Product Description
An updated and expanded version of a popular workbook approach to writingthe romance novel, by the author of more than 60 contemporary romances. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Love is in the air....
If you are struggling to write that romance that is bubbling inside of you, this book can give you some guidelines, solidify paths for you to explore and perhaps give you an idea of why your book isn't gelling. This is a well organized, succinct reference that not only will the aspiring romance writer find helpful, but also the fiction writer. The book also touches upon publishing the book as well as marketing and selling.

Disappointing Unless You're a Complete Newbie
The author provides pretty basic information in a rather general fashion (more breadth than depth.)The chapters are short and almost all of her examples come from her own books.There's a disk with electronic versions of the exercises, but they were saved in a funny format.Luckily, I knew to change them to text files so that I could open them up at least.If you're just starting out, then this might be a helpful guide.Your money is probably better spent joining RWA or buying Julie Beard's book (which I hear is good but have not yet purchased.)

Good
This book is a no-nonsense "get down to it" read. I have learned more about writing romances than I ever thought possible from one book! Well done.

Pretty good.
Offers straightforward and thoughtful information.Definatelyhelpful for anyone interested in writing a romance novel. Would have preffered it not have the spiral binding but a small point since the book's content is solid.

Roadmap to Writing Romance
I've read countless romance novels from the ones who leave you feeling lukewarm and flat to the ones that make you fall in love over and over again.I've always tried to pin-point why some work and some don't, but couldn't always figure it out.I'd go by instinct in my own writing, but that can only go so far.I'm a fan of Leigh Michaels' romance writing and have never been disappointed by her stories.I can always count on her to make me fall in love, so when I saw that she had a book telling you how she writes romance, I had to read it.I've read "how-to" books before and they haven't helped me all that much.Either telling me what I already know or telling me things that I'll never understand.So, I wasn't expecting this book to be that much different even if it was written by an author I trust.But, unlike the other books on "how-to" I couldn't and wouldn't put this one down.She explained why some books fall flat and how to make readers fall in love without telling you what to do.She leads you down the road by giving you a map and driving instructions, but lets you choose the route.Every single one of my questions (from the very beginning before I've even come up with a story idea . . .to the very, very end when the book is published and it's time to start a new one) was answered.She includes helpful writing worksheets to character sketch your heroine or hero, plot the storyline and many more so you can actually write a story as you go along through the book, putting your newfound knowledge to the test.Once again, Leigh Michaels has not let me down and I'm so excited to find a roadmap that I can read!:) ... Read more

Product Description
Organized around each decade of the post war period, this book analyses novels written by and for women from 1945 to the present. Each chapter identifies a specific genre in popular fiction for women which marked that period and provides case studies focusing on writers and texts which enjoyed a wide readership. Despite their popularity, these novels remain largely outside the 'canon' of women's writing, and are often unacknowledged by feminist literary criticism. However, these texts clearly touched a nerve with a largely female readership, and so offer a means of charting the changes in ideals of femininity, and in the tensions and contradictions in gender identities in the post-war period. Their analysis offers new insights into the shifting demands, aspirations and expectations of what a woman could and should be over the last half century.

Through her analysis of women's writing and reading, Philips sets out to challenge the distinction between 'popular' and 'literary' fiction, arguing that neat categories such as 'popular', 'middle brow' and 'serious fiction' need more careful definition. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762) was the most important woman writer of the eighteenth century, and one of the most exciting and complex author of either sex. This collection of narratives challenges existing accounts of the romance, the novel, and eighteenth-century women. Whether her heroine is a princess in love with a commoner, an orphan pursued by a royal duke, or herself uncharacteristically playing the role of victim, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's brilliance never flags. ... Read more

Product Description
Romance Writing explores the changing nature of both the romance genre and the discourse of romantic love from the seventeenth century to the present day. Indeed, it is one of the first studies to approach romantic love as both genre and discourse in more than sixty years.

