Heart of the Matter

By Heart of Carolina Romance Writers

"Created by writers for writers, Heart of the Matter is a gem of a book that's overflowing with hard-won wisdom and heartfelt advice on all the joys and trials of becoming an author. Brimming with insights on everything from mastering the self-discipline it takes to learn the art of writing, to lessons on craft and career, to finding the courage to stay on track with your goals, Heart of the Matter will be a book you turn to time and again for help, support, and encouragement as you work toward your own writing dream." - Kelly L. Stone, author of TIME TO WRITE: No Excuses, No Distractions, No More Blank Pages and THINKING WRITE: The Secret to Freeing Your Creative Mind

"Wow! Where was this book when I started my writing career? A must-have compilation of rock-sound advice from writers who know what they are talking about. This is a book you’ll dip into time and time again to improve your craft, buck up your confidence or give you sound advice on the next step in your writing journey. There’s something for everyone in here from aspiring maybe-one-day-I’ll-be-a -writer to multi-published authors who are contemplating a career shift. This book has it all!" - Award-winning Author Mary Buckham

Heart of the Matter: Tips From Heart of Carolina Romance Writers For Writing and Selling Your Novel is comprised of 40 instructional, guiding, and encouraging articles by the multi-published and talented members of Heart of Carolina Romance Writers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Heart of Carolina Romance Writers
• Release date: Oct 17, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301651375

Heart of Carolina Romance Writers

Heart of Carolina Romance Writers is the Raleigh-Durham based chapter of RWA.

Book preview

Introduction

Even though the advice in this book is provided by a wealth of talented romance authors, the information contained in these pages will be beneficial for any writer.

Because I am a romance writer, I have to draw the parallel that building a writing career, whether you write a romance, a mystery, or a bone-chilling horror, is something very much like a romance novel.

When I started writing, not for the first time, but for the first time with the intent to earn, I was flirting with words, experimenting with different ideas, dating lots of varied characters—playing the field. I wasn’t thinking long-term commitments or ceremonies. Then one day I was introduced to the paranormal romance section at Barnes and Noble, and I was smitten.

Devouring book after book, I was dancing under the stars with those stories and characters. I would then turn around and write like mad, as if I were in a clandestine, passionate affair with my own stories. It was all furious, exciting, and new. But there was no eye to the future or the business of being an author at that point. Just the desire to have someone read and love my stories as much as I did those of Mary Janice Davidson, Sherrilyn Kenyon, or Kim Harrison.

Section one of this collection is for the early romance with writing. In those beginning stages we, as writers, are enamored with the flow of scene and theme. We’re likely not even sure how words come out of our love-struck mind as we create the world on the page and the people who come to life at our fingertips. It’s titillating. Thrilling.

But as with any relationship, there are things we just don’t know about our partner, the writing process. Things we can’t imagine we need to know about our relationship with our beloved stories, the community that will support that cherished gem, or the world into which it must be nurtured and sustained.

Then as the commitment solidified, I found myself with this manuscript, a wompy, lumpy, over-stuffed tome. Now what? It’s magical! I’ll send it off to any old publisher and BAM…bestseller.

Ha! I didn’t know what I didn’t know. The second section of this book, The Engagement, is for that stage. The learn-your-craft, understand-the-business-of-being-an-author stage of a writing career. Hone that manuscript, become part of the social community of writers, find ways to get your work to editors and/or agents, and make that story shine. You love it. Make it so everyone else will too.

Alas…my relationship with writing matured, and the shivers of new passion gave way to the blissful comfort of a favorite T-shirt. Loved, cherished, and dependable. That’s the Happily Ever After, where our members share experiences that will help you succeed as a business, help you publish with information on the submission process, advanced craft techniques, choosing a publishing track, and how to promote yourself and your work.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard (or seen) a member of the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers utter or type the words I would not be published if it weren’t for the great members of this group. I proudly count myself among them. So when the opportunity presented itself to head a project that brought together advice, tips, and anecdotes from our membership to share with writers everywhere, I jumped at the chance. Thanks to all the chapter members who took time from busy writing schedules to offer their expertise and experience.

