Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies

by Leslie Wainger

Book Overview

In love with romance novels? You're not alone

Romance is today's most popular fiction genre, accounting for more than half of all mass market fiction sold. If you're looking to make a serious effort at writing a romance and getting it published in today's multifaceted markets, you need to learn as much as you can about this highly successful field--especially how to create the perfect heroes and heroines. Now, in this easy, step-by-step...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0764525549
• ISBN13: 9780764525544
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: For Dummies
• Length: 360 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

One of the Better Simplistic Guides to Romance Writing

I'm not sure what was going on with the other reviewers when they rated this item. Previously, I had bought the Idiots Guide to Writing a Romance Novel because of the less-than-great reviews written on this book. That was a year ago. Last weekend, I decided to purchase this book and I was really impressed. There are detailed explanations in this book for why certain conventions work best, how to understand the rejection letters you get, and know when to re-submit versus when to accept a letter as a final "no" on your book. Wainger really takes time to explain subtleties of writing romance and understanding characterization. If you are looking for a book to explain the publishing process to you, this is not the book you need. But, if you are like me, and you are writing a book that seems to have dropped its momentum in the middle, or you find yourself consistently getting comments on weak dialogue, boring description, or poor characterization in your critique groups and rejection letters, you can benefit from this book. I think what some of the reviewers were looking for is a manual on publishing. This is not that book. There are tons of books out there on that subject. But, if you want to know more about the actual process of WRITING or OUTLINING a romance novel then this book will be of help. Wainger takes the time to tell you what works and what doesn't work and gives you specific examples of why certain techniques work or why they fail. The point of this book is to help you strengthen your beginnings, middles, and ends, characterization, and dialogue. You'll learn what is required in each part of your novel and why your prose my be boring a reader though you have a high concept story. Most of the other books I've read on romance writing spend a lot of time telling you how to choose a category/genre rather than telling you how to structure a romance. And, some, like Rita Clay Estrada's book You Can Write a Romance give you a great starter kit for understanding the key elements of successful romance, but don't give enough detail on how to fix specific problems. I can't recommend this book highly enough. It may be a "Dummies" book, but it is much more helpful than some of the serious books by author-experts. I think the difference is that Wainger is an editor and approaches romance writing from a publisher's standpoint: Is there any reason why I should NOT buy this book? Are the characters strong enough? Does this writer have a unique voice? Does this person understand POV and provide a balance between emotional content, sexual tension, and external plot action? Understanding these elements can help your novel go from the slush-pile to the best-sellers list. Best of luck with your writing journey. I hope this book inspires you and helps you make a sale!

You Can Do It!!!!

I have read several "how to" guides on both writing fiction and more specifically, writing romantic fiction. The thing that really stands out with this book, is that Leslie Wainger believes YOU CAN DO IT! She really believes in you. If you read this and heed her advice, there is a good chance that you may just be able to publish a romance novel. Whereas a lot of the other books are constantly reminding a novice writer that there is a very slim chance that she will ever be able to publish anything, this book is reassuringly positive. Leslie Wainger never underplays the fact that writing is hard work and takes a lot of time, patience and both physical and emotional energy, but she continuously offers positive reinforement for the efforts of the beginning writer. This book illustrates an idea to get you started that I have never seen in a "how to" guide or even in the many writing workshops and classes that I have completed. I am so excited by some of the ideas and secrets that Ms. Wainger shares in her positive, upbeat manner, that I have ideas for many new books! I strongly recommend that if you are serious about writing romance, you do not overlook this valuable trove of information!

Practical tips from an industry insider

Author Leslie Wainger provides a comprehensive guide to the romance genre and outlines in detailed steps how aspiring authors can navigate through the industry. Her experience and knowledge make this a strong reference guide for anyone hoping to improve their craft. "Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies" is a valuable tool that will remain on my bookshelf for years to come.

Outstanding how-to book on writing a romance novel

In my experience of Dummies books in general, they all fulfill beautifully a major requirement of the self-help genre: clarity. In specific, Writing a Romance Novel (WRN), as do all Dummies books, offers an outstanding table of contents, an extensive index, and an accessible layout that allows you to skip from topic to topic if you don't choose to read the book cover to cover. One thing that is unique in each Dummies book, though, is what it contains, and I can sum up the quality of this book's content in one word: superb! I shamelessly confess that my shelves contain every book ever written on how to write romance, along with 50 or 60 books on writing popular fiction in general. Add to that dozens of other fiction how-to's I've read which did not merit "keeper" status, and if I haven't read everything ever written on how-to-write fiction, I'm pretty close. Based on all that reading, I would rank this book in the how-to-write-fiction genre at least in the top 5. And in the sub-category of how-to-write romance, I would rank it Number 1--that's how good it is.Author, Leslie Wainger, knows whereof she speaks on the subject of what makes a quality romance novel: she's been editing romances professionally for 25 years, in the process working up from editorial assistant at Silhouette books to executive editor for Harlequin/Silhouette. Based on all that experience, she's provides in WRN exhaustive information on the qualities editors seek in publishable romance novels. There is something here for romance writers at every stage of their career, from raw recruits who've may not even be sure what constitutes a romance novel, to disciplined, experienced writers who've been plugging away for years and are close to selling their first romance novel. Many of the topics in WRN are essentials in any how-to book on fiction of any genre: characters, plotting, setting, research, and marketing your completed book. However, Ms. Wainger's take on each of these topics adds information specific to the romance novel in the form of practical, clear insights that are simultaneously down-to-earth and quite sophisticated. My particular favorites among the various sections of the book are Chapter 8 on author voice and Chapter 9 on unique character voices. These chapters contain the most profound understanding of how the author's voice impacts narrative that I've ever seen. In addition, Ms. Wainger offers extremely useful insights on feeding in research information and physical movements of characters in a way that doesn't slow the story's pacing. Finally, the all-important topic of love scenes in the romance novel is handled with insight and unblushing finesse.In short, if you can afford only one how-to book on romance, make it this one. It's easy to read and packed with essential information on how to write a romance novel that has a very good chance of getting published.

Breaking into the biggest genre in all of fiction.

Why would you want to write a romance novel? Might it have something to do with the fact that Romance is far and away the best selling genre in all of fiction.OK, so maybe you'll give it a try. Sooner or later you'll want to sell your work, and who better to sell it to than Leslie Wainger, the Executive Editor of Harlequin Books, quite likely the biggest romance publisher.After twenty five years of being in the romance publishing business, she knows what the readers want. And what the readers want is what the publishers want to publish, and ... well need I go on.The book is about what you would expect, more or less detailed instructions of how to write a book. It covers everything from getting started writing to what kind of paper to use to sending to a publisher. Basically it's all the rules.