Faced with the challenge of writing a cultural history for what is commonly understood to be one of lifes most universal, a-historical and cross-cultural phenomena, Lynne Pearce has invoked the concept of the gift to calculate loves added value at different cultural/historical moments. Building upon those philosophical traditions which have argued for the powerfully transformative nature of romantic love, Pearce shows how in the history of literature lovers have utilized its spark to change not only themselves, but also their worlds, through acts of creativity and heroism. The gift of love ranges from the simple gift of a name in the seventeenth century, through notions of immortality, self-sacrifice and selfhood in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, through to the liberating temporal and spatial dislocations of the postmodern age. The opening chapter, The Alchemy of Love, also undertakes an in-depth engagement of the changing nature, and meaning, of romantic love.

Providing a judicious blend of close reading and cultural history, Romance Writing will be essential reading for undergraduate students as well as postgraduates and scholars working in the field, while also offering much of interest to the general reader. ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in ca. 1898-1900.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

Product Description
No one understands how to write a successful, saleable romance better than Kathryn Falk, publisher of Romantic Times. Here, she has written the best, most comprehensive guide to writing and publishing romance fiction ever--for both beginners and professional writers alike.Amazon.com Review
When Kathryn Falk's How to Write a Romance and Get ItPublished was updated in 1990, sales of romance novels comprised 25 percent of allpaperback book sales in the U.S. Seven years later, thepercentage has nearly doubled and the market for romantic fictioncontinues to expand.

Although many changes have taken place in romance writing since the bookwas revised, How to Write a Romance andGet it Published still provides an informative overview of thefield, including definitions of the subgenres of romance,editorial guidelines for a variety of publishers, and tips onresearching, plotting, writing, and marketing your novel. Included in this editionare essays by a number of noted romance writers, includingJude Deveraux, Roberta Gellis,JayneAnn Krentz, CaroleNelson Douglas, and Bertrice Small.

How to Write a Romance and Get It Published remains a usefulresource, especially for the novice writer looking for a conciseoverview of this important field. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A Rather Complete Education In The Genre
Never mind the tips and pointers about how to get yourself published.You've probably heard it all before.

The true worth of this book is in the complete education it offers those who dare undertake it.Essentially, I mean the history of the romance genre.I took away book titles from this tome that I had never heard of before, read them, loved them, and felt that I came away with a deeper and better understanding of the genre.There's so much more to be read and studied than what's available on the current top hits of romance.

Great Book
I totally loved this book. After reading the book I had a question about pen names. I called Kathryn Falk directly and she was kind enough to answer my question.The book has a lot of great information in it.

Thank you Kathryn...
I first read Kathryn Falks book 15 years ago when I was only 18. It inspired me so much that I decided to write to Kathryn and ask for some personal advice. To my surprize she answered my letter. Her suggestion wasfor me to wait and experience life and romance of my own before I began towrite. She was even kind enough to invite me to a writers convention in NewYork to listen in and meet other writers. Although I was unable to go, herwords of encouragement inspired me. I am now 33 and a mother of four andhave started writing a novel. I am glad I waited because life has taught meso much over the past 15 years. Thank you Kathryn for listening and takingthe time to write to a young girl who needed those words of encouragement.I think your book is great. I have read it many times and I always referback to it when I have a problem with my writing.

So-so...
This book could do with a thorough revision.Much of it is heavily dated.

There are a few really good essays, especially the ones on how toresearch and organize your research.Those essays are invaluable.I alsoappreciate the suggestions on whose romances to read to see the craft ofwriting in action.These lists too need updating so we can look for booksthat reflect today's market.

But most of the essays on writing frustratedme.The authors only state what to do and rarely give much explanation onHOW to do it.The essays are much too short and not at all comprehensive. They're certainly interesting as a look at what authors say they do inwriting romances, but not very instructive in teaching others how to doit.

If Ms. Falk revises this book, I would strongly suggest asking theauthors to revise their essays to include more description of how-tomechanics.

