Kate Walker's 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance (Aber Writers Guides) [Paperback]

Vince Mooney, Posted on the eHarlequin.com Community Boards Review for second edition Kate Walker's 12 Point Guide to Writing RomanceA" Is Probably: * The Best Single Book on Writing Romance * The Best Single Textbook For Teaching Romance Writing * The Most Useful Book for Published Romance Writers I must say to start that I've taken a very long time to read Kate Walker's 12 Point Guide to Writing RomanceA". That's because I can only read large type. I've had to read this book very slowly using a magnifying glass. If the book wasn't so consistently excellent, there is no way I would have finished it. Incidentally, I found it very educational to read a book so closely. It's like inspecting a house brick by brick. This is not a typical fan review. It is a professional review. I have been writing nonfiction for thirty years. I've written and edited manuals, created correspondence courses, and taught advertising copywriting in college. I run a real estate school so I know the crucial importance of having a good manual for each course you teach. I am also working on a book about the romance genre and have read at least 40 romance writing books during my research. (Some of the best are listed below.) I found Kate Walker's 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance to be unique among the many romance writing books that I've read. It is exceptionally well suited for three different purposes. First, if you were only going to read one romance writing book-to teach yourself how to write at home-this book offers the best coverage. It features many examples, checklists, questions, and, where appropriate, it offers other romance novels that provide additional examples on the romance writing concepts being discussed. Even more important Kate Walker, like all good teachers, is always pointing out what something being taught does not mean. Knowing what something does not mean is very important to a successful learning experience. My biggest problem teaching adults happens when the student thinks he or she already knows what you are trying to teach. These students close their minds and fail to learn. For example, almost every student knowsA" that the mortgagor is the lender and they are wrong. The lender is the mortgagee. Almost every student knowsA" that the broker representing the seller is the selling broker. But they are wrong, he's the listing broker. The selling brokerA" represents the buyer. As Will Rogers once said, "It's what we know that ain't so that gets us in trouble.A") It is very hard to undue what people know that isn't soA". Kate Walker not only states what a romance term or concept means, she also points out what it does not mean. This is invaluable if you are learning at home without a teacher. It is also invaluable for an inexperienced teacher as it provides excellent talking points to go over in class. Let me give you an example from the book found in chapter 2 on EmotionA". After stating what emotional punchA" is, the author goes on to demonstrate what the term does not mean.It does not mean, just arguing or shouting,A" endless crying,A" wallowing in self-pity,A" it is not manipulative,A" it is not just sentimentA" or clicheA", and so on. This house cleaningA", as I call it, goes on for pages. Teachers should love this book. Chapters include: Emotion, Conflict, Dialogue, Focus, Sensuality, Passion, Heroes, Heroines, Characterization and Heroines, Plotting, The Question WhyA"?, The Intense Black Moment, The Believable Happy Ending, Practicalities, and From the Author's Desks (advice from other romance authors). In other words, you are getting the full package here. The book is 265 pages long. --amazon.co.uk

Writers Guides: An Aber Series Here is how to become a published romance writer If you want to write romance and be a professional writer then this book is a must for you. Following on from the success of the first edition of this book, which won a major award, this guide explains what is meant by romance and takes you through the process of writing emotion and conflict. The author explains how dialogue should be natural between your heroine and her hero and she explains the difference between sensuality and passion. With an expanded text and more true insider-secrets this is a must for all writers of romance, whether professional or amateur. The book explains: * How to write emotion and create PTQ (page turning quality) in your novels * How to create conflict amidst your characters and why it is a major essential component in your novel. * Why dialogue is the lifeblood of your knowledge * How to make dialogue sound realistic * How to make your characters real * How to create the required sharp focus on your hero and heroine * How to develop supporting characters that work * Why flashbacks are important in some stories and how to create them in your novel. * Why sensuality is important and how you can develop sensuality between your hero and heroine * How to pace the development of the romance that is occurring between your hero and heroine * How to write the love scene between your hero and heroine and the importance of 'after' * The importance of the hero and his essential 'vital vulnerability'. * The filter role of the heroine for the reader * The heroine's 21st Century response to conflict * How to answer the question 'why?'