Writing Romance: 3
Simple Tips that Actually Work
A former co-worker used to have a scrap
of paper taped to her cubicle wall: “Begin, the rest is easy.” A
confirmed procrastinator, that fortune cookie note resonated with me
back in 2008. I took several writing classes online, filled journals
with ideas, and finally began the process of writing for publication.
There are as many writing tips out
there as there are writers, like these,
these,
and even
this snowflake model. Here are three tried and true
writing tips that have worked to get my procrastinating, mother of
two small boys, business-owing, undisciplined self published.
Reconsider the Outline
Yes, the dreaded outline is the first
tip. If you’ve done a modicum of research on professional writing,
you’ve heard of the importance of creating the outline. Before you
write one creative word, outlining helps you plan the course of your
novel. And, it feels so professional to get the outline done.
But, outlines are so boring, right? The
secret is that you don’t have to write your high school outline
here. This isn’t a test; this is a document just for you. So, put
“she falls in love, blah, blah” in for item number four if it
suits you.
Break up your action into three comedic
acts or 452 character beats. Write in outline form or tack index
cards to the wall. Whatever you do, the key is to organize your story
in a way that works for you. During the first draft, outlining keeps
you on track.
Embrace the Shitty First Draft
Now that you’ve got an outline, start
writing. But, that’s so easily said. As writers, we crave
perfection. And, when our writing isn’t good enough, warning bells
go off in our heads. “That sentence could use better structure.”
“Why am I starting every sentence with ‘she?’” We tend to
hate 75% of everything we first write.
And that’s normal. It’s ok. The
brilliant Anne Lamott termed the phrase “shitty
first draft,” and when I start writing a novel, that
shitty first draft is my best friend. The idea is to get the story
written. No one cares how poor your writing style appears. Get the
plot and character actions on paper.
The shitty first draft kills writers’
block. There have been plenty of times when I’ve sat with pen and
paper only to start writing “I have no idea what Layla thinks.
She’s supposed to do xyz. How do I get her there and what’s her
motivation?” With those questions and with that set-up—plus I
know what she’s supposed to do because I outlined it!—I’m able
to get through a chapter.
Be Ruthless with Revisions
As mentioned, I write the first draft
of my romance novels with pen and paper. I may be old-fashioned, or
just plain old and set in my ways. But, one good reason I keep doing
this is that I’m forced to write a second draft when I finally type
the story into my laptop.
When you’ve written a shitty first
draft, major revisions are sometimes necessary to get the work
presentable for the review of writing partners. And, comments from
writing partners are critical, sometimes pointing out implausible
responses or plot twists that I hadn’t noticed.
After getting comments and letting the
second draft sit for a while, make another revision of the novel. Be
ruthless with your edits. You may think it’s cute that your main
character goes fishing alone in chapter three, but does that bit add
anything to the story? Is every scene pushing the plot and character
arc forward? If the answer is no, you’ve got to cut or rewrite.
Then, revise again. And, when you’re
finally sick of looking at your story, send it to a professional
editor for a final line edit.
Reconsider the outline. Embrace the
shitty first draft. And, be ruthless with revision. These three
steps have been mentioned repeatedly in different forms by many
writers. There’s a reason for that. They are crucial to successful
writing… at least they are for me. This is what I do, what works
for me.
Bonus tip: What also works for me,
since I have no time, is outsourcing whenever I can. I use a virtual
assistant to free up my time for writing. At first
this expenditure seemed silly. After all, I can do these things
myself. But, once I realized that I’m buying myself time,
not just the tasks, I happily forked over the money!
You have to figure out what works for
you. In any case, if you’re thinking about writing the next Hunger
Games or 50 Shades of Gray (hey, it sold!), the most
important tip anyone can give you is to BEGIN.
About the Author
Still amazed to be an adult, Nicole
Pouchet co-owns a marketing agency and writes paranormal romance
novels. She has managed to center her life around raising her two
small sons and being true to her family, and is happiest near the
water. She lives in Leesburg, Virginia with her husband and two small
sons.
Nicole’s paranormal romance series,
Elemental Myths, began with Ceiba’s Grace, A Paranormal
Romance Novella, published in December 2013. Book one of the
series, Layla’s Gale, A Paranormal Romance, will be released
on April 1, 2014. Publishers Weekly said Nicole Pouchet
“provides an intriguing blend of the earthly and supernatural
worlds with emotional telepathy, reincarnation, superhero-like
powers, and explosive carnal energy.”
Nicole is giving away a free copy of
Layla’s Gale. Enter
the contest on Facebook.
Find the Elemental
Myths series on
Amazon!
You can keep up with Nicole and her
Elemental Myths world on
Facebook, on
Twitter, and on her author
website.
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