76 of 78 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding how-to book on writing a romance novel, June 29, 2004
This review is from: Writing a Romance Novel For Dummies (Paperback)
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.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Better Simplistic Guides to Romance Writing, May 12, 2007
This review is from: Writing a Romance Novel For Dummies (Paperback)
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!
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great place to start, February 25, 2005
This review is from: Writing a Romance Novel For Dummies (Paperback)
This is the perfect book for a beginning romance writer that may need an overview of the romance novel market. I found it a quick and easy read filled was lots of good advice and some entertaining stories as well. This will never be the last word on the subject, but certainly worth reading and keeping on the shelf.
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