Article posted by Nina Davies with the permission of Cheryl Kaye Tardif. A Murder Wall is a vital tool for crime novelists. Imagine trying to write a story without knowing your suspects or their possible motives. For any great crime novelist, your job is to treat your novel like a police investigation, following the clues […]
Does size matter? Not as much as knowing what to do with it! During our careers, many of us will write fiction of different lengths. Switching lengths is an adventure and a learning experience, and can be highly rewarding. Experiments With Size When I took the plunge into writing fiction, I was naive. A pantser […]
The Midlist. You know where that is, don’t you? Technically, the midlist is the well-stuffed section of a publisher’s catalog full of books written by authors who are neither debut nor bestsellers. For new writers of commercial genre fiction, most especially in romance, this is a clear and well-defined destination. No longer a newbie, a […]
Benefits of a Miniseries: * Each book is promo for other books. * Creative opportunities to hook readers on upcoming characters and/or enjoy “epilogue” style moments for previous characters. * The longer length of a series gives you room to explore deeper backstories with characters as their conflicts build over several books. * Promoting a […]
“I wish I could do that!” “Were you funny as a child?” “Where do you come up with your ideas?” I hear those comments every time someone learns I write romantic comedies. These are my stock answers: You can, if you put your mind to it. No, but I grew up in a household filled […]
How to write for two genres and/or two publishers and/or two editors and keep your voice, your writing style and your sanity! On how to be true to yourself as a writer and the line/publisher you write for. Carly’s contribution to RWA 2004 Workshop with Pamela Britton, Leslie Kelly and Harlequin Executive Senior Editor Brenda […]
Romantic suspense is one of the hottest subgenres in the market today and shows no sign of slowing. The subgenre is broad and encompasses a lot of different styles of writing, and one of the first questions that new writers ask is what exactly qualifies as ‘romantic suspense?’ In my opinion, a romantic suspense is […]
