Writing for Harlequin Mills & Boon

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver

Reading wise like 100,000 on Goodreads and other places I am embarking on the Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge which is to read n books in one year. Average is 70, I started off at 50 but due to an obsession with the delights of Librivox (freebies of varying qaulity see forums for hints) am at Book 49 and reading Book 50, so just got to make sure I make target by attempting again to read 3x books a week.
People on it have various goals to fit in with lifestyles and lives. Amazing!

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver

I am sure there are plenty of divorced Authors featured on The Gaurdian and other Literary pages, surely?

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver

There are Erotic Story Publishers as much as Romance. Google it , no shame, a well written bit of Erotica is a pleasure to read as much as Romance.

fellwalker09

Have just found this thread -how brilliant - I also write -aspire to be published I should say but I can always dream. The trick is to keep dreaming and some day you never know. Incidentally I've just completed an Open University degree in English Literature & Creative Writing. It was fantastic and I can really recommend it -the OU are great and they even have free mini courses in creative writing on Open Learn -things such as character creation/description/plot/dialogue etc. My creative writing was rather helpful also -it does equip you with some of the useful tools for writing but so did the literature courses. That said, it doesn't make me a great writer but it has helped me to write and keep going without 'drying up' or losing ideas etc and it has made me extremely critical of what I write and read. I'm now free to do what I want for the first time in 5 years and have just started to write my first novel. Have only ever written short stories/screen plays so it's a long slog ahead.

Anglea

Hi all

Crikey, the thread has been ultra busy since my last visit, welcome to all the new members :j

Congratulations for being picked for the anthology CM :T

Before I forget, Mrs Ryan, how are you getting on?

glowgirl_2

fellwalker09 wrote: »

Have just found this thread -how brilliant - I also write -aspire to be published I should say but I can always dream. The trick is to keep dreaming and some day you never know. Incidentally I've just completed an Open University degree in English Literature & Creative Writing. It was fantastic and I can really recommend it -the OU are great and they even have free mini courses in creative writing on Open Learn -things such as character creation/description/plot/dialogue etc. My creative writing was rather helpful also -it does equip you with some of the useful tools for writing but so did the literature courses. That said, it doesn't make me a great writer but it has helped me to write and keep going without 'drying up' or losing ideas etc and it has made me extremely critical of what I write and read. I'm now free to do what I want for the first time in 5 years and have just started to write my first novel. Have only ever written short stories/screen plays so it's a long slog ahead.

Welcome:D Thats interesting about The OU courses, good luck with your novel:)

pennyshahin_2

Hi I've started writing done about 50 pages had a bit of advance realised some of the mistakes that I was making, one question is how much of the book should you give away I think I gave to much away in the pologue( that is the bit at the beginning isn't it? and the reader does't have to use their imagination that much, I think that I've told them the story before they even start to read.

stsarina

Hi all, may I join?

I've been writing for about ten years now, but since having my daughter I've finally taken the leap and committed more time to it, and I'm starting to see it as a viable source of potential income. I've started to share my stories via Smashwords, and I've just had a short story selected for inclusion in a charity anthology.

I mainly write romance, particularly historical ones (the Regency era is a real passion for me!) and would love to be published by Harlequin or M&B some day, but one step at a time! I'm currently working on a supernatural romance by the name of 'The Devil's Lair', and I'm approaching the final chapters on that. May take a little break and write something different for a month or two once TDL is tied up and published; I've always fancied having a crack at some short psychological horrors, so I may see if I can get something ready for a Halloween release.

pennyshahin, I think you have to be really careful how much you give away at the beginning of your story. It's important to offer enough information to hook and tantalise your reader, but as you say, if you share too much with them early on, their attention can drift and you risk losing their interest. It is a difficult balance to strike. I tend to prefer to open with a big action scene as opposed to anything too 'wordy' or informative, then slowly weave in the details and plot after that.

cazmanian_minx, congratulations on having your story chosen for the anthology!

Hannah

pennyshahin_2

stsarina wrote: »

Hi all, may I join?

I've been writing for about ten years now, but since having my daughter I've finally taken the leap and committed more time to it, and I'm starting to see it as a viable source of potential income. I've started to share my stories via Smashwords, and I've just had a short story selected for inclusion in a charity anthology.

I mainly write romance, particularly historical ones (the Regency era is a real passion for me!) and would love to be published by Harlequin or M&B some day, but one step at a time! I'm currently working on a supernatural romance by the name of 'The Devil's Lair', and I'm approaching the final chapters on that. May take a little break and write something different for a month or two once TDL is tied up and published; I've always fancied having a crack at some short psychological horrors, so I may see if I can get something ready for a Halloween release.

pennyshahin, I think you have to be really careful how much you give away at the beginning of your story. It's important to offer enough information to hook and tantalise your reader, but as you say, if you share too much with them early on, their attention can drift and you risk losing their interest. It is a difficult balance to strike. I tend to prefer to open with a big action scene as opposed to anything too 'wordy' or informative, then slowly weave in the details and plot after that.

cazmanian_minx, congratulations on having your story chosebe bothered n for the anthology!

Hannah

Thanks for you help, I think that I can write but it's having the motivation, I've learnt a bit I THINK, I've never written a book before and had started to think can I really be bothered , I'm going to write it through Ryans eyes the main character rather than drift from one person to another-hopefully this will make it stronger and easier to follow for readers and not to be to descritive and to let the readers use their own imagination.

glowgirl_2

Hows the motivation going everyone? Its very hard not to get distracted isnt it?

I've done Chapter 1 including a rewrite and most of Chapter 2:D

How is everyone else getting on?

Welcome stsarina:) You say you see your writing as a viable source of income does that mean your getting paid through smashwords? or are you waiting for something else to happen? Best of luck and well done on being included in the charity anthology:T