The Harlequin Dare Blitz wrapped on Friday, and we’re still fanning ourselves from your steamy submissions! We think it’s safe to say this writing blitz was a success. We received over 150 submissions from around the globe, including all over Europe, Australia and North America, as well as from the far reaches of Mauritius, South…
Category: Writing Tips
Harlequin Editors Give Some Plotting Advice!
Many years ago Harlequin’s UK office–aka Mills & Boon headquarters–ran the fabulous “New Voices” competition. The editors gave a lot of tips, and good advice never goes bad! We’ve repurposed some of it for you… Don’t let the Plot Get In the Way of the Story…. Have you ever wondered why you can’t get your…
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Advice from the Archives: How to Spot Problem Areas in Your Story
By Patience Bloom (from her blog) It happens to every romance writer. You have a polished piece of work in front of you, but you feel something isn’t quite right. Maybe you should go over it one more time. Maybe the editor will love it even though you kind of don’t. Does love matter if…
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How to Write an Alpha Hero
by Dana Grimaldi If you’ve been following the Dare Blitz, you already know how to write a Dare heroine. But what about the hero? Harlequin Dare is all about alpha males! And I’ve got some advice for creating the perfect alpha hero—someone so confident, complex and sexy that our editors will be fighting for the…
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Writing challenge: Let’s use the five senses!
By Deirdre McCluskey, Administrative Coordinator, Harlequin Series Many of you are preparing your submission for the Harlequin Dare Blitz which opens next Monday. Harlequin Dare is our sexiest series, featuring stories that focus on how the romance develops through the couple’s physical relationship. As we said in our post, “The Key to Writing Red-Hot Romance”,…
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Advice from the Archives: The Key to Writing Red-Hot Romance
We’ve reached into our archives to bring you SYTYCW’s top tips on writing sensual scenes. Thinking of submitting to the Dare blitz? Read on for a refresher on turning up the heat in your romance! Is opening the bedroom door on your hero and heroine the biggest challenge of writing a romance novel? Quite possibly.…
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How to Write a Daring Heroine
By: Katie Gowrie Welcome to Dare Week on SYTYCW! If you’ve been following, you know that this week we’re talking all things Harlequin Dare to introduce you to our newest and edgiest series yet! One of the series hooks we’re most excited about is the Dare heroine. Romance is continually changing to reflect a changing world,…
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How to Avoid Info-Dumping Your Awesome Research
by Katie Gowrie I’ve always thought one of the best things about reading a Harlequin romance is the cool facts you pick up along the way. Action, emotion, the chance to learn something new—all tied up with that feel-good HEA. We editors love a story that’s cradled by good research, be it settings, careers and…
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Advice from the Archives: Top 5 Reasons Why Revising Benefits You
By Carly Silver, Assistant Editor, Harlequin Romantic Suspense What’s the point of going over your novel again? After all, you worked so hard on it that it’s got to be perfect, right? Wrong! In fact, revising a manuscript absolutely essential to its success. Editors often ask their authors to retool their books many times. I…
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10 Things You Only Know If You’re a Romance Editor
Working in the romance fiction industry requires some very specialist skills. Read on for the Harlequin editors’ top 10 list! Our internet search histories are not for the fainthearted (or children). It can be weird when the author uses your name for the heroine…especially when things get steamy! Apparently, editing romance doesn’t qualify us as…