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Kate Walker's 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance
If you want to write romance and be a professional writer then this book is a must for you. Following on from the success of the first edition of this book, which won a major award, this guide explains what is meant by romance and takes you through the process of writing emotion and conflict. The author explains how dialogue should be natural between your heroine and her hero and she explains the difference between sensuality and passion. With an expanded text and more true insider-secrets this is a must for all writers of romance, whether professional or amateur.In this book you will how to write emotion and create PTQ (page turning quality); why dialogue is the lifeblood of your novel; and, the importance of 'after' and why the intense black moment in romance is so important. The book will appeal all students taking courses to improve their creative writing skills; post 16-Level students and first-year undergraduates on creative writing and creative studies degrees; adult education centres including WEA; teachers, tutors and lecturers; school libraries, reference and public libraries; and, University and college central libraries. It is ideal for undergraduates. The related titles in the series "Writing TV Scripts"; "Writing Historical Fiction"; "Starting to Write" and "Writing Crime".
- GenresNonfictionWriting
257 pages, Paperback
First published July 30, 2008
24 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Kate Walker
494 books148 followersI was born in Nottinghamshire, England, but I didn't live there for very long. The family moved to West Yorkshire when I was just eighteen months old and so I have always regarded Yorkshire as my home. I grew up there as the middle child in a family of five—all girls—in a home where books were vitally important and I read anything I could get my hands on.
Even before I could write I was making up stories. My mother tells the story of me recounting the tale of the Three Little Raindrops — Drippy, Droppy and Droopy to my two younger sisters when I was four. I can't remember a time when I wasn't scribbling away at something, and I wrote my first 'book' when I was eleven, an adventure story, most of it in secret in lessons at school—particularly maths lessons, which I hated.
But everyone, particularly teachers and my parents, told me that I would never make a living as a writer, and I should work towards a more secure career. So I decided instead that if I couldn't write books, I could at least work with them and so I settled for becoming a librarian. On leaving school, I went to the University College of Wales Aberystwyth where I studied English and Librarianship for my degree.
More importantly, university was also where I met my husband who was also studying English there. We married and moved back north, eventually settling in Lincolnshire. Here I worked as a children's librarian until I left work when my son was born.
After three years of being a full-time housewife and mother, I was ready for a new challenge, but needed something I could do at home, and so I turned to my old love of writing. My first attempts at novels were written on the kitchen table, often late into the night when my son was asleep or during a few snatched hours when he was out at nursery school.
The first two novels sent off to Harlequin Mills & Boon were rejected, but the third attempt was successful. I can still remember the moment that a letter arrived instead of the rejection slip I had been dreading. I think I must have read it over and over at least a hundred times before the reality of what it said sank in, and for days I kept checking it just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. In 1984, THE CHALK LINE was published just in time to be one of my best Christmas presents ever.
Fitting in hobbies around working and being a wife and mother can be difficult, but I always find time to read. I love all sorts of fiction, especially Romance, obviously. I also enjoy historical novels, detective fiction and long, absorbing biographies about fascinating people and I can spend hours in bookshops just browsing. I enjoy knitting and embroidery, but I rarely get time to do either now that I'm a full-time writer. I also love looking round antique fairs or junk shops, hoping to add to my collection of Victorian embroidery. During my working hours my four cats, all adopted from the RSPCA, usually keep me company in my study, though they have to be dissuaded from sitting on the piles of papers that they are convinced are there just for them.
I love to travel and visit new places, especially places with an interesting history, and I always enjoy visiting old castles or stately homes and imagining how the people who used to live there spent their days.
I'm often asked if I'm a romantic sort of person because I specialise in writing Romances. Well, if being romantic means caring about other people enough to make that extra special effort, then yes, I am. Romance is about making the important people in your life feel valued and letting them know that you care. But I also write about relationships and the difficulties people sometimes have in understanding each other, or expressing affection, or overcoming problems.
