jennaharte
by jennaharte
Writing a Romance Setting that Readers Don’t Skip
April 4, 2023 in Blog, Video, Writing Romance
Elmore Leonard provided sage writing advice when he said, “Try to leave out the parts people skip.”
You may believe that every word in your novel is important and no read would dare skip it, but consider your own reading; are there passages you pass over? What are they? If you’re like me, they’re usually about setting.
The problem is that setting is important to the story. So how can you orient your reader to your story without writing content they’re going to skip over?
Read below the video for a text version of this video.
Tips on Writing Setting that Doesn’t Get Skipped
Settings and descriptions provide an important cue to orient your reader to where, what, and when of your story.
The setting you put your character in gives the reader:
- Location – Where the story is taking place including the city or the grocery store.
- Season – What time of year the story is occurring?
- Time of day – Is the character skulking about at midnight or just rolling out of bed in the morning?
- Mood and atmosphere – Is it foggy? Hot and humid?
- Era – Is this a historical, contemporary or futuristic story?
- Population – What other people are around?
- Social/Cultural influences – What is going on in society that impacts the story and character?
If readers didn’t know that Pride & Prejudice took place in the early 1800s, when women couldn’t inherit property, Mrs. Bennet and the girls would look like gold-diggers
But, before you use this list to write your setting, remember that setting descriptions are often the things reader skip.
Why?
Some might call them boring, but the real reason they’re skipped is because they take the reader out of the story. If you have your readers on a wonderful ride through your book, they don’t want to be interrupted to be told about the trees. And yet, maybe those trees play an important part in the story. So what can you do?
The good news is, you can write setting in a way that keeps your reader in the story.
What do readers need to know?
Do readers need to know if they’re in regency England or Manhattan today? Is it dead of winter or the beauty of spring? Is the location opulent or sparse. Does any of this matter to telling the story or revealing the character?
The first step to writing setting is determining what the important elements are. What do readers need to know and experience in the setting to enhance the story and help the story to make sense? How does the setting impact the character or plot?
The thing to remember is that you only need to provide enough setting to ground the reader. Some writers like to spend a great deal of time describing brocade upholstery or the varying colors of leaves on the trees, but those descriptions are only important if they factor into the story and your character. Would your character notice brocade or leave colors?
Experience setting through your POV character’s senses.
Many authors use telling and an omniscient or distant POV narrator to provide information on the setting. For example:
Suzy stood at the end of the long drive. The hot humid air hung heavy. The tree-lined drive wound up toward colonial home, with its pristine white columns standing as proud as it had when it was built over a hundred years before.
This isn’t bad and your reader won’t necessarily skip it, but contrast it with the next example:
Suzy stood at the end of the long drive. She pulled her shirt away from her damp skin as a trickle of sweat dripped down the center of her back. Even this early in the morning, the heat and humidity felt like a sauna.
In the example above, we learn it’s hot and humid, not from being told by the author, but from Suzy’s experience with it. You may recognize this as show, instead of tell.
It’s not enough for Suzy to think or say, “Boy, it’s hot and humid,” although you can use dialogue or thought. Instead, the passage uses Suzy’s senses to have the reader vicariously experience it. What does it feel like when it’s hot and humid?
Overlay your POV characters personality and attitude.
Believe it or not, some people don’t mind heat and humidity. Others hate it. Having setting and description filtered through the POV character not only orients the reader to the setting, but also provides information about the character.
Here is the full sample about Suzy in which we learn about the weather, the location, and some of Suzy’s thoughts about the situation.
Suzy stood at the end of the long drive. She pulled her shirt away from her damp skin as a trickle of sweat dripped down the center of her back. Even this early in the morning, the heat and humidity felt like a sauna.
She blew out a breath, willing herself on the last part of her journey, and started up the drive, hoping she wouldn’t twist an ankle in her 3-inch Jimmy Choos on the white crushed shell gravel. She estimated a half-mile walk to the main house and was grateful for the mature oak trees lining the road that offered shade from the oppressive heat.
As she neared the pre-revolutionary home, standing like a jewel in the green rolling piedmont, its pristine columns shining as if they’d just been painted, she felt like she was walking back in time, and half expected footman to greet her.
Please note, that I just made all this up on the fly, so, much can be done to improve it. But I think you can see the point I’m trying to make. In the first example, we’re told about the setting, whereas in the second, we discover it through Suzy’s experience. We also learn a few things about Suzy.
Having setting revealed through your character is less likely to get skipped because action is taking place while we’re being oriented to setting: Suzy is walking up a long drive to a house.
Use Action
You can reveal setting by how your character reacts to it. Pulling her coat tighter around her would indicate it’s cold. In the Suzy example, she tugs at her shirt to get some air.
Use Dialogue or Thoughts
You want to be careful with this one. Done wrong, your dialogue or thoughts can be as boring as an omniscient narrator in providing setting. Why? Because it’s being used to info dump. Everything in your writing should work to drive the story. Having your character describe the setting for no other reason than to give setting can be boring.
Boy, it’s hot on this tree-lined gravel driveway.
Snore.
But what if Suzy was on her cell phone?
Suzy stood at the end of the long drive on her cell phone, letting Joe know she’d finally arrived. She pulled her shirt away from her damp skin as a trickle of sweat dripped down the center of her back. “Boy, it feels like a sauna here.”
“You’re almost there.”
Not quite. It had to be a half mile to the house!
Suzy blew out a breath, willing herself on the last part of her journey, and started up the white crushed gravel drive. “Hope I don’t twist an ankle. I wore my Jimmy Choos.”
“Stop whining.”
Suzy continued up the drive, grateful for the mature oak trees lining the road that offered shade from the oppressive heat. Each step brought her closer to pre-revolutionary home, standing like a jewel in the green rolling piedmont, its pristine columns shining as if they’d just been painted.
“Wow, this house is something. I feel like I’m walking back in time.”
Again, this isn’t perfect, but hopefully it shows you how to incorporate setting into the story, instead of interrupting story to tell about setting.
Do you have tips for writing setting that doesn’t get skipped? Let me know in the comments below.
Want to grab the Romance Author’s Novel Organizer mentioned in the video? You can get the print or PDF version here.
by jennaharte
Maximizing Your Romance Novel’s Reach through Word of Mouth
March 28, 2023 in Blog, Marketing, Video
It’s no secret that book recommendations carry significantly more weight than other methods readers use to discover books. HubSpot reports that 75% of people don’t believe advertisements, yet 90% trust suggestions from family and friends, and 70% trust consumer reviews.
Look at the BookTube and BookTok influence on reading. I can’t tell you how many books I’ve bought because I saw them recommended online. Colleen Hoover is a prime example of the sales word-of-mouth can creat. In 2022, Colleen Hoover books outsold the Bible. When asked about her success, she reported, “It’s not me. The readers are controlling what is selling right now.” (New York Times article)
Even better, recommendations are free, making word-of-mouth the best way to promote your book. The challenge is how to get readers talking about your book?
Read the text version below the video.
Get the Basics Right
Like all marketing strategies, there are a few basics you need in place to build word-of-mouth marketing success.
What You Offer:
1. A quality book. This goes beyond a great story, to include professional packaging that attracts readers. That means editing, professional cover design, and a blurb that creates interest and excitement.
2. A way for people to find you. Of course, being available for sale on Amazon and/or other retailers is a big part of this. But beyond that, readers need to find you via a website and social media.
3. A way to engage with you. Today’s consumers like to interact with businesses (as an author, you’re a business). They want to be heard and feel involved with you. Social media and an email list both help you achieve this.
Your Ideal Reader:
Once you have your product, a place to buy it, and a way to connect with you, you need to find your readers. To do that:
1. Know who your ideal reader is. The romance market is HUGE, but not all romance readers like all types of romance books. I don’t read much historical romance. I hate the secret child trope (I feel awful for the father and can’t get over how much time he’s lost with his child). Many readers will consume a variety of romance subgenres, while others stick to just one. Find out who is the reader for your book.
2. Find out where your ideal reader is at. TikTok is the place to be for millennial romance readers. There’s just no getting around it unless TikTok is banned in the U.S. Of course, millennials aren’t the only readers out there. You’ll find an older demographic on Facebook.
But social media isn’t your only resource for finding readers. What does your ideal reader read or where does she go to learn about romance books? Blogs? Podcasts? The bookstore? Book events?
3. Appeal to the reader when you find them. Once you know where the reader is, you need to go there and put something in front of them that will attract them to your book. If you’re advertising on Facebook, you want a graphic and text that makes your reader take notice. If you’re in a romance readers group, you want to join in as a member, engaging with other readers in a fun and positive way.
Step three is all about marketing, a ginormous topic. Here are a few ideas you can use:
Social Media: Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are powerful tools for increasing the reach of your romance novel. You can share news, updates, and sample chapters with your followers. Take advantage of the tools each platform offers, such as hashtags, polls, and contests to further engage your audience. You can also can use these platforms to build relationships with other authors and influencers who can help you spread the word.
Content Marketing: Content includes blog posts, articles, podcasts, and videos. You can create content about the main characters’ backstories or motivations, articles exploring the themes of your novel, and video recordings that provide a closer look at the plot and settings. Additionally, you can use this content to engage readers and build relationships with them.
Free and Paid Advertising: At one time, Facebook ads were the be-all-end-all to marketing. While I’m still having some success with it, it’s not the juggernaut that it used to be. Other ad options include Amazon, Bookbub, and TikTok, as well as through reader discovery resources like My Romance Reads, Free Booksy and more.
Free options take time to enact, but can be quite successful. This includes promoting your book on ebook directories and listing sites. (I have a large list of book promotion resources in the Member’s section of Write with Harte. Reminder…membership is free!).
Book and Author Events: I’m a huge fan of live events. You’ll generally do better if you can get on a panel so attendees can see you and learn about you.
Word of Mouth Marketing
Once you have your platform in place and are reaching out to readers, it’s time to have those readers start talking about you. This is no easy feat. A reader may love your book, but may not tell anyone. Still, there are things you can do to encourage your fans to talk about you.
1. Have a great product (see #1 under Basics)
2. Stand out.
Let’s face it, there are many great romance reads, but for the most part, they’re all fairly similar. The trick is to make yours stand out. Basics such as cover and blurb can help, but even that may not provide enough oomph. This is an area I’m still working on and if you’d like to find a way to standout in a way that makes your fans happy and talking about you, read Fans First by Jesse Cole.
3. Build a community around you.
Have you ever been to an Outlander event? I haven’t, but I know that fans dress up in 18th century garb. People like to belong. They like to feel connected around a topic. That topic can be you and your books.
Building a community can be as easy as starting a Facebook group for your readers. Many authors are now using Patreon or other subscription services that not only create a community, but generate additional income.
Be active in engaging with your readers. Have polls or get feedback. Learn about them and have them be involved in some of the decisions about your books.
You can create a calendar to post to your group and pre-schedule your post using a social media tool. I like Social Bee because I can easily schedule something to repost (e.g. a reminder to leave a review).
(see More Fan Fun to Encourage Book Buzz below)
4. Ask!
It seems obnoxious to ask people to brag about your book, I know. Many readers are busy and may not think to share your book, but if asked, would be thrilled to help you out. Make it easy by providing tools and resources. Create social media text or graphics they can share. Give extra swag they can give away for you. Remind them to leave reviews. Consider incentivizing it by having a giveaway. I’ve used tools like KingSumo to make it easy for my fans to share and earn giveaway entry points. KingSumo will even randomly draw the winner.
5. Reach out to influencers.
In some cases, you may need to pay for an influencer to talk about your book, and in other cases, there may be a long wait (like reviewers). But considering how much influence these readers have, it could be worth the time and money if they like your book and share it on their channels.
6. Continue to get reviews.
Second to recommendations, reviews have a significant impact on whether a reader will buy your book. Have a system for reminding readers to leave a review, whether that nudge is in the back of the book, social media, or email.
7. Create merch around your book(s).
This is a fun and profitable way to build your community and have it advertise for you. There are lots of ways to do this. I’ve used Printify to create mugs, totes, t-shirts, and stickers. Using Shopify or Woo Commerce, you can sell the merch, or even offer some as gifts to your very best fans or to giveaway winners.
More Fan Fun to Encourage Buzz About You and Your Books
- Offer your fan reader group a sneak preview of your new book.
- Offer your fan reader group advance copies of your new book.
- Give fans exclusive content like bonus chapters.
- Celebrate a Fan of the Month on your website, reader group, and social media profiles.
- Have a contest for the best illustration of a scene from one of your books and post the winner on your website and social media.
- Create fan pages for the main characters in your book.
- Ask fans to post pictures of them reading your book.
- Write a book specifically for your fans. You can even have them help plot it!
If readers are more likely to buy a book on a recommendation, it’s a no-brainer that authors need to find ways to encourage their readers to talk about their books. The above offers a few ways in which to engage readers and encourage them to let others know about you.
Do you have other ideas to create a viral buzz about your book? Let me know in the comments below.
by jennaharte
Balancing Romance with Mystery, Suspense, or Fantasy
March 21, 2023 in Blog, Writing Romance
The first rule of romance is that the relationship between the couple is the primary focus of the story. This is straightforward in traditional romances involving two people coming together, having problems that tear them apart, and eventually coming back together again. But what if your story involves a mystery, suspense, adventure, or a quest (e.g. fantasy stories)?
I’ve had many people tell me that there is romance in their cozy mysteries, which isn’t wrong, but cozies aren’t romance. If the romantic character in a cozy was turned into a friend and the mystery elements of the story still work, it’s not a romance because the characters’ relationship isn’t central to the story; solving the murder is. If, however, the romance is central to the story as they solve a crime, then yes, it’s a romantic mystery.
When writing a romance that has mystery or suspense or adventure or fantasy, you’re essentially combining two genres and you need to meet readers’ expectations for both. This isn’t always easy. You have to balance the elements that make a good romance while also supplying the action and danger of the other genre. Focusing too heavily on the romance plot can result in a lack of tension or conflict, while neglecting the romance can leave readers feeling unsatisfied.
Here are tips for writing a romance combined with another genre:
Sketch Out the Key Plot Elements for Both Genres
Even if you’re a pantster, because readers have an expectation of both genres, plotting out the major elements for both is helpful. In a romance, you need to have a couple with conflict, which can include the beats of the other genre (e.g. a murder or quest can create conflict), but also personal challenges. They need to come together and then appear to come apart, before coming together again.
A mystery needs a victim, suspects with motives and means and opportunity to commit the crime, clues, red herrings, and danger. A quest follows the hero’s journey, with the call to adventure, the refusal, the quest, the failures, and eventually, success. All these need to be integrated into a cohesive story.
The goal here is to identify the key plot elements that will complement and enhance both genres while ensuring that neither element overwhelms the other. To do this, start by determining the central conflict and the stakes of the story. In a romance, this should be the couple first. In Sandra Brown’s books, there is a crap ton of danger and suspense that the couple is dealing with, but in fact, it’s this part of the story that pulls them together forcing them to deal with their personal conflicts and feelings for the other. Remember, in a romance, there has to be a reason for the couple to be in each other’s orbit. In Sandra Brown’s books, the suspense plot does that. Without it, the two people wouldn’t meet and if they did, they’d go their separate ways because usually one or both isn’t interested in a relationship.
In Deadly Valentine, attorney Tess doesn’t like that Jack’s back in her life. It reminds her of a painful past. It’s the murder and the fact that he’s a suspect who needs a lawyer that keeps her in his orbit.
When integrating the other plot elements into the story, writers should ensure that they don’t overshadow or overwhelm the romance plot. Remember, it’s the relationship first that readers want. One way to do this is to use the elements of the other genre to develop and enrich the romance plot. Finding a clue or overcoming danger can reveal character in a way that brings the couple together or add more conflict. In Deadly Valentine, Tess is nearly run over by a car and later, the detective suspects Jack is the driver of said car, which is possible because he had the means, motive, and opportunity. This puts a damper on the budding relationship.
In another scene, Jack is about to kiss Tess when he sees a photograph and realizes the woman in it is linked to the murder. Romance and clue woven together.
However, this is a romance, so there should be romance plot beats. While a pinch point can be danger, it could also be one character not trusting the other or lying to the other. In Deadly Valentine, the second pinch point is when Tess tells Jack she can’t represent him as his lawyer or see him personally anymore because doing so is costing her friends and her business. She changes her mind, but he doesn’t take her back. The relationship is severed and while it’s related to the murder mystery because her representing him is what caused the problems that scared her away from him, it’s her personal fears and lack of trust that really drive the break up.
Use Pacing to Balance Romance and Other Plot Elements
Suspense is about avoiding danger that’s out to get one or both of the characters. Fantasy involves magic and quests and overcoming impossible foes. Mystery requires finding clues and solving a puzzle. They each have their own pacing that involves action and danger.
Within the fast action of these genres, you need to weave in the slower pace of a building romance. By slower, I don’t mean boring. I mean drawing out the elements that show a growing relationship.
If the pacing is slow and languid, readers may become bored with the romance plot, while if the pacing is too fast and action-packed, the romance may be overshadowed. The trick is to create pacing that ensures that both elements are given adequate attention and development.
This is where pre-plotting major beats can be helpful, as you can also plot pacing elements. If the couple is on the run from a gunman at pinch point number one, the pacing will be fast and there isn’t much room for romance there. But once they’re safe, even if just for a moment, you can slow the pace down and focus on the relationship.
Make Sure the Romance is Fulfilled
Remember when I said a cozy mystery with a love interest isn’t a romance? If you took out the murder mystery in a cozy, there would be no story. If you take the romantic relationship out of the story, it’s not a romance.
In my cozy mysteries, Sophie has a love interest and their love blooms until they’re engaged at the end of book 3. But all the mysteries could still work if I made that love interest a cousin or a friend. While Sophie grows personally through her relationship, the books aren’t about her and AJ’s relationship per se.
Because the romance comes first in the romance genre, you need to make sure you’ve fulfilled all the expected elements of a romance. If you can change the love interest to a friend, then it’s not a romance. Yes, you need to fulfill the elements of the other genre as well, but if your goal is romantic suspense or romantic fantasy, the romantic element must be met. While the danger or action may be a major aspect of the plot, we need to see the romance beats fulfilled.
