Writing Romance (Self-Counsel Writing) [Paperback]

Vanessa Grant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2001 | Series: Self-Counsel Writing

- Create a bestseller - Plan and plot, from spark to finish - Learn how to write about brain sex

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The writer sits at her desk, her auburn hair catching the late-afternoon sun, her chocolate-brown eyes focused far, far away. For as long as she could remember, she'd spent Sundays at the beach, wearing the same bikini she'd worn in high school and looking even better now than she did then. Each of her companions was more compelling than the last one; her life was an ever-changing cast of ... romance novels. The stories were exciting and alluring, each fulfilling its promise to whisk her away. After having read so many romances, then, why was she having so much trouble writing her own? Because she didn't have Vanessa Grant, published by Harlequin 25 times over, to attend to her queries about plot, conflict, character development, and love (not sex, please) scenes. As luck would have it, now anyone can benefit from Grant's romance-writing know-how. In Writing Romance she coaches you on everything from naming your characters to getting an editor to read your finished manuscripts. She's got ideas about story development ("Try dumping your character into your worst nightmare"), setting ("If you're not an expert on your setting, it's wise to have your character new to the setting as well"), suspense (it's created by unanswered questions), and more. If you find that your characters are running amuck, try out Grant's garbage-can test. Pretend to throw out your novel. Then, Grant says, ask yourself what one part of the story you would pick out of the garbage, if you could pick out just one. You might be surprised by what you hold on to. Grant peppers her text with helpful examples from the pages (and preparations) of her own books. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

As luck would have it, now anyone can benefit from Grant's romance-writing know-how. -- amazon.com

It's by far the best writing book I've ever read. Five stars for Vanessa. -- National Writer's Monthly

Writing Romance is a kind of how-to-do-it-yourself romance writer's workshop under one cover...highly recommended! -- Midwest Book Review

Writing Romance is a thoroughly professional guide to a business that generates close to $1 billion a year. -- Canadian Book Review Annual

Writing Romance...is a how-to workshop in print. -- Kate Rowland, Calgary Sun, October 25, 2001

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 239 pages
• Publisher: Self-Counsel Press; 2nd edition (August 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551803534
• ISBN-13: 978-1551803531
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,660,378 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"I love writing fiction - it's the perfect occupation for someone who can't decide what they want to be when they grow up. With each new story, I get to explore a new world."

Vanessa Grant's love affair with writing fiction began during a protracted illness at the age of 12 when she decided to write a novel of her own, sitting up in bed using the typewriter she'd been given for her birthday. Not a computer, not an electric typewriter, but a then-state-of-the-art manual typewriter. The story ground to a halt on page 50 but Vanessa never forgot the excitement of bringing her own characters to life.

In 1985 Vanessa's novel Pacific Disturbance was published in hardcover by Mills and Boon. She now has over 10 million books sold and has been translated into 15 languages. She also has written what one critic described as, "by far the best writing book I've ever read." Writing Romance, published by Self Counsel Press, won the Under the Covers Best Writing Book Award, and is currently in its third edition.

Over the years her love of storytelling and curiosity about people led Vanessa to study psychology, volunteer on a crisis line, complete individual and relationship counselor training, volunteer as a peer counselor for a family life organization, and tell stories about life, love, and secrets. Vanessa is also a university professor, a publisher of educational materials and eBooks, and has given workshops to writers' groups in Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada.

Vanessa and her husband live on Vancouver Island in the Pacific Northwest with their two Australian Shepherd dogs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars but Vanessa Grant can't write!, November 27, 2000

By 

sarah (vancouver island, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Writing Romance (Self-Counsel) (Paperback)

This book was entertaining, but pretty useless. Most of the "advice" consists of personal accounts of Ms. Grant's own writing experiences, with very specific details as to how she came up with all her plots (and very minor attempts to translate this into beneficial knowledge for the reader). It could serve as a decent catalog if you were shopping for her books. She manages to make some useful points about designing characters to produce conflict, but she misuses vocabulary words on more than one occasion, lacks focus and flow, and really doesn't include any other valuable content. I finally had to quit reading when she started explaining how to use the "omnipotent" viewpoint (which is presumably one where the narrator can do anything?). "How To Write Romances" by Phyllis Taylor Pianka is the way to go for books of this sort, despite it not having quite as cheezy a cover as this one.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Writing Romance worked for me!, May 22, 2001

By 

http://www.writergazette.com "writersman" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Writing Romance (Self-Counsel) (Paperback)

When I first received this book as a gift, I sat down immediately and read it cover to cover. Being an avid writer of romance fiction, it was the book I had been looking for. Writing Romance is a great source for writers just venturing out into the world of romance fiction, but offers all writers great tips and techniques. Not only does Vanessa explain her techniques in this book, but she also offers examples of how she used the techniques within excerpts of her own published novels, giving the reader a better understanding of how and when to use the technique. When I wrote my first romance novel, I used her book as my 'bible'. In the end, it proved to be an extremely helpful companion to me, and I completed a novel of 75,000 words. In this book, Vanessa provides her reader with a wealth of information as well as samples of query letters, manuscript formats, synopsis, character sketches, data sheets, as well as internet information for romance writers, publishers, agents, and more! If you're a struggling romance writer hoping to see your book hit the shelves, this is the book for you.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good solid read., July 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Writing Romance (Self-Counsel) (Paperback)

I had ordered the book with some misgivings. When it arrived, I expected to work through it laboriously chapter by chapter. To my surprise and delight it was a very enjoyable, easy read.

I found the information helpful and instructive. I really like the fact that Ms. Grant gave descriptions of how she came up with some of her characters and scenarios. It was also interesting to read how some of her characters and plots progressed, changed, then took further twists and turns!

Most valuable for me, however, was the validation that I am not going about this all the wrong way! It is nice to hear from someone who has done it, how they did it. You may not do the same, but it gives you a point of reference--that alone makes it worth the money.