A special thanks to Sarah Winn for caring enough about this chapter to come up with this idea and bring it to the board. Sarah has been a member of the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers for twenty years. In that time she has supported the organization and beginning writers with articles, online workshops, and a beautiful attitude.

I dedicate this book to every member of Heart of Carolina Romance Writers. Because you have held my hand along my road to publishing as well as my personal journey, both have been enriched.

Happy Writing,

~Mari Freeman

PART I

Falling In Love

You began to write because you fell in love with the written word; never forget your first love! ~Claudia Dain

You should never stop studying the craft of writing. Every day little nuances reveal themselves and there is discovery. The day you stop learning is the day your writing becomes stagnant. ~Cindy Holby

Quotes from my family help with my character and plot development.

Here are some examples:

Never ask a man to move a piece of furniture you can move yourself.

~My mom (Strong heroines)

It’s your lie—tell it like you want to.

~My dad (How far can I stretch that story?)

Me: How are you feeling?

~My grandpa: With my fingertips. How about you?

(You can never have too many snarky retorts.) ~Tammy Falkner

Sit Down. Write Words. Book Happens.

Jennifer Lohmann

Not long after I got an offer for my first book, Reservations for Two, the mother of a friend of mine said, I would never be able to write a novel. It’s too hard. I remember thinking at the time, Sure you could. It’s easy. Now, almost a year later, I realize my inner reaction was both completely honest and a total lie.

First, the part of me that was completely honest: writing a novel is easy. You sit down every day in front of a computer or with a notebook and you put words on the page. Eventually, you get more and more pages. One day, you realize the story you’ve told is finished. Congratulations—you’ve now written a novel. Whether or not it’s good isn’t the point and editing is another topic, but your book is finished.

But this essay is not about the part of me that was honest; this essay is about the part of me that was lying through my teeth. This part of writing a novel: You sit down every day in front of a computer or with a notebook and you put words on the page, is incredibly hard. When the alarm clock goes off at 5:30 in the morning and you could either stay warm in bed with your husband or get up into the cold and write, you have to get up and write. When the reruns of the Simpsons are on and you could watch your favorite episode or go into your office and write, you have to go into your office and write. Whatever your favorite distraction is, you have to leave it to write. Even when you don’t have anything more to say, you have to sit down and force the words out. Bad words, good words, and incoherent words. Only when you make a habit of writing every day will be you be able to finish a novel. And that’s both the incredibly simple and incredibly hard secret to finishing a novel.

This essay comes with the benefit of hindsight, and hindsight allows me to see why I wasn’t able to finish a novel for five years. I never got into the habit of sitting down every day and putting words on the page. Oh, I would be good for a while, but then the writing would get harder. I’d come to a tough spot, and I’d put the book aside. When I picked the book back up again, I’d write a magnificent scene full of emotion and turning points. Then I’d put it down again. And pick it back up. And put it down.

But the books never got finished because I never sat down every day and faced the hard scenes. For me, those in-between scenes connecting action to heartfelt love scenes that move the story and the characters along are hard. I was only willing to sit down and write the easy scenes where characters make big decisions. My books never felt finished (’cause they weren’t) and, frustrated, I set writing aside.

All that changed in 2010 when I won the Romance Writers of America Librarian of the Year award. I was surrounded by all these people who had finished books. Not all of them were published, but they’d written them. And I wanted to be a part of them. So, I set myself a goal—to finish a novel within a year and start querying. And when those scenes came that I would normally describe as too hard and go do something else—I stayed in my chair and wrote those scenes. When the alarm clock went off, I got out of bed and wrote those scenes. When my husband turned on the Simpsons, I went into my office and wrote those scenes.

