Save the Cat is a book written specifically for screenwriters so it’s really about pitching your movie to big screen executives, but what applies to big blockbusters applies to mainstream fiction. It’s all about communicating your idea in a logline, elevator pitch, one-liner, whatever you call that one sentence.

Yes, we all want to write the book of our heart, but we also want editors to publish our work and readers to read it. We can’t hope for either of those things if we don’t know how to pitch our stories.

We need that one sentence to hook someone into reading our work. Which also, incidentally, helps us focus our ideas. You need it every time you open your mouth to talk about your book whether it’s to you friends, your family, your writing buddies, or hopefully, your agent, your editor and for marketing to readers! Without a good pitch, the chances of a book selling well get much smaller.

Here are the four vital ingredients to a pitch, according to Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat:

What’s it about?

The number one thing Blake Snyder says a logline must have is irony. Irony highlights the struggle, the conflict. It incites the big question in our minds of “well, how is that going to work?” which makes us want to read it. It’s the hook, to pique our interest.

It helps, according to Snyder, if the logline creates a mental picture. If the listener can visualize how/where/when it takes place based on the pitch, that’s an added bonus. “A good logline, once said, blossoms in your brain.”

What’s the title?

Snyder calls the title and logline a “one-two punch…a good combo never fails to knock me out.” The title must have irony, like the logline, but it also has to tell the tale without being too corny or on the nose, while not being too vague either.

Titles are hard. I’ve spent days with hundreds of failed options thinking of book titles, but it’s worth the work to search for just the right one. It’s the number one marketing tool of your book.

Snyder admits to sometimes thinking of the title first, before even coming up with the story concept—just to highlight how important title is to pitching. He recommends writing the logline and title before even writing the story.

What’s the genre?

Giving the book context for how it fits in the wider genre, is simply polite, Snyder says. Referencing other familiar books or stories that resemble your story or even other authors in the same genre who write work similar to yours helps your work context and find its audience.

Snyder devotes a whole chapter title to, “Give me the same thing…only different!” In other words, knowing where your book will fit in the market, how it relates to what’s come before it, how it’s similar and how it’s different is important.

This also brings up the concept of tropes. Snyder lists a page of 10 story types which he claims every story falls under. Every story has tropes in it, types of characters or storylines that have been seen in other books, but yours won’t be exactly the same. It will give that trope a twist. Know which tropes you’re using and how you’re altering them uniquely in your story to help others understand what it’s about.

Who’s it about?

Audiences grab onto a character to usher them into an idea. The main character is the point-of-view every story is told from and that POV is the readers window into the world you create in your story.

Here’s a place Snyder indicates we can play with irony. Whatever character would have the most conflict with the location or situation in your idea will create the most interesting, gripping story. Whether you think of a story idea first or character first, Snyder talks about having it be about a character the audience will root for.

Snyder recommends having the main character’s goal be attached to a primal urge: survival, hunger, sex, protecting loved ones, fear of death, etc. The basics he lists for whoever your story is about, are: someone we can identify with and learn from, someone who gives us a compelling reason to follow who we believe deserves to win.

That’s the summary for Save the Cat’s three chapters on pitching an idea. After that, it goes into beats and plot structure.

I do have one caveat: The book is full of story examples that are of a sexist nature, and the discussions of who the story is about were entirely directed at the male gender, but looking past these flaws, it had very helpful details to say about pitching your story.

Robin Lovett is a romance writer of erotic sci-fi and dark thrillers. She’s published with Entangled Publishing and SMP Swerve. She loves to chat on Twitter @LovettRomance and every Sunday evening you can find her with other romance writers at #RWChat. She is represented by Rachel Brooks of BookEnds Literary Agency.

The post Pitching Your Book With Help From Blake Snyder’s Save The Cat appeared first on DIY MFA.

Too much of any one mode—clumps of description, trains of dialogue, pages of action, and dumps of internal thought—bogs down prose and makes it heavy or confusing. Or boring. Sure, there will be scenes with primarily one mode or another, but rarely will there be a scene with only one mode. Most scenes are best served by a balance of all four modes.

Most paragraphs are more interesting if they’re a combination of at least two modes. A paragraph of description is made much more interesting if there are character impressions mixed in. A page of action is made much more vivid if interspersed with bits of description. Scenes of dialogue are more interesting with description, action and internal thought around it.

Ideally, paragraphs with three or more modes are most interesting. A paragraph of internal thought interspersed among dialogue and description with actions is a much richer scene than a monologue of character musings. It makes prose that keeps the reader’s imagination more active.

I learned how to balance these four modes in Margie Lawson’s Deep Editing lecture packets four years ago, and I still think about balancing those everyday I write.

