![]() What is developmental editing? Developmental editing is the first step in the editing process. Developmental editors help authors improve the big-picture storytelling issues of their stories. Developmental editing addresses big-picture storytelling issues such as:
4 reasons to hire a developmental editor: You have no idea how to further improve your manuscript Make sure you have a strong story premise You are trying something new or you are a new author You have not received any offers from publishers/agents You have no idea how to further improve your manuscript You have revised and edited your manuscript as much as you can on your own. You have improved your story to the best of your abilities but you have no idea how to further improve your story. You are stuck. The solution is to hire a professional developmental editor to help you unlock your story’s full potential. The developmental editor will provide objective, constructive and honest feedback about the big-picture storytelling issues of your story and help you improve your manuscript. Make sure you have a strong story premise You have finished your manuscript and you have a completed draft after multiple revisions. Now, it’s time to hire a professional editor to look at it and make sure that you have a strong and compelling story premise. If you worry about specific storytelling issues or have any questions about your story, you can ask your editor to focus on these particular big-picture storytelling issues while they are editing your story. Keep in mind that you should never be the only person who has read your story before publishing your story and that hiring a professional editor is the best solution for the big-pictures storytelling elements of your story. If you are budget-conscious, exchange stories with critique partners and improve your manuscript based on their feedback before hiring a professional editor. If you can’t afford a full developmental edit, you can request beta reading or manuscript critique services. You are trying something new or you are a new author Are you trying something new in your story e.g dual point of view or is this the first time you completed a draft? As a new author, editing is a learning process where you can also apply the feedback the editor provides to your next stories and improve your writing craft. Therefore, hiring a professional editor is an investment that is worth it for the improvement of your story and the advancement of your writing career. An investment doesn’t necessarily mean hiring an expensive editor. There are many editors to choose from nowadays. Do your research and find the right editor for your book. You have not received any offers from publishers/agents You have submitted your story to multiple publishers or agents and haven’t received any offers yet. Look at the feedback the publishers and the literary agents discussed in their rejection letters. Note down common issues such as lack of character development, slow pacing or inconsistent point of view. Then, discuss your manuscripts’ storytelling issues with a developmental editor. The developmental editor will specifically address these issues and suggest solutions to improve them. As a result, your manuscript will be ready for publication and you will receive multiple offers by publishers and literary agents. I am ready to discuss my book and the editing service I need. How do I do that? Check out my editing services and fill in this form to contact me. I will respond to you as soon as possible with a customised quote! I am not ready to book an edit yet. How do i keep in touch? Sign up for my newsletter to get free monthly writing and editing advice, updates and exclusive offers. Further reading What is developmental editing? How to find the right editor for your fiction story? 9 important questions editors ask authors before working with them About the authorMaria Georgiou is a professional developmental editor for romance authors. She specialises in editing contemporary romance, YA romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance and romantasy. She is a member of the EFA and ClubEdFreelancers. Learn more about the author: About me Get in touch: Facebook and LinkedIn Learn about fiction editing: Resources Library and Blog Get a quote for your writing project: Get in touch with me form
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![]() You have finished writing and editing your story. You have already learned how to find the right editor for your fiction story. This blog article will help you prepare the answers to the questions an editor might ask you to learn more details about your story and to determine if you are a great fit to work together. Editors ask the following questions: How long is your book? What is the genre of your book? What kind of editing do you need? Have you already received feedback for this story? Have you published any books before? Who is your audience? When is your estimated deadline? What documents do I need to send my editor? How did you find me? How long is your book? The word count of your fiction story is one of the first questions the editor will ask you. Knowing the word count of your book will help them estimate how much to charge, how much time it will take them to edit it and if there is an available time slot in their schedule. Some authors prefer to mention the pages or the chapters of their book. However, I find that the word count is the best way to tell how long a book is since not all pages or chapters have the same amount of words. What is the genre of your book? Some editors work in a variety of genres and others are specialised in a particular genre. For example, I am a romance editor and I specialise in editing light-hearted contemporary romance, YA romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance and romantasy stories. I don’t edit non-fiction stories or memoirs. If you are romance author, then I might be the right editor for your story. If you are a non-fiction author, then I am not a suitable