Growing up, I used to like a show called Hart to Hart. I’m a big fan of sleuthing sexy couples (hence writing the Valentine mysteries). Hart to Hart was a crime show where each week the Harts stumbled into a murder. But talk to any fan and they’ll tell you that it was the Harts and their relationship that made the show. Ask them about their favorite episodes and you’ll learn that it’s less about the mystery and more about something sweet or sexy that occurred between the characters.
The mystery created the situations, but it was the characters and their romance that made the show. This is what you want in a romance that involves another genre. The second genre may create the situations, but it’s the relationship between your characters that readers are really wanting to know about.
by jennaharte
7 Publishing Rules Romance Writers Can Break (Or at Least Bend)
March 14, 2023 in Blog, Publishing, Video
The January/February issue of Writers Digest has an article on 7 Inside-the-Box Publishing Rules That Writers Can Break (Or, at the Very Least, Bend) that outlines seven common “rules” of writing that some writers found to be the key to their success, while others found success by breaking (or bending them). For the most part I agreed with the author, Robert Lee Brewer, but thought I’d share my two cents on the rules specifically for romance authors.
Text of this post is below the video:
Resources Mentioned in the Video
💗 7 Inside-the-Box Publishing Rules That Writers Can Break (Or, at the Very Least, Bend) by Robert Lee Brewer
💗A Definition of Author Platform
💗Romance Author Website: Why You Need One and How to Get One
💗Build Your Author Email List of Raving Fans (Text)
💗 Build Your Author Email List of Raving Fans (YOUTUBE)
💗How to Market Your Book without Social Media:
Rule #1: Read. A Lot
Stephan King is quoted as saying, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” Most authors I talk to agree that reading is an important part of being successful. Reading keeps you on top of current trends in the market, and can be a way to learn the craft.
But Brewer also states that writing trumps reading. In other words, don’t let reading get in the way of your writing. I agree that reading is important but that it shouldn’t be prioritized over writing. But here are a few other thoughts about being a reader and a writer:
- There can be a difference between reading for your profession and reading for fun. Personally, I’ve found it harder to read without paying attention to craft, but I think it’s important to do so. Reading doesn’t always have to be work.
- Many authors indicate that they don’t read within their genre, especially if they’re writing, to avoid accidental plagiarism. I don’t worry about this, but each writer needs to know themselves well enough to know if they’re going to internalize something another author writes.
Rule #2: Write. Every. Day
Brewer reports that he writes nearly every day and indicates many prolific authors are cranking out words daily. He notes that 100 words every day is 35,000 words a year…very doable when you consider writing 100 words should take a few minutes. But he points out there are many successful authors who write once a week or have writing retreats and the rest of the time don’t write at all.
I write nearly every day. The benefits to writing every day (or at least most days) has to do with progress and habit. The more you write, the more it becomes something you automatically do, and the faster you get to a completed book.
Another benefit is the story lives within you, even when you’re not writing. For me, this is great because the story and ideas percolate when I’m not writing, but also, daily writing keeps me emotionally connected to my characters making it fast and easy to resume writing the next day.
With that said, feeling like you need to write every day can make it unfun. Or maybe your life isn’t conducive to daily writing. One thing I would suggest to authors whose writing is a bit more haphazard is to be honest with yourself on why and when you’re not writing. Being stuck or not feeling the muse and therefore avoiding writing means it will take a long time to get the book done. There’s nothing wrong with that, but there’s an interesting phenomena in which many writers have a story, but have “reasonable” excuses to not get it down (e.g. the laundry). Some of the best procrastinators I know are authors.
I recommend having a writing schedule whether it’s one hour a day, two evenings a week, or one weekend out of a month.
Rule #3: Build a Platform
First, let me share my favorite definition of platform from Jane Friedman because it took me awhile to grasp it. Platform is your visibility, authority, and reach to a target audience.
Brewer notes that there are successful writers who avoid platform building, relying on their works to get seen. Since he doesn’t name names, it’s hard to know if these writers are already successful and don’t need a platform or perhaps their market is highly specific.
The problem with platform building is that it’s time-consuming and frustrating, especially if your platform isn’t reaching your readers. Then there’s the ever-changing nature of what works to reach your audience (TikTok anyone?).
Catherine Baab-Muguira has an article on Jane Friedman’s site titled, You Don’t Need a Platform If You Can Find Your Audience. Ultimately, that’s what all this is about: finding an audience who wants your book.
However, the world is changing, and more and more consumers are pro-active in their buying choices. Readers seek out their favorite authors and if they can’t find you, you could lose an opportunity to sell to them in the future.
I’m a big believer in having a platform, but I don’t think you have to do all the things. At the very least, authors should have a website and email list. Yes, social media is great, and if your readers hang out there to learn about books, then you should be there too. But I wouldn’t rely on social media since you don’t own the platform and can lose your followers at the whims of a bot.
Also, the article says, “…If you Can Find Your Audience,” which points to a crucial factor many authors miss; you have to find your readers. Building a website or even a Facebook Fan Page doesn’t mean readers will find you. So you need to do the work to find readers, but by having a website and email list, you have a way to invite them to come visit you, follow you, and become an engaged fan.
Rule #4: Follow Submission Guidelines
I have to be honest, I was surprised Brewer suggested this rule could be bent considering one of the biggest peeves of agents and editors is writers not following the guidelines. But if you dig down, what he indicates is there is “room for your unique voice to illuminate your submission.” To my mind, being unique isn’t bending the rules. Agents and editors are looking for unique, among other things.
Brewer is also clear that uniqueness in a submission should NOT come in the form of weird fonts or boasting about being the next best seller. This is true. Agents get soooo many submissions a day and have a screening process that first eliminates any submission that doesn’t follow the guidelines (which usually includes font) and authors who brag (tell) instead of letting the writing do the work (show).
Ultimately, I don’t see uniqueness within the guidelines as bending the rules. Your submissions need to follow the guidelines asked by the agent or editor, and use your words to show your talent and uniqueness.
Rule #5: Grow a Thick Skin
Brewer suggests that you don’t need a thick skin, just the ability to dust yourself off and keep moving forward in your writing career. That is true, but this points out how we can interpret words and phrases differently. In my mind, having a thick skin is what keeps the rejection from stopping us from writing. Thin skinned people, in my opinion, are those who give up because they can’t handle rejection. Tomato tomahto, I guess.
Rule #6: Network with Other Writers and Publishing Pros
If you’re an introvert, going out and networking with strangers, even those in your writing tribe, can be difficult. Brewer admits to this, but also points out that networking is important for writers. In my case, I found an agent and a publisher through networking. I’ve learned about author and book events through other writers. Networking has been a factor in my success.
Brewer recommends using social media to network if going out into the world is challenging. I don’t disagree with this, but I would encourage introverted authors to take baby steps to get out into the world. I’m not saying you need to walk into an event ready to hand out business cards and an elevator pitch. But in-person events offer so much from information to inspiration. Plus, lets face it, many writers write because it is a solitary activity that works well with introversion. That means at any given event, there will be many introverts.
Rule #7: Study the Markets
Brewer points out that studying the market can be helpful to understand current trends. True. If you’re an indie author writing to market, it’s especially important to keep on top of what’s selling.
But Brewer shares the downside of market research, primarily reading more than writing (Rule #1) and chasing trends. I agree with this as well. In the article, Brewer says that chasing trends can be problematic because trends change. This is especially true if you want to be traditionally published. A book bought by a publisher today, won’t be out for two years, and by then, the trend will likely be gone or at least not as popular.
But there is another negative aspect of writing to market which is not writing the stories you want to tell. As a ghost writer, I write to market for my client and I can’t tell you how many secret baby/child stories I’ve had to write. I really don’t like that trope. I’m not a fan of daddy’s best friend either, and I’ve had to write those. Under my name, you won’t find either of these tropes even though they clearly sell well.
While you definitely want to have a market for your book, the romance audience is huge and open to a great many tropes and ideas.
They (not sure who) say that rules are made to be broken. That’s not always the truth, but sometimes they can be bent. And sometimes, rules are more like suggestions.
One piece of advice I give to emerging authors is to find their own processes. No two authors are exactly alike in how they plot (or not), write, publish, market, etc. It’s only going through the process, testing and tweaking, that each writer finds what works for them. You need to do the same. Will you read while you’re writing or not? Will you write every day or only on Wednesdays at lunch? Will you build a platform or find another way to reach readers? You should follow submission guidelines, but how will you craft your query and synopsis to stand out? How will you endure rejection or bad reviews? Will you connect with others in the industry online only or out in the world too? And how will you keep tabs on what’s happening in the market in a way that benefits you? There is no one way to do any of these things. In writing, you do you.
What are your thoughts on these “rules”? Let me know in the comments below.
by jennaharte
Unlocking Your Romance Writing Potential Through AI
February 14, 2023 in Blog
Table of Contents
UPDATED November 2023
AI came up in last week’s call and today a WWH member sent an AI poem for writers written in the form of Green Eggs and Ham. Unfortunately, it’s not posted online, so I can’t send a link. Suffice it to day, it was mostly spot on and hilarious.
AI is all the buzz and it’s likely here to stay. For romance authors, AI can offer a tool to assist you in many aspects of your writing, so I thought I’d share about AI and the tools you can use to write, edit, and promote your books.
NOTE: AI is a tool in the same way the Internet, books, and automation are tools. It’s there to help us. You can check out my post on AI as a Tool, Not a Threat or scroll to the end of this post* for my thoughts on AI’s impact on writers, as well as the impact on writing/publishing-related job such as editing.
This post is about using AI to get ideas, brainstorm when you’re stuck, to expand on your idea, help you improve your writing, and assist you in the other aspects of being an authorpreneur, such as creating marketing content.
ALLI has a post on AI for authors including ethical considerations.
Here is information about AI and below that you’ll find a list of AI tools and resources.
What is AI, and How Can it Help Romance Authors?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly growing technology that has the potential to revolutionize the way romance authors create content. AI writing tools can help authors save time and effort by automating certain tasks such as generating or brainstorming ideas, researching topics, and even writing outlines.
With AI-powered author productivity tools, romance authors can focus on what they do best — creating compelling stories that captivate their readers. AI-driven tools can also help authors stay organized and efficient while producing quality content at scale.
How to Use AI to Generate Ideas & Content Faster
AI-powered romance novel idea generators are becoming increasingly popular among writers. A WWH member who played around with Chatgpt was able to develop a regency-era romance idea.
AI tools use natural language processing to quickly generate ideas based on keywords or topics provided by the user. For example, “give me three plot ideas involving a grumpy hockey player and an curvy, outgoing dancer.”
Here’s one from Rytr:
Mitch is an NHL hockey player, whose career has been on the decline since he broke his leg a few seasons ago. He’s suffered from depression and become increasingly grumpy and frustrated, pushing away friends and family.
One day, while walking through town, Mitch stumbles upon an audition for a local dance troupe. Despite the fact that the audition is already halfway finished, he is captivated by a particular dancer: an exuberant and curvy woman named Olivia. When she catches Mitch’s eye, she smiles at him invitingly and draws him in to dance with her.
Mitch is hesitant at first but soon finds himself smiling too. After the audition they take their conversation outside and discover they have a lot in common: a love of music, sports, literature—even a favorite type of ice cream!
Instantly, the two of them felt a powerful connection that was much deeper than just mere shared interests; they both had the feeling of being on a search to find someone special and unique, like they had finally found what they were looking for.
Depending on the AI tool and what you want from it, you can generate basic story ideas (a premise) or a complete outline (with conflicts and plot beats) or something in between. As you’ll note from above, there’s a kernel of an idea, but a lot of work is still needed, specifically, the conflicts.
AI tools can be used to brainstorm as well. If you already have your idea somewhat plotted but are stuck, AI can provide you with ideas. Or, if AI generated the idea, you can ask more questions to expand on the concept.
For example, playing around with the idea of a vampire fireman, I asked ChatGPT to give me reasons a vampire would become a fireman. Here are the ideas it gave me.
- Redemption: The vampire may have a dark and troubled past filled with regrettable actions. Becoming a fireman is their way of seeking redemption and making amends for the harm they may have caused during their time as a vampire. They see it as a chance to save lives instead of taking them.
- Protecting Humanity: Some vampires may genuinely care about humanity and want to protect it from the supernatural threats that exist in their world. By becoming a fireman, they can respond to both regular fires and any supernatural fire-related incidents, using their unique abilities to save lives.
- Blending In: To hide their true nature, the vampire may choose a profession that allows them to blend in with humans. Firemen often work odd hours and wear protective gear, which can help conceal their vampiric traits, such as pale skin or sensitivity to sunlight.
- Feeding Opportunity: Firemen often respond to emergency scenes where there are injured individuals. This could provide the vampire with an opportunity to discreetly feed on blood from victims who are already in critical condition, without drawing suspicion.
- Personal Challenge: For some vampires, the physical and mental challenges of being a fireman can be appealing. They may enjoy pushing themselves to the limit, testing their strength, and feeling a sense of accomplishment when they successfully rescue people from dangerous situations.
These are intriguing ideas that lend themselves to very different types of vampire fireman stories. Is he feeding off fire victims or redeeming himself?
AI for Proofreading and Editing
AI-powered editing and proofreading tools provide a more efficient way to improve the quality of written content, while also helping authors save time and money. With an AI-powered tool, writers can automate tedious tasks such as checking for grammar mistakes and typos. Additionally, they can get automated feedback on their writing, such as overused words, adverbs, and even alternative word choices that might be better. Not only can this improve the quality of the work, but it helps the author improve their skills. If you pay attention to the corrections and suggestions it makes, you can learn how to write better in the future.
That’s not to say that human editors aren’t needed, because they are. AI tools aren’t fool proof. But AI editing can help you deliver a cleaner copy of your manuscript to your editor which means a quicker turnaround to get your book published.
AI for Book Covers and Other Graphics
This is another area where there’s a great deal of concern about copyright infringement. I’m not a lawyer so I can’t speak to the legal issues, although you can check out these articles at Harvard Business Review (4/23) and the Congressional Research Service (9/23). Beyond the legal issue is the ethical one. I don’t know how much AI generated art pulls from previous works, so I can’t speak to this. At one point, I considered using AI art as bonus content for my subscribers, but concerns about copyright issues has made me hesitate on this.
With that said, there are AI art generators that authors can use to create book covers and other graphics. You can also generate art just for yourself to use in your book bible, such as how your characters look or the house layout they live in.
The Writing Cooperative has a post in which Shelby Sullivan shares her experience using AI to generate images for book covers.
AI for Audio Books
The newest source of help for authors is AI for audio book creation. In the past, AI voice wasn’t great. As it improved, it worked well for non-fiction, but not so much for fiction, which needs emotion infused in the voices. But that is improving as well.
There are many authors who have used AI to create audiobooks for the purpose of posting them on YouTube. While many of these “videos” have negative comments for narration, they have many positive comments for the story. Better yet, many have the requisite subscriber and view counts to make money from Google/YouTube’s ad program.
In the last few months, I’ve used AI to serialize my lead magnet for podcast and video. It’s not perfect, but it’s also not horrible.
AI to Generate Author Marketing and other Content
Authors need to do more than write books. They need to write synopsis, tag lines, marketing materials, ads and more. AI can help writing these and can do it with your target market in mind. For example, I used Rytr to generate two versions of song lyrics for Valentines Day using a passionate tone. (Here is one of the results it gave me. This is the raw text. I haven’t edited it):
Option One
[Intro]
A love like ours won’t soon be found
Why don’t we take it right to the ground
[Verse 1]
This Valentine’s Day, I’m glad you’re here with me
My heart is filled with love, can’t you see?
We’ve been through thick and thin, come what may
And I know I’m yours, and you’re mine to stay
[Chorus]
Oh, what a beautiful thing it is to love somebody
To feel the warmth of your embrace and never let go
Oh, I wanna show you that my love for you will never die
And I’m so happy to call you my valentine tonight
[Verse 2]
My heart beats for the future that we may have together
Let’s light a candle in honor of this day forever
This Valentine’s Day will be like no other
Let’s make a wish and know it’ll come true forever
It’s not perfect, but there’s something to work with.
AI for Marketing and Other Business Tasks
Automation in marketing is nothing new. Autoresponders and social media schedulers are two examples of automation that help authors save time in promoting their books. But AI in marketing is slightly different. AI in marketing can help you:
- Discover best keywords to optimize your books, blog posts, etc
- Talk to your potential readers through chatbots on social media or your website to guide them to your lead magnet or books
- Brainstorm marketing ideas ala Chatgpt and similar AI
- Video generators
- Transcribing dictation
- And more.
Again, AI offers assistance to authors who are generally solo-preneurs, having to wear all hats in their romance writing business. Whether it’s help brainstorming or fleshing out ideas, editing, or creating marketing materials, AI can help in a way that is cheaper and faster than hiring outside help. With that said, there’s no replacing human creativity…at least not yet. So AI generated content shouldn’t be your final draft of anything you use it to create. Input your voice and style. Make it your own.
AI Tools for Authors
Here is a list of what I use, along with a list of other resources I haven’t had a chance to check out yet, but look interesting.
AI Jenna Harte Uses
Dragon Naturally Speaking Professional: I use this to transcribe my recorded dictation into text.
ChatGPT: Many other AI’s are focused in a single area such as writing or edit. ChatGPT is much more open and therefore has many different ways it can be helpful. I’ve used it to give me lists including the list of homophones in my post on 35+ words writers often accidently misuse. I’ve asked it to create a list of 52-short form video ideas (for weekly short videos), and plan to ask it to write a script for each. ChatGPT can help you plot, moving from a premise to story beats, and even chapter by chapter outline. You can use ChatGPT for free, although if there are a lot of users you may be asked to come back later. The paid version offers a more robust AI. It can probably write for you too, but as a writer, you probably want to do that part yourself 🙂
Rytr: I bought this a long, long time ago before AI was a dirty word. I use it mostly to help me outline blog posts (including this one), but it can do more including write ads, lyrics, plot ideas, emails, taglines, copywriting and more. Note, for fiction AI generators, I’d use one of the options below such as Sudowrite or NovalAi. Rytr is helpful with other AI writing, but not so much with fiction plotting.
Editing
Prowriting Aid: AI editor – I use this with Word usually while writing. When I finish writing, I like AutoCrit.
AutoCrit: I use ProwritingAid on my computer to deal with editing initially, but when I’m done, I use AutoCrit, which not only finds the stuff Prowriting Aid missed, but I can also have the book compared to the top books in my category to see that I’ve met similar criteria. I also like that it doesn’t try to get me to eliminate every “bad” thing. For example, it will highlight adverbs, but then will tell me how many I should get rid of to be similar to other books in my genre.
Marketing
SocialBee: I’ve used SocialBee for years because it has access to all the major platforms (including TikTok and Reels), and I can automatically reschedule evergreen content (e.g. lead magnet signup) for reposting. It also integrates with Canva, so I can create graphics from within the app. Plus it stores hashtags. It now offers AI help in generating content and graphics. Disclosure: I bought a lifetime access to SocialBee through Appsumo.
Ocoya: This is a social media generator and scheduler. I haven’t used it much, but I want to start using it more. My social media is haphazard because I often don’t know what to post. Ocoya helps generate ideas for the major platforms, has AI copywriting, help in creating graphics, and the ability to help you find ideas based on keywords and hashtags. It even will generate and create quote posts if you’re really stuck.
Aweber: I’ve used Aweber forever. It was one of the few email services that allowed you have multiple email lists within one account. Like other email services, you can have autorepsonders, campaigns, and segment your lists. Aweber now has tools so you can create a landing page (so you don’t need a website or landing page service) and you can sell directly from Aweber (integrating Stripe). And now, it offers AI help in writing your content.
Audie.ai: This text-to-voice tool seems to have been created for authors specifically. While there is backlash to using AI audio because it potentially takes away work from narrators, if you don’t have the budget to hire a narrator, this is another option to create audio of your books. I’ve been using this tool to create serialized audio podcast/video of my lead magnet. You pick your cast of character voices, paste your content in, assign the voices to the various lines in your text, and generate. It’s not perfect, but it’s also not so bad. Not available yet is the ability to change the speed or pitch. For that, you might want to try Murf.ai. There is a free option for small projects (e.g. creating a TikTok audio of a scene in your book). One advantage to Audie.ai over Murf.ai and others is that you buy credits instead of committing to a monthly plan.
Pictory: This AI can turn text into video and can help you turn long-form video into shorter (think social media) video for marketing. I’ve been using this to add video to my blog posts.
Lumen5: Like Pictory, Lumin can turn text into video.
Other
Voicetapp: I own this, but haven’t used it yet. My goal is to use it to transcribe video and audio. Because Dragon requires punctuation commands, I needed to find something that could transcribe audio without that.
One Transcriber: Like VoiceApp this app transcribes, but I picked it up to transcribe courses I bought so I could have text version of the lesson without having to rely on my scribbled notes.
Other AI Tools
AI for Writers
Word: Yes, Word now offers AI help. First you can dictate your book directly into your document. While at one time, this option was cumbersome, the voice-to-text is vastly improved. But that’s not all. Now you can upload an audio and Word can transcribe it. If you like to record your book, this is a great option. The transcription is pretty good and you don’t need to tell it punctuation commands.
Google Docs: Google docs also has AI voice-to-text if you’d like to dictate your book. It can also take handwritten content and turn it into typed text. To do this, scan your handwritten content into Google Drive using your phone. Drive will create a PDF. On your computer, go to your Drive and find the PDF. Use “Open with Docs” and the PDF handwritten doc will be converted into typed text Google Doc.
Quickwrite (Brainstorming, writing, art, marketing) – This is brand new (June 2023) and looks like its trying to be an all-in-one AI for authors. Created by Adazing, who offers Mockup Shots (which I use), Quickwrite offers help in brainstorming, coming up with items (like magic doodads or names of ships, etc), AI art, and marketing help such as writing email, social media, and even podcasting. Quickwrite has a one-time lifetime payment instead of monthly subscription. I have tested this and it does okay with non-fiction (articles, blog posts, non-fiction book outlines etc).
Subtxt.app: Outlining tool. I haven’t tried this although maybe I should since I struggle with outlining. That said, ChatGPT can help you outline.
Sudowrite: Sudowrite is designed for fiction authors and it can do a lot including write, although I know you’ll want to do that yourself. It offers a variety of differing tools depending on what you need help with. It can help you brainstorm, plot, flesh out writing, and more. I have an account and have played around with it. It really is amazing at what it can do, and yet, it’s not perfect. I feel like it’s best if you start with very little idea about what you want, as I’ve found it hard to guide it to my will (although that’s more likely a function of my prompting). The creators of Sudowrite listen to it’s users and have added or tweaked features based on user input. It’s most recent improvement was the ability to make the AI write sexy bits. Sudowrite has a robust Slack community (currently moving to Discord) that is very helpful, and weekly zoom meetings to walk you through all the features. Check out Sudowrite’s YouTube channel to see stories built on the fly and how to use its features.
NovelAI: Brainstorm, write, create visual representations of characters and setting. I haven’t tried this one yet.
AI Editing
AuthorsAi: Creates a report that can help with pacing and arc, along with other editing such as overused words, etc.
Prowriting Aid: AI editor – I use this with Word usually while writing. When I finish writing, I like AutoCrit.
Grammarly: AI Editor. Grammerly also has AI-checker* and plagiarism checker.
Hemmingway: Like Autocrit, Hemmingway helps beyond basic editing to assist you in improving style and tightening your prose.
Origninality.ai: AI and Plagiarism Checker. If you’re using AI to write for you, you can run your content through Originality, although the results are questionable. When I’ve tested this (using AI to write and then I revised it), the app sometimes highlighted sentences I wrote as possible AI-generated, and AI-generated sentences passed as human written.
AI Text to Speech (e.g. Audio Book):
Note that Audible (Amazon) doesn’t take AI generated books
Murf.Ai: This tool can clone voices (e.g. you can use your voice). It says you can use different voices (multi-cast anyone!) as well. When I researched in the past, each bit of text that had its own voice has to be pasted in separately, which to me is too time consuming (that’s why I chose Audie.ai, as I could paste a chapter and then line by line, indicated the speaker). This may have changed with Murf, so I plan to investigate it after I finish my current audio project.
MicMonster Here is the post at MicMonster on creating audio books using it’s tool. If you search for audio books with MicMonster, you’ll get a list of YouTube posted audio books (these authors are giving the audio away for free but have the potential to earn Adsense income from Google/YouTube). Here is one example, Mistletoe Kiss by Andrea Boyd (it’s a sweet romance)
Google Play Books – AI Narrated Audio Books
VictoryTale has a list of AI audio narration options that includes pros and cons, and pricing.
Generic AI
Chatgpt: This one is getting all the buzz, but it’s not the only one out there.
You Chat: This one works like the others, but will also provide links to resources if you’re query needs more information or research.
Claude.Ai: This is another tool I see mentioned a lot by AI-using authors. I haven’t tested it out yet.
Poe: This tool you can use on your phone. It lets you choose which AI tool you’re going to pull from such as ChatGPT or Claude-2
Playground (Open AI): I’ve watched videos of AI writers using Playground, but haven’t tried it myself. Created by the same people who do ChatGPT, this app is more about experimenting with machine learning models.
AI Art
Art Breeder (Art)
MidJourney (Art) – This used to be free but now charges. It sounds complicated to use through a Discord channel, but many of the videos I watch suggest its still one of the best. Here is a doc from MidJourney on how to use it’s platform.
Dall-e 2: From Open AI (ChatGPT people), this is an AI art generator.
Kittl (Art) – Kittl not only helps you create art (including vectors), but you can edit and create mockups as well. This could be really helpful if you’re creating a logo or merch. It has a free level, although it requires attribution. It’s first paid level is $10 (paid year, or $15 per month) gives commercial use without attribution.
Leonardo.ai – Leonardo.ai seems to be growing in popularity after MidJourney went to a paid plan. Like MidJourney, it’s run on a Discourd server, but it appears to have helpful features to guide you.
MakeUseOf has a list of other art AI generator tools. It has a list of AI video generators as well.
AI for Marketing
You may have noticed that many of your tools have added AI. Most recently, Canva has released AI tools AND now has an API so third-party apps can be accessed through Canva including Dall-e (art) and Murf (audio). But below are a few AI-specific apps to help in marketing.
Feedhive: This is a social scheduling tool like SocialBee. It has all the major platforms, scheduling and rescheduling, and AI tools.
Descript: This may not be for all authors, but it can video and audio record and transcribe all at once. Plus you can edit the video like you edit a Word doc. I’m looking at this for WWH, but I think if you make video marketing content, this could be something to consider as well.
Reply.io: Email AI. Personally, I think email should be handled…well…personally, but if you have a ton of it, this can help.