Sometimes—when the right words won't come, or an idea hasn't worked out as I'd thought, I wonder why I don't have some regular nine to five job, but when the story's flowing and the characters come alive, I really can't imagine a
Even before I could write I was making up stories. My mother tells the story of me recounting the tale of the Three Little Raindrops — Drippy, Droppy and Droopy to my two younger sisters when I was four. I can't remember a time when I wasn't scribbling away at something, and I wrote my first 'book' when I was eleven, an adventure story, most of it in secret in lessons at school—particularly maths lessons, which I hated.
But everyone, particularly teachers and my parents, told me that I would never make a living as a writer, and I should work towards a more secure career. So I decided instead that if I couldn't write books, I could at least work with them and so I settled for becoming a librarian. On leaving school, I went to the University College of Wales Aberystwyth where I studied English and Librarianship for my degree.
More importantly, university was also where I met my husband who was also studying English there. We married and moved back north, eventually settling in Lincolnshire. Here I worked as a children's librarian until I left work when my son was born.
After three years of being a full-time housewife and mother, I was ready for a new challenge, but needed something I could do at home, and so I turned to my old love of writing. My first attempts at novels were written on the kitchen table, often late into the night when my son was asleep or during a few snatched hours when he was out at nursery school.
The first two novels sent off to Harlequin Mills & Boon were rejected, but the third attempt was successful. I can still remember the moment that a letter arrived instead of the rejection slip I had been dreading. I think I must have read it over and over at least a hundred times before the reality of what it said sank in, and for days I kept checking it just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. In 1984, THE CHALK LINE was published just in time to be one of my best Christmas presents ever.
Fitting in hobbies around working and being a wife and mother can be difficult, but I always find time to read. I love all sorts of fiction, especially Romance, obviously. I also enjoy historical novels, detective fiction and long, absorbing biographies about fascinating people and I can spend hours in bookshops just browsing. I enjoy knitting and embroidery, but I rarely get time to do either now that I'm a full-time writer. I also love looking round antique fairs or junk shops, hoping to add to my collection of Victorian embroidery. During my working hours my four cats, all adopted from the RSPCA, usually keep me company in my study, though they have to be dissuaded from sitting on the piles of papers that they are convinced are there just for them.
I love to travel and visit new places, especially places with an interesting history, and I always enjoy visiting old castles or stately homes and imagining how the people who used to live there spent their days.
I'm often asked if I'm a romantic sort of person because I specialise in writing Romances. Well, if being romantic means caring about other people enough to make that extra special effort, then yes, I am. Romance is about making the important people in your life feel valued and letting them know that you care. But I also write about relationships and the difficulties people sometimes have in understanding each other, or expressing affection, or overcoming problems.
Sometimes—when the right words won't come, or an idea hasn't worked out as I'd thought, I wonder why I don't have some regular nine to five job, but when the story's flowing and the characters come alive, I really can't imagine a
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 5, 2019
Firstly I would I would like to thank Kate Walker for adapting her book in how to write romance. I'm not thinking of writing a romance novel, I just like reading books about how to write. And as I've read a lot of Mills and Boon books, with many different topics of styles of books such as modern and dare etc ! I wondered what it takes to write for them.
With reading this guide I found that there were a lot of good advice, but in my own view I think that this 12 point guide would be mostly helpful if you are on a an author or on a writing course, or won a competition to have a very short story published in a magazine like mslexia or maybe if you have written a short story and had it published in a magazine like woman's fiction, which this 12 point guide to writing a romance book may help you progress further into developing a 50,000 word story.
I have read many different books about how to write for a magazine and various other how to write books and they all offer support guides, but unfortunately hear is the sad news no book can make you a writer. In all if you are really deicated to writing a book you may want to read this book by Kate Walker. I would love to hear from anyone who has read this book for your point of view. I know it's extremely hard work for an author that has written many books to a new writer to get their book accepted by a publisher. For anyone who is writing a book I very much wish you the best of luck and with my fingers crossed for you I do hope that a publisher accepts your book, after all your hard work. xx.
With reading this guide I found that there were a lot of good advice, but in my own view I think that this 12 point guide would be mostly helpful if you are on a an author or on a writing course, or won a competition to have a very short story published in a magazine like mslexia or maybe if you have written a short story and had it published in a magazine like woman's fiction, which this 12 point guide to writing a romance book may help you progress further into developing a 50,000 word story.