editor for your book. If you are not sure about which genres an editor works with, check their website and social media or send them an email. What kind of editing do you need? What kind of editing do you need? Developmental editing, line editing, copy editing or proofreading? Experienced authors know the differences between the different kinds of editing and they are able to tell what kind of editing their book needs. However, new authors might not be able to distinguish the different kinds of editing or tell what kind of editing their book needs. If you are not sure about the kind of editing your book needs, find out more information about the different kinds of editing. I am a developmental editor for romance authors. I edit the big-picture storytelling issues of romance stories. I focus on theme, plot and structure, character development, point of view, pacing, setting, genre conventions, show vs tell and dialogue. I would be happy to discuss your romance story and focus my editing on any concerns you may have. If you are a romance author looking for a developmental editor, then I might be a great fit for your story. Have you already received feedback for this story? It is very important for your editor to know if your story has already been edited and what kind of editing services it has gone through. This will help them determine what kind of services your story needs. If your manuscript has already been line-edited or copy-edited, then you probably need a proofreader. If it has not been professionally edited before, then you might need a developmental editor or a line editor. It’s always best to tell your editor how many drafts your story has gone through, what kind of editing you or others have done to your story and if you took advice from other writers, family members or beta readers. This will help your editor better understand what kind of editing your story needs. Have you published any books before? It is also important for an editor to know if you have hired an editor before and received editorial feedback for a previous book. This shows the editor that you are familiar with the editorial process and what kind of feedback to expect. Also, editors would love to see any previously published books or blog posts to see your writing style and how they can help you improve your manuscript. Who is your audience? Another important factor is your audience. Are you planning to give a few copies to family or friends or are you planning to publish your novel at the mass market? This information will help your editor provide you with the appropriate feedback and decide what kind of editing your story needs. When is your estimated deadline? Do you have a publishing deal where your book must get published by a specific date or do you have flexibility? Knowing the date of publication of your story will help your editor better schedule a slot in their schedule. Make sure to book your editor in advance to ensure that the right editor for your book is available, especially if you have already decided and announced your publication date. If you have more flexibility in your publication schedule, you can better accommodate to your desired editor’s schedule. What documents do I need to send my editor? The editor needs the following documents:
Ideally, you already have this information available because you took notes about your plot, characters and setting while you were writing and editing your story. You just need to send it to your editor to help them better understand your story. How did you find me? This information is more helpful to me rather than to you. Did someone else refer them to me? Did you find me through social media, or a directory or did you find one of my blog posts helpful? This information will help me focus my marketing efforts on topics and places that interest you. I am ready to discuss my book and the editing service I need. How do I do that? Fill in this form and I will respond to you as soon as possible. I am not ready to book an edit yet. How do I keep in touch? Sign up for my newsletter to get free monthly writing and editing advice, updates and exclusive offers. Further reading How to find the right editor for your fiction book How to prepare your manuscript for your editor What is developmental editing vs other kinds of editing Why authors need character profiles How to write a romance novel using the 3-act structure About the authorMaria Georgiou is a professional developmental editor for romance authors. She specialises in editing contemporary romance, YA romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance and romantasy. She is a member of the EFA and ClubEdFreelancers. Learn more about the author: About me Get in touch: Facebook and LinkedIn Learn about fiction editing: Resources Library and Blog Get a quote for your writing project: Get in touch with me form ![]() Finding the right editor for your fiction book seems easier than ever with the plethora of editors hitting the freelance industry nowadays. There are so many editors to choose from but how will you know who is the right editor for your story? Many authors do not know the kind of services their story needs and others don’t do thorough research. As a result, authors often end up requesting quotes from editors who offer different services from the ones their story needs in a genre that the editor is not editing. How can you find the right editor for your fiction book: Services Genre Cost Where to look for the right editor Reach out to editors Services The first step in finding the right editor for your fiction book is to determine what kind of services you need. Are you looking for developmental editing, copyediting, or proofreading? If this is the first time you are searching for a professional editor and you are not sure what kind of services you need, read this article about the different kinds of editing and consider the state of your story. If you only have a raw idea or an outline, then you need a book coach to help you:
If you have a completed first draft, then you need a developmental editor to help you improve your story’s:
If you are in the final draft of your story, then you might need a copy editor or a proofreader to help you focus on:
Genre The second step in finding the most suitable editor is to identify the genre(s) of your story. Are you writing a contemporary romance or a YA thriller? If you don’t know what genre your story is, go online and search for the definitions of various genres. For example, a story belongs to the romance genre when:
The romance genre is a very broad fiction category and can be divided into many subgenres such as contemporary romance, YA romance, romantic suspense and paranormal romance. Many editors specialise in particular genres while others edit only one genre e.g romance. Make sure to find an editor that specialises in the genre of your story and has the relevant training, education, skills and experience to edit your book. Cost The cost of the service is perhaps the most important factor for authors. The cost of the service depends on a lot of reasons such as the required service, turnaround time, training, experience and cost of living. For example, developmental editing services are typically more expensive than copyediting and proofreading services. You can look at the editorial rates of different editing services at the EFA’s editorial rates and estimate how much a service can cost. The rates published on the website are only designed to give you a rough idea of what the cost might be based on the genre and the word count of your story. Actual editorial rates may vary depending on the reasons mentioned above. Where to look for the right editor You have already determined the kind of services you need, the genre of your manuscript and your estimated budget. Now, it’s time to search for the right editor. You can find editors on social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. There are many Facebook groups for editors and writers where editors advertise their services. You can also check the editor’s LinkedIn profiles to see their background, education, training and experience. You can also check sites such as Upwork, Fiverr and Reedsy to find editors or post jobs. Make sure to include the kind of editing service you need, the genre, the word count of your story, your estimated budget and your desired deadline when you post a job. You can also check the EFA’s Job List and Member Directory to hire an editor. You can also look at the websites of different editors to see what kind of services they offer. When you are looking for an editor on the search engines make sure to include keywords such as the kind of services you need and the genre of your story e.g developmental editing for a contemporary romance story or copyediting for a murder mystery story. Pay attention to the “Home” page of the editors’ sites where editors usually mention the services and the genres they are editing. You should also check their “Portfolio” page to see what kind of projects they have edited and their “About” page to learn more information about their qualifications. Finally, check their “Services” page to see what kind of services they offer. Every editor defines their services differently, so make sure to check what each service includes e.g scope of work, deadlines, cost, and deliverables. Reach out to editors When you narrow down your options and find editors that fit your criteria e.g services, genre, estimated cost, and qualifications, email them to get a customised quote for your story and to discuss with them the specific needs of your manuscript. Most editors usually have a form on their website that authors can fill out when they request a quote in order to learn more information about the author’s story and provide them with an accurate quote. For example, the form on the “Contact” page of my website helps me learn important information about the author and their story such as the project’s title, word count, genre, requested service and preferred completion date. Most editors offer a no-obligation customised quote and a 1,000-word free sample edit to see if they and the author are a great fit to work together. The editor will guide you about the next steps of the editing process but you can also ask any questions you may have. Clear communication is key for successful collaboration in order to set clear expectations about the scope of the work and to avoid misunderstandings. Conclusion Finding the right editor for your fiction story is easier than ever. Define the kind of services you are looking for, the genre of your story and your estimated budget. Research the editor’s websites and social media and reach out to the editors that match your criteria. Editors are valuable collaborators that will help you shape your manuscript into a compelling story so make sure to choose yours wisely! Further reading “Contact” form Developmental editing vs other kinds of editing EFA Job List and Membership Directory EFA rates About the authorMaria Georgiou is a professional developmental editor for romance authors. She specialises in editing contemporary romance, YA romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance and romantasy. She is a member of the EFA and ClubEdFreelancers. Learn more about the author: About me Get in touch: Facebook and LinkedIn Learn about fiction editing: Resources Library and Blog Get a quote for your writing project: Get in touch with me form ![]() The HB90 method is a quarterly planning and goal-setting system primarily for writers, although everyone who feels stressed, overwhelmed or lost can follow this method to set up quarterly goals, projects and tasks. The HB90 method is created by contemporary fantasy author Sara Cannon who shows how she uses this method to set up her quarterly goals and projects in her YouTube channel called Heart Breathings. The HB90 method can help you set and achieve goals, projects and tasks for 90 days. Once your projects and tasks are ready, you can assign the projects and tasks that you wish to complete each month. This method helps you keep track of the projects and tasks you complete each quarter and estimate how much time you need to allocate to complete each project. This blog article explains: The HB90 method planner The HB90 Bootcamp My experience with the HB90 method Conclusion The HB90 method planner Sara has an HB90 method planner in printable and digital versions. The planner includes over 50 goal-setting pages with instructions on how to:
