Section	Section Description	Page Number
	Foreword	p. xix
	Introduction	p. 1
	About This Book	p. 1
	Foolish Assumptions	p. 2
	How This Book Is Organized	p. 3
	Icons Used in This Book	p. 5
	Where to Go from Here	p. 6
Part I	Welcome to the World of Romance Writing	p. 7
Chapter 1	Romance Writing at a Glance	p. 9
	Tuning in to the Market	p. 10
	Practicing Your Craft	p. 12
	Submitting Your Manuscript	p. 14
Chapter 2	Romancing the Marketplace: Identifying Your Options	p. 17
	Knowing Your Reader	p. 18
	Starting from Square One: Reading	p. 20
	Getting to Know Your Genre	p. 22
	Choosing Your Path	p. 35
Chapter 3	Setting Up for Stardom	p. 41
	Finding the Perfect Place and Time to Write	p. 41
	Building a Writer's Tool Kit	p. 45
	Accessing Resources for the Would-Be Writer	p. 50
Part II	Laying the Foundation: The Building Blocks of a Great Romance	p. 55
Chapter 4	Creating Compelling Main Characters: Alpha Males and Fiery Females	p. 57
	Depending on Your Characters	p. 57
	The Key to Every Romance Is the Heroine	p. 58
	Creating Your Hero	p. 64
	Keepin' It Real: Secondary Characters	p. 73
	Laying Concrete Strategies for Creating Characters	p. 75
Chapter 5	Crucial Ingredients for Every Plot: Conflict, Climax, and Resolution	p. 77
	You Can't Have a Novel without a Plot	p. 78
	Suspense: Every Story Has It	p. 82
	Making Sense Matters	p. 85
	Emotional Conflict and Tension: The Only Reason to Turn the Page	p. 86
	Handling Conflict Effectively	p. 92
	And They Lived Happily Ever After	p. 98
Chapter 6	Setting the Scene	p. 103
	Deciding Where Your Story Takes Place	p. 104
	Telling Time	p. 107
	Using Your Setting to the Fullest	p. 109
Chapter 7	Outlining Your Romance	p. 115
	What's an Outline?	p. 115
	Mapping Your Way to "The End"	p. 116
	Using Your Outline Effectively: Write, Write, and Then Rewrite (Maybe)	p. 121
Part III	Putting Pen to Paper	p. 125
Chapter 8	Finding Your Own Voice	p. 127
	Speaking Up for Yourself	p. 127
	Putting the Show in Show and Tell	p. 132
	Telling It Like It Is	p. 135
Chapter 9	Hearing Voices: Letting Your Characters Speak	p. 139
	Giving Your Characters Voices	p. 139
	Writing Great Dialogue	p. 144
	Point of View: How to Choose and How to Use	p. 150
Chapter 10	Pacing: The Secrets of Writing a Page-Turning Romance	p. 157
	Pacing Doesn't Mean Racing	p. 158
	Pacing and Plotting: Two Halves of a Whole	p. 158
	Avoiding the Dreaded Sagging Middle	p. 166
	Show It, Don't (Always) Tell It	p. 169
	Prose That Goes and Prose That Slows	p. 174
Chapter 11	Taking It All Off: Writing Love Scenes	p. 177
	Comparing Sex and Romance	p. 177
	Knowing Where and When	p. 178
	Writing the Scene	p. 183
Part IV	Putting It All Together: Mechanics Count, Too	p. 189
Chapter 12	Starting and Stopping	p. 191
	Starting with a Bang: Mastering the Winning Beginning	p. 192
	Putting Theory into Practice	p. 197
	Constructing Can't-Miss Chapters	p. 204
	Moving from Scene to Scene	p. 210
Chapter 13	Getting Your Story Straight: Doing Research Right	p. 213
	Getting It Right: Priority Number One	p. 214
	Making Research Work for You	p. 214
	Getting Down to Business	p. 219
	Finding the Facts	p. 221
	Getting Permissions	p. 228
Chapter 14	Neatness Counts--and So Does Grammar	p. 231
	Minding Your P's and Q's	p. 232
	Formatting for Success	p. 239
	Reviewing the Manuscript Preparation Checklist	p. 245
Part V	Submitting Your Manuscript--and Making the Sale!	p. 247
Chapter 15	Targeting the Right Publisher (and Editor)	p. 249
