Writer’s Relief! Help for Aspiring Authors
By Adrienne deWolfe
“Is there some deep, dark secret to getting published? Why won’t an editor buy my book?”
Believe me, I can empathize with the pain of aspiring authors! Even after I’d achieved success as a business writer and had earned prestigious non-fiction awards, I still couldn’t figure out how to bust through the fiction barrier. It took me 10 years to learn how to write commercial, book-length fiction well enough to get my debut novel, Texas Outlaw, bought by Bantam Books.
For me, the great “A-Ha” that eventually led to the publication of Texas Outlaw came when a published Romance author looked at my manuscript and pointed out, line by line, how to correct a Romance editor's vague criticisms (such as, “There’s not enough conflict in this scene").
I was blessed early in my career to have wonderful mentors. I started writing in Houston, Texas, which was a hotbed for Historical Romance novelists, including Susan Wiggs, Barbara Dawson Smith, and Christina Dodd.
After I moved to Austin, I was invited to join a critique group that included Harlequin authors Patricia Wynn, Cara West, and Pamela Ingram.
I am absolutely certain that I would NOT be published today if these talented Romance writers had not given so generously of their time and knowledge. I vowed that I would someday give back to the writing community the way my mentors had given to me.
That is why I developed my website, WritingNovelsThatSell.com. That’s why I offer professional story critiques and private coaching to fiction writers. And that’s why I teach fiction writers how to recognize the difference between a “valid” writing criticism and an Urban Myth or a “personal prejudice.”
My passion is to help aspiring authors live their publishing dream. To that end, I’ve been busy writing how-to books for commercial fiction writers!
The Secrets of Getting Your Romance Novel Published is a series that is being released this summer for e-readers. The series is also available in pdf format for those of you who prefer a hard copy. Book I, How to Write Wildly Popular Romances, features the genre’s 14 bestselling story archetypes, as well as 8 story plot taboos that are prohibited in most Romance novels.
Other books in the series include, How to Write Romance Heroes with Sex Appeal, and How to Write Sensual Love Scenes.
Be sure to drop by WritingNovelsThatSell.com to enter my raffles to celebrate my summer-long book tour!
In the meantime, keep the faith, and keep writing!
About Adrienne deWolfe
Originally published by Bantam and Avon Books, Adrienne deWolfe’s five novels have won 9 awards, including the Best Historical Romance of the Year. She is currently writing her 6th Romance, An Imperfect Angel (Book III in her Naughty or Nice Series,) which will be available for e-readers this Autumn. To learn about Adrienne’s other historical Romances (scheduled for release this year), visit her virtual home, WritingNovelsThatSell.com, or subscribe to her newsletter. You can also follow Adrienne on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus.
Thank you so much to Adrienne deWolfe for this wonderful guest post and Reading Addiction for making it possible.
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