Download or read book Writing Romance in the 21st Century written by Vanessa Grant and published by . This book was released on 2019-05-24 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new, inclusive guide to planning and plotting romance novels in the 21st Century is written by Vanessa Grant, the author of 32 published romance novels with over 10 million copies of her books sold. Vanessa has been translated into 15 languages and has presented writers' workshops in Canada, the USA, Australia, and New Zealand. Her iconic guide WRITING ROMANCE was originally published in 1997, went into subsequent editions in 2001 and 2007. Whether you're new to writing or a published author; whether you're a Plotter or a Panster, this new guide to plotting and planning romantic fiction demonstrates creative strategies for using your own personality and experiences to create powerful characters who evoke strong emotions in both you as the writer, and your readers. Romantic fiction has become more inclusive in the 21st century, reflecting a growing acceptance of the diversity of race, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Despite all these changes, the heart of romance remains unchanged. Romantic love features in almost all our fiction and in our ballads, poetry, movies, and dreams. Half of all paperbacks sold are romance novels, stories in which human individuals struggle to overcome the obstacles to their romantic love. The need to love and be loved is deeply embedded in our DNA and our brains. When we love and are loved, we become stronger and we live longer, forging bonds for a lifetime. Whatever kind of romance you want to write, and whether romance is the primary focus of your story or a sub-plot for your mystery, science fiction, fantasy, historical or futuristic novel - the 21st century is calling on you to create a story with characters readers can believe in; characters who are emotionally and psychologically true. Praise for previous editions of Vanessa Grant's Writing Romance ... "Essential for all aspiring romance writers." -- Jo Beverley, best-selling romance author. "It's by far the best writing book I've ever read. Five stars for Vanessa." -- The Writer's Markets Report, National Writers Monthly "Writing Romance is a kind of how-to-do-it-yourself romance writer's workshop under one cover and will reward the serious reader by [offering] helpful, practical advice so necessary to successfully break into print in the romance field. Highly Recommended!" - Midlist Book Review "Writing Romance is a thoroughly professional guide to a business that generates close to $1 billion a year." -- Canadian Book Review Annual

Download or read book Writing 21st Century Fiction written by Donald Maass and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2012-10-16 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Capture the minds, hearts, and imaginations of 21st century readers! Whether you're a commercial storyteller or a literary novelist, whether your goal is to write a best-selling novel or captivate readers with a satisfying, beautifully written story, the key to success is the same: high-impact fiction. Writing 21st Century Fiction will help you write a novel for today's readers and market, filled with rich characters, compelling plots, and resonant themes. Author and literary agent Donald Maass shows you how to: • Create fiction that transcends genre, conjures characters who look and feel more "real" than real people, and shows readers the work around them in new ways. • Infuse every page with an electric current of emotional appeal and micro-tension. • Harness the power of parallels, symbols, metaphors, and more to illuminate your novel in a lasting way. • Develop a personalized method of writing that works for you. With an arsenal of thought-provoking prompts and questions, plus plenty of examples from best-selling titles, Writing 21st Century Fiction will strip away your preconceived notions about writing in today's world and give you the essential tools you need to create fiction that will leave both readers and critics in awe.

Download or read book How to Fall in Love with Anyone written by Mandy Len Catron and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2017-06-27 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A beautifully written and well-researched cultural criticism as well as an honest memoir” (Los Angeles Review of Books) from the author of the popular New York Times essay, “To Fall in Love with Anyone, Do This,” explores the romantic myths we create and explains how they limit our ability to achieve and sustain intimacy. What really makes love last? Does love ever work the way we say it does in movies and books and Facebook posts? Or does obsessing over those love stories hurt our real-life relationships? When her parents divorced after a twenty-eight year marriage and her own ten-year relationship ended, those were the questions that Mandy Len Catron wanted to answer. In a series of candid, vulnerable, and wise essays that takes a closer look at what it means to love someone, be loved, and how we present our love to the world, “Catron melds science and emotion beautifully into a thoughtful and thought-provoking meditation” (Bookpage). She delves back to 1944, when her grandparents met in a coal mining town in Appalachia, to her own dating life as a professor in Vancouver. She uses biologists’ research into dopamine triggers to ask whether the need to love is an innate human drive. She uses literary theory to show why we prefer certain kinds of love stories. She urges us to question the unwritten scripts we follow in relationships and looks into where those scripts come from. And she tells the story of how she decided to test an experiment that she’d read about—where the goal was to create intimacy between strangers using a list of thirty-six questions—and ended up in the surreal situation of having millions of people following her brand-new relationship. “Perfect fodder for the romantic and the cynic in all of us” (Booklist), How to Fall in Love with Anyone flips the script on love. “Clear-eyed and full of heart, it is mandatory reading for anyone coping with—or curious about—the challenges of contemporary courtship” (The Toronto Star).

