Customer Reviews

You Can Write a Romance (You Can Write It!)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This short book is full of good basic information including defining a romance novel and listing and describing the many types of romance novels. The authors provide guidelines for creating characters, developing plot, and writing dialogue. The basics of selling your novel are included, and there's even a section on what happens after you have a contract. Thanks to this book, I expect to have my own romance novel finished in a few months--then maybe I can quit my day job!

A great book for all beginning romance writers. This mother-daughter team are experts in their field and the easy to follow advice is a must-have for all aspiring romance fiction authors. Advice from characterization, plotting, dialogue, motivating your characters to revisions is included. Add this book to your reference collection today!

Not much detailed ground is covered in this slim volume, but Estrada and Gallagher do show the novice romance writer the business ropes and how to best use them without strangling yourself in the process (something I wish more writing classes had done). This is the first book about romance writing I have read (and it will not be the last, of that I am sure), but it showed me that I still have much to learn about both the genre and the industry. Then again, one is always learning. Recommended.

I have read many writers guide books but this one is by far one of the worst. I have quite a few reasons why I feel this way but the main reason is that the style of teaching in this book seems to be a "MY WAY IS THE ONLY RIGHT WAY" kind of teaching. If you learn that way then go for it, I on the other hand like options and the book gives you the feeling that is isn't teaching you so much as demanding you to do it a specific way, the Authors' way, and only that way or you will fail! It implies that other ways will not work. Lots of the advice in this book contradicts advice that I've seen in several other how-to write books. The authors mistakenly believe because they have been published that the only way to get published is by doing EXACTLY what they did. I also found several examples where the authors say this or that will not work, yet I've seen the exact things they say NOT to do in alot of published books. There is a small bit of useful information but its of the kind that can be found in almost every romance writing book I've read. I honestly felt as though I wasted both money and time by buying and reading this book. If there was a negative rating I'd give it less than 0!
If you want to learn how to write a romance I highly recommend "THE ROMANCE WRITERS HANDBOOK" by REBECCA VINYARD. It covers all the extra advice of this book and it also teaches you in a less dictative way.

This book gave me the information and confidence needed to begin writing a romance manuscript. The chapters contained a wealth of information and wisdom on: The Basics of Romance, Differences in Romance Novels/Category Romance, The Business Side of Romance, Getting Ready to Write, The Skeleton of the Story, Knowing Your Characters, The Hero and the Heroine, Dialogue, Scenes, Revisions, and Resources.

The authors offered this pearl of wisdom on page 112, "One of our most heartfelt sadnesses is to realize there are people who believe that the worst thing to do is help another woman write, and thus grow competition... Yes, there is always someone to take your place. But without competition, there is no rising standard of quality. No industry gets better by being without competition. Competition in the marketplace keeps you growing, enables you to try new things, read new books and make new friends in different fields... Pay forward by helping others."

Come on, admit it. Somewhere, deep down inside, you have this burning desire to write a romance novel.

If you're even remotely in touch with this particular muse, get off a good start by checking out You Can Write a Romance. Mother-and-daughter writing team Rita Gallagher and Rita Clay Estrada give you almost everything you need to embark on a career as a romance novelist. The talent and the dedication are still up to you.

If you're not sure how to define romance, Estrada and Gallagher have you covered from the first page. Chapter 1 delves into The Basics of Romance, including purpose, premise, sexual tension, conflict, point of view, character growth, and goals and motivations. They even draw a line in the sand between romance and chick lit!

The next two chapters explore Differences in Romance Novels and The Business Side of Romance. But where, you might ask, is the writing advice? Be patient. Before you get all hot and bothered to put quill to parchment, you have to have a firm understanding of the unique world you're thinking about entering.

Trust me, there's plenty of solid writing advice awaiting in the remaining chapters. You just need to be patient and understand the theory before you can move on to the practice.

Estrada and Gallagher deftly move through formatting your manuscript, creating the skeleton of your story, defining your hero and heroine, writing effective dialogue, and building a solid story through beginning, middle, and end. And yes, they talk about the importance of revision.

The best takeaways from You Can Write a Romance may well be in the last two chapters. Chapter 10 includes a handy Story Checklist that ensures you don't miss any of the planning steps that go into crafting a solid manuscript. And Chapter 11 provides the obligatory but indispensable list of Resources, such as groups and publications specific to the romance genre.

Even if, by the end of the book, you realize that becoming a romance novelist isn't in the cards, you can still draw valuable writing lessons from You Can Write a Romance. After all, no matter the genre you tackle, basic writing rules remain the same.

This is a good book and after reading it, I gained knowledge about plotting, scenery, tone of voice and writing romance, as was my goal. "You Can Write a Romance" heightened my senses, not only for romance in print but for romance on the big screen. I just don't know how this book could have been better.

I really enjoyed this book and think its very helpful. I plan on writing a romance soon and this book broke it all down - what makes a romance sell. You'll need it you plan to write a romance. Buy this.