Writing for Harlequin Mills & Boon

Anglea

freeoffers wrote: »

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

What if the members of an online writing thread found themselves with a real life mystery to solve?

That reminds me of something that did happen a few years ago in a health support group I was involved with. One of the members had a problem unrelated to the main issue and often talked about how poorly they were, with frequent hospital admissions.

Suddenly there was very bad news. His wife arrived on the site to tell us that he had died. We talked to her over several weeks. Then the message board shut down due to server problems.

So myself and a few others set up another site and one of the members who happened to have the same illness as the person that died, told us that they had seen that other person posting recently on the other health forum :mad:

We were all shocked as you can imagine, and went across to the other site to check up.

Then we posted direct on the forum what had happened so everyone on that site would know.

The 'dead person' then appeared back on our forum threatening us with legal costs etc saying he had no idea someone was posting in his name.

Never heard from them since.

glowgirl_2

Blimey Angela :huh: the joys of posting on a forum eh? :rotfl:

freeoffers

Anglea wrote: »

What if the members of an online writing thread found themselves with a real life mystery to solve?

Sounds like a good mystery to me, I'll be Poirot. Tell you what, there's something rather sick about pretending that someone is dead. It's so hard to know who is behind the keyboard these days. Maybe I'm thick but I don't understand why the 'deceased' would threaten anyone...maybe there's another mystery in there.

Maybe you've answered this but what genre do you think you'll choose when you return to writing.

Anglea

Hi all

freeoffers, re getting threatened legally, it didn't make sense because if he was telling the truth, his anger should be aimed at whoever stole his identity online not at the people who genuinely believed they were talking to him and his widow. That's why nothing seemed to add up.

Another variation of this -Jane, whose husband was very ill and had been helped out by her best friend's husband Tom (who was also her husband's good friend).

Tom's wife started putting messages online that implied Jane was after her husband. I didn't know any of this was going on in the background when I received an email from Tom's wife to say her account had been hacked. I thought it was strange that someone would have targeted just her and no-one else I knew. It was a few months before I found out the full story, by this time Jane had stopped all friendship with this woman. (names have been changed)

Have any of you heard of a website called mookie chick?

http://www.mookychick.co.uk/

The topics are very broad and written in a very upbeat and modern way, and plenty of very unusual subjects are covered as well as modern twists on the usual topics. There is health, beauty, art, hobbies, politics, crafts, feminism, cookery, fashion, spirituality, writing, reviews. Lots about steampunk, gothic etc.

The writer's don't get paid but I don't think that matters, as it would be a good place to get seen. The writer's submission guidelines are excellent with lots of suggestions and examples.

There is also a message board covering all the topics on the site and also have some on creative writing. I even noticed a thread for 'first novels' those that you read back and realise they are written in the MB style and don't suit whatever you were aiming for.

The website is asking for more writers.

I'm not sure if I literally want to write an article, but just as a excercise I'm going to think up some ideas.

ALIBOBSY

I can't believe this thread is here and I have never spotted it until this week!!

When I was growing up if I was asked what I.would do when I grew up it was be a writer-nothing else ever. I have an old teacher who made me promise to dedicate my first book to her-still see her around its a village on the edge of a small town so always bumping in to people we know lol. Picture a margaret rutherford/miss marple type and you got her she still keeps telling me to use my talent and get writing.
Other than a few poems and short stories published things petered out and then life got in the way.

One violent ex then a lovely current OH plus 4 kids later and I am still sat here wanting to be a professional writer. 40 this year and don't want another birthday as a non writer.

I have loads of ideas and old stories/starts of books stashed away and have this urge to "create", anyone else feel that drive even if it only a planning of stories in your mind.

This thread has inspired me to get back to actual writing rather than procrastinating about it. I always let things develop organically in the past, but think I need to try more planning to keep my ideas and me focused and on track-especially as I won't always be able to write when I want as have to fit around 4 kids and oh.

Thanks for the push guys

Ali x

SlopingBird

Has anyone else come across Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies (by Leslie Wainger)? I borrowed it from our local library last week and it's incredibly helpful - and inspiring. There's a great section called Avoiding the Dreaded Sagging Middle which is particularly useful. It's enthused me so much so that I've finally started to rejig my vet storyline, taking into account all the points that Leslie makes. I think I've got the basis of a half-decent storyline but the book has helped me to identify places where there could be potential problems. Definitely worth a read!

freeoffers

Hi Anglea

That's an interesting story, and rather weird. Not something I can quite get my head around. It's very interesting that you mention the website mookychick. I while back i was looking to do some writing online, just to try different styles. I worked as a journalist a year ago and the style is very different but it really helps you to think about the flow of your writing and the layout.

However, right now I actually write for a football newspaper. Its great to have your name in print and really gives you confidence, to think people are actually reading your work. I looked at mookychick. I know they accept guys but I think I'll stick to giving my irreverent opinion on football. For anyone interested in this though I think it does help your writing to try other things like this.

freeoffers

ALIBOBSY wrote: »

I can't believe this thread is here and I have never spotted it until this week!!

I always let things develop organically in the past, but think I need to try more planning to keep my ideas and me focused and on track-especially as I won't always be able to write when I want as have to fit around 4 kids and oh.

Thanks for the push guys

Ali x

Look and ye shall find!

As for how to plan things. I've read so many books that give advice on how to do things and how to plan. I always plan the start of my books and I usually know the end. However, the character reserves the right to take over and blow that out of the water.

In the end we all find a style that suits us.

One thing I would say is important to me is to do some writing everyday, even for half an hour. It keeps me moving forward.

Best wishes and keep posting your progress.

freeoffers

SlopingBird wrote: »

Has anyone else come across Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies (by Leslie Wainger)? I borrowed it from our local library last week and it's incredibly helpful - and inspiring. There's a great section called Avoiding the Dreaded Sagging Middle which is particularly useful. It's enthused me so much so that I've finally started to rejig my vet storyline, taking into account all the points that Leslie makes. I think I've got the basis of a half-decent storyline but the book has helped me to identify places where there could be potential problems. Definitely worth a read!

Interesting stuff slopingbird. I say this as a novelist who has had a few problems with the second half of books. Sometimes that momentum can slip in the middle.

Anglea

Hi Alibobsy welcome to the thread what type of writing to do you fancy doing?

SB - I haven't read that book. Interesting about the sagging middle because I often realised that although you've written a synopsis for a short story or book, there seems to be a lot of enthusiasm for the beginning and the end (tying up all the loose ends) but the middle can seem insubstantial or else you find too many storylines and it's easy to go off tangent.

Freeoffers - are you commenting on games or something else in your football newspaper?

Glowgirl - I haven't got round to adding that free software yet, however I've now have Word, so no excuses for me

Actually how that came about was interesting for me from a writing point of view. I had to write a report/essay and decided to do it straight in an email knowing I couldn't do it elsewhere. This meant that I couldn't spend ages deliberating over it and had to trust that it would be ok first time.

I sent it and didn't think anything more until Thursday when ex came over and I showed him a copy of the email because it concerned him. He said it was very good then remembered he had Word in his car and loaded it for me.

It made me think that if I have to do something there and then as in the email, I had a focus for a successful outcome NOW that I don't normally have with a word processor where it is easy to make drastic changes to the writing and even leave it for another time. This also makes it very easy to procrastinate.

It might also be the reason why some authors still use a manual typewriter.