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Writing resources . . .
Every writer is always asked questions about how to get started, where to find information. Here are some of my favorite sites relating to writing Romance novels of all types.
Romance Writer's of America - If you write romance you should definitely join Romance Writers of America (RWA). RWA is the professional association for 9,000 published and aspiring romance writers. Members of RWA write the novels that make up 48% of all popular paperback fiction and that generate more than $1 billion in sales each year.
Romance Divas - Romance Divas is the kind of place we always wanted to hang out in when we were online, but couldn't find. A friendly place where the only thing people get serious about is writing great romance. A place to make friends, have fun, learn about the wonderful and challenging craft of writing, and find support for the roller coaster a writer’s life can be.
Margie Lawson's Workshops - I first heard of Margie when she visited the Rose City Romance Writers in Portland to do a two day workshop. I was unable to attend, but everyone in that chapter raved about what they learned. When I became frustrated with consistently getting requests for my manuscripts from agents and editors, but couldn't seem to sell, I decided to invest in Margie's Immersion Master Class (IMC) . Wow! It made a huge difference to me. My writing craft took a quantum leap in quality. I learned so much, that I returned five months later to be part of the first Advanced Master Class group. I highly recommend Margie's workshops. She teaches online, as well as holding the IMC's at her home. She also sells her workshop packets (the size of books) if you would like to work through the exercises on your own.
Karen Fox - A best selling author of paranormal, fantasy, and science fiction romance and a great person, her site also has good information about markets, agents, and writing tips.
Romantic Times Master's Class Online - A great resource with 13 important topic areas written by published authors, editors, or agents.
Charlotte Dillon's Writer's Resources - Grammar, books, tax info, writing and research links. If you can't find it here, you probably don't need it.
Lisa Gardner's Synopsis Workshop - If the thought of a writing a synopsis turns you sickly green or makes you want to run away from the computer and never return, then you need to go through this workshop. She gives you step-by-step instructions, with lots of examples on how to prepare a short synopsis or a long one. Lisa is a member of my chapter, Rose City Romance Writers. I return to her advice every time I need to submit another synopsis. She also has several other great writer's tip on her Tricks of the Trade page.
Books
There are hundreds of craft books available to writers. You can buy individual books on plot, character, scene and development. There are also books specific to each genre written by well-known authors in the genre. Depending on where you are in your writing journey any of those books are a good starting point. However, the three books below are ones that I return to reading and using again and again.
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by Renni Browne and Dave King. This is my favorite craft book of all time (and I've probably read over 50 books on writing). These two editors make the process significantly easier to understand than most books I've read. The book is filled with great checklists, exercises, and plenty of examples to help you make sense of every concept. I still get out those checklists when I'm doing my final edits on every single manuscript.
Writing the Breakout Novel, by Donald Maass. An author and a well-known literary agent, Mr. Maass knows what he is teaching. The purpose of this book is to take your novel to the next level. Using his own clients as case studies, Maass defines the most crucial elements of a breakout novel: a powerful sense of time and place, larger-than-life characters, a high degree of tension, good subplots, and universal themes. Like the Browne and King book, each chapter ends with checklists and exercises. If you are serious, you will want to also order the companion workbook so you can do the exercises using your own work.
Writing the Blockbuster Novel, by Albert Zuckerman. A veteran literary agent to hundreds of very big authors, and the founder of Writer's House, Zuckerman knows what makes a NYT bestselling book. This book is not intended for beginning writers but will help those who have mastered the craft of novel writing and now wish to write a book with blockbuster potential. Similar to Maass' book, Zuckerman gives plenty of examples and spends a good amount of time analyzing what works and why. Unlike the Maass book, he does not provide exercises or a workbook, but the information is right on target.