I thought I would list a few books, websites and tips that are useful to writers, new and old, unpublished and published.
Books and Audiobooks
A must have for any writer, the 2008 Writer’s Market contains everything from advice on writing queries and proposals, to the contact information and current needs and submission guidelines of agents, book publishers, magazine publishers and trade journal publications. Just as essential, in my opinion, is Stephen King's book On Writing (the second link is the audiobook), which helps writers avoid using the passive voice (which if often misunderstood and the source of some confusion among writers) and recognize other mistakes they may not be aware of making that weaken their writing. I highly recommend it.
These books -- The Romance Writer’s Handbook: How to Write Romantic Fiction & Get it Published, Complete Idiot’ Guide to Getting Your Romance Published and On Writing Romance: How to Craft a Novel That Sells -- focus specifically on romance writing, providing practical advice on everything from constructing your story (plot development, creating vivid characters, orchestrating conflict, setting, love scenes, etc.) to preparing to submit to agents and editors (writing a strong query letter and synopsis, proper manuscript format and market information).
Even though The Writer’s Journey is geared toward screenwriters, I recommend this to all writers. In it, Christopher Vogler lists the different types of characters who tend to appear in nearly all stories, then discusses the stages of the hero”s journey. I read it for a playwriting class I took in college and found it applied to all fiction writing, not just screenwriting.
Links
AAR - Association of Authors’ Representatives
U.S. Copyright Office
Preditors and Editors
Romance Writers of America
Brenda Coulter - How to Format a Manuscript for a Romance Novel
eHarlequin.com - Writing Guidelines/Manuscript Format
Writers Guild of America
Romantic Times
Writing Romance
Romance Fiction Factor - Romance Writing Tips
Tips
1. When you finish your manuscript and are ready to start querying agents and publishers, copyright it! I provided a link to the U.S. Copyright Office’s website above.
2. Join a critique group. Friends and family members sometimes pull their punches when offering feedback for fear of hurting the writer’s feelings; so it is always good to join a writers' group in which you receive good constructive feedback from others who are studying your craft. It is also important to keep an open mind when receiving that feedback, particularly when it is negative, and avoid becoming defensive. Remember, you want your manuscript to be as strong as it can possibly be. That means listening to the good as well as the bad and rewriting accordingly.
3. Make sure your manuscript is formatted correctly, your query as well. Professionalism is important. I included a link to Brenda Coulter’s website above, where you can learn more about format. The eHarlequin link also gives detailed instructions on how to package your manuscript. If you perform a google search, you will find many more websites with instructions.
4. Write about what you know. If you write about something you don't know, whether it is a location, a profession or something as common as asthma or nearsightedness, do the research. Don’t assume what you see in the movies or on television or what you read in other romance novels is accurate. Sometimes it isn’t. For example, the heroine and her brother in my time travel romance Rendezvous With Yesterday are bounty hunters. In the reality television shows, several bounty hunters converge on individual bail skippers with guns drawn. However, when I researched bounty hunting and questioned a longtime professional bail enforcement agent, I discovered that bounty hunters usually work alone or with only one other person and rarely draw any weapon harsher than pepper spray . . . which my heroine’s brother wryly points out when he teases her early on about being loaded down with weapons. Had I only relied on television, which clearly exaggerates some aspects of the profession to increase drama, I would have portrayed the profession unrealistically.
5. When you begin searching for agents and editors to whom you would like to submit, visit their websites to confirm they are interested in or looking for manuscripts similar to your own. Also, look them up on Preditors and Editors and see if they come highly recommended or, conversely, have spawned complaints about unprofessional behavior. I provided a link to the Preditors and Editors website above.
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