The HB90 planner also includes weekly spreads and daily pages to help you keep track of your progress and note down appointments and notes. The planner has weekly, monthly and quarterly reviews to help you reflect on the previous week/month/ quarter, keep track of your progress and help you plan for the next quarter. HB90 Bootcamp Sara offers the HB90 Bootcamp, a 7-day course that is designed to teach you to be more productive, feel less stressed and take control of your professional and personal life. The HB90 Bootcamp is for everyone (not just writers) who wants to:
The course opens for enrollment every March, June, September and December to prepare for the next quarter. All the recording videos and exercises are available to watch at any time. Students have lifetime access to the course and they can join a private Facebook group for course alumni. Disclaimer: I haven’t taken the course and therefore I can’t recommend it. However, people who have taken the course highly recommend it because it helped them plan and organise their goals and projects, take control of their lives and be more productive. Do your own research and see if the HB90 Bootcamp suits your needs. My experience with the HB90 method “The good” December 2022. I quit my first job as an English Language teacher and decided to become a freelance fiction editor. There were so many projects and tasks I needed to do to prepare for my fiction editing business and I knew I had to find a way to organise everything and stay on top of my schedule. I ultimately found Heartbreathings on YouTube and watched (a lot of ) YouTube videos about the HB90 method. I wanted to get organised as soon as possible so I purchased the undated printable planner and started using the HB90 method in December. My initial goal was to use this planner from December until March and then buy the dated planner for the next quarter. I started setting up my goals, projects and tasks and then filled my weekly tasks week after week. The planner was great. It gave me the organisation, clarity, and control I needed. I could track my progress and see myself finishing tasks and making progress on my goals. “The bad” The system was great for me and it was working. The planner wasn’t though and I stopped using it at the end of February. Why? Because the printable aspect of the planner wasn’t for me. Although I liked the physical aspect of the planner, it was taking me too much time to move, add, and delete projects and tasks as needed. That’s when I discovered that I needed a digital method or software to plan and organise my goals and projects. I went online and found Todoist, a do-list task manager where you can plan your projects and tasks. I bought a yearly subscription to the Pro plan in April 2023. I added all my goals and tasks in Todoist and I started using it. I used Todoist for a couple of months and I realised I was back where I was in December of 2022. I had a list of my projects and tasks without a clear plan on how to prioritise them, no clear deadlines and no efficient way to track the progress of my projects. Todoist was great but it wasn’t enough. The aha moment December 2023. That’s when it happened. The big realisation. I needed the HB90 method in combination with Todoist. I bought the yearly HB90 method goal planner. The planner includes only the goal-setting pages, the monthly pages and the tasks pages with no weekly spreads or daily pages. I also bought the 2024 Digital Doodle planner by AmandaRachLee and I use the weekly, the habit and the mood tracker pages. Also, I use Todoist as my Kanbard board and calendar. The combination of the two digital planners and Todoist is great for me. It is exactly what I need. I use the HB90 method with the 2 planners and Todoist. I can efficiently plan my goals, track my projects and complete my tasks. I stay organised and in control of my life. Conclusion Learning from the planning and organising mistakes of 2024, I already have in mind some adjustments I want to make while using the HB90 method planner for the next year. I am thinking of using the digital (landscape) undated HB90 method quarterly planner and Todoist. This planner includes goal-setting pages, monthly spreads, weekly spreads and daily pages and it seems perfect for my planning needs. I will continue using Todoist as a Kanbard board and calendar. I plan to take some time off during the Christmas holidays to brainstorm 2024, think about potential goals for 2025 and plan for the first quarter of 2025. I am not planning on buying the HB90 Bootcamp course. What about you? What kind of planning and organising system are you using? Have you tried the HB90 method or would you like to try it for 2025? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think about the HB90 method! If you would like to see more similar blog articles, make sure to leave a comment and share the blog article on your favourite social media! Further reading 3 types of writer goals you can set in 2025 How to create a consistent writing routine and finish your book How Sara plans her week using the HB90 method (YouTube) The HB90 method planners on Etsy The HB90 Bootcamp AmandaRachLee’s products (planners, notebooks, bags, stickers and washi tapes) Todoist About the authorMaria Georgiou is a professional developmental editor for romance authors. She specialises in editing contemporary romance, YA romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance and romantasy. She is a member of the EFA and ClubEdFreelancers. Learn more about the author: About me Get in touch: Facebