Romance Writing Articles

Romance Novels: A National Resource
by Dr. Vicki Hinze
Romance novels hold the lion's share of book sales - 55% of the market. It's a billion dollar a year industry!

Romance Sub-Genres
by Lee Masterson
The Romance Genre has broken off into so many separate branches that several distinct sub-genres were formed to cater to the varying tastes of discerning women.

Writing the Love Scene
by Patricia Kay
This particular aspect of the book is probably the scariest part of writing a romance for MANY romance writers, whether they're brand new to the genre or whether they've written fifteen or twenty or even forty romance novels.

State of the Market: Romantic Suspense
by Dr. Vicki Hinze
It's often hard to know what publishers want to see in a manuscript submission - unless you've got all that information researched for you! Vicki shows us what romance publishers are looking for and why!

20 Steps to Writing Great Love Scenes - part one
by Karen Weisner

20 Steps to Writing Great Love Scenes - part two
by Karen Weisner
Love scenes can be exhiliarating and arousing - but they can also make us cringe or even laugh out loud. Karen looks at ways to turn any love scene into a success!

Seven Rules for Writing Historical Fiction
by Elizabeth Crooks
We grow up being told to “write” what we “know”, but history is the unknown. You have to learn almost everything about a period and the social customs just to get your characters out of their beds, and feed them breakfast.

Sensuality Times Five
by Cynthia VanRooy
Description is a powerful tool that can give your writing gut-level impact or reduce it to banal clichés. Use it well.

Basic Ingredients for Romantic Suspense
by Cheryl Wright
When writing romantic suspense, it pays to do a little homework before you begin!

Why is a Romance a Romance?
by Sandra Martin
What is the true meaning of a romance story as we know it? What defines a romance? And is it really only a story about two people in love?

How to Describe Your Romance Novel in Queries
by Marilynn Byerly
Your novel is hundreds of pages long, but you'll need to describe it in a few short paragraphs when you try to sell it to a publisher. How can you condense all that important information?

BackStory: Too Much Too Soon
by Cynthia VanRooy
Cynthia looks at one of the biggest mistakes many new writers make - and how you can avoid it!

What's in a Name
by Cynthia VanRooy
Naming your characters can be a difficult process for some writers and close to impossible for others. Cynthia looks at ways to select your character names.

POV or: Whose Head Am I In Anyway?
by Cynthia VanRooy
Fiction writing is about people. Romance fiction is about two people in particular, your hero and heroine. The story is told from their point of view, so understanding and effectively using point of view is crucial to writing good fiction.

Why Editors Reject Manuscripts
by Dr. Vicki Hinze
By knowing some of the valid reasons why editors reject manuscripts, a writer can greatly improve his or her chances of getting published. Vicki looks at some of the things you can do to minimize your chances of receiving a rejection letter.

Hero, Some Assembly Required
by Cynthia VanRooy
The process of building an effective hero is very different to creating other characters. Cynthia takes a look at ways to build a great hero.

Resist the Urge to Explain
by Cynthia VanRooy
Have you had the experience of reading a book and, while there was nothing specific you could put your finger on, the writing came across as clumsy and immature? Most likely that writer had violated the Resist the Urge to Explain rule.

Techniques to Make Your Romance Zing
By Cynthia VanRooy
One reason why romance fiction is so popular is because it is emotionally engaging. To make your story zing, to make it emotionally engaging without leaning toward melodrama, there are a number of tricks you can use.

Develop a Kick-Ass Plot
by Lynnette Rees
Creating a great romance plot can be easier than you think. Lynnette takes a look at some things you can include

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