Liz Fielding's Little Book of Writing Romance [Kindle Edition]

Liz Fielding (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This little book is a primer - an entry level aid for the writer who has a story to tell, but is struggling to get it out of her head and onto paper. To quote the theme song for the movie of Erich Segal’s bestselling book Love Story, “How do you begin. . . ”

I know how that feels, I’ve been there and I have written the book I wish I’d had when I was starting out.

My purpose is to explain, in the simplest terms — no jargon! — and using examples from my own work, how to make the transition from the story in your head to words on paper. How to write a compelling opening, deepen conflict, write honest emotion, hopefully with a touch of humour to leaven the mix. How to write crisp dialogue, develop the romance, add a little sizzle.

It will be useful to anyone who wants to write popular fiction but, before we get down to the nitty-gritty, I’d like to say a few words about romantic fiction in particular. Why readers love it and come back for more.

THE AUTHOR
Liz Fielding is the author of more than sixty romances and has been nominated seven times for the Romance Writers’ of America RITA® award, winning twice with The Best Man & the Bridesmaid and The Marriage Miracle. She has also been nominated three times for the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association “Romance Prize”, winning with A Family of His Own.

She has also received a Lifetime Achievement Award recognition from Romantic Times BOOKclub magazine.

Liz Fielding gives talks and holds workshops on the craft of writing romance.

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 339 KB
• Publisher: Classic Romance Publishing (January 16, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B006YQCE5I
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #97,670 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Reading is, and always has been, the first love of my life. Except writing.
Success came early -- I was twelve when I won an Easter egg in a hymn writing competition at school - but life intervened with my plans to become a hot shot author. The day job. Not that this was dull. I travelled to Zambia at the age of twenty where I worked as a secretary, before following my personal hero to the Middle East, Kenya, Botswana and ambition became buried in the joyful business of raising a family.

I never forgot that I was a "writer", however. I wrote children's stories for Listen With Mother. Magazines articles. Ghost stories. I was at a point where I wanted to move onto something bigger when I read a magazine piece about Charlotte Lamb and Anne Hampson and discovered, rather late in life, romantic fiction. I read everything I could lay my hands on, then, feeling certain I had a grasp of the genre, began writing. I had three rejections - I still have those letters! -- but my fourth submission became An Image of You and was published in 1992.

Since then seven of my books have been shortlisted for RWA's RITA award - two of them, THE BEST MAN & THE BRIDESMAID and THE MARRIAGE MIRACLE winning in 2001 and 2006, respectively. A FAMILY OF HIS OWN always won the RNA's Romance Prize in 2005.

My best-beloved and I are empty-nesters these days, living out in the country where excitement means a visit from the mobile shop, the travelling library, the fish man. But I'm a writer, I invent my own worlds. Once the door to the my cabin in the woods is closed I can be anywhere my imagination takes me; the desert kingdom of Ramal Hamrah, the villages of Upper Haughton, Little Hinton and Longbourne where romance is always just around the corner, or I can jet off to New York, the Mediterranean, even the Himalayas. Come and see where I'm headed next - http://www.lizfielding.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The First Book to Read for Aspiring Writers!, February 11, 2012

By 

Vincent W. Mooney "vinceplato" (Tulsa, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Liz Fielding's Little Book of Writing Romance (Kindle Edition)

The First Book to Read for Aspiring Writers!

The Next Book to Read for Established Writers!

"Liz Fielding's Little Book of Writing Romance"is all about the essential elements of the craft. As such, it provides the romance writer with the necessary information for creating the most enjoyable reading experience.

While, as a primer, the book is ideal for a beginning writer, it is not simplistic! Nor is it a book of rules you have to follow. Rather "Liz Fielding's Little Book of Writing Romance"is a book of ideas. It's a book of, "I wish I'd known this when I first started writing" advice.

As the author writes in the Introduction:

"...I have written the book I wish I'd had when I was starting out."

While the book covers the essential elements of romance writing, it is by no means 'basic' -- in the sense that learning your `A' `B' `C's, before learning how to read, is 'basic'. Indeed, very complex subjects are covered in this book.

