Over on the Harlequin Romance Authors' blog, there's a Spotlight on me this month--along with a chance to win a copy of Miracle on Christmas Eve! Learn all about Marry-Me Christmas, my writing process, how I spend the holidays, and lots of other fun facts!
Shirley
What advice would you give a newbie trying to break into HQ? Beyond writing a great story :)
ReplyDeleteLooking back, would you say a critique group, a conference, writing tons, fill-in-the-blank...What are a couple of things newbies can do to take themselves to the next level in the coming year?
Read, read, read TONS of Harlequins. There's a certain...I don't want to say pattern, but "feel" to a Harlequin, and to each individual line. Americans differ from Romances, and Romances differ from Blazes, etc. You have to really know the line inside and out. Analyze the heck out of them. I have a handout on the Highlighter Method of learning to plot -- e-mail me and I can send it to you.
ReplyDeleteThen you have to write. A lot :-) The best way to learn to write is to A.) read a lot (and read widely) and B.) write a lot. Joining RWA (Romance Writers of America) is hugely helpful, as is getting together with other writers, but nothing will teach you more than A and B.
HTH,
Shirley