Writing Romance Novels

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 2 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #6,514 in Arts , #164,824 overall

Writing Romance Novels

Gather 'round The Water Cooler... a breaktime stop for romance novelists for tips, encouragement, resources, "water cooler chatter" about being an author.

NEW FOR SUMMER: SUMMER VACATION WRITING TIPS! Check 'em out!

Happy writing!

!

Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader. Not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.
E.L. Doctorow

Craft Chatter at the Water Cooler 

Couldn't just leave the job at the desk!

TIPS FOR WRITING DURING SUMMER VACATION

If you have school-aged children at home, then you're very shortly going to be enjoying summer vacation with them. Whether you're a stay-at-home mom or a working mom who writes when there's two seconds to rub together, summer vacation can make eking out your writing time a little more challenging. Here are some ideas to help you find and make time to cobble together a sentence or two.

1. Many schools have summer reading lists these days, so institute "Reading Time"-how about during the hottest time of the day, when it's too hot to play outside? For incentive, make a chart for your kids to keep track of their reading: books they want to read, books they are/have reading/read, their ultimate goal, how many pages they've read, how many hours they've read-just a few examples of what can go on their reading charts. Because kids get twitchy, keep the Reading Time to about 20-30 minutes for elementary school kiddos, 30-60 for middle to high schoolers. Tally progress at the end of the week and give the kids little rewards. The rewards don't have to be big or major, a simple Mom-made certificate printed off the computer would work.

2. Get up an hour earlier. For those of you who aren't Morning People (I'm not a Morning People), stay up an hour later.

3. If you cart your kids to and from the swimming pool, and like me, refuse to leave them alone there, take your laptop, Neo, Alpha Smart, Notebook and Pen, and b>

4. Give the kids more responsibility for the upkeep of the house. Assign them an extra chore or two (like doing the dishes, cleaning the bathrooms, folding laundry) or something else you normally do, to free up the time you'd've spent on those chores.

5. If you're a SAHM who writes, write when the kids are playing outside. The housework, laundry and shopping will wait. If you're a working mom who writes, write on the weekend or whatever days you have off, when the kids are outside.

6. If all else fails, grab your laptop, Neo, Alphie, notebook and pen and lock yourself in the bathroom. Turn on the fan to drown out the sound of the kids pounding on the door.

(c) 2009 Laura Hamby

Water Cooler Writing Tips 

Reign or Regime?
When used to describe the administration of a US president, the word reign is a studied insult.
Writing Tips: Overcoming Some Common Errors in Writing and ...
10 Quick Tips to help you overcome the most common errors while writing. Learn how to self-edit and review your own work to create perfect copy.
A few SES Resume writing tips | herege.com
Writing a Senior Executive Service resume is not an easy task, especially as it must be flawless, knowing the high level of responsibility involved. So here are a few tips to help you prepare your SES resume: First you should provide as ...

Nifty Linkies 

Clickity

These are links to online sites I've found helpful, useful, inspiring, funny... Is there a linkie you think should be here, leave it in my Comment Box, and I'll check it out. If I agree it should be added here, I'll add it.
Deanna Carlyle's Verbs To Write By
A list of fantastic verbs! Verbs! They're what's happening. Uh huh. That's what School House Rock says.
Publishing Central
A linkie that leads to more linkies. You can never have enough linkies. This will take you to a pretty decent "how-to" list.
Idea Generator
Blocked? This site has "37 dramatic situations" you can use to prod the Muse.
Holy Mother Grammatica
Tech support, as it were.
Fiction Factor
Another linkie that has more linkies for you to clickity.
Baby Name Search
Yes. All your characters have to have a name. Nifty site.
Name Meanings
Analyze your character's names to see if they're right for the character you have in mind.
Etymological Dictionary
The history of words, phrases. No Dark Ages heros need to say, "Cool, Dude. Way to go!"
Romance Fiction Factor
Yet another linkie to more linkies on the art of writing. Clickity.
Stephanie Bond's Writers' Articles
Clickity Clickity.

Comment Box 

Your Two Cents Worth

Hey! Let me know what you think of my lens.

submit

Two For The Show...Playin' in Writefield 

Loading Fetching RSS feed... please stand by

Other Writefield Lenses 

Featured Groups 

Shoppity Shop 

Shopping is Definitely a Water Cooler Activity. :D

H. D. Thoreau: A Writer's Journal

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009) Buy Now

Shoppity Shop 2 

Creating Character Emotions

Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 12/05/2009) Buy Now

Your Writing Coach: From Concept to Character, From Pitch to Publication

Amazon Price: $14.96 (as of 12/05/2009) Buy Now

The Writer’s Digest Sourcebook for Building Believable Characters

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009) Buy Now

Writing Dialogue

Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 12/05/2009) Buy Now

Shoppity Shop 3 

The No Plot? No Problem! Novel-Writing Kit

Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 12/05/2009) Buy Now

Plot Twists & Turns [VHS]

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009) Buy Now

Shoppity Shop 4 

Green Embossed "Emotions" Leather Journal - Lined

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009) Buy Now

Writing for Emotional Impact

Amazon Price: $15.80 (as of 12/05/2009) Buy Now

The Astonishing Power of Emotions: Let Your Feelings Be Your Guide

Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 12/05/2009) Buy Now

Shoppity Shop 5 

A Brief History of Time

Amazon Price: $12.24 (as of 12/05/2009) Buy Now

The British Monarchy For Dummies (For Dummies (History, Biography & Politics))

Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 12/05/2009) Buy Now

The Oxford History of the American West

Amazon Price: $42.00 (as of 12/05/2009) Buy Now

One Last Bit of Inspiration

by LH

I write. It's a sanity saving thing. Living in a sea of testosterone with 1 husband and 3 sons, the only other females who live with us are the dog an... (more)

Explore related pages

Create a Lens!