For example, understanding the idea of `conflict' is essential to writing fiction but `conflict' is a very complex and often misunderstood concept. If a writer does not have a clear understanding of the essential elements of her subject, then applying writing rules can actually make a novel worse.

Consider 'conflict'. Here's what the author has to say about what 'conflict' is not:

First, most importantly, it is not two characters having an argument for 199 pages and then saying "I love you" on page 200.

An event that delays a hero or heroine's progress towards a goal is not conflict, it is only an incident.

A misunderstanding, a wrong assumption, one or other of the characters jumping to the wrong conclusion is not conflict. Conflict lies in the underlying reasons why they are unable to communicate.

Meddling by another person is not conflict and can make the main characters appear weak, passive, unable to take charge of their own lives. Nor is the main character's unwillingness to admit that they are attracted to the hero or heroine in any way, conflict. They might fight off the attraction, but conflict lies in the underlying reasons why they fight instead of fall into bed.

So what, in the context of a novel, is conflict?

Imagine the very worst person that your hero or heroine could fall in love with. Then double the nightmare. Tighten the screw. Layer in more reasons why this match is impossible. Family feud, faith, social class, distance, politics, health, reputation, a past relationship, secrets, lies, perceived past betrayal.

Conflict comes when, despite all and every apparently good reason for the characters to say "no way", the attraction is too powerful for them to walk away, as in these partnerships that should never have worked."

Now, if a writer thinks `conflict' is something that Liz Fielding points out is not 'conflict', (like having people argue) then adding such `non-conflict' to a novel could well make it annoying to the reader! (And here the writer is thinking she has followed the rules and made her novel better!) This is exactly why established writers will benefit from reading this book.

It is essential for all professionals to always be learning those things they `know' that `ain't so'.

I discovered a few things that "I knew that ain't so" when reading this book. For this reason alone, reading "Liz Fielding's Little Book of Writing Romance", has been very rewarding for me.

Perhaps the most important thing about, "Liz Fielding's Little Book of Writing Romance," is the emphasis it places is on the reader. The central focus is not on agents, editors, contest judges, publishers, critics or even rules. The reader is at the central focus of this book and this makes it highly unusual and exceptionally valuable. So many "How to Write a Novel" books are about meeting the needs of the novel. The reader's reading enjoyment is often lost among all the writing rules. Liz Fielding never forgets the reader!

As Liz Fielding writes in the book:

"The primary purpose of a romance novel is to elicit a positive emotional experience for the reader. Make her smile, make her cry, make her sight with pleasure. To put it in a nutshell, give her a good time."

Writing to the needs of the 'reading experience' is what best selling authors do the best. Liz Fielding's little book is an excellent example of how to do this. From this point of view, "Liz Fielding's Little Book of Writing Romance", is a writing gem. A little jewel in the crown of romance writing books.

The Ten Chapters Cover These Topics:

Grab the reader on the first page.
Create characters your reader will care about.
Make conflict big enough to carry story,
Dig deep for emotion,
Develop romantic tension.
Write realistic dialogue.
Understanding Viewpoint.
Construct a four-dimensional world.
Give reader a satisfying ending.
Last Chapter covers: The basics.

I just want to point out that `the basics' come at the very end in the last chapter. This book could be used in a graduate seminar on romance writing and probably will be.

"Liz Fielding's Little Book of Writing Romance" - An Ideal Way to Calibrate Your Writing Knowledge!

A Writing Book You Can Profitably Read Again, Again, and Again! 5-Stars!

5.0 out of 5 stars A Treasure!, February 10, 2012

By 

copy_guru - See all my reviews

This review is from: Liz Fielding's Little Book of Writing Romance (Kindle Edition)

Thanks for writing this useful little book, Liz. I read the first chapter, when back to my MS and implemented changes that I think have made all the difference to my opening chapter. Looking forward to reading the rest...

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended for all Aspiring Romance Writers!, January 31, 2012

By 

Nas Dean - See all my reviews

This review is from: Liz Fielding's Little Book of Writing Romance (Kindle Edition)

Liz Fielding's Little Book of Writing Romance

AN awesome writers tool for all romance writers. Very easy to read and understand.