I have read many different books about how to write for a magazine and various other how to write books and they all offer support guides, but unfortunately hear is the sad news no book can make you a writer. In all if you are really deicated to writing a book you may want to read this book by Kate Walker. I would love to hear from anyone who has read this book for your point of view. I know it's extremely hard work for an author that has written many books to a new writer to get their book accepted by a publisher. For anyone who is writing a book I very much wish you the best of luck and with my fingers crossed for you I do hope that a publisher accepts your book, after all your hard work. xx.
January 3, 2011
The bible of writing romance.
Being an aspiring writer, in the last three years I've read all kinds of "how to" manuals and seen lots of advice about writing in my chosen genre, romance. I collect those tips, and pay attention to every word shared by published successful writers. Having all the essential information together in a single book is a wonderful tool for me. Especially when this book is more than theory, it's a workbook as well.
Kate Walker's 12-point Guide to Writing Romance is perfect for writers who are targeting Harlequin Mills and Boon. However, its teachings are great for any romance writer, regardless of which publisher they are planning to submit their work to. The topics covered in it could be applied to any romance novel and sub-genre.
The author has a unique way of conveying her experiences and translating them into tools we can actually use and understand. Some of the themes she explains so well, I realized I'd read about them before without having really understood them.
The whole book is awesome, and these are my favorite parts: 'Emotional punch' - I love how the author explains what it isn't before describing how to achieve it, and why it's so important. 'Conflict' (my favorite theme in writing, I'm a conflict junkie!) - Kate Walker explains everything about it intelligibly. 'Characters' point of view' - which is a great problem for most new writers, the evil head hopping gets dissected here! I also enjoyed 'Types of heroes and what makes a hero' and how to write a love scene.
At the end of every chapter there are questions and exercises. I think some of these could be used again and again, if we ever get stuck with a manuscript.
Kate Walker dedicates a chapter to the business part of our trade, giving us great directions on how to submit our writing and inside details on how the publishing industry works. I like and share her opinion on agents.
The final part of the book is a contribution from more than twenty generous and successful romance writers, who took the time to share with us their experiences and give us useful advice. I highly recommend this book to any romance writer.
Being an aspiring writer, in the last three years I've read all kinds of "how to" manuals and seen lots of advice about writing in my chosen genre, romance. I collect those tips, and pay attention to every word shared by published successful writers. Having all the essential information together in a single book is a wonderful tool for me. Especially when this book is more than theory, it's a workbook as well.
Kate Walker's 12-point Guide to Writing Romance is perfect for writers who are targeting Harlequin Mills and Boon. However, its teachings are great for any romance writer, regardless of which publisher they are planning to submit their work to. The topics covered in it could be applied to any romance novel and sub-genre.
The author has a unique way of conveying her experiences and translating them into tools we can actually use and understand. Some of the themes she explains so well, I realized I'd read about them before without having really understood them.
The whole book is awesome, and these are my favorite parts: 'Emotional punch' - I love how the author explains what it isn't before describing how to achieve it, and why it's so important. 'Conflict' (my favorite theme in writing, I'm a conflict junkie!) - Kate Walker explains everything about it intelligibly. 'Characters' point of view' - which is a great problem for most new writers, the evil head hopping gets dissected here! I also enjoyed 'Types of heroes and what makes a hero' and how to write a love scene.
At the end of every chapter there are questions and exercises. I think some of these could be used again and again, if we ever get stuck with a manuscript.
Kate Walker dedicates a chapter to the business part of our trade, giving us great directions on how to submit our writing and inside details on how the publishing industry works. I like and share her opinion on agents.
The final part of the book is a contribution from more than twenty generous and successful romance writers, who took the time to share with us their experiences and give us useful advice. I highly recommend this book to any romance writer.
December 28, 2011
I have been a fan of Kate Walker for years and have read most of her books. She’s been writing romance novels for Harlequin and Mills and Boons for years and she has a lot of information and tips for writers and wanna be writers…like me…..
