On Writing Romance (41 page)

There are two kinds of rejection letters: form letters and personal letters. Conventional wisdom has it that a personal letter is more promising than a form, but this isn't necessarily the case. Some publishers make a point of responding to each manuscript with a personal letter, and such letters may include stock phrases just as a form rejection letter does. Certain phases that appear frequently when romance novels are returned to their authors include:

• The characters are inconsistent.
  In some way, the characters are acting inappropriately or not in the manner you indicated they would. Why is a normal, sane hero self-destructive when it comes to a certain woman? Why does the heroine walk down the dark alley when there's a lighted storefront she could go into for help?
  

• The characters lack motivation.
  Often this happens because you haven't asked yourself why your characters act as they do. Why does the hero spend so much time and energy preventing the heroine from reaching her goal? Why does the heroine go along with what's suggested to her rather than taking action on her own?
  

• The conflict is weak.
  The problem between the characters isn't important enough: There isn't enough of a difference of opinion between the characters, or enough of a conflict in their goals, or enough trouble for the characters to keep the readers interested.
  

• The conflict is undeveloped.
  The events don't follow logically from what has happened before. Things happen because you needed them to at that moment in the plot, rather than because of cause and effect.
  

• The plot is contrived.
  The plot relies on clichés, hokey devices (the heroine falling off a ladder into the hero's arms), or random events, rather than on real problems.
  

• The execution is substandard.
  The dialogue doesn't sound natural; characters think in clichés or worn-out images; you have used the wrong words; grammar and punctuation errors make it difficult to follow the sense of the story; sentences are too long; or the narrative is hard to follow.
  

• Not for us.
  This may be a summary of the objections listed above, or it may mean that the story, while fine, isn't suited for this particular line at this time. You may have missed the distinction between two similar categories, and this book might be just right for the other one.
  

• Please read our books.
  The work isn't a romance, or it is so far outside the parameters the editor is looking for that it seems you are unfamiliar with the line, or perhaps even with romance novels as a whole.
  

• It just didn't excite me.
  There may be nothing wrong with the book, but it just doesn't have the zest and sparkle that would set it apart from the ordinary and make it a book the editor can take to the acquisition committee with enthusiasm.
  

If an editor asks you to revise, or suggests specific changes in the manuscript, it's because she really wants you to make those changes, and she really wants to see the book again. Editors are too busy to lead people on, so they only ask for revisions if they feel a story is already in the ballpark and they hope the changes they suggest — which might be anything from tweaking to major reconstruction — will make the book something they'd be proud to publish.

Most of the time the editor is right, the suggested changes are squarely on target, and the result is a much improved story. But editors' brains have been known to short-circuit and make them say things like, “Does this story have to be an office romance in a modern-day corporation? Could it, say, be moved to the Old West and be a time travel?” (Well, yes, it
could
— but it would be an entirely different story, and probably it would be more practical to start from scratch than to revise.)

If an editor asks you for revisions, never say no. Say you'll have to think about it, and then really think. Will those changes make the story better, stronger, and salable? If you feel the suggested changes aren't feasible, is there a compromise position you can offer? If you really can't make the changes without sacrificing the integrity of your story, then say so. Be up front but polite; you may want to work with this person in the future.

Your first reaction to any request for revisions is apt to be negative —
What's wrong with the editor that she can't see my story for the jewel it is?
— but if you take a bit of time, and if you've given yourself some distance from the story, you may see that she's right and what you actually put on the page isn't quite the polished diamond you believed.

If an editor requests revisions from you, figure out a feasible timetable, tell the editor when she can expect to see the revised manuscript — and then stick to the deadline. Don't delay; get the book back to the editor as soon as you reasonably can, before she can move on to another job or forget that she asked.

The professional writer isn't necessarily someone who's quit a day job to write full time. The difference between hobbyists who write stories in their spare time and authors who have put themselves in the marketplace is an attitude of professionalism.

Most rules for dealing with editors and publishers are a matter of common sense and courtesy. Before you send off a letter, consider how you would react if someone had sent the same letter to you. Treat the editor with the same respect you'd like to receive.

From the first query letter, you should strive to present yourself as a professional who is knowledgeable about the field, respectful of the editor's time, serious about writing, reasonable to deal with, and intelligent.

If you work with an editor through several projects, a friendship may develop, but it's important to remember that your working relationship must be kept separate from your friendship. Though your editor may sometimes act as your advocate with his superiors, his first duty has to be to his employer — who is not only in the business of publishing books, but of producing a product that will make money.

Your editor is your partner, not your opponent. A wise author remembers that while author and editor may not always agree, their goal is always the same: to produce the best possible book for the readers' enjoyment.

Part of this cooperative arrangement includes doing your work on time. It's your job to keep to your contract by meeting the deadline, and failing to do so because you didn't feel like working is not only unprofessional, it can be deadly to a career.

Deadlines are set through discussion between the writer and the editor and are spelled out in the contract. When you're negotiating deadlines, don't automatically agree to the editor's suggestion. Be reasonable with yourself, be realistic about what you can accomplish, and build in some extra time for emergencies. With luck, you won't need the safety margin, and turning work in early builds your professional relationship with your editor.

If circumstances like personal illness are going to prevent you from meeting a deadline, inform the editor as early as possible — when publication schedules can still be juggled. If you try to cover up the failing by making excuses or sending in substandard or unfinished work, you'll build yourself a reputation as unreliable, if not worse. Writers who can't be relied on to produce aren't asked to do the special projects that are very important career-builders.

Even before you're published, you can do a lot to build a professional attitude toward meeting deadlines. You can set your own due dates, or answer to a fellow writer or critique partner. And when you pitch a story to an editor and she says she'd like to read it, you'll be far ahead of the game if you tell her she'll have it in two weeks and you can follow through on it.

An I-can-do-that attitude will take you a long way. Be willing to listen to the editor's ideas, cooperate whenever possible with his requests, and if cooperation is impossible or if you disagree with the editor's suggestion, give logical reasons for your refusal.

Even when you find it necessary to disagree, you can do so without being disagreeable. The successful author does not ever flatly refuse to make changes or revisions. If you disagree with an editor's requests, respectfully present your case, detail your reasons, and offer an alternate solution.

It's impossible to stay at a certain level of competence as a writer. You either stretch, grow, and improve, or you slide downhill. Unless you are willing to learn with every new manuscript, you may find that publication is no guarantee of continued success. Remember, you are only as good as your latest story.

Writing a romance is fun, challenging, aggravating, and satisfying — sometimes all in the same moment. Your characters can thrill you, frighten you, amaze you, and make you want to tear your hair out. Your story will be exciting and frustrating in turns, and some days you'll just want to turn your back on your work and never pick it up again.

But in the end, writers write — while amateurs talk and think and dream about writing.

Juana B. Writer

321 Lovers Lane Hartsville, IA 55555 (555) 555-5555

[date]

Ms. Buya Booke Senior Editor

Lovelorn Romance 123 Story Lane New York, NY 10000

Dear Ms. Booke:

May I have a few moments of your time to submit a story for your consideration?

Ties That Blind is a sweet traditional romance, about 53,000 words, intended for Lovelorn Romance's Hometown line. The full manuscript recently received an honorable mention in the Waytago Romance Contest sponsored by the National Organization of Romantics.

Abbey Stafford is stunned when her widowed mother, Janice, announces that she's marrying the neighborhood handyman. Abbey's a bit of a snob, but she's completely honest about her reasons for opposing the match. She doesn't object to Frank Granger's occupation, she just doubts that her cultured and socially active mother can find happiness with a man who mends toilets for a living.

Abbey joins forces with Frank's son Flynn — her old nemesis from her high school days — to try to break up Janice and Frank. Flynn is also in favor of destroying the romance — because, he says, he would hate to have to face Abbey over the family dinner table at every holiday celebration.

Abbey tries to force Janice to see that Frank doesn't fit with her friends by throwing an elaborate after-symphony party. But Janice and Frank simply use the party as an excuse to announce their engagement.

Flynn suggests that he and Abbey feign a flaming public affair, because their children embarrassing them will surely cause a rift between Janice and Frank. When Abbey rejects that plan, his second brainstorm is a camping trip to show Janice that she doesn't fit into Frank's world. But that plan goes awry when Janice has a great time.

During the camping trip, Abbey realizes that she must accept her mother's decisions or lose her altogether. But Flynn, angry at the halfhearted way in which Abbey has made her peace, points out her snobbishness and leaves the camp.

His action forces Abbey to confront her attitudes not only toward Janice and Frank but toward Flynn himself, and she realizes she's fallen in love with him. However, she fears that her attitude has eliminated any chance that he might love her in return. She will have to adjust to having the man she loves as a stepbrother. To conceal her feelings, she tries to reestablish their earlier flirtatious exchanges.

The love she feels for Flynn helps Abbey understand her mother's feelings for Frank, and she begins to open her heart to him as well. But her easy flirting has sent mixed signals to Flynn. On the morning of her mother's wedding, Abbey is still trying to conceal her real feelings, but trips herself up when Flynn kisses her. Confused by the changes he's seen in her behavior, he challenges her to tell him the truth, and, surrounded by wedding guests, they admit they've both fallen in love.

Ties That Blind is a family-oriented story with a great deal of humor, about a well-meaning but difficult heroine coming to terms with her shortcomings and growing into a loving woman.

I hope you'll like meeting Abbey and Flynn. The manuscript is complete, and I would be delighted to submit it immediately upon request.

Sincerely,

Juana B. Writer

321 Lovers Lane Hartsville, IA 55555 (555) 555-5555 [email protected]

The query letter starts with a polite greeting and immediately gives the main information about the book — story type, targeted line, word count — and the fact that it has placed in a contest, which immediately gives more credibility to the author.

Then the letter segues into a quick synopsis of the story, including the main turning points of the plot and how those affect the main characters, along with a hint of the story's tone (mending toilets for a living, Flynn's motivation to sidetrack the romance). Note that the story's ending and what brings it about are included.

The quick finish specifies that the manuscript is complete and can be mailed on request. The author's name and contact information are clear.