The Best Romance Reference Book Available!
I've spend hundreds of dollars on various romance novel writing guides andbooks...But yet I still come back to this one.This is, by far, the bestromance novel writing guide available.If you are serious about romancewriting, you must read this book.My copy is so worn from use that I hadto buy another. ... Read more

Product Description
The heart of Zen practice and writing are the same, teaches Peter Matthiessen – to freshen the mind and see things in a new way. On Zen and the Writing Life, Matthiessen chronicles his own 25 years of growth as both a writer and a meditator. Can meditation be used to broaden and clarify the writer’s vision? How do you cultivate a "beginner’s mind"? Here is an extraordinary writer’s personal account of these never-ending tasks – and essential listening for all writers interested in the spiritual life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

In fiction, you have a rough idea what's coming up next - sometimes you even make a little outline - but in fact you don't know.
Make this a well-spent two hours of your life. ZEN AND THE WRITING LIFE is full of self-reflection, colorful storytelling, intense emotion, and humor. You need not be a Zen practitioner nor a writer to appreciate Peter Matthiessen's lessons, though every writer and every Zen student should have access to this audiobook lecture. The practical advice the multiply award-winning author of 28 fiction and non-fiction books gives us on subjects from note-taking to plotting to scheduling your workday is invaluable. Also invaluable is the insight this Zen roshi gives us into the life of heightened awareness which is so necessary to both good writing and Zen practice.

A fantastic lecture on writing and a little zen
Matthiessen is a very good speaker and teacher.He discusses his methods in an honest way.He speaks of zen in the sense of doing and not thinking of doing.His remarks and stories are at once deep and shallow.Deep in their truthfulness and shallow in the sense that he's surprisingly funny and jokes around a little.There's no secret to reveal, though.It is clear that he works quite hard.These tapes also contain interesting boigraphical information.He quotes, and comments on, several other writers.Hemmingway and Camas are two examples.He talks about his travels and publishing experiences, with the careful, and insightful, descriptions that fill his writing.His is a solid, earthy zen.The idea of "suchness" is emphasized.Hearing him speak about his journals and comrades like Schaller make me feel as if he's at the table with me.

Zen and the Writing Life
This is a seminar Matthiessen did on writing as a meditation.This lecture is quite different from Matthiessen's other works, in that it is far less polished.This is NOT to imply any negative conotation but rather to imply how refreshing and helpful this material is.Matthiessen focuses on his own history as a writer discussing his successes and his failures and those experiences that have been humbling and helpful in his gorwth as a writer and with his Zen life.In addition he also discusses some important practical considerations and suggestions for someone interested in and pursuing writing both as an avocation and a career.I would have no problem highly recommending this tape. ... Read more

Product Description
The Romance Writers Plot eBook shows romance writers how to produce superior plots. Using scenes from Christine Dodd's Candle in the Window and Kathryn Dennis' Dark Rider, the Plot Planner and Scene Tracker plot tools are demonstrated for writers.The Romance Writers eBook offers concrete tips for creating a compelling romance, complex characters, dramatic action and thematic details and depth.The book is filled with visual aides that "show" how to create plot at the overall story level and the scene level.Appendices:Character Emotional Development Profile formCharacter Profile for Saura in Candle in the Window by Christina DoddPlot Planner template with "above" and "below" scene descriptionsPlot Planner for Candle in the Window by Christine DoddScene Tracker for Chapters 1 - 3 of Dark Rider by Kathrynn DennisScene Tracker for 3 Major Scenes of Candle in the Window by Christina Dodd ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

I see it so clearly now!
I need to say thanks for my Romance Writer's Plot ebook I purchased yesterday. I absolutely love it, I've gotten half way through already and took a look at the scene tracker and plot planner. I have to tell you, I was blown away. Your explanation of how a scene and a plot are done is EXACTLY what I needed.

I've been trying to put together my own project and just couldn't get it right. I am the type that needs a visual example, completely broken down and I see it all clearly after reading your ebook and really believe I can put it all together now.

Thanks so much for breaking it down and for creating such a wonderful, informative book.

Not just for romance projects
(ON KINDLE)
This is the best book of its type I've found, & I own A LOT of books of this type. This is exactly what I needed - it's a structured step-by-step guide on how to plot the outline of ANY writing project, not just romance. It's short, because the writing is tight & to the point, but descriptive & walks you thru every stage & helps you understand what goes where & why. It has several graphs to show how a plot should progress. It describes every stage of plotting, starting at the beginning, going thru the middle, & ending at the end.

Overall, this book is worth every penny & I wish I'd found it before I bought the dozens of other books that are gathering dust on my bookshelves. I'm not saying the others are bad, just that this one (for me) is much better. Definitely a must-have for struggling writers. ... Read more