No Matter What... Just Write

 

I'm convinced that writing is an art that's never perfected.

One can never receive enough help, so when I opened a rejection letter full of advice from White Rose Publishing I saved it. My journey had just begun, and the information they offered was extremely beneficial.

Below I have shared their tips for romance writers, but if you're hungry for more you can head to their articles page which is full of some really good writing tips.
http://www.pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/table/writing-tips/

Lastly, I want to say that no matter what... just keep writing! Never allow anyone's advice to make you feel boxed in. Tell your story your way. Be true to yourself and your way of expression, because someone out there will understand your bent and "get" you.

Happy Writing!
 

ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT - In romance, the boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-gets-girl-back formula must ALWAYS be present, and the story must end in Happily-Ever-After (HEA). Development of the relationship is crucial. The hero and heroine should be together as much as possible throughout the story. Remember that the word "hero" and the word "heroine" imply courage, intelligence and compassion. While heroes and heroines should be flawed, they cannot act in a completely un-heroic manner.

AVOID TOO MUCH BACKSTORY (and/or information dumps) - Since it pulls the attention from the developing relationship, backstory should be used sparingly. With little exception, action must be in the present so that we journey with the hero and heroine as their romance is blossoming. When it is necessary to divulge past events, the information should be sprinkled throughout the story rather than being "dumped" in large blocks of text.

AVOID TOO MUCH "TELL" – In romance it is best to SHOW a story rather than TELL the story. Start in the middle of the action, preferably when the hero and heroine meet. Rather than TELLING the reader how the heroine or hero feels, show them with emotions. Convey character and action. Do not allow thoughts and feelings to be internalized with no interaction.

NEVER ALLOW THE SECONDARY CHARACTERS TO OVERSHADOW THE HERO/HEROINE - When secondary characters are present, write a quick paragraph about their meaning in the novel and then move back to hero and heroine—the main plot. Don’t convey a secondary character’s life history on the page. That is, don’t give them "air-time" in a story about the hero and heroine. Secondary characters are there simply as a foil for the protagonists. The story belongs to the hero and heroine. Remember, in whatever role they play, secondary characters must also serve to move the hero and heroine towards their HEA and should never overshadow the main romance.

POUR ON THE ROMANCE - White Rose Publishing requires the romantic element to be fifty percent or more of the story. This means the relationship development of the hero and heroine must constitute at least half of the book. Usually, this means that during that half, the hero and heroine are interacting with one another in a manner that furthers the romance. Eg. If your book is two hundred pages, the hero and heroine should be together on at least one hundred pages.* Remember, this "togetherness" must be an interaction that moves the romance towards the HEA. * (This is estimation, not concrete calculation.)

HAVE A STRONG POINT-OF-VIEW (POV - also called head-hopping) - It is imperative to stay in one POV throughout a scene. This means that if we are in the heroine’s POV, she cannot know what other characters are thinking unless they vocalize it. She cannot know another character’s reasons for doing something; she can merely observe actions. Eg. The heroine can know that the hero opened the window. She cannot know he opened the window because he wanted to let in a breeze (unless he tells her so).

In romance, the hero and heroine are generally the only characters who are allowed a "voice." Exceptions can be made, depending on the skill of the author. For example, the villain’s POV can be used as a plot device to further the story. It is preferred each chapter or scene reveal only one POV.

CLEAR TIME/PLACE – Setting is important to a story. The reader must be transported into the scene. Sensory images are important. While long sections should not be dedicated to solely describing the scene, each scene should contain enough information to keep the reader engaged. Settings should also be realistic. For example, if the hero and heroine are at a noisy baseball game, it’s going to be difficult for them to whisper to each other from across the bleachers.

REALISTIC CHARACTERIZATION AND/OR DIALOGUE - It is imperative that characters are three-dimensional. Each should have a distinct personality and should not come off the page seeming wooden. Readers should know the hero and heroine enough to be able to talk about them as though they were real people. As we live a scene with them, we should learn how they feel about what’s happening. Those thoughts and emotional reactions give us insight into character—what makes them unique people.

Dialogue should sound realistic. This means that in an historical, dialogue and phrasing should not sound modern. Similarly, this means that a well-educated person should not "sound" illiterate, nor should an illiterate character speak as though they are well-schooled. Dialogue should be intertwined with action or inner dialogue beats that help the characters come to life and also make it unnecessary for most speech tags.