An astonishing thing happened. I finished a book. It had a beginning, a middle, and an end. The characters grew and developed. They fell in love. Stuff happened and together all that stuff made a story people might want to read. It’s cliché to say a light bulb went off over my head, so I’ll say it was a bright ray of sunshine after the storm, rainbow and pot of gold included. I had discovered the secret to writing, and it was so simple!

Its simplicity is part of its difficulty. Many authors (perhaps all of us) will tell you that the secret to finishing a book is sitting down in a chair and writing the damn thing. Nora Roberts credits her success to writing eight hours a day, every day. She famous for saying she can’t fix a blank page. It’s so simple. Sit down. Write words. Book happens.

And it’s so, so hard. Doctors’ appointments happen. Kids exist. Many authors have full-time jobs. Plus, there’s that spouse. And bathrooms to clean. Twitter. Sometimes the dog is sick. But you make yourself a goal to work on your book every day. Whether the goal is based on number of words you write every day or the amount of time you spend with your butt in that chair, you make that goal and you stick to it.

I’m sure you’ve heard this advice before. A published author you know said it to you or you heard it at a conference. Perhaps you read a more profane version of this advice on Chuck Wendig’s blog, Terrible Minds. My advice is not new advice; it’s not very interesting advice. However, only when you follow the advice will you understand the power of it.

Sit down. Write words. Book happens.

Those are six words I wish I’d discovered five years ago.

About the Author

Jennifer Lohmann is a contemporary romance author and public librarian living in North Carolina. In her spare moments, she wrangles chickens and cats—though never at the same time.

Twenty Writing Tips

Lilly Gayle

I’ve been writing on and off for a long time. I even took a course on writing for children and teens in 1995, but it didn’t take long to realize I didn’t want to write children’s books or YA.

As an avid reader, I’d read plenty of books in multiple genres but I liked romance novels the best. Surely, I could write a better book than some I’d read. Right?

Wrong.

I soon realized publishing a book was harder than writing one. I came close to publication a couple of times before it actually happened. After several years, I had enough rejection letters to wallpaper the bathroom. Then finally, in 2010, I got my first publishing contract.

It was a long time coming—thirteen years to be exact. And if not for the aspiring and well-established authors of the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, my first book could very well have ended up on a floppy disc in the bottom of my desk drawer. Instead, it became the first book in a series.

It wasn’t easy. But I’ve learned a lot since I first sat at a keyboard, determined to finish a manuscript. In my opinion, however, there are twenty writing tips every writer needs to know before submitting that first manuscript.

1. Learn to write a tag line. It’s one line (sometimes two lines) that sums up the story. A great way to get a feel for tag lines is to Google movie tag lines. For example, the tag line for the movie Aliens is: In space, no one can hear you scream. Jurassic Park’s tag line is: An adventure 65 million years in the making. Research and practice writing tag lines for your book.

2. Learn to write a query letter and a synopsis. A query can’t ask a question. It should make bold statements telling who is doing what to whom and why the agent/editor/reader should care. A query needs to tell who the characters are, what they want (goals), why they want it (motivation), and why they can’t have it (conflict).

The synopsis should outline the plot. It doesn’t need flowery prose or lots of adjectives. It’s the one time a writer should tell not show. There should be no secrets or open-ended questions in the synopsis. The story should have a logical plot and no trick ending. In other words, don’t pull the villain out of a hat. If the butler did it, the butler better appear somewhere in the story before the last page. And remember, even a bad guy needs a reason for his actions. Make the villain’s actions as logical as the hero and heroine’s.

3. Learn to pitch your book, even if you’re not going to a conference. You never know who’s going to ask about it, and you don’t want to bore anyone with long-winded, useless details. Your pitch should answer three basic questions:

Who?

What?

Why?

A pitch is a verbalized query that should be six sentences or less.

4. Voice: know what it is and why it’s important. Voice is your personality, and how you tell a story that sets you apart and makes your writing special. It’s the way you turn a phrase. It’s your wit and humor. It’s your passion, and it should come through in your writing.

5. Theme: It’s the central meaning or dominant idea in a story. A theme organizes and pulls together the plot, characters, setting, point of view, symbols, and other elements of a story in a logical fashion. Examples of themes are coming of age stories, coming home stories, Cinderella stories, rags-to-riches stories, beauty and the beast themes, good vs. evil, etc.

6. When writing, know when to use dialogue and when to make the character think. Don’t have a character think something and then say it. It’s repetitive. Instead, have an action trigger a brief internal thought that causes the character to feel something before he/she speaks. Show, don’t tell the emotion. Sometimes it’s better to have a character speak rather than think.

7. Don’t know where to start a story? The best place to begin is in the middle of action or in the middle of a revealing conversation. A writer wants to hook the reader from page one and keep them reading.

8. Use active rather than passive voice. Instead of saying A good time was had by all, say, Everyone had a good time. Better yet, show, don’t tell.

Example:

They dance well together, don’t they? Megan said. And I love her dress. It’s so elegant.

Tina snorted. You haven’t seen the back of it.

Just then, Skip Hamilton dipped his partner and spun her around, exposing the back of her dress. It was cut low and dipped down to the curve of her buttocks where a large red bustle and bow perched over her derriere. The bright red flounce bobbled with every step.

Megan gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Oh my!

Tina didn’t bother hiding her smile. Hideous, isn’t it?

Her ass is red. Like a baboon’s, Megan said before she could stop herself. She slapped her hand back over her mouth and giggled again.

I know, Tina replied, trying to stifle her laughter. And I heard her tell another woman in an even uglier dress that she paid four thousand dollars for it.

But her ass is red. Megan was smiling openly now. She looks like a baboon in heat!

Out of the Darkness

COPYRIGHT 2010 by Lilly Gayle

The Wild Rose Press

First Black Rose Edition, 2010

Print ISBN 1-60154-730-7

In the above example, I didn’t tell the reader that Megan and Tina had a good time at the party. I used action and dialogue to show the women having fun. If a writer tells the reader what the characters think, see, or feel, it comes across as flat an uninteresting. Readers want to know what the characters are thinking and feeling, but they don’t want to be told. They want to be shown—just like in the movies.

In the 1989 Disney movie, The Little Mermaid, there is a scene where Ariel sees Eric with Vanessa, who is really the wicked sea witch, Ursula, in disguise. At this point, Ariel has traded her voice for human legs and is unable to speak, but when Eric kisses Vanessa, Ariel sees it. And we see Ariel’s reaction.

She leans back against the wall, one hand to her chest, the other hanging by her side, her fingers clenching and unclenching. We see her increased respirations and the expression on her face. Ariel doesn’t say she’s upset, but through her facial expressions and body language, the audience knows what she’s feeling.

As writers, we need to show our readers what our characters are thinking and feeling too. We need to paint a vivid and emotional picture with words that will enable our readers to visualize the scene and feel what our characters feel. We need to engage the reader and draw them into the story so they’ll care about our characters and what happens to them. Otherwise, they’re just going to put the book down and find something else to read.

9. Write on a needs-to-know basis. Don’t tell the reader everything all at once. Spoon feed the information. Know each character’s backstory but use the information as a guide to the character’s thoughts and actions. Don’t spill the information out on the pages for the reader to learn all at once.

10. Don’t head hop. Learn to master POV. Don’t have a POV character see, hear, feel, observe, touch, taste, or smell anything unless he/she can do so logically. Your POV character is not going to fluff her brown hair. Logically, she isn’t going to be thinking about her hair color unless she just dyed it. Staying in one character’s POV at a time makes it easier for the reader to connect with your characters. Filter your paragraphs through the POV character’s senses. See through that character’s eyes and have the character react. Avoid omnipotent POV unless God is your main character.

11. Avoid using ly words. Use stronger, more active verbs instead.

Examples:

Not Good: She was really scared.

Good: Danger lurked.