	Researching the Market	p. 250
	Submitting Made Simple	p. 254
	Deciding Whether You Need an Agent	p. 261
Chapter 16	Rejection and Revision: Don't Let Them Get You Down	p. 267
	What Are They Really Saying?	p. 268
	They Like It, But	p. 271
	One Editor's Insight into Common Editorial Comments	p. 277
	Does No Always Mean No?	p. 281
Chapter 17	Closing the Deal	p. 287
	Getting "The Call"	p. 288
	Coming Up with Questions	p. 289
	Sizing Up the Contract	p. 293
	Strategies for a Win-Win Negotiation	p. 295
Chapter 18	Tracing the Steps from Page to Press--and Beyond	p. 297
	Working with Your Editor	p. 298
	From Manuscript to Bound Book	p. 301
	Living in a Post-publication World	p. 311
Part VI	The Part of Tens	p. 319
Chapter 19	Ten Plots Every Editor Knows--and Why They Still Work	p. 321
	Marriage of Convenience	p. 322
	Stranded with a Stranger	p. 322
	Runaway Bride	p. 322
	Secret Baby	p. 323
	Reunion Romance	p. 323
	Back from the Dead	p. 323
	Mistaken Identity	p. 324
	Woman in Jeopardy	p. 324
	The Dad Next Door	p. 324
	Even Sketchier Setups	p. 324
Chapter 20	Ten Tips for Coming Up with a Successful Title	p. 325
	Speaking the Reader's Language	p. 325
	The Long and the Short of It	p. 326
	A Few Words about Single-Word Titles	p. 326
	Matching Title and Tone Perfectly	p. 327
	Hooking Up	p. 327
	All about Alliteration	p. 327
	Coining a Cliche	p. 327
	Naming Names	p. 328
	Making Connections	p. 328
	Following in Others' Footsteps	p. 328
Chapter 21	Ten Common Writing Mistakes Beginners Make	p. 329
	Remember the Reader's Expectations	p. 329
	Don't Overwrite	p. 330
	Ya Gotta Love It	p. 330
	Characters Are Key	p. 330
	Effective Conflict Comes from Within	p. 330
	Make Sure You Have Enough Plot	p. 331
	Keep Your Story on Track	p. 331
	The Name of the Game Is Entertainment	p. 331
	Don't Forget the Details	p. 331
	Keep It Moving	p. 332
Chapter 22	Ten Reasons Why a Manuscript Gets Rejected	p. 333
	Bad Writing	p. 333
	Arrogant Heroes and Unlovable Heroines: Unsympathetic Characters	p. 334
	Cardboard Cutouts: Unrealistic Characters	p. 334
	B-o-r-i-n-g Spells Boring	p. 334
	A Tsunami in the Alps and Other Lapses in Logic	p. 335
	Outdated Story Line and Characters	p. 335
	Inaccurate (Or No) Research	p. 335
	When Your Romance Isn't Really a Romance	p. 336
	Wrong Editor/Publishing House	p. 336
	Incorrect Formatting	p. 336
Chapter 23	Ten Ways to Beat Writer's Block	p. 337
	Working Your Way Through It	p. 338
	Selecting a Different Scene	p. 338
	Looking at the Last Scene You Wrote	p. 338
	Writing a Scene That You Won't Use	p. 338
	Viewing the Scene from a Different Angle	p. 339
	Forgetting about Perfection	p. 339
	Looking Forward--Not Back	p. 339
	Analyzing Your Outline	p. 339
	Re-energizing Your Creative Instincts	p. 340
	Starting Another Project--If All Else Fails	p. 340
Chapter 24	Ten Questions Every Romance Writer Needs to Ask Herself	p. 341
	Should I Write Romance Novels?	p. 341
	Why Can't I Get Started?	p. 341
	What Can I Do When the Ideas Don't Come?	p. 342
	How Can I Focus and Stay Positive When Things Go Wrong?	p. 342
	When Is It Research and When Is It a Waste of Time?	p. 343
	When Should I Send My Manuscript into the Big, Scary World?	p. 343
	Do I Need an Agent?	p. 343
	How Do I Handle a Friend's Manuscript Selling First?	p. 344
	When and How Do I Follow Up on My Book's Status?	p. 344
	When Do I Let Go of a Book?	p. 344
	Index	p. 345

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