Here’s an article at NoGood on top AI marketing tools in 2023.
Up and Coming AI Tools
AI is the new big thing and while many existing companies are adding it, new companies are sprouting to offer it. If you’d like to check out special deals for new AI tools to run your author business, check out Appsumo (this link should take you to AI tools specifically). Many of the tools I own (Ryter, Ocoya, Social Bee, Pictory, etc), I bought with a lifetime deal (as opposed to paying a monthly subscription) through Appsumo.
AI tools are cropping up every day it seems. Do you have AI tools you recommend or are checking out?
*My Thoughts on AI
Can AI do all the work for you in writing a book?
Yes, it can. And the quality of writing is improving, especially for people who know how to prompt well. But if you have a story in your mind and you’re a writer, you’re going to want to write it, right?
Is AI generated plagiarized?
I don’t know. Lawsuits haven’t been successful, so far. My thought is that while AI might be “trained” on existing books, I’m not sure that’s much different from authors who “train” by reading books. We learn to write through reading (as well as writing, critique, editing, etc). Stephan King insists reading is a function of good writing for that reason. Of course, if AI is taking content verbatim, then yes, that would be a problem.
Do I think AI is going to replace writers?
No. At least not anytime soon. I believe readers want quality books they can enjoy, and if you provide that and find your readers, I don’t see any reason why you can’t still be successful. Just like indie authors flooded the market in the 2010’s, AI authors may do the same, but that doesn’t mean it will replace you just like indie authors haven’t replaced traditional authors.
Who’s at the most risk with AI?
In my mind, the most at risk in the publishing world for losing work due to AI are ghostwriters (like myself), editors, audio narrators, and graphic designers (book cover creators). It sucks, of course. Progress often changes the landscape and impacts careers (horse and buggy, VHS video, etc). Right or wrong, good or bad, AI is here and we all need to adapt.
by jennaharte
Achieve Your Romance Writing Goals
January 26, 2023 in Blog, Video, Writing Romance
Updated December 2023
This video was first published December 2021. The video is the same, but I’ve added an edited transcript/article of this video below. The 4-1 planner isn’t available at the moment, but the Romance Author’s Organizer is. You can get it in print or downloadable PDF.
Updated Article/Transcript
The New Year comes with a renewed energy. This is the time of year that people are setting goals, they’re getting their planners out, and they’re mapping out their plans so that they can have a successful writing year. I am no different. I’m deciding what I want to write, release schedules, marketing, and other aspects of having a writing career. Going from goal to success, though, isn’t a done deal.
I’m not going to cover goal setting for authors because there’s a ton of other great resources to help you do that. What I wanted to talk to you about is the information that goal gurus don’t really go into enough detail. These are the tips to help you overcome the things that get in the way of you achieving your goals. I’m not really talking about mindset, although that is something that can get in the way. What I have found for myself and in talking with other people is that they are very inspired by their goals. They want to achieve them. They’ve planned them out, chunked them down and added them to their daily To Do List, and yet, they’re not doing them. And the reason they’re not doing them is because the systems and the environment that they’re in are not supporting them to get them done. That’s what I want to cover today.
We’ll cover a variety of challenges that might be in the way and how you can redesign your systems and your environment so that you can actually achieve your writing goals.
Lack of Time
The biggest challenge I hear from writers is a lack of time. The thing about time is you have to be brutally honest with yourself about where you’re spending it. If you’re like me, you’ve been binge watching TV. If I had spent half the time writing that I did watching TV, I would have written so many books last year. But I didn’t.
Before I get into some of my tips and strategies about time, I want to point out a few things. Yes, writing takes time. It’s not something that you can sit down and crank out a novel in an hour, or even in a day. It does involve you taking time, over time to get it done. With that said, it doesn’t take humongous amounts of time to write and make regular steady progress and get a book done. For example, if you were to write 500 words a day in four months, you would have 60,000 words written, which is a romance novel. If you were writing a 75,000 word romance novel, you just add one more month to it; five months at 500 words a day.
That may sound like a long time, but 500 words adds up quickly. It doesn’t take a lot of time to do, and if you’re consistent, it’s going to be done in five months. Based on what you’re doing now, in five months, are you going to have 75,000 words written? If the answer is no, then maybe the 500 words a day strategy would be helpful to you.
How long does it take to write 500 words? In my world, when I am writing, and I am in the flow. I crank out 1500 to 1800 words an hour, which is about 700 to 900 words in 30 minutes. You can write 500 words in that time. Or 1000 words in an hour. Can you find 30 minutes to an hour a day?
I would argue that if you really want to write a book, you can find 30 minutes to an hour in a day and. If you can’t find 30 minutes to an hour a day for your goal, how bad do you really want it? (I’ll be helping you find time in a minute).
Hopefully I’ve put things into some perspective. In 30 minutes to an hour, you can write 500 words to 1000 words, and if you can find that time every day, you are going to have a book in a couple of months. You don’t have to be like Stephen King or Nora Roberts who write 4 hours or 8 hours a day. You can write in an hour or less. Many authors write this way. I can’t tell you how many authors I’ve met who write only 1000 words a day or only 500 words a day. A few years ago, I met an author who was nominated for an Agatha Award who wrote her book in 250 words a day.
Now that you see how doable making significant progress on your book in small chunks or time, you need to find 30 to 60 minutes a day to write. Here are a few ways to find time:
1. Give up something you’re doing that doesn’t need to be done by you. Maybe it’s cutting out TV or cutting down on the amount of TV that you’re watching. Perhaps you can wake up a half-hour earlier or stay up a half-hour later. Cutting down or getting rid of activities that you don’t need to do is one way to find extra time.
2. Delegate things that need to be done, but don’t need to be done by you. You can teach your kids how to sort socks. You could ask your partner to sweep the kitchen after dinner. If you’re one of those people who’s doing a lot around the house beyond what other people are doing, it’s time to ask them to help.
3. Automate or hack tasks to save time. Schedule automatic bill paying through your online banking. Streamline meals by planning, or through a meal delivery service. If you’re overwhelmed by information capturing, sorting, and using, develop a flow by which the information you capture is automatically saved and sorted. Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte is a great book to help you with this. Have items you regularly buy automatically shipped to you such as prescriptions, toiletries, coffee, etc.
In your writing business, tools can help you save time. Social media tools can schedule and reschedule posts. Some offer AI for best hashtags and captions. Automate Your Busywork by Aytekin Tank offers help. Note that setting up automations can take time, which is often why people don’t do them. But you’ll earn back the time plus some by setting them up.
In essence, find time by deleting, delegating or automating tasks. Remember, right now, you’re looking for 30 to 60 minutes of extra time. What one thing can you delete, delegate, or automate to create it?
You can maximize your time with these tips:
1. Know what you’re going to write when you sit down to write it. While you don’t have to plot, knowing the scene or chapter you’re going to write before hand makes writing much fast and fun.
2. Dictate. Talking creates more words per hour than typing. I can write 1500 words or so in an hour. I can dictate 4,000, transcribe, and revise them in that same hour. Dictating does require a shift in your brain, but it’s worth the effort in terms of time savings. Plus, it can enhance your writing. You can check out my post on dictation here.
Space
The second challenge that can get in the way of writing is your writing space. Your writing space needs to be a place that is easy to access and inspires you to write. If your writing den is cold or dull or drab, that may not be the ideal place to write unless cold, dark and drab is inspiring to you.
I do not like to write where I work. I work from home, but when I’m writing, even my ghostwriting, I do it in another spot. Usually I dictate on a walk, but when I’m revising, I don’t do it at my work desk. I have a couple of spots around the house that feel comfortable for writing.
During the winter, it’s on my couch in front of a fire. When it’s nicer out, it’s the swing on my back deck.
You have to find the place where you’re comfortable and feel inspired. If you need colors around you, then you have that. If you need minimalist décor around you, your space shouldn’t have too much clutter.
Your space should be ready to go. When it’s time to write, you should be able to go to your space, sit, and write. In Atomic Habits, James Clear talks about how we need to make good habits easy to do by not having obstacles in the way. Having to set up your workspace each time you want to write and put it away when you’re done is an obstacle.
I actually have a secondary laptop so I don’t have to unhook the one I’ve attached to my external monitor and keyword. When it’s time to write, I go to my space where I keep that other laptop, pull up my work (I save in cloud using Microsoft 365), and write. Easy peasy.
When you have the time, you want to make it easy to sit down and write. So identify a place or even a couple of places where you can go and write.
Tools
Along with your space, your tools need to be readily accessible. This could be grabbing your coffee or snack of M&Ms on your way to your writing spot. If you have research or phrasing books you need to access, have them nearby. You don’t want to get up 5 minutes into your writing because you realize you’re thirsty or don’t have your research notes.
Turn off your phone and computer notifications to avoid being interrupted, your use a tool to block them. While you’re at it, let your family know you need 30 to 60 minutes to write so they don’t interrupt you either. My rule with my kids was not to interrupt unless there was fire or blood, or some other emergency.
Mental Energy
Now you have time and space and tools, but do you have the energy to write? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had the time to write, but didn’t feel like writing. The muse wasn’t there. Unfortunately, if you rely on the muse to write, you probably won’t make consistent progress. Muse or not, when it’s time to write, you need to write (this is where knowing what you plan to write in advance is helpful!). I’ve found that the muse often arrives one I start writing, but even if she’s MIA the whole time, all words written get me closer to a finished book. The ability to get yourself into the chair and writing even when you’re not feeling it, is often the difference between somebody who’s getting their book done and somebody who isn’t. So you need to hacks and tricks to write even when you don’t want to. Here’s a few to try.
Just Write
Sometimes, you have to force yourself to write. It’s sort of like going to the gym. It is a real chore to get out to exercise, but once you’re there and moving, you feel pretty good about it. It’s the same with writing. It can feel like a chore to open the computer, but once you start writing, generally you get into the groove.
Music
Music has the power to make you feel things. Choose music that inspires the words you want to write, or just energizes you. For example, I like smooth jazz or old R&B if I have to write an intimate scene. Other times, uplifting music gives me enough of a boost of energy and creativity to write.
Reading Your Mentors
If there’s an author out there that you aspire to be like, read a few pages of one of their books, read an interview or listen to a podcast with them. Your author idol got where they are by writing. You can too if you sit down and write. Let them inspire you to get into your writing zone.
Why Aren’t You Writing?
If you’re still struggling, examine why you’re not writing. Are you resistant because you don’t like your space? Change your space.
Are you not writing because you’re stuck in your story, get unstuck. I know that’s easier said than done, but doing nothing sets you back. Plotting can help with this, but even if you’re a pantster, you can plot tomorrow’s writing when you finish today’s writing. Or join a writers group or use Chat AI to brainstorm possible ideas for your book’s next step.
Planning Your Writing (even if you’re a pantster)
Remember I mentioned above that removing obstacles makes writing easier. There’s no bigger obstacle than not knowing what to write. To avoid this issue, I put in my planner what I’m going to write each day. I get specific. I don’t just say “Chapter 4.” I put, “Sophie goes to talk to Alice.” In one little sentence, I know exactly what I’m writing. I do this whether I have a full chapter-by-chapter plot, or I’m pantstering the book.
Why does planning what you’ll write help you achieve it?
1. You don’t get stuck. The more specific you are about your goals the more likely you’re going to achieve them. Think about your book writing goal. You probably didn’t just say, “Write a book.” You probably have a basic idea (write romantic fantasy). You may have a date by which to finish your draft. Goal gurus tell you to break your goal down into achievable tasks. To write a book X days, you need to divide your goal word count by the number of days (e.g. 80,000 words in 90 days = 889 words per day). At this point, you might think, “I just need to write 900 words a day.” But what happens on day one or day 12 when you sit down and stare at the blank screen? What if that happens a few days in a row? The best way to avoid being stuck is to know exactly what you plan to write and put it in your planner. Instead of “Write 900 words,” put “write 900 words-Sophie talks to Alice.”
2. When you know what you’re going to write, you feel inspired to write. When I have an idea in my head, it percolates. My brain is mulling the idea over. Sometimes I dream about it. By the time I sit to write, I’m eager and excited to get it down on the page.
Even if you’re a pantster, you can plot enough ahead, even if it’s just a day, to know what you’re going to write. For example, let’s say I was a pantster and I finished the scene where Sophie is talking with her boyfriend. As I finish for the day, I think about what Sophie will do tomorrow. I decide that tomorrow Sophie has to go talk to Alice, so I write that in my planner. When I finish that scene tomorrow, I figure out what needs to happen next and add that to the next day’s planner. In this case, you’re not plotting out the whole book. You’re just plotting out what you’ll do the next day so you’re not stuck.
Need help with organizing, planning your writing, and getting your novel written, published and sold? The Romance Author’s Novel Organizer will take you from idea to selling, including checklists, planners, and more. Romance Author’s Organizer is. You can get it in print or downloadable PDF.
Recap: Achieving Romance Writing Goals
Setting goals is only the first step to achieving them. Setting your goals, making a plan, turning your goals into daily to-dos, and then creating an environment and systems that are going to support you is how you succeed.
1. Make time
2. Make space
3. Have your tools and resources available
4. Know what you need to achieve when you sit down to write (e.g. 500 words)
5. Know what you plan to write when your writing time comes (e.g. scene or chapter)
6. Do it per the time and space you set up.
by jennaharte
Holiday Gifts for Romance Writers
December 15, 2022 in Blog, Tools & Resources
Do you have a romance writer in your life and are stuck on what to give them? Perhaps you are a romance writer and need ideas for what others can get you for the holidays. Here is a list of holiday gift ideas for romance writers.
FIRST…BEFORE YOU SHOP
Before you start shopping, be sure to sign up for Swagbucks and/or Rakuten. So many online retailers earn you points through these programs that you can use for cash back or giftcards. I let my points ride until this time of year, when I use them to buy gifts or get giftcards for gifts.
Gifts
These Jane Austen gloves are perfect for cold writing rooms.
Keep your hands warm and fingers free with Writing Gloves from Storiarts.
These beautiful statement pieces are hand-made from cut to finish and feature text from great literature.
- 100% super soft cotton jersey knit
- Fingerless design keeps hands warm and working
- Heat-set ink won’t wash out or fade for lasting beauty
- Handmade locally in Portland, Oregon from U.S.-sourced fabric
This canvas art print is a great gift choice or pick it up for yourself. Size – 12X15 inches. Framed. Ready to Hang.
The writer in your life will get a kick out of this unique and memorable gift of literary insults from Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Mark Twaine, Jane Austen and more.
Caskers Tears of Writers Whiskey
From the website: A gold Medal winner at the International Spirits Challenge in London and one of the highest rated Irish Whiskeys in Jim Murrays Iconic “Whiskey Bible.” It was also featured in Ian Buxton’s publication “101 Whiskeys to try before you die.”
Support the writer in your life with this fun Writer’s Block mug from Write with Harte.
The Writer’s Block graphic can also be purchased on a tote or t-shirt.
See more romance writing merch from Write with Harte here
Books
Help get the romance author in your life organized. This Author’s Novel Organizer workbook helps authors from story idea, through plotting, writing, publishing, and marketing.
Many authors have a tendency to use the same body movements over and over (narrowing eyes, arched brow). Body Beats to Build On helps provide alternatives to the same old body movements.
Similar to Body Beats, The Writer’s Body Lexicon offers more ideas on body expressions but more.
Today’s author needs to build a fan base of readers to achieve success book after book. While Superfans is geared toward the traditional online creator (bloggers, Youtubers, etc), the information fits well with today’s authors as well.
Being an author has a ton of moving parts. Story research and plotting. Publishing options. Marketing options. Then there are all the bits to organize in life; articles to save, lists to organize, and more. In Building a Second Brain, Forte provides help in creating a resource (a second brain) to store it all that is accessible and therefore usable.
Author Tools
Dictation has changed my life! I average over 3000 words a day dictating 30 to 40 minutes. This version of Dragon Naturally Speaking Professional not only allows you to dictate at your desk, but you can digitally record (like on a walk) and have the software transcribe your words for you. This is the version I use.
This is the recorder I use when I dictate. Authors can use their phone, but I like this Sony Digital Recorder better as it’s easier to pause and record, and it has a USB port built in for easy audio file transfer.
Canva
While Canva has a free option, the paid version offers a ton of extra bells and whistles to help an author. With Canva, authors can create social media graphics to promote their books, email lists, events and more. They can create book covers and book trailers (videos). Romance authors can great pretty freebies such as book order lists, series lists, and more.
Here are a few benefits to the pro-Canva Plan:
- 100+ Million premium images, photos, videos, audio graphics, etc
- Hundreds of thousands premium templates
- Branding Kit – Set your colors, fonts, etc for easy use
- Folders for Organizing – You can organize from book series, pen name, etc
- One click resize – Make a design and with a click, resize it for any and all social media or other types of media
- Remove backgrounds from images – this is great for marketing and cover designs
- Social Media scheduling on 8 platforms
- Allow PA or other virtual support access
- 1 TB of cloud storage
- 24/7 Customer support
Learn more about Canva Pro here
ProWritingAid
ProWritingAid will not only help the writer in your life find grammar and spelling errors, but also it can help them improve the quality of writing. It finds passive voice, highlights when too many sentences in a row start with the same word, offers suggestions for better word choices, and more.
For authors looking to get an agent and traditional publisher, using this software will help their manuscript stand out by sending the tightest, cleanest submission possible, short of hiring an editor. If they’re an indie author, this software can clean up the manuscript, which makes it easier for the editor hired to edit the book.
Learn more about ProWritingAid
Social Bee
Social Bee doesn’t seem to be as well-known as other social media tools such as Hootsuite, but I love this tool and recommend it whenever I can. Social Bee does more than just allow you to schedule social media posts. With the Canva integration, you can create your sharable graphic from within Social Bee. Plus it works with all the major platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest), including the ability to schedule Reels and TikToks!
My favorite feature is the reschedule option that will automatically repost a post forever or you can set a number of times it will post or an expiration date. The automatic repost forever is ideal for evergreen content, such as sharing newsletter sign up. The time limited option is ideal for special sales or event promotioins. Authors can organize post types by categories (e.g. promotion, blog post, etc) and set up a posting schedule, which again, used in conjunction with the reposting feature, means content is sent out regularly even if the author forgets or doesn’t have time to create a new post.
Learn more about Social Bee
by jennaharte
Black Friday Deals for Romance Authors
November 23, 2022 in Blog, Tools & Resources
If only being a romance writer meant spending the day telling tales of love and loss and love again. Alas, to be a published romance author requires wearing many hats or hiring help. While many authors are financially successful, most others don’t have the money to hire help. That’s where tools come in. Tools can save you time and money on doing the things that need to be done to publish and sell your book.
With Black Friday only days away, here are a few tools I use and that you can get at a discount to help you take care of all the things in your romance writing business.
ProWritingAid
ProWritingAid will not only help you find grammar and spelling errors, but also it can help you improve the quality of your writing. It finds passive voice, highlights when you start too many sentences in a row with the same word, offers suggestions for better word choices, and more.
If you want to get an agent and traditional publisher, using this software will help your manuscript stand out by sending the tightest, cleanest submission possible, short of hiring an editor. If you’re an indie author, this software can clean up the manuscript, which makes it easier for the editor you hire (and could save you money on editing).
Right now, you can get 50% off on yearly and lifetime plans.
Learn more about ProWritingAid
Deposit Photos
My book designer uses Deposit Photos for covers and while the graphic comes from her account, because I have an account as well, I can have the same graphic to use for marketing. Not only do I use Deposit Photos for my covers, but also for social media, blog posts, and more. I signed up for the regular monthly subscription because this special deal wasn’t available when I needed graphics. Lucky you, Appsumo is running the special offer where you can get 100 stock photo and vector images of any size, that are royalty-free and come with a standard license (you can use them for book covers, social media, etc).
Learn more about Deposit Photos
Social Bee
Social Bee doesn’t seem to be as well-known as other social media tools such as Hootsuite, but I love this tool and recommend it whenever I can. Social Bee does more than just allow you to schedule social media posts. With the Canva integration, you can create your sharable graphic from within Social Bee. Plus it works with all the major platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest), including the ability to schedule Reels and TikToks!
My favorite feature is the reschedule option that will automatically repost a post. This is ideal for your evergreen content, such as sharing your newsletter sign up. You can organize post types by categories (e.g. promotion, blog post, etc) and set up a posting schedule, which again, used in conjunction with the reposting feature, means content is sent out regularly even if you forget or don’t have time to create a new post.
I bought my access through a deal at Appsumo, and unfortunately, that deal is gone. BUT…right now you can get 70% off for 3 months.
Learn more about Social Bee
Ocoya
I tend to go on buying sprees when I visit Appsumo and Ocoya is a purchase I made on a whim during a visit last year. Ocoya is similar to Social Bee in that it helps with Social Media. It has its own graphic/template library (like Canva) as well as integrates with Canva. Plus you can schedule social media post within the system.
The real benefit to Ocoya is the help it gives you in deciding what to post. It has AI support in creating copy for social media posts and more. It has hashtag help, plus a quote generator if you’re really stuck and want a simple, quick way to post something.
Right now, you can get an affordable lifetime deal.
KingSumo
I like Kingsumo for running contests designed to build my email list. There is a free option, but this deal through Appsumo gets you a few extra things that can make your giveaways better for you and your entrants. You can set up the giveaway in a few minutes and share with your followers. Entrants can earn more entries by sharing the contest through social media. You can allow them to earn more entries by following you or subscribing to your email as well.
Learn more about Kingsumo.
Other Tools For Black Friday
Once again, I’m coveting some really cool tools offered on Appsumo. I don’t own these (yet), but am seriously looking at them:
SleekBio
SleekBio is like LinkTree for link-in-bio social media (Instagram, TikTok) but without the monthly fee. It’s only $19 for lifetime use for one page, or $29 lifetime for 5 pages. I’m trying to decide if this would be easier than simply creating a page on my site with all the links for link-in-bio.
VoiceTapp (Voice to Text)
I own Dragon Naturally Speaking, which has a transcription option, but I want to transcribe video/audio to text that doesn’t have the punctuation commands. I see myself using Voicetap to create blog posts, scripts, and course materials. I can speak my ideas (without dictating punctuation), and then use this to transcribe, and then edit to posts, video scripts, etc.
Other options for writers include dictating your ideas or even your stories, and then using this to transcribe. VoiceTapp would be a more affordable option to Dragon’s version with transcription.
There are time limits per month on transcription use, but with 12 welcome hours and 5 hours of recording/transcription thereafter for a lifetime, it’s a good deal.
One Transcriber (Voice from PC to Text)
I nearly ignored One Transcriber until I realized I have a TON of online courses I’ve signed up for. While some courses offer transcriptions, most don’t. With this software (if I’m reading the information correctly) I can create real-time transcription of webinars, online courses, meetings, etc! I’d have a second note-taker and a readable transcript to review once I finish the course! I’m definitely taking a closer look at this one!
Like VoiceTabb, there are monthly limits, in this case 120 minutes (2 hours).
You’ll notice that many of these tools are through Appsumo. I love this resource for finding helpful tools at affordable (usually one-low-lifetime) prices. While most are geared toward online businesses, there are a ton that could help authors (such as those above).
Want More Savings?
By the way, if you’re into savings, make sure you sign up for Swagbucks and/or Rakuten. So many online retailers earn you points through these programs that you can use for cash back or giftcards. I let my points ride until this time of year, when I use them to buy gifts or get giftcards for gifts.
by jennaharte
Romance News and Trends and Publishers November 18, 2022
November 18, 2022 in Blog
Lots of interesting news and tidbits to share this week, plus a few new romance imprints to submit your manuscript to.
Amazon Limits Categories:
Amazon Limits Categories:When you publish your book through KDP, you select 3 categories, but in the past you could contact Amazon to list in 7 more. Recently, Amazon has now disallowed books from ranking in more than three. Amazon states that customer activity will influence which three categories the book will rank in on your amazon page.
Using a keyword tool can help. I know many use Publisher Rocket but I also saw BkLINK recommended as well.
NOTE: I noticed recently that on my author page, some of my books wouldn’t appear at the top. I learned the books highlighted at the top of an author page are the most popular ones. It’s an attempt by Amazon to showcase your more popular reads.
K-lytics Offers Good News for Romance Authors
- Top subcategories: Contemporary, Suspense, Rom-com (mafia and billionaire are popular)
- Multi- and Interracial romance sales are growing
- Sales in shifters, Amish, and Christian romances have fallen
- Average prices are up from less than $2.50 in 2017 to over $5.00 today. – What I don’t know is how many of these books are in KU.
What does this mean for you?
Writing to market is urged by many indie publishing “experts” but if you choose billionaires and to go against the authors who are already rockin’ in, you might have a harder time standing out.
In any business, your goal is to find the hot seller that doesn’t have as much competition. Some ideas to consider are:
- Medical romance
- Later-in-life romances
- Action & Adventure
- Demons (and maybe Angels)
- New Adult College (although Colleen Hoover and Elle Kennedy will give you a run for your money) – This is what the TikTok crowd loves.
- LBGTQ – If you’re looking for a traditional publisher, LBGTQ and diversity are high on the list of “wants” from agents and publishers.
Or just write what you want. There’s no guarantee that writing to market will mean the big bucks for you. And there’s no reason to think a book you write that isn’t current “hot” in the market won’t sell.
Also, something to note about K-Lytics is that it lists trends in Kindle sales only. This data could be different for print book sales or a combination of the two.
Romance Publisher Imprints
Are you looking to traditionally publish? Here are few new options:
Harlequin’s HQN is now Canary Street Press with a goal to publish “inclusive stories that represent everyone’s happy ever after.” Here is the entire Harlequin Imprint list.
Entangled Publishing is launching Red Tower Books to focus on romantic fantasy and science fiction, with “a feminist and empowered emphasis…” Think Leigh Bardugo or Sarah J. Maas.
Storm Publishing is brand new, which is something to be cautious about. But, it was started by people who worked at Bookouture, a Hachette UK ebook imprint, so they likely know a little something about book publishing. Here is the submission page.
Holiday Romance Writing Class (think Hallmark Movie)
Story Summit is offering a holiday romance writing course for novelists and scriptwriters. The cost is $129, and covers:
- How do you plot a classic holiday romance?
- What do holiday movie producers look for in a script?
- What kinds of tension are expected between characters?
- How can you introduce unique twists?
- How do you come up with a memorable meet-cute?
- and more…
Twitter
I can’t decide if Elon Musk is throwing spaghetti at the Twitter feed to see what sticks or has a reason for the madness. Personally, I’m not active on Twitter, but I know it’s a resource to stay up on publishing trends and connect with authors. Agents I know use Twitter to keep informed about publishers and editors.
Me? I doubt I’m going to change my non-existent Twitter habit. What are your thoughts on Twitter these days?
by jennaharte
Write with Harte End of Year Survey 2022
November 15, 2022 in Blog, Members
Write with Harte Survey End of Year 2022
Feeback