This book was recommended when I did a writers course - for mills and boon writers…yes I kid you not!!!!
This book is informative, very well written and easy to read.
The information is broken into chapters - each dealing with a different subject and at the end of each chapter there is a section of questions and exercises for one to do...
The last chapter includes articles by other romance writers who share their experiences and offer advice.
A must for all writers who want to know more about writing romance. It’s the best guide to writing a romance
This book was recommended when I did a writers course - for mills and boon writers…yes I kid you not!!!!
This book is informative, very well written and easy to read.
The information is broken into chapters - each dealing with a different subject and at the end of each chapter there is a section of questions and exercises for one to do...
The last chapter includes articles by other romance writers who share their experiences and offer advice.
A must for all writers who want to know more about writing romance. It’s the best guide to writing a romance
October 12, 2011
From the reviews, you'd think this book was gospel. I found it a fairly solid, lightweight introduction to writing romance. It all makes sense, but I felt it skimmed the surface. I was hoping for a more indepth and rigorous analysis of the genre, as well as some meatier advice. There were some good pointers, and pretty straightforward, step by step instructions on how a typical romance works.
Lastly, the copyediting was poor - the book was strewn with typos.
Overall, a fair introduction but not quite the dynamite book the reviews would have you believe.
Lastly, the copyediting was poor - the book was strewn with typos.
Overall, a fair introduction but not quite the dynamite book the reviews would have you believe.
August 25, 2019
Another library find. Again, I took notes and scanned a couple of pages for later study.
According to GR she has 404 distinct works; mostly in category romance like Mills & Boons, Harlequin and so on. Jeez. [It’s 405 now – since I typed this review up – lmao]
She knows her stuff.
A good, basic, somewhat dated how-to.
4 stars
According to GR she has 404 distinct works; mostly in category romance like Mills & Boons, Harlequin and so on. Jeez. [It’s 405 now – since I typed this review up – lmao]
She knows her stuff.
A good, basic, somewhat dated how-to.
4 stars
February 18, 2020
Some interesting stuff, but a lot of the information has lost its relevance.
June 4, 2019
This is a great book with lots of useful tips. I particularly liked the worksheets for developing characters.
October 24, 2011
Even if you don’t write romances, consider, for a moment, this fact: Fifty-five percent of all books sold are from the romance genre. And it’s estimated that someone buys a romance book at the rate of at least six titles every minute of every day—and that’s just for the Harlequin lines.
So what can authors of other genres learn from this? Can we take elements of what makes for a good romance book and apply them to our own writing?
After reading veteran romance author Kate Walker’s book 12-POINT GUIDE TO WRITING ROMANCE, 3rd ed., for me the answer is a resounding “yes.”
A romance is about two people experiencing emotion and conflict before achieving resolution and satisfaction. Without a problem to solve or challenge to overcome, most manuscripts would be sadly flat. And if our readers aren’t feeling our main characters’ emotions, it will be too easy for our books not to have what Kate calls “page-turning quality,” or PTQ.
The guide also reminds us that dialogue is the lifeblood of a book, and that is why it should comprise about 60 percent of the overall content.
At first I thought sensuality had its place only in a romance, but that it because I was defining it in the more traditional sexual sense. In reality, to be sensuous is to invoke all of a reader’s senses, so they see, hear, feel and sometimes even experience the scent of our words.
And if Kate mentions the “black moment” at the end of her guide, it’s not because it’s one of the least important points. Rather it is the moment near the book’s end when readers are made to feel the chances of a positive outcome have just been reduced to slim to none.
The book also includes thought-provoking questions, writing exercises and a chapter on the practicalities of getting published as well as interviews with almost two dozen authors, who offer additional advice.
Every author aims to have loyal readers who’ll consider their books “a keeper.” With Kate’s 12-point guide to writing, our task is made that much easier and more enjoyable.
So what can authors of other genres learn from this? Can we take elements of what makes for a good romance book and apply them to our own writing?