(There are other modes besides those four. Margie Lawson talks a lot about emotion as a separate category which requires its own article. A lot of people put exposition in a category of its own. For some novels, this works. These days a lot of editors prefer what they call “deep POV” where every part of the prose is intricately connected to the character point-of-view. To get exposition in deep POV, it needs to come out more as internal thought or dialogue.)

Try It Out

Let’s say we have a protagonist at a dinner party, trying to decide if she wants to eat something or go home. Here’s the description all by itself:

On a white linen tablecloth, there sat a plate full of juicy red apples.

It’s dry and lonely, and we could easily add an internal thought.

On its own that internal thought would be:

She should get home to do her dirty laundry, but there was nothing to eat there.

Insert the internal thought into the description and we get something like:

The white linen tablecloth reminded her of how dirty her laundry was at home, but those juicy red apples tempted her to stay.

Mixing the description and the internal thought together makes both of them much more interesting and helps attach meaning to what the character is seeing. Let’s see if we can get some simple action in there too.

Alone the action would be:

She touched the tablecloth and stared at the apples.

Very simple and not much going on, but if we put all three together:

She ran her fingers over the white linen tablecloth, so much cleaner than hers was at home, and she stared at the juicy red apples tempting her to stay.

Inserting some action into the sentence gives it more life. There’s now movement involved and the scene is no longer static. We can throw some dialogue in there too.

The dialogue alone would be:

“I’m leaving after I eat an apple.”

But if we put all of it together we get something much more detailed:

“I’m leaving.” She ran her fingers over the white linen tablecloth so much cleaner than hers was at home, then she stared at the juicy red apples tempting her to stay. “After I eat an apple.”

Adding two or more modes of writing to any sentence makes it come to life. Suddenly, every sentence you write is doing double, triple, or quadruple duty to help convey your character and your story. This is all a grand way of conveying the timeless rule of Show Don’t Tell. It takes a lot more time and more editing, but it makes the story much more interesting to both read and write.

Robin Lovett is a romance writer of erotic sci-fi and dark thrillers. She’s published with Entangled Publishing and SMP Swerve. She loves to chat on Twitter @LovettRomance and every Sunday evening you can find her with other romance writers at #RWChat. She is represented by Rachel Brooks of BookEnds Literary Agency.

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Whether you’ve written many romance novels, it’s been a while, or you’ve never written one before, it can be hard to think of plot points that aren’t something romance readers have read a hundred times. Romance readers are some of the most high-volume consumers of books out there. They’ve read a lot of first kisses, I love yous, and HEAs. Getting your story to be different and unique takes much more than just the nugget of inspiration.

Here are some ways to make sure your romance writing is fresh and different from what’s been written before:

1) Read. Lots.

In order to write romance, a writer has to know what’s being published in the genre, and in her particular subgenre. Once you have an idea, or an inkling of the romance subgenre you’d like to write in, find authors writing those kinds of books, or at least writing something similar. Romance is such a diverse genre. Chances are if you’ve thought of it, something has been written like it. Even if you’ve been writing romance for a while, make sure you’ve read books published in the last year to remain up to date on the genre’s changes. Romance is adapting all the time.

2) Read book descriptions

I’m a slow reader, so reading a high volume of novels isn’t easy for me. I spend a lot of time reading the cover copy of books, otherwise known as the blurb or short synopsis. I read them constantly, by the dozens, both when I’m researching a new series and when I’m trying to stay up to date on my genre. I get basic ideas about what plots and tropes are in danger of being overused. The last thing I want is to write a whole book and find out the same premise was used by five other authors last year.

3) Read reviews

Listen to what romance reviewers are saying. They are the voice of the reader. They are the people who are the real avid consumers of romance novels. Most of them read more romance novels in a year than I could, even before I started writing. They are the ones who will be passing first judgement on your book when it releases. How a book does in reviews has a big impact on its sales. What reviewers are reading right now and liking and hating is very important to be aware of while plotting a novel. I follow lots of reviewers on Twitter. They’re always talking about it.

4) Watch movies and TV

Romance readers consume a lot of tv and movies, too. They often cry out for a romance novel like their new favorite movie or tv show or current event. (Case in point, the royal wedding.) This can provide ideas for what to write, but it can also help point out what not to write. If you seek to emulate something, make sure it’s different and not the same.

Given all those sources out there, it’s time for the WHAT IF?

What if I wrote this story? How would I make it different?

Once up to date on what’s published, don’t get discouraged if someone has “already written your idea.” There are always ways to make something fresh and new. Romance readers love seeing a tried-and-true trope done in a different way. Make the thing someone else wrote your own. The way you write it is not the same as how someone else would write it, because romance readers are always hungry for more. The perfect romance recipe is a framework of the familiar and a filling of the unexpected. Give them what they already know they love in a way that surprises them.

Robin Lovett is a romance writer of erotic sci-fi and dark thrillers. She’s published with Entangled Publishing and SMP Swerve. She loves to chat on Twitter @LovettRomance and every Sunday evening you can find her with other romance writers at #RWChat. She is represented by Rachel Brooks of BookEnds Literary Agency.

The post Brainstorming Romance: How to Keep Your Ideas Fresh And Original appeared first on DIY MFA.

But amidst the pricelessness of pursuing our dreams, there are serious difficulties on the way. The extraordinary achievement of succeeding makes every one of them worth it, and there are serious positives to being an unpublished writer. But it’s worth talking about all the hard stuff we have to sort through on the the road to our dreams of being published. And also knowing, some of the hard stuff won’t go away–even after we achieve our dreams–it just changes.

1) The Self-Doubt

This one never completely goes away once you’re published. Even after writing twelve books and publishing five, I still doubt my skills somewhere in the process of each book I write. Once I got an agent, though, it changed. I now have contracts to prove and editors waiting for my work whenever I doubt myself. I have physical contractual proof that people believe in my writing. Before being published, not knowing if your work is at a professional level, wondering if it ever will be, and the inability to know how to tell the difference, can add to the self-doubt and create a blind struggle.

2) The Blind Struggle

When you’re new to any business, the dearth of knowledge is so thick, even knowing what sources to go to for help is a challenge. The worst part about being new wasn’t what I didn’t know, but more not knowing where to go to learn more. With some questions, we don’t know which things we need to ask, and which things every writer has to figure out for themselves in their own process. This gets easier once your published, but there’s so much to learn about being published once you are there, the hunger to learn everything you haven’t learned yet doesn’t stop.

3) The Struggle to Get Professional Feedback

Truth: published writers are busy and finding one to read your work is rare. That’s why contests like Pitch Wars are so cutthroat. Once you find a professional who’s willing to give you feedback, nurture that relationship with care. Don’t be pushy, be receptive, accept the advice rather than fighting against it. Also, know at all times, just because something’s worked for one author’s career or writing, doesn’t mean it will work for yours. That’s why eventually getting an agent or editor that is focused on your work is such a relief and so precious.

4) The Lack of Information From The Inside

Published writers talk a talk that’s often really hard to follow or empathize with until you’re in it. From the outside it looks like, damn, why can’t they just be grateful for their contracts? That’s because when you’re in it, you forget to remember how hard it was to be unpublished or how hard you worked to get those contracts. It can also be hard to get straight answers to publishing’s hard truths since there’s so much pubbed authors can’t say without fear of upsetting a publisher or someone in the business. If you really want the truth, try asking questions of a writer in person or on a private chat, rather than publicly on social media.

5) Feeling Left Out

When I was watching published authors from the outside and wishing I could get in, I definitely felt in some way that my work was lesser, or not worthy, or less significant somehow. Which wasn’t true. Whether your writing is published or unpublished, it still has the same intrinsic value. But when you want in on something that has a gauntlet or security gate as thick as traditional publishing, it’s a hard toil. It doesn’t completely go away once you’re published. There are always the people whose books are selling better than yours or who have the better book contracts and longing to be one of those.

6) The Query Slog

Many writers send dozens if not hundreds of queries to agents. All the emails, the researching agents, questioning if you’ll ever get an offer… Then there’s the possibility of giving up on one project that’s not succeeding and deciding to move on to the next one…then querying the second book…

There are lessons in the query slog that will help once you get an agent, like the experiences with waiting and rejections, which continue once your book is on submission with editors. Which is the other reason it’s also worth it! Once you have an agent, you’ll never have to be the one dealing with the submissions again. Because it’ll be their job to submit your work to publishers for you.

7) The Struggle For Motivation

In the face of no agent for support, no pressure to create a book for a contract, when you’re unpublished, it’s easy to slip into a place of, does this really matter? Is this all a waste of time? Is my work just garbage? Once you’re published, this gets easier because there’s someone waiting and depending on your work. The absence of pressure as an unpublished writer can feel like no one cares. The motivation has to come completely from you. Once you’re published, you have a team behind you pressuring you to produce more–which is great, but also a whole other host of troubles.

There are things that stay the same from being unpublished to published. Rejection doesn’t stop once you get an agent or a contract or a published book. Amidst the books deals, published authors have to create more ideas which are often shot down again by publishing professionals. Rejection is real all the way up and down the ladder of a writer’s success.

Keep chugging is the moto. Your work is worth it. Hang on tight to your writer friends and always seek to make more. Find groups of people going through your similar struggle. You’ll need them just as much once you’re published as you do now. There’s never such a thing as too much support in this business. You’ve found DIY MFA, so you’re in a good place.

Also know, once you do sign with the agent or get that contract, it doesn’t stop being hard. It gets hard in a different way, and you’ll learn there were actually a lot of benefits to being an unpublished writer.

Robin Lovett is a romance writer of erotic sci-fi and dark thrillers. She’s published with Entangled Publishing and SMP Swerve. She loves to chat on Twitter @LovettRomance and every Sunday evening you can find her with other romance writers at #RWChat. She is represented by Rachel Brooks of BookEnds Literary Agency.

The post Seven Reasons Why Being Unpublished is Hard appeared first on DIY MFA.

When I plot a romance, I plan for not one, not two, but three main character arcs. The main characters–the lovers–are arcs one and two. And then there is the relationship. The relationship gets its own arc, as though it’s a third main character.

The hero’s journey plot structure almost works for the relationship arc — just replace “the quest” with “the relationship.”

1) Call to Adventure / The Meet Cute

Here’s where the lovers meet. Where the seeds of their relationship are sown. There’s both attraction and conflict. The groundwork for the potential to reach an HEA (happily-ever-after), along with enough conflict to last the length of a novel, is set.

2) Refusal of the Call / Rejection of the Relationship

One or both of the main characters are in denial about the attraction, or there’s some external reason in their way, so that this cannot possibly work out. Here the relationship is still very much at odds. We learn the reasons why the relationship won’t work, and the external plot reasons why they cannot be together. But also… there are hints that they can’t quite stop thinking about each other, and something big is going to happen between them. It’s usually a situation of “they doth protest too much.”

3) Acceptance of the Quest / Giving the relationship a chance

This is the “First Threshold” or the beginning of Act Two. For some reason, despite their attempts to stay apart, they’re forced to work together, often toward a common goal, sometimes as a reluctant agreement to date. There’s often some challenge that cannot be overcome without the other. They must accept some sort of relationship is developing, though they are still adamant HEA is not in the cards for them at all. There’s still conflict and resistance to permanence and no mentions of love, but they must face the truth: in order to continue on their journey, they will need to work together.

4) Trials and Temptations / Three Dates

This is the first relationship development section. Usually there’s a first date that happens here, and other challenges. I’ve heard Liz Pelletier of Entangled say there’s usually three dates in this section, if there are dates, which not every romance has per say. But the lovers are together for a period of time, interacting in a get-to-know-you scenario demonstrating relationship chemistry in at least three major scenes. Each scene both deepens their affinity but also reaffirms the reason they cannot be together. It’s a “three steps forward two steps back” pattern.

5) Midpoint Crisis / I-need-you-but-can’t-have-you

In many romances, this is where some major form of physical intimacy takes place. A first kiss, a first love making, a first uninhibited admittance of, “I really like having you in my life.” There’s an intense moment of believing or seeing a glimpse of how meaningful this relationship could become. But it’s quickly dashed to pieces, often by one or the other getting scared by the growing intimacy and some external plot force tearing them apart.

6) The Road Back / Pulling Back Together

Something most likely in the external plot forces them back together for some reason. They’re forced to work together, and the attraction is stronger than ever. The relationship development that had begun in the first half now deepens. Often their deepest fears are confessed, they’re left vulnerable and open to each other, and real intimacy builds.

7) The Fall

They fall for each other, hard. There’s usually another big moment of physical intimacy here, often lovemaking in a way that is meaningful. In romances where the couple has been engaging in casual sex, usually the love scene here is truly making love for the first time. They will separately admit they’ve fallen for the other, though not necessarily acknowledging it to each other. Sometimes one will declare themselves, but the other doesn’t reciprocate for some reason related to their internal flaw or wound.

8) Dark moment / The Break Up

They’re done. They’re over. The relationship is never going to happen. Their lives are in crisis. They try to go back to their ordinary world, and it’s a dismal fail. They’re irrevocably changed by the other person. They’re lost and miserable in their loneliness.

9) The Sacrifice

There’s a decision made by one or both of the lovers. Their clinging to the fear of the wound/flaw is overcome. There’s a letting go or sacrificing of the misbelief they’ve been carrying around this whole time, and giving up on the external plot reason for them not being together. The realization that whatever fear was stopping them is insignificant to their love for the other person.

10) Declaration

There’s a declaration of love, a communion of the relationship. This is where the magic of the HEA comes to completion. It’s usually at first met with some trepidation. This is their first big leap of faith and giving of their hearts to each other. The trust circle between them is complete.

11) Denouement / The HEA.

The romance reader has to have their denouement. They want a glimpse of the lovers in their new HEA world, to make sure that everything is going okay. There’s usually a scene including friends and family, gaining an acknowledgement of the new relationship from important people in their lives. There’s a renewed promise of forever.

That’s not everything. There’s so much more to it. But that’s the broad stroke of what I’m thinking about when I plot the romance relationship of my romance novels. There’s separate work that goes into each character’s internal arc, and then there’s the planning of the external plot as well.

I’m sure you do it differently. Feel free to share what works for you!

Robin Lovett is a romance writer for Entangled Publishing and St. Martin’s Press Swerve. She writes some sci-fi erotic and some dark romance thrillers–but always intense sexy books. She loves to chat on Twitter @LovettRomance and every Sunday evening you can find her with other romance writers at #RWChat. She is represented by Rachel Brooks of BookEnds Literary Agency.

The post The Structure of Romance appeared first on DIY MFA.

Some potential ideas . . .

1) Give yourself permission to have a bad day

Berating yourself for not feeling like writing romance can just make it worse. Give yourself space to take a day off. Practice some self-care. Do something comforting and rejuvenating.

2) Write about stories that mean something to you

If your story is meaningful to you, it provides extra motivation to get back to it. Even on the days you don’t want to or feel like you can’t, if you’re personally attached to the story it’s more possible. It’s tempting to focus on writing what will sell in this business. But burnout is a real factor. Romance writers get a lot of pressure to produce multiple books a year. Writing about what we love as opposed to what we’re told will sell helps.

3) Remember Bad stuff happens in romance novels too

Characters make bad choices. They struggle with their internal flaws and conflicts. Every romance has to have a dark moment. Writing those moments might be perfect for those tough days that aren’t so happy.

4) Talk to your friends

Ask for help, especially if writing isn’t possible for long period of time. Remembering that everyone has days like this helps with not feeling isolated.

5) Read

It doesn’t have to be romance. The romance genre can be a bit claustrophobic at times. For all the flack we get from other people outside our genre, we’re forced to be a tight knit group. But it’s good for us to branch out and not always read romance. Getting a fresh voice from a new author in our heads can creates new ideas.

6) Remember that even when you’re not having a good day, it won’t stay a bad day

Sometimes just sitting down and writing anyway, even when you don’t feel like it will actually make you feel better. The romance genre is designed to give hope even when days are tough. Trying anyway can sometimes be a good idea. (Though, forcing yourself is not, so if it doesn’t work, don’t push yourself.)

Some days are harder than others. You don’t always have to be happy every day that you write romance. You’re allowed to have bad days. It can even add depth and flavor to your characters and story. After all, a romance novel isn’t great one without a struggle to get to the happily ever after.

Robin Lovett is a romance writer whose first series of dark romances released through St. Martin’s Press Swerve summer 2017. Her next series is a sci-fi erotic romance through Entangled Publishing. She loves to chat on Twitter @LovettRomance and every Sunday evening you can find her with other romance writers at #RWChat. She is represented by Rachel Brooks of BookEnds Literary Agency.

The post Writing Romance, Even on a Bad Day appeared first on DIY MFA.

Alexis, you’ve written a lot of books over the years. What motivated you to choose Story Genius this time around?

Thanks, Robin! I had four full-length manuscripts under my belt before I sat down to write Dance with Me. I’m always on the lookout for ways to streamline my outlining and writing process, and I had picked up Story Genius by Lisa Cron in the middle of writing Take the Lead. While the early chapters were helpful during edits, I knew I wanted to apply the Story Genius method to a project from start to finish. Dance with Me was my first opportunity I had to do that.

Can you give us a run down of what the Story Genius method is about?

The basic idea behind Lisa Cron’s Story Genius is to develop the story from the inside out, rather than outside in, as we do when we outline. By understanding who the character is and why before the story begins, we can create a story blueprint that develops from the character’s misbelief, which drives the the entire story.

What aspects of the Story Genius method did you like best?

At the time, I complained bitterly about having to write out full backstory scenes for my main characters, but those scenes ended up being invaluable while writing Dance with Me. Especially since the two characters have known each other for three years before the story begins and have a shared history, it was definitely helpful to write out the key moments that had happened between them. I wrote these scenes in first person present tense, even though the book is third person past, to nail the character voice. So, not only were these backstory scenes helpful while I was planning and writing, I now have all this extra content for newsletter and website extras! Win win.

What were the most challenging things about using Story Genius?

The most challenging step was making scene cards. It took me a while to understand how the sections related to the flow of a scene, but I was determined to stick with the process and follow it exactly. Once I wrapped my head around how to fill them out, they made it possible for me to write 62,000 words in a month, so they definitely worked.

What type of writer would you recommend the Story Genius method for?

I’m a reformed pantser who is always on the lookout for new outlining methods, and Story Genius came highly recommended to me. I’d recommend Story Genius to writers who are looking to deepen their characterization, or who are open to new methods of story planning. Even if you’re a die-hard pantser, I think there are things to be learned from the book, although you might shy away from doing the writing exercises. Writers who like outlines will probably take away a lot from this method.

You got an agent and signed your first contract less than a year ago. What advice do you have for unpublished writers seeking traditional publishing?

Cultivate resiliency, and don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Between the waiting and form rejections, querying can be rough, but there are lots of ways to get your work in front of agents and editors, such as Twitter pitch events or writing conferences. Build up your resiliency by putting your work out there, whether it’s sending queries or entering writing contests, but make sure to do your research first. And most importantly, surround yourself with a community of writers who will understand what you’re going through, and who can offer support, a sounding board, and advice when you need it. You don’t have to go it alone.

Tell us about your book releasing soon. What should we know about your exciting new contemporary romances?

Dance with Me is the second book in my contemporary romance series The Dance Off, which revolves around a dance competition show. It features a romance between one of the dance judges and a pro dancer, who are caught in a friends with benefits loop. When she’s in need of a place to stay, he offers to let her move in. She accepts, with one stipulation: no sleeping together while they’re living together. The first book in the series, Take the Lead, features a wilderness survivalist and his dance partner, and is available now.

Alexis Daria is a contemporary romance author, artist, and native New Yorker. Her debut, Take the Lead, was a 2017 Golden Heart® finalist and was named one of The Washington Post’s 5 Best Romances of 2017. Dance with Me (Dance Off #2) will be out 12/12/17. She loves social media, and you can find her live-tweeting her favorite TV shows at @alexisdaria, or talking about writing and books on her blog at alexisdaria.com.

Robin Lovett is a romance writer whose first series of dark romances released through St. Martin’s Press Swerve summer 2017. Her next series is a sci-fi erotic romance through Entangled Publishing. She loves to chat on Twitter @LovettRomance and every Sunday evening you can find her with other romance writers at #RWChat. She is represented by Rachel Brooks of BookEnds Literary Agency.

The post The Benefits of Story Genius: An Interview with Alexis Daria appeared first on DIY MFA.

Dreaming about what you’d like to happen is healthy and good for us. We should all have dreams and indulge in them. Don’t stifle yourself. But there is a point one can reach of unhealthy obsession.

It’s also healthy to have doubts. Preparing oneself mentally for the varying possible outcomes, even the worst possible, is a good idea. Being aware that it might not work out is okay. But going crazy with the fear of everyone hating your work—not helpful.

My very best advice:

1) Let waiting become your new normal

The anxiety of stasis on the cusp of career altering change is torture. Checking the email obsessively, always with that small hope of, today could be the day! Good news, or bad news, comes so fast. In an instant, it can happen. But you can’t live that way. Not sustainably.

Living every minute, every day obsessively checking your phone, always with that nugget of anxiety in your stomach—it’s not sustainable living. It will drive you to drink. As it has so many. The only way I’ve found to truly combat it is to ACCEPT IT!

You will be waiting. You will continue to wait. Even if you get the final rejection. Even if you get the dream contract. On the other side, there will only be more waiting.

2) Be writing your next book

This should be the obvious thing that everyone tells you. If you aren’t neck deep in your next project, get there. It’s the best medicine for not obsessing about getting news. Displacement! Obsess about your new story instead. But get comfy with the waiting too.

If you sign with an agent… Get ready for more waiting. Your book will go on sub to editors. And many of those take even longer than agents to respond. (I had a book on sub for a year… and it never sold. #WorstCaseScenario)

If you get the contract…There will be more waiting, even after the deal comes in. You’ll be waiting for edits—every—single—round. Which is usually three. Sometimes four or more. Authors aren’t the only ones who have trouble meeting deadlines. Editors do too. And you never know when they’ll come in. Whenever they do, you have to drop everything and work on them.

There’s waiting for your cover designs to come in. It’s vitally important, your book’s number one marketing tool. And then, there’s waiting for reviews. Will anyone like this book??? Reviews are an important boost for sales. They’re a big deal and often difficult to get.

Then, there’s waiting for sales numbers. That takes FOREVER! If you’re lucky, your publisher sends out your sales reports and royalty checks FOUR times a year. That’s right. Three months between each one. And it applies to the previous quarter. So, it’s actually six months. For example, say you’re waiting on sales numbers from a June release (coughcoughME!), you’ll be waiting until November.

For many of the big houses and imprints, the royalty statements only come TWICE a year. That’s every six months… for the previous six months. So yeah, a year’s wait. You can guestimate how much your sales are based on your Amazon sales ranking, but in the end only your publisher knows. (Unless of course you’re in self-publishing. Definitely a point that makes me consider it pretty regularly.)

But…

3) Remember There will always be more waiting!

Because then, you’ll start your next project and be back on sub again. This is the full circle moment because, if it doesn’t sell, if the contract never comes, if no agent decides they can sell your book right now, you’ll be in the same spot as the contracted writers will be eventually: Submitting the next project

It all starts again. The circle of publishing. It truly is enough to make a person want to pursue self-publishing. But in truth, if you step back from the anxiety, you’ll realize, IT’S FUN!

The thrill of the deal is intoxicating. It’s gambling. Because when the good news does come in, because it will, maybe not on this project or the next project, but sometime in the future, it gives you the fuel to keep going.

But take care of yourself in the meantime. Get comfy with the hurry up (as in making the writing and editing deadlines) and wait rhythm of the business. It’s just how it goes. Settle in for the long haul.

You’re in this for a whole career. Not just for one book.

Robin Lovett is a romance writer whose first series of dark romances released through St. Martin’s Press Swerve summer 2017. Her next series is a sci-fi erotic romance through Entangled Publishing. She loves to chat on Twitter @LovettRomance and every Sunday evening you can find her with other romance writers at #RWChat. She is represented by Rachel Brooks of BookEnds Literary Agency.

The post Three Ways to Survive Waiting in Publishing appeared first on DIY MFA.

How do we show romantic tension even when they’re away from each other?

Not a scene should go by where, once they’ve met, the lovers do not think of the other person. Or if they haven’t yet met, there’s a vacancy in their life that could be enriched by having someone. I prefer not to go a single page where there isn’t some reference to the character’s need for the relationship.

It stems from what is applicable to every novel in that the main character has a goal. In romance, there is both an external goal for the character (that’s for another article), but there is also an inherent need to love and be loved. That’s innate to human nature. In a romance, it just takes the form of romantic love.

The trick is that each time you mention the tension it must be different. It can never be the same. Also, the tension must increase with frequency and intensity as the novel progresses until they let go of their external goal temporarily for the sake of the relationship. There is also the intricate weaving difference between emotional and physical tension.

Each of those deserves an article until itself, so for this one, I’m going to go with, how to do it when they’re separated. And have it be different each time. Variety! No repetition. Make it fresh, and have every mention woven as organically into the plot and character’s internal dialogue as possible.

Expressing tension, or the character’s need for a lover, can come out in a variety of ways. How it’s done is unique to every writer, character, series, and subgenre.

1) Dialogue:

This is easy to do in trite and obvious ways: “Oh my god, I haven’t gotten laid in so long.” Or, “You need a woman in your life.” But when done subtly it can be very nice. People have conversations about their desire or need for a relationship all the time. Expressing discontent with one’s life or a desire for change. “How the hell am I going to make it through this?” Or, “Having the bravery to find someone new would be a start.” The emphasis on the needing, the longing in the person for a change—that’s where the meaty good stuff in tension comes from.

2) Internal thought

This is the most common. Often a character doesn’t want to admit how much they might be experiencing loneliness or how attracted they are to a person. Leaving it out of dialogue can actually make it even stronger. It creates conflict to have the character thinking and feeling things that are too strong for them to even express. It also creates a need for an intimate partner in their life that they can express those things with. Thoughts of interest in the person, just wondering about that person, reminding the reader they’re never far from their mind is imperative. Because it’s true. Once you meet someone you’re attracted to on an HEA potential kind of level, it’s near impossible to stop thinking about them.

3) Action or plot points

Characters will make choices that are different from normal if they’re attracted to a person. Go out with friends or not, have one drink or two, explore something new or sulk and stay home. Show the need for a relationship or the growing attachment to a person in every aspect of the character’s life. Once they meet someone they’re on their way to being in love with, their life is never the same.

4) Resistance

Tension can be expressed through a wanting, but it can also be expressed through resistance. Often a character will resist the romantic relationship that seems super obvious to the rest of us. This can also come in the guise of insecurity or pride. “I don’t need him. My life is perfectly fine without him.”

5) Something Is Missing

My favorite way to show relationship tension is by showing how their personal life isn’t quite as full as they’d like it to be. Having a character realize that something isn’t the same without the other person being there. Or, going after their personal goals feels anti-climactic without having the other person there to talk to about it.

6) Make it unique to the character

No two characters will do these things the same way. There’s variations in tone, language, substance. It changes with their personal interests, their intimate flaws, and their unique history.

I could go on. The variety of ways to express tension is endless.

Don’t do it the same. Otherwise, the reader gets bored. But do string the reader along with little drips and drops of tension on every page. That’s what makes for a book that readers can’t get enough of and has them dying to get to the HEA they know is coming.

Robin Lovett is a romance writer whose first series of dark romances released through St. Martin’s Press Swerve summer 2017. Her next series is a sci-fi erotic romance through Entangled Publishing. She loves to chat on Twitter @LovettRomance and every Sunday evening you can find her with other romance writers at #RWChat. She is represented by Rachel Brooks of BookEnds Literary Agency.

The post Six Ways to Create Romantic Tension appeared first on DIY MFA.

I recently went to the Romance Writers of America (RWA) 2017 National Conference and, in truth, I was really nervous about going. Social situations drain me and leave me pining for alone time with my laptop. I say wrong and awkward things at inopportune moments. I get strange looks frequently and spend hours afterward berating myself for saying something stupid.

Being social zaps energy from me and I don’t like it.

But I’m not the only one. I find comfort in reminding myself, even the most prominent editors and the most successful writers, would rather be at home working than having to “network.”

Here’s some basic things even I managed to figure out while “networking.”

1) Observe the situation. Read the room.

In any given social situation at a conference, some people will be standing or sitting in a closed off way. They’re having a private meeting and are not to be disturbed. Some people will have recently met or are there specifically to meet new people. They’ll be sitting or standing with a more open posture toward the room. Those are the people you can walk up to.

Also, observe the people as individuals. Sometimes, though not always, it’s possible to tell based on what they’re wearing and how they’re conversing, who the publishing professionals are in a room versus who the authors are. Authors who are friends will be in a different formation from a group of editors or an agent speaking to their clients. Notice these things.

2) Introduce yourself with something you have in common.

Everyone knows it’s hard to cold walk up to someone and say hi. Even the most famous, influential people know and respect how difficult that is. They were once newbies too. Make the situation as socially normal as possible.

Start with something general like, “how is your conference going?” or a compliment about something the person is wearing. (Most people think hard about what they wear to a conference, and there is almost always a story behind any given article of clothing or piece of jewelry.)

Talk about something normal. Do NOT under any circumstances jump right into, “I write this, and you should buy my book.” Wait for the invitation and permission to do so.

3) Make friends

That’s what we need the most in this industry: friends. Whether the person is someone you need to help your career now or will be in the future or just someone who is available in the moment, you never know when that person as a friend could come in handy. You never know when you’ll connect with someone in a personal way. Honestly, that’s what I love, when you meet someone and everything just clicks. You bond over something in an unexpected way and *spark* – you’re fast friends.

4) Wait for permission to start the sale

If you’re at a mixer specifically meant to pitch your book, you can jump into this more quickly, but generally, knowing when to talk about your writing takes a lot of patience. Waiting and looking for the opportune moment takes a lot of self-talk, including keeping your cool. Create the social connection first, then wait for the invitation before talking about your work.

5) Listen!

So often people go up to an important writer or pub professional and just start talking and talking. I know some people do this when they’re nervous, but try not to. Instead, ask questions. You’re there to LEARN from the people who’ve been in the writing business longer than you. Again, start with general social questions and gradually get into more specifics of writing and publishing if the conversation evolves that way.

6) Remember the contact

Exchanging business cards is great, but my favorite thing, since we always have our phones in hand, is to pull up my Twitter app and follow the person. Inevitably, business cards get lost or confused in the bag. Best to just follow right away. Then you can’t lose track of them. It’s also a potentially good topic of conversation when you get a glimpse at the person’s bio, “oh, you do ____?”

Do not do this if it’s a more well-known person who you should already be following on Twitter. If it’s a famous author, it’s okay afterward to pull a fan moment and tweet sweetly, “OMG I just met ___!” Most authors love being fanned over, as long as you’re not crazy about it. If it’s someone it’s not appropriate to fan over, a simple tweet of “it was nice to meet you today” the evening after your conversation is totally cool.

7) Be brave

Networking is a muscle. I found at the conference after a few days, it got easier. By day four, I was saying hello to people without a second thought. The important ones, like editors, agents and reviewers, are wary of being introduced to strangers. They get accosted a lot by people shoving their work in their faces. They’re dying for just normal social interaction, or they wouldn’t be out and walking about. A lot of these people will leave their name tags off on purpose to keep away the worst social attacks.

Motto: keep it normal!

It’s helpful to find your style. The way you feel comfortable approaching people won’t be the same as mine. But the only way to discover your own style is to just jump in and do it! Everyone gets nervous, just remember you’re not the only one.

Robin Lovett is a romance writer whose first series of dark romances releases through St. Martin’s Press Swerve summer 2017. Her next series will be sci-fi erotic romance through Entangled Publishing. She loves to chat on Twitter @LovettRomance and every Sunday evening you can find her with other romance writers at #RWChat. She is represented by Rachel Brooks of BookEnds Literary Agency.

The post Seven Networking Tips For (and from) a Socially Awkward Writer appeared first on DIY MFA.