASE: Self Addressed Stamped Envelope; included when submitting a query or proposal to an editor or agent.
Simultaneous submission: Material sent to several agents, editors or publishers at the same time.
Slush pile: Editor’s term for their collection of unsolicited manuscripts.
Synopsis: Brief summary of a story or novel; approximately one page per 10,000 words.
Unsolicited manuscript: Material sent to an editor, agent, or publisher without request.
By Marilyn Trent
(From the June 2006 issue of the Update.)
A few years ago, Susan Donovan told us about her wonderful muse, a little old lady not unlike Dr. Ruth, who jumped on her back brandishing a whip and made her write hot, sexy romantic books. I had muse-envy. I had no muse. I wanted to lure her muse away in a clandestine takeover, cajole her muse into my life, whip and all.
I wrote, mind you. I wrote bad time travels, bad historicals, bad historical time travels—you get the picture. I really needed that muse! I needed someone to wake me up, slap me silly and tell me what to write.
In my muse-less state, I continued to wander blindly around blank pages, filling them with words, ideas, tales. I wrote about Travis Summerton who left Montana to find his own way in life, only to lose his way until his heroine brought him home. I found Brad D’Angelo, the injured undercover cop who takes a hostage to save himself—and ends up saving her. There was Sam Donegan, retired CIA operative, who is forced to save a King and his true love in a very tongue-in-cheek comedy of errors.
Brian Lane was a firefighter who rescued a woman and her baby only to be rescued himself by her love. And Elisha McCoy was the cynical Catamawchi Island cop who is led to happiness and true love by an Angel. I can’t forget Buddy, the West Virginia cattleman, who wrote love poems to his secret high school sweetheart. Or the Witch, Thomas Harwick, who bewitched not only me, but my entire critique group. Billy Coulter, U.S. Marshall, an old-west hero at odds with his past, saved by the love from his past. And my latest—Oh! My! God! —MUSE.
I HAVE A MUSE!
My heroes are my muses or MY MUSE in different guises. He—yes, my muse is a HE—teases me in the wee hours of the night with quirky, seductive grins, twinkling blue eyes and suggestions for hot sex. He appears in doorways awash with late afternoon sunshine, silhouetted in dusty haze. He rides by on tractors and Harleys, in pickup trucks, sports cars and on fiery stallions. He calls to me from far away places and just across the road.
He is always with me, in one form or another. A Cowboy, a Cop, a Witch, a Spy. Who knows who he will be the next time? One thing I am sure of—he will always be a hero with a big heart and a big grin, just waiting for me to bring him to life, to tell his story, to give him a happy ending that will produce a sigh in a contented reader.
If I don’t do right by him, he’s liable to leap on my back and knock me silly. Or maybe he’ll have his own whip.... hmmmm....how interesting. Pardon me. I need to see to my Muse.
~~~~~
Marilyn Trent is a member of WRW, writing contemporary romantic comedy with the help of her current MUSE, Harley-riding Trailer-ite, Joe Castaldi.
By Annabelle Corrick Beach
(From the April 2006 issue of the Update.)
An odd thing happened awhile ago on my way back from my mailbox. I saw a return submission that arrived several weeks before promised. Then an even greater surprise—a reply letter on stationary with a signature. This was for a three-chapter submission; whereas, a response to a simple query arrived several weeks later with a form letter.
The life of the writer is filled with rejection, right? So the quicker and more pleasant each one, the better. Right again. The first response, arriving much sooner than expected and in more personalized format, was infinitely preferable to the second. In fact, it made my day. It also caused me to ponder upon the greater attributes of the first rejecter who appreciated the writing so much that she took the time to express sincere regret.
While mulling over this event, however, a new bit of information converged with it. I recalled that an editor had been cited as commenting about submission packages ... about why they always seemed to be so difficult to open. Oops. Perhaps that quick and courteous rejection was not totally the result of how nice the agent was (and how good my writing) but more about the convenience of the envelope that allowed tab opening.
Something else came to mind, and that was the recent phone call with a relative who was sure a package I’d sent had not arrived at all. Then she said to wait a minute. Maybe she had set it aside, and it was under some other things on the table. She found the envelope and then said to wait while she used her letter opener. Uh-oh, it wouldn’t work. She’d have to go get some scissors. Many minutes later she got the thing open.
I tried to recall what kind of envelope I had used. Ah yes, one of those fancy tyvek first class white-and-green envelopes I’d just purchased. A whole box.
