Tips for Writing Engaging Romance

I asked Romance Author Amber Lea Easton to sizzle up our blog today with some tips on writing romance. This is a growing market with all types of sub-genres, allowing the new to experienced writer to spread their wings and add some love to their book.

With Valentine’s Day only a few days away and lots of inspiration peeking around corners…maybe this little guest post will give you some new manuscript ideas.

Tips for Writing Engaging Romance

By Amber Lea Easton

All novels, regardless of genre, need captivating characters and hooks that pull the readers into the story.  Romance, in particular, is a character driven, highly charged genre.  In all great love stories, there needs to be an emotional connection, not just between the characters, but between them and the readers as well.  How do we novelists write engaging/believable romance without being cliché, crass or cheesy?  After all, emotion can go over-the-top if we’re not careful. 

 Flawed characters.  No one is perfect, even if the hero looks like a Greek God and makes you drool.  In order for the reader to connect, there must be a vulnerability that makes the character human.  Why root for someone if we think they’re superficial or mean?  

Attraction.  You may think that’s easy to write, but it isn’t.  Saying, “wow, he’s hot” is lame. Think about it...when you’re attracted to someone, don’t you have a physical reaction?  When I write attraction, I don’t tell the readers I show them through nonverbal cues.  In Riptide, when Lauren first interacts with Noah, I write, “little earthquakes of desire rocked through her until she thought she’d fall off the stool.”  For attraction to jump off the page, the reader needs to feel what’s happening, imagine being on that stool and talking with that man.  Non-verbal physical reactions are key to engaging the reader in this area, which we all know is a key element of any romance novel. 

Conflict. Nothing worth having comes easily, isn’t that the saying? Even though there is the attraction, there needs to be a conflict to overcome whether it’s trust issues, betrayal, or, because I write suspense, a life and death situation.  Even though I have the suspense in my novels that provides a natural plot conflict, there are still human conflicts that need to be worked out to make the characters believable.  We all have baggage--past heartbreaks, abandonment issues and what not--so the characters need those as well.

Sexual tension and sex.  The sex needs to come at a natural time in the evolution of the relationship, just like in real life. Now this timing varies from story to story depending on character development, but the readers truly need to be saying, “will they ever just rip each other’s clothes off already” before I give them satisfaction.  Writing sexual tension is fun...prolonging the actual act, building up to it...not only do the readers shift in the chairs with anticipation but so do the characters, which makes it all that much more rewarding when the sex scenes finally happen. 

Engaging romance readers is all about tugging at their heartstrings and making the characters as believable as possible.  We all want to be rooting for the happy ending and smiling when we turn the last page.  

Amber Lea Easton is a multi-published fiction and nonfiction author. For twenty years, she's worked in the fields of journalism and advertising with a brief detour into the financial industry.  Although she holds a BA in Communications & Journalism, she is a perpetual student of life who enjoys taking courses on a wide variety of subjects when time allows.  Smart is sexy, according to Easton, which is why she writes about strong female characters who have their flaws and challenges, but who ultimately persevere.

Easton currently lives with her two teenagers in the Colorado Rocky Mountains where she gives thanks daily for the gorgeous view outside her window. She finds inspiration from traveling, the people she meets, nature and life’s twists and turns. At the end of the day, as long as she's writing, she considers herself to be simply "a lucky lady liv'n the dream."

The World of Ink Network is touring author Amber Lea Easton’s contemporary romantic suspense (adventure) novel, Riptide throughout February and March 2013. You can find out more about Amber Lea Easton, Riptide and her World of Ink Author/Book Tour at http://tinyurl.com/a2azncg

To learn more about the World of Ink Tours visit http://worldofinknetwork.com

 

Visit Amber at:

Website - http://www.amberleaeaston.com

Blog - http://amberleaeaston.blogspot.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmberLeaEaston

Twitter - @MtnMoxieGirl

Writing as nostalgia: on the origins of fiction

It starts small, as something inchoate.  You don't know why you're drawn to a topic, a setting, a subject.  There's just something compelling--a magnetic field that pulls at you as you begin to type.  Much of my work starts with this kind of magnetism.  As the subject begins to come together, the streets turn into New York City in the 1980s, or Grossinger's hotel in the 1940s.  While the plotting process is careful left brain activity - a engineering styled construction, the themes, the plots, the characters that inhabit my fiction tend to be driven by instinct and nostalgia.  Something in me wants to explore the pain, the correspondences, the connections.  The whole process of writing, fiction and poetry at least, for me has an undercurrent of nostalgia that is becoming ever clearer as I move deeper into my third novel, an exploration of creative, love, loss and time travel through the DNA wormhole that links the 1940s and 2012. 

The more I think about it, the more I realise that this is a motivating force for many authors, not just myself.  We need to find a place in our lives where something has been left behind, to explore a notion that bugs us, and then, like a grain of sand in an oyster, to pearlise it and create something that is no longer personal and lost, but universal and found.  I've been exploring this notion, not only in my own work as I aim my fingers into the past, but in the work of others as I traverse literary landscapes that work best when they invoke a similar nostalgia in me.  The sense of loss that motivates the characters is familiar and current to the modern reader regardless of whether the book is set in Victorian England or a mythical planet in the constellation of Kasterborous.

Reflecting on the past, and responding to that reflection by exploring its meaning to the present and that disassociative, uncomfortable sensation of not being able to ever get back to that point, creates a visceral sensation that is empathetic and powerful.  There's something there that you have to pick at.  Something Proustian in the taste of those Madeleines, or the smell of that long forgotten perfume. 

It's suprisingly painful, both as reader and as writer, to go to that place, and explore the sensations, knowing that this is all we have left of the past.  Bringing it back to life, at the same time as we distance ourselves from it through irony and new found understanding, creates a very post-modern type of novel.  Noticing and loving this sensation, however uncomfortable, in modern literature, is a most pleasurable experience that connects writing with reading. 

How does nostalgia inform your own work, both as reader and writer?  

Magdalena Ball runs The Compulsive Reader. She is the author of the poetry books Repulsion Thrust and Quark Soup, the novels Black Cow and Sleep Before Evening, a nonfiction book The Art of Assessment, and, in collaboration with Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Deeper Into the Pond, Blooming Red, Cherished Pulse, She Wore Emerald Then, and Imagining the Future. She also runs a radio show, The Compulsive Reader Talks. Find out more about Magdalena at http://www.magdalenaball.com. 

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Another 25 Reasons Your Submissions are Rejected

Some time ago I posted the first 25 reasons. Here are more tips from the Surrey, B.C. Writers Conference. Each year agents and publishers conduct an exercise, where they read aloud the first pages of writers' submissions to see how far they would read before it would be rejected. Here is a list of reasons for rejection, courtesy of Anne Mini, Author!Author! 

26. When the first lines are dialogue, the speaker is not identified.
27. The book opened with a flashback, rather than what was going on now.
28. Too many long asides slowed down the action of an otherwise exciting scene.
29. Descriptive asides pulled the reader out of the conflict of the scene.
30. Overuse of dialogue, in the name of realism.
31. Real life incidents are not always believable.
32. Where’s the conflict?
33. Agent can’t identify with the conflict shown.
34. Confusing.
35. The story is not exciting.
36. The story is boring (yes, they did differentiate between this and the one before it.)
37. The story is corny.
38. Repetition on pg. 1 (!)
39. Too many generalities.
40. The character shown is too average.
41. The stakes are not high enough for the characters.
42. The opening scene is too violent (in the example that generated this response, a baby’s brains were bashed out against a tree).
43. Too gross.
44. There is too much violence to children and/or pets.
45. It is unclear whether the narrator is alive or dead.
 46. The story is written in the second person, which is hard to maintain.
47. The story is written in the first person plural, which is almost as hard to maintain.
48. The narrator speaks directly to the reader (“I should warn you…”), making the story hyper-aware of itself qua story.
49. The narration is in a kid’s voice that does not come across as age-appropriate.
50. An adult book that has a teenage protagonist in the opening scene is often assumed to be YA.

Has anyone received any other reasons for rejection?


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A native Montanan, Heidi M. Thomas now lives in Northwest Washington. Her first novel, Cowgirl Dreams, is based on her grandmother, and the sequel, Follow the Dream, has recently won the national WILLA Award. Heidi has a degree in journalism, a certificate in fiction writing, and is a member of Northwest Independent Editors Guild. She teaches writing and edits, blogs, and is working on the next books in her “Dare to Dream” series.     

Being Social Can Bring Extra Promotion

Are you a big fan of social media? If you spend time on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Pinterest, did it occur to you that social media could help authors by leveraging influencers? In other words, other people can help you reach new readers. It's always nice to meet new people or learn something new online, but wouldn't it be nice to have those same people help recommend you and your work to others?

Who Are Influencers?

The very short and precise answer is that they are people who can influence reasonably large numbers of potential customers to consider your book and/or business. If you like long definitions, influencers would be social media users whose opinions other users value, and who may express positive sentiments about your brand.

                                         Learn to F.L.O.P.

All of us do well to learn this technique. It is an acronym meaning to feature and leverage other people. Why would you want to do this? because by featuring them by re-tweeting, or liking a page, they will most likely return the favor to you or be open to the idea of hearing more about your book and spreading it to others. Maybe you can invite those in the social media world to guest post on your blog or offer to interview them. They will be flattered. If they are featured on your site, rest assured they will tell their followers and fans, bringing spotlight to your project.

                                   Provide Valuable Content

Don't be afraid to offer a free gift of some sort to get readers "hooked". Maybe you have a free ebook or an article to give away. if you post this online at social media sites, readers will gobble up the free and interesting content. Often times the content you share will be re-tweeted or shared via email. Either way, your name begins to spread farther and farther in the online world, reaching more readers. With greater exposure comes greater book sales for you.

                                            Make Small Talk

It's important to remember that social media is a two-way street. You cannot simply stand out on the virtual street corner and toot your own horn all day long. You don't want to be viewed as a self-promoter, but rather as an expert that shares valuable content or links. Engage potential readers and fellow authors in simple conversations, sharing tips and the like. For pointers, watch someone on a social media site that has great influence and many followers or fans. Emulate how they interact with others and notice what works well for them. Apply these rules and practice the, remember, it's about give and take.

How to Get Started

Begin to engage people on social media sites. Look for people you respect and focus on dialogue, not self-promotion. If you start out on Twitter, try to engage the same audience on Facebook or another site where you can share deeper content. From there, invite online "friends" to your website or blog where you are distributing an ebook, a free download or free information. After they receive the gift, follow up with information about your new book project. Chances are, they'll be interested and tell others as well. Stay in touch, be friendly and reap the rewards.

There are many benefits to being social. This article briefly highlighted just a few examples and is a compilation of proven tactics for success. If you are interested in making relationships, the sales will follow. The good news is, you won't have to do all the promoting yourself because the people you meet and come to know will start to promote your work for you. Take care and I'll see you online!

RL Taylor is an award-winning fiction author with five novels released to date. His newest writing venture is a series of non-fiction books on style, etiquette and self-improvement for men and women who want to help the men in their life. 

Click here for a free copy of The Gentlemen's Code which Esquire.com featured as recommended reading.

http://www.livelikegentlemen.com

Fiction: http://www.rltayloronline.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rltheauthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rl.taylor.52