Writing for Harlequin Mills & Boon

freeoffers

Anglea wrote: »

Hi freeoffers, your book sounds like one I'd like to read, good luck on getting it published.

Have to admit that I'm also not really into romance anymore although I wrote most of a MB novel for a writing course years ago.

I used to write a lot long ago and had some articles and fiction published even got a book series commissioned but froze :mad: and backed out. I think I did that because it all happened so easily and quickly (the first person I spoke to) that I wasn't mentally prepared to get my idea accepted.

I always had a feeling that I would return to writing it that's why I've been a regular on this thread, and in the meantime my dad got his book published not long ago, so it's become like an itch that won't go away, I'm waiting for the right idea but I'm not looking for it otherwise I'll end up with too many and that used to paralyse me with too many choices.

Thanks for your kind words. You know, it's funny what you wrote, about freezing, being scared. What I mean is that I am really scared of success and really scared of failure!

If you didn't think you were ready then maybe it was for the best. Of course you'll never know now but we can only live in the present. So do you actually write? I mean short stories or anything?

I get ideas from the strangest situations. Many are rubbish but there's usually one that keeps shadowing me. So what do you do? I mean do you have like a substitute for writing? I have no idea what I'd do if I wasn't writing.

Have you been on any writing course lately? What did you think of courses in general and writing groups?

Anglea

Hi freeoffers,

No I don't write any more at all apart from long posts on forums I gave it right up and turned to art and crafts.

The creative writing courses I did were extremely good (all correspondence) and even though the last one was over 10 years ago I'm still in touch with the tutor who was exceptionally nice and very supportive.

I also did a diploma with the Institute of Copywriting. This was also very good for clarity and focus, and included writing radio and tv adverts.

This was followed by a course with The London School of Art for illustrated books, cartoons, etc. I didn't enjoy this because of the tutor who I found to be extremely critical instead of helpful.

I joined a writing group but left because the people were too weird and the meetings were like being back at school in the infants, fighting breaking out, you name it.

During my writing days I belonged to two online sites, Writing.com and Allpoetry (not certain of the name) - which was for all writing not just poetry, I still have some work left on that one as I lost the link for years and only just found it, suprised to see my writing still intact.

What is the idea that is shadowing you?

The_Write_Girl

If anyone on this thread is serious about writing, don't give up. I'm a journo and author and never, ever, in my four years of trying to get published did I ever contemplate giving up. You need to be really tough in this business.

LuckyLucy11

The way I write is at the moment I have two folders, each subdivided and labelled with the story name, not a title just a hook word like 'actress' or 'boss'.

There's a total of about 10 of these and through the day (since I don't work) I read novels and watch romantic dvd's and take down notes.

The stories I'm working on at the moment are:

1) High-flyer Melissa can only inherit her great aunts estate & fortune if she marries one of...(don't want to fully reveal this one)
2) Arrogant boss arrives at an all-women business and makes harsh changes, set in the seventies when women were fighting for equal working (and other) rights. Female co-boss falls in love with him despite peer pressure. (Not classed as historical, may not be to M&B guidelines, quite comical)
3) In a small French town a vicars son is rejected by a local girl, a witch takes refuge in the church bringing trouble but bargains with him to stay if she can make the girl fall in love with him. (Possibly M&B supernatural)
4) An Old Hollywood actress is cast by a famous director who has always secretly loved her. They have history together and her role deals with many personal issues which originally broke them up. They begin an affair.
5) A young sensitive woman enters a prize to treat herself after a bitter divorce and wins an African Safari for two, she takes her friend and there she meets a famous aid-worker who she eventually works alongside.
6) A girl seeking fame is cast as a weather girl on a popular Chicago sports TV show, she falls for the very buff director & they have a steamy affair.
7) A Princess falls in love with one of the prisoners in the tower. Sketchy.
8) A girl proposes to her lover on leap year in Paris, he turns her down but she's helped by a local French Chef who changes her whole life with food, clothes, dance etc.
9) Spanish man and his shrewish fiance are offered a wedding to be filmed for a documentary, they return to his native Barcelona and he reluctantly falls for a woman he is much better suited to.
10) A strict, aloof woman hires a music teacher for her daugher. They falls in love.

There are others such as doctors and policemen which I'm developing but if I see or read something which related to any of the above, usually moods or thoughts of the characters then I write it in note form and round the idea out when I type it up later.

I'm good at spotting things which any given character might think/feel/say/do but rubbish at research which I keep putting off.

freeoffers

Hi Anglea

Hopefully one day you will return to writing if you feel passionately enough about it. It’s great you’re still doing something creative. What type of arts and crafts?

Creative writing courses are great aren’t they? They really get you thinking about why you’re writing, at least that's what I found. One of my old tutors was great, she even wrote a book about how to write and though I only had her for a term, she said some things that have stuck with me to this day.

It’s great that you did a diploma in copywriting. Funnily enough, I have Joseph Sugarman’s book about copywriting and the art of selling fascinates me. Actually, once I’ve finished this book I need to read that and start making some money.

Some tutors can ruin courses by being too critical.
Writing groups...never been a part of one. I’ve heard good things about them and bad things. It’s hard when someone tries to dominate the group, especially if they’ve previously been published. Having said that I guess I would like to be part of a small group, or have just one person read my stuff. It’s a little more private.

You had fights at your writing group? Sounds quite funny. Did you stand on the sidelines and watch, or did you take part?

The idea I have isn’t fully formed yet because I’m trying to finish my book for the agent. What I usually do is write down basic storylines, do character profiles and plot the first few chapters. With this idea I’ve been lucky. I have the start and about 10 chapters because it all came to me one night.
I’ll tell you more in a PM when it’s a bit further down the line.

Enjoy your day.

freeoffers

LuckyLucy11 wrote: »

I'm good at spotting things which any given character might think/feel/say/do but rubbish at research which I keep putting off.

This isn't a bad thing because a lot of people spend a lot of time on research and not enough time writing. I've found that most of the research I do isn't even used in the book I've written.

Anglea

Hi LucyL. Thanks for posting your ideas, for anyone that is thinking of writing and has been reading this thread, it could give them some motivation to begin coming up with their own scenarios.

Hi The Write Girl thanks for your comments, hopefully, we've can stop glowgirl from giving up.

hi freeoffers, re the writing group.No, I didn't join in the fighting LOL. After tea, everyone was supposed to read an extract of their writing from the previous week and receive feedback.

However, there were screaming tantrums and fists banging the table over who was to read first, I've never come across anything like that in my life, because a lot of the people were quite elderly.

Not only that, but when I first arrived and said introduced myself, the man sitting next to me said 'that sounds German'. I replied I wasn't German and then he started asking me which part of Germany I came from and started drawing maps of a town in Germany where he knew someone and tried to locate their house and asked if I knew them. It was surreal.

On another week he gave me a lift home (we lived in a different village to the group location) and as he was driving cross country and I asked to get out the car to walk home, this was because he was being so obnoxious. I never returned to the group after that incident, it was all too weird. Since then I've had a few accidental meetings with that man and he told me he got his book published.

But it wasn't an entirely wasted experience, some of the characters I met could used in a story, poem or comedy sketch.

You sound very organised with your plans and I look forward to hearing more.

freeoffers

Your writing group sounds great. Very weird, but I like weird. However, if they argue about who should read first I doubt they'll get much done. There is a school of thought that suggests finding a good writing group is like finding a good partner, you have to look around. Haven't gotten much done this week, been watching the riots and now I have to go out when I would rather stay in. Wish me luck.

Anglea

Freeoffers, I hope you stay safe same for everyone else venturing out.

I was in the library today wishing for some inspiration - nothing

freeoffers

Sometimes the inspiration comes by asking yourself a question...like what if...

BTW London was eerily silent. The bus was empty and this was at 10.30. Very nice.

When I start my new book I'll gladly send you the synopsis if you like.