Although contest judges often suggest using tyvek envelopes because they won’t tear and because they store easily, for editors and agents (not to mention relatives) they do have the disadvantage of being more difficult to open. What if the editor or agent does not have scissors at hand, or their ever-prepared assistant is off for the day? Or they get impatient and try to tear it open with their teeth and suffer an injury. Will you be liable?
But this all gets even worse. I finally re-located the editor’s comments in Atchity’s How to Publish Your Novel: A Complete Guide to Making the Right Publisher Say Yes, page 151. The “former vice president and senior editor of Random House” feels very strongly about this issue: “In terms of on-the-job hazards,” he states, “excessive use of adhesive tape and staples finishes a close second to anthrax.” So you could be imposing the near-equivalent of weapons of mass destruction?
How many times had I carefully sealed my precious missives with strips of brown packing tape? For those full manuscripts, I might have even used a row or two of staples. Yikes! And I thought it was just those layers of editorial committees that caused the complete-manuscript submissions to return months and months later, usually with no comment. I never imagined that those not returned might have been confiscated by WMD squads.
While it’s probably not necessary to hand deliver partial and full submissions in zip-lock freezer bags, tab openings would seem to be advisable. Whether there’s anything to the theory that submission coverings could be decisive, as with selling your house, it does make sense to follow this adage: Remove all obstacles.
~~~~~
Annabelle Corrick Beach, a WRW member, is author of the romantic suspense novel, Illusions of Spring and has been marketing the romance, Summer Dreams.
By Maggie Toussaint
(From the March 2006 issue of the Update.)
The big day finally arrives. You type “The End” on your work-in-progress. Take the time to celebrate that success. Many people talk about writing a book, but few persevere. So, go ahead and enjoy that feeling of accomplishment.
Then roll up your sleeves because it’s time to get back to work. Writing that first draft is only the beginning of having a publishable manuscript. To polish your piece you must look at your work objectively. This may sound daunting for a 100,000-word book but breaking the analysis into smaller sections works well.
1. STORY MOVEMENT. Whether you review one chapter or multiple chapters at a time, the first element to check for is story movement. In romance novels, both the hero and the heroine need to have goals, motivation, and conflict, and these should be internal and external. Make sure the characters change and grow as a result of the plot events. Fine-tune the pacing and heighten the tension.
2. STORY LOGIC. After you smooth out movement inconsistencies, examine your story logic within each scene. Verify that the events you’ve written about make sense. Can your hero really catch a galloping horse when he’s on foot? Did the objects in the scene stay put or move about, as you wanted them to? Is your heroine furious about being slighted or is she merely irritated?
3. SETTING. A mistake many beginning writers make is in impersonally describing the setting. Instead, have your POV character react to the setting. Let the wind blow through her hair and the giant raindrops pelt against her skin. Write your setting as a sensory experience and you will hook your reader.
4. NARRATIVE. Writers want to tell all, to let readers see how intimately we know our characters. But narrative can be overdone. Take a harsh look at your narrative passages. Is there anything that can be moved into dialogue and action? Can your narrative sections be condensed? Make it so. Study published books in your target market. If the balance of narrative-to-dialogue in your book isn’t the same, make those adjustments.
5. DIALOGUE. Your dialogue should reflect the essence of your characters. It should flow naturally without sounding stilted. A good way to check for this is to highlight the dialogue and only read the highlighted text out loud. To ensure you have a distinct voice for each character, you may choose to read one character’s dialogue at a time. Use dialect sparingly.
6. SHOWING. How many times have you heard “show don’t tell?” Incorporate sensory responses to the setting and emotional responses to events in an action-reaction pattern, and you won’t hear that criticism again.
7. WORDSMITHING. Lastly, word choice matters. Get rid of filler words like felt, seemed, just, and really. Cull overused –ly words. Use the “Find” feature of your word processing software to locate the useless words and eliminate them. Incorporate action verbs for weaker verbs. Every “was” that you can change into an active verb will add to the immediacy of your story. Check for overused character tags. If you have the hero’s eyebrows waggling on pages 1,3 and 5, we’re going to think he’s Groucho Marx. Vary what you say and how you say it.
If you polish your work, it will sparkle with freshness and originality. Your voice will ring true in that elusive editorial ear. Take the time to improve that first draft. It will be time well spent.
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Maggie Toussaint is a member of WRW. She’s hard at work polishing her contemporary romances and cozy mysteries.
