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“Writing is like prostitution. First you do it for love, and then for a few close friends, and then for money.”

~ Moliere 1622-1673

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"Sit down and put down everything that comes into your head and then you're a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff's worth, without pity, and destroy most of it."

~ Colette

A successful book is not made of what's in it, but what is left out of it."

~ Mark Twain

PLEASURING THE PIRATE

"I simply couldn’t put this one down!"

~ NightOwl Romance

Emily's Writing Tips

1. Don’t try to re-invent the wheel. I wasted a good six months slogging away on my own, assuming since I was an avid reader I could be a writer. My published friend, Eboni Snoe, author of over a dozen novels, graciously offered to take a look at my WIP. After a kind “Well, this is interesting,” she suggested, “You know, Emily, if you’re writing a romance, you might want to have your hero and heroine in the same state sooner than page 300.” Every genre has reader expectations and you ignore them at your peril. Learn from the experience of others.

2.Join a writer’s group. I’ve never heard of another profession where the practitioners were as generous and open-hearted as romance writers. At RWA meetings, I made important professional contacts, found new ways to improve my writing process and, best of all, made some dear friends.

3. Find a critique partner. Someone other than your mother (who thinks everything you do is wonderful) or your husband (who wants to continue sleeping with you). The value of a first reader cannot be overstated. I firmly believe I would not be published today if not for Darcy Carson, my e-critique buddy from Seattle who writes wildly creative paranormals. Not only does she catch holes in my manuscripts, she’s not above giving me a swift kick in the pants when I need it.

4. Enter as many writing contests as you can afford. My contest wins caught the attention of my agent, Vivian Beck. I had no prior published credits (unless you count letters to the editor), so contest wins filled an important blank space in my query letter. Even when I didn’t win, contest entries gave me valuable feedback from readers, published authors and editors.

5. Write. Write everyday. Write when you feel like it. Write when you don’t. Even if you tear up what you did today and re-do it all tomorrow, write. When I was a professional singer, I had to practice every day. If I skipped one day, I could tell. If I skipped two days, my voice coach could tell. If I skipped three, the audience would be able to tell. So write, ok?

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The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler

     I return to this book with each new title. An in-depth study of character archetypes and mythic story structure.

Writing the Romantic Comedy by Billy Mernit

      This book was designed for screen writers, but it's a great survey on the marriage of comedy and romance.

Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass

      Deepen, sharpen and jump-start your prose. An invaluable resource for writers at any stage in their career.

How to Write a Damn Good Mystery by James N. Frey

      Don't let the title fool you. This book is crammed with "how to" advice for any genre.

20 Master Plots and How to Build Them

by Ronald Tobias

       Once you know what to look for, the bones of any story might be found in Mr. Tobias' list.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Your Romance Published

by Julie Beard

       Just what it says. Ms. Beard offers advice to take you from the first kernel of an idea to marketing your published book for better sales.

Other Publications 

RWR- The Romance Writers Report comes to RWA members each month, crammed full of craft advice and industry info.

RTBOOKReviews--Reviews of current releases, spotlights, industry news and an annual Romantic Times Convention you won't want to miss. It's in Orlando, Florida next April. Check out the brochure.

"Being a real writer means being able to do the work on a bad day." ~ Norman Mailer

www.emilybryan.blogspot.com

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