Download or read book Romancing the Beat written by Gwen Hayes and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What makes a romance novel a romance? How do you write a kissing book?Writing a well-structured romance isn't the same as writing any other genre-something the popular novel and screenwriting guides don't address. The romance arc is made up of its own story beats, and the external plot and theme need to be braided to the romance arc-not the other way around.Told in conversational (and often irreverent) prose, Romancing the Beat can be read like you are sitting down to coffee with romance editor and author Gwen Hayes while she explains story structure. The way she does with her clients. Some of whom are regular inhabitants of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists.Romancing the Beat is a recipe, not a rigid system. The beats don't care if you plot or outline before you write, or if you pants your way through the drafts and do a "beat check" when you're revising. Pantsers and plotters are both welcome. So sit down, grab a cuppa, and let's talk about kissing books.

Download or read book Thanks for the Trouble written by Tommy Wallach and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-02-23 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A unique story about first—and last—loves from the celebrated and bestselling author of We All Looked Up. Parker Santé hasn’t spoken a word in five years. While his classmates plan for bright futures, he skips school to hang out in hotels, killing time by watching the guests. But when he meets a silver-haired girl named Zelda Toth, a girl who claims to be quite a bit older than she looks, he’ll discover there just might be a few things left worth living for.

Download or read book Write Naked written by Jennifer Probst and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-03-31 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Learn how to transform your passion for writing into a career. New York Times best-selling author Jennifer Probst reveals her pathway to success, from struggling as a new writer to signing a seven-figure deal. Write Naked intermingles personal essays on craft with down-to-earth advice on writing romance in the digital age. Probst will teach you how to: • Commit to your current work-in-progress, get focused, and complete it on schedule • Reveal raw emotions and thoughts on the page to hook your readers • Assemble a street team to promote and celebrate your books • Overcome writer's block with ease • Develop themes that tie together your books and series • Write the most difficult elements of romance--including sex scenes--with skill and style Regardless of the genre, every novelist faces a difficult task. Creating authentic characters and an engaging plot are challenging enough. But attempting to break into the hotter-than-ever romance genre, which is constantly flooded with new titles and fresh faces? It can feel impossible. This is where Probst's Write Naked comes in. To survive--and thrive--you need the help and wisdom of an expert. Written in Probst's unmistakable and honest voice, Write Naked is filled with the lessons and craft advice every writer needs in order to carve out a rewarding career.

Download or read book DIY MFA written by Gabriela Pereira and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2016-07-08 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Get the Knowledge Without the College! You are a writer. You dream of sharing your words with the world, and you're willing to put in the hard work to achieve success. You may have even considered earning your MFA, but for whatever reason--tuition costs, the time commitment, or other responsibilities--you've never been able to do it. Or maybe you've been looking for a self-guided approach so you don't have to go back to school. This book is for you. DIY MFA is the do-it-yourself alternative to a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing. By combining the three main components of a traditional MFA--writing, reading, and community--it teaches you how to craft compelling stories, engage your readers, and publish your work. Inside you'll learn how to: • Set customized goals for writing and learning. • Generate ideas on demand. • Outline your book from beginning to end. • Breathe life into your characters. • Master point of view, voice, dialogue, and more. • Read with a "writer's eye" to emulate the techniques of others. • Network like a pro, get the most out of writing workshops, and submit your work successfully. Writing belongs to everyone--not only those who earn a degree. With DIY MFA, you can take charge of your writing, produce high-quality work, get published, and build a writing career.

Download or read book A 21st Century Courtesan written by Eden Bradley and published by Delta. This book was released on 2009 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A world of silk sheets, imported champagne, and endless delight await in A 21st Century Courtesan. She fulfills the deepest fantasies of the most powerful men in the world. Sensual, seductive, and discreet, Valentine Day is a high-class call girl, pampered and adored by her exclusive clientele. But Valentine has a secret. Always in control, she's never experienced true pleasure outside of her work. But all that is about to change. Now the woman who's spent a decade pleasuring others is about to embark on a journey of her own. It happens one night at the opera. Seated next to her in the dark is a stranger. As the music swells so does the sexual tension. Gorgeous, sophisticated Joshua Spencer invites her for a drink, and soon she's fantasizing about taking him home. When they finally come together in the most tender and intense lovemaking Valentine has ever known, she's hooked. But suddenly Valentine is questioning everything. Joshua has no idea what she does for a living. Can she risk everything--including her hard-earned freedom and one final, shattering secret--for one man? And would he still want her if he knew the truth? A 21st Century Courtesan is intended for mature audiences.

Download or read book Modern Romance written by Aziz Ansari and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2016-06-14 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The #1 New York Times Bestseller “An engaging look at the often head-scratching, frequently infuriating mating behaviors that shape our love lives.” —Refinery 29 A hilarious, thoughtful, and in-depth exploration of the pleasures and perils of modern romance from Aziz Ansari, the star of Master of None and one of this generation’s sharpest comedic voices At some point, every one of us embarks on a journey to find love. We meet people, date, get into and out of relationships, all with the hope of finding someone with whom we share a deep connection. This seems standard now, but it’s wildly different from what people did even just decades ago. Single people today have more romantic options than at any point in human history. With technology, our abilities to connect with and sort through these options are staggering. So why are so many people frustrated? Some of our problems are unique to our time. “Why did this guy just text me an emoji of a pizza?” “Should I go out with this girl even though she listed Combos as one of her favorite snack foods? Combos?!” “My girlfriend just got a message from some dude named Nathan. Who’s Nathan? Did he just send her a photo of his penis? Should I check just to be sure?” But the transformation of our romantic lives can’t be explained by technology alone. In a short period of time, the whole culture of finding love has changed dramatically. A few decades ago, people would find a decent person who lived in their neighborhood. Their families would meet and, after deciding neither party seemed like a murderer, they would get married and soon have a kid, all by the time they were twenty-four. Today, people marry later than ever and spend years of their lives on a quest to find the perfect person, a soul mate. For years, Aziz Ansari has been aiming his comic insight at modern romance, but for Modern Romance, the book, he decided he needed to take things to another level. He teamed up with NYU sociologist Eric Klinenberg and designed a massive research project, including hundreds of interviews and focus groups conducted everywhere from Tokyo to Buenos Aires to Wichita. They analyzed behavioral data and surveys and created their own online research forum on Reddit, which drew thousands of messages. They enlisted the world’s leading social scientists, including Andrew Cherlin, Eli Finkel, Helen Fisher, Sheena Iyengar, Barry Schwartz, Sherry Turkle, and Robb Willer. The result is unlike any social science or humor book we’ve seen before. In Modern Romance, Ansari combines his irreverent humor with cutting-edge social science to give us an unforgettable tour of our new romantic world.

Download or read book Writing a Romance Novel For Dummies written by Victorine Lieske and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2023-01-16 with total page 391 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Get your romance (writing) on! Writing a Romance Novel For Dummies is the only reference aspiring writers need to get their careers off to the right start. Fully updated to reflect the industry's latest trends and secrets, this book helps you understand what makes a great novel, so you can hone your craft and write books people want to read. We break down the romance subgenres, give you expert tips on plotting and pacing, and walk you through the process of finding an agent and getting published in today’s competitive market—or self-publishing like many six-figure authors are doing. For aspiring writers longing to find success in the industry, Writing a Romance Novel For Dummies is easy to read, highly informative, and a must-have! Refine your writing to craft engaging stories readers can’t put down Find a route to publication that works for you—mainstream, or self-published Understand the ins and outs of the romance genre and its subgenres Learn how to get your work noticed in the popular world of romantic fiction This Dummies guide is perfect for beginning writers who want advice on writing and publishing a successful romance novel. It’s also a great reference for accomplished writers looking to level up their romance game.

Download or read book Conflict and Colonialism in 21st Century Romantic Historical Fiction written by Hsu-Ming Teo and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2024-06-13 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores how postmillennial Anglophone women writers use romantic narrativisations of history to explore, revise, repurpose and challenge the past in their novels, exposing the extent to which past societies were damaging to women by instead imagining alternative histories. The novelists discussed employ the generic conventions of romance to narrate their understanding of historical and contemporary injustice and to reflect upon women’s achievements and the price they paid for autonomy and a life of public purpose. The volume seeks, firstly, to discuss the work of revision or reparation being performed by romantic historical fiction and, secondly, to analyse how the past is being repurposed for use in the present. It contends that the discourses and genre of romance work to provide a reparative reading of the past, but there are limitations and entrenched problems in such readings.

Download or read book Romance Writing written by Lynne Pearce and published by Polity. This book was released on 2007-01-05 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Romance Writing explores the changing nature of both the romance genre and the discourse of romantic love from the seventeenth century to the present day. Indeed, it is one of the first studies to approach romantic love as both genre and discourse in more than sixty years. Faced with the challenge of writing a cultural history for what is commonly understood to be one of lifes most universal, a-historical and cross-cultural phenomena, Lynne Pearce has invoked the concept of the gift to calculate loves added value at different cultural/historical moments. Building upon those philosophical traditions which have argued for the powerfully transformative nature of romantic love, Pearce shows how in the history of literature lovers have utilized its spark to change not only themselves, but also their worlds, through acts of creativity and heroism. The gift of love ranges from the simple gift of a name in the seventeenth century, through notions of immortality, self-sacrifice and selfhood in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, through to the liberating temporal and spatial dislocations of the postmodern age. The opening chapter, The Alchemy of Love, also undertakes an in-depth engagement of the changing nature, and meaning, of romantic love. Providing a judicious blend of close reading and cultural history, Romance Writing will be essential reading for undergraduate students as well as postgraduates and scholars working in the field, while also offering much of interest to the general reader.

Download or read book The Virgin and the Viscount written by Charis Michaels and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2016-07-05 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Virgin Lady Elisabeth Hamilton-Baythes has a painful secret. At fifteen, she was abducted by highwaymen and sold to a brothel. But two days later, she was rescued by a young lord, a man she’s never forgotten. Now, she’s devoted herself to save other innocents from a similar fate. The Viscount Bryson Courtland, Viscount Rainsleigh, never breaks the rules. Well, once, but that was a long time ago. He’s finally escaped his unhappy past to become one of the wealthiest noblemen in Britain. The last thing he needs to complete his ideal life? A perfectly proper wife. The Unraveling When Bryson and Elisabeth meet, he sees only a flawless candidate for his future wife. But a distant memory calls to him every time he’s with her. Elisabeth knows she’s not the wife Bryson needs, and he is the only person who has the power to reveal her secret. But neither can resist the devastating pull of attraction, and as the truth comes to light, they must discover that an improper love is the truest of all.

Download or read book Love Unscripted written by Owen Nicholls and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2020-02-11 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Owen Nicholls’ Love, Unscripted follows film projectionist Nick as he tries to understand the difference between love on the silver screen and love in real life. Perfect for fans of rom-coms, David Nicholls and Nick Hornby. For film projectionist Nick, love should mirror what he sees on the big screen. And when he falls for Ellie on the eve of the 2008 presidential election, it finally does. For four blissful years, Nick loved Ellie as much as he loved his job splicing film reels together in the local cinema. Life seemed . . . picture-perfect. But now it’s 2012, Ellie has moved out and Nick’s trying to figure out where it all went wrong. With Ellie gone and his life far from the happy ending he imagined, Nick wonders if their romance could ever again be as perfect as it was the night they met. Can love really be the way it is in the movies?

Download or read book Engaging 21st Century Writers with Social Media written by Bryant, Kendra N. and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2016-08-23 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Basic composition courses have become a fundamental requirement for the major of university degrees available today. These classes allow students to enhance their critical thinking, writing, and reading skills; however, frequent use of technology and online activity can be detrimental to students’ comprehension. Engaging 21st Century Writers with Social Media is a pivotal reference source for the latest research on the integration of social media platforms into academic writing classes, focusing on how such technology encourages writing and enables students to grasp basic composition skills in classroom settings. Highlighting emerging theoretical foundations and pedagogical practices, this book is ideally designed for educators, upper-level students, researchers, and academic professionals.

Download or read book Mixed Up Love written by Jon M. Sweeney and published by Jericho Books. This book was released on 2013-10-15 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dating, commitment, kids, and family--it's all hard work, and when you come from different religious backgrounds it's even harder. Jon, a Catholic writer, and Michal, a Reconstructionist rabbi, live out the challenges of an interfaith relationship everyday as husband and wife, and as parents to their daughter Sima, who is being raised Jewish. In MIXED-UP LOVE, the couple explores how interfaith relationships impact dating, weddings, holidays, raising children, and family functions--and how to not just cope, but thrive. This is an engaging and practical resource for singles who are considering dating outside their own faith, couples in interfaith relationships, relatives and friends of "mixed" couples who seek information and understanding, and parents desiring a fresh perspective. With clarity, insight, and humor, Sweeney and Woll demonstrate how to engage with your partner, family, and faith like never before.

Download or read book The Earl Next Door written by Charis Michaels and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2016-03-01 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: USA Today Bestseller American heiress Piety Grey is on the run. Suddenly in London and facing the renovation of a crumbling townhouse, she’s determined to make a new life for herself—anything is better than returning to New York City where a cruel mother and horrid betrothal await her. The last thing she needs is a dark, tempting earl inciting her at every turn… Trevor Rheese, the Earl of Falcondale, isn’t interested in being a good neighbor. After fifteen years of familial obligation, he’s finally free. But when the disarmingly beautiful Piety bursts through his wall—and into his life—his newfound freedom is threatened…even as his curiosity is piqued. Once Piety’s family arrives in London, Falcondale suddenly finds himself in the midst of a mock courtship to protect the seductive woman who’s turned his world upside down. It’s all for show—or at least it should be. But if Falcondale isn’t careful, he may find a very real happily ever after with the woman of his dreams… An Avon Romance