Love Writing: How to Make Money Writing Romantic or Erotic Fiction

By Sue Moorcroft

Love sells and sex sells and you can earn your living writing about them for novels, novellas and short stories as well as serials for magazines, anthologies and websites.

This book holds the secrets of how to achieve success.

As well as drawing on her experience as a fiction writer and creative writing tutor, in this ‘must-have’ book Sue has included questions from aspiring writers - with illuminating responses from published writers and industry experts.

Romantic fiction encompasses everything from chart-topping chick lit and romantic comedies, through gritty sagas, sweeping historicals and smouldering erotica to liver-twisting affairs with vampires. Bright, emotional, involving, intelligent storytelling about love and desire is what readers want and will pay for.

Do you want to know how to create emotional punch? (Or even what emotional punch is?) How to control dual time lines? Spring your work out of the slush pile? Write a tender love scene that excites passion rather than hilarity? This book reveals all.

Sue Moorcroft writes novels, serials and short stories, articles for writing magazines and writing courses. As a creative writing tutor she has taught at the University of Leicester, the London School of Journalism, Adult Learning Services Northants, Writing School Leicester and Writers’ News Home Study. A committee member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, she is the editor of their anthology, Loves Me, Loves Me Not. She’s a past winner of the Katie Fforde Bursary Award.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Accent Press
• Release date: Apr 15, 2010
• ISBN: 9781907726057

Sue Moorcroft

Award-winning author Sue Moorcroft writes contemporary women’s fiction with occasionally unexpected themes. The daughter of two soldiers, Sue was born in Germany and went on to spend much of her childhood in Malta and Cyprus. She likes reading, Zumba, FitStep, yoga, and watching Formula 1.

Reviews for Love Writing

[sassybrit · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Why did I chose to review Love Writing: How to Make Money Writing Romantic or Erotic Fiction? Because it intrigued me, having read so many romance and erotica books, and also other non-fiction how-to writing books for many different genres. I'm not an author, but I do work from home and write for a living. In general I find these books useful as a guide for what I should look for in a book when reading and reviewing them. Plus they are a lot of fun!

This is a rather different 'how-to' book as I call them, whereas the author, Sue Moorcroft, who is an author herself plus a creative writing tutor for a distant learning, not only gives her point of few on a myriad of topics, but asks other well-known authors for the ir opinions.

Together they talk about writing your heroes and heroines, different archetypes, characterisation, viewpoint and voice. Then comes getting the emotion and mood right, adding the senses to scenes and the difference between sensual scenes and sizzling erotica. I particularly liked the act, react and interact information, which was followed by a very detailed look into plotting, which deals with everything from what the plot is, the prologue, opening hooks, right down to the setting, avoiding info-dump and editing. But Moorcroft and friends don't stop there. They then move on to the crucial market study, defining your genre, and where to send your work when it is completed - and with what. For example, the dreaded synopsis, and covering letter. Finally, they get to the what happens next, once your work has been accepted - yes, more edits, deadlines, blurbs, promotion and finally money - if you are lucky. Phew!

A lot of work has been packed into th is book, bringing us invaluable opinions of those authors who have experienced what the buyer of this book wants to find out. But the real work is putting theory into practice and writing your own romantic or erotic story. I found Love Writing: How to Make Money Writing Romantic or Erotic Fiction a fascinating read, and learned quite a bit from this book. For those interested in the romantic and erotic genre this is certainly a detailed study of not only how to write but what goes on inside the industry, which is a major part of any research an aspiring author should know before even considering writing anything, and definitely before submitting your completed manuscript. You not only have to please your readers you need to get your work past the agents and editors out there too! The whole thing sounds pretty tough, but with this book, I am positive, Sue Moorcroft and her author friends will help you. I thoroughly recommend it.