After reading veteran romance author Kate Walker’s book 12-POINT GUIDE TO WRITING ROMANCE, 3rd ed., for me the answer is a resounding “yes.”
A romance is about two people experiencing emotion and conflict before achieving resolution and satisfaction. Without a problem to solve or challenge to overcome, most manuscripts would be sadly flat. And if our readers aren’t feeling our main characters’ emotions, it will be too easy for our books not to have what Kate calls “page-turning quality,” or PTQ.
The guide also reminds us that dialogue is the lifeblood of a book, and that is why it should comprise about 60 percent of the overall content.
At first I thought sensuality had its place only in a romance, but that it because I was defining it in the more traditional sexual sense. In reality, to be sensuous is to invoke all of a reader’s senses, so they see, hear, feel and sometimes even experience the scent of our words.
And if Kate mentions the “black moment” at the end of her guide, it’s not because it’s one of the least important points. Rather it is the moment near the book’s end when readers are made to feel the chances of a positive outcome have just been reduced to slim to none.
The book also includes thought-provoking questions, writing exercises and a chapter on the practicalities of getting published as well as interviews with almost two dozen authors, who offer additional advice.
Every author aims to have loyal readers who’ll consider their books “a keeper.” With Kate’s 12-point guide to writing, our task is made that much easier and more enjoyable.
November 19, 2010
This will live on my bookshelf. There are exercises that I really would like to attempt and is definitely good to have as a reference.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to write for Mills and Boon Harlequin because it really is aimed at them. It gives a lot of detail about the specific lines and what they require. I'm not really sure if I'm Mills and Boon material (or voice), however, I still found it useful for writing romance in general. Definitely worth a read.
At the back, the last chapter is really writing advice from old and new Mills and Boon authors. Liz Fielding is there! From these authors, the general consensus is you can't edit a blank page... so write, write, write! The other piece of advice they raised was read, read, read. Research is also key, so read the lines, genre you want to write for.
So you'll be seeing a lot of chick-lit in my reading pile next year.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to write for Mills and Boon Harlequin because it really is aimed at them. It gives a lot of detail about the specific lines and what they require. I'm not really sure if I'm Mills and Boon material (or voice), however, I still found it useful for writing romance in general. Definitely worth a read.
At the back, the last chapter is really writing advice from old and new Mills and Boon authors. Liz Fielding is there! From these authors, the general consensus is you can't edit a blank page... so write, write, write! The other piece of advice they raised was read, read, read. Research is also key, so read the lines, genre you want to write for.
So you'll be seeing a lot of chick-lit in my reading pile next year.
May 23, 2012
This is a wonderfully written book. I've been writing for some time but it wasn't until I read this book that I realized why my writing wasn't working. This is a MUST read for anyone who wants to write fiction. Easy to read, to understand, and right to the point.
Read it...you won't be disappointed...in fact you'll wish you'd read it sooner.
I was told she's coming out with an updated edition, so watch for that.
Read it...you won't be disappointed...in fact you'll wish you'd read it sooner.
I was told she's coming out with an updated edition, so watch for that.
February 22, 2009
I enjoyed this book. Quick and simple breaks down the guide to writing a romance and what works and what doesn't based off of history.
She takes quotes from different books and shows the reader why it worked or didn't and she explains the whole synopsis and query aspect.
Although best advice I ever rec'd regarding queries was at Pub Rants. That's here nor there. Anway I would recommend it!
She takes quotes from different books and shows the reader why it worked or didn't and she explains the whole synopsis and query aspect.
Although best advice I ever rec'd regarding queries was at Pub Rants. That's here nor there. Anway I would recommend it!
Currently reading
November 26, 2010This book is great! Very helpful - well written!
May 27, 2011
This is a really helpful guide if you are just starting out or as a reference guide.
September 12, 2011
Lots of great advice and clear, concise verbiage.
December 20, 2011
This is a great read. Very informative, especially with the exercises. Find myself referring back to it when I have certain questions with my writing. Useful guide I would thoroughly recommend.
March 16, 2011
All you need to know about writing category romance.
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June 22, 2017Emotion and you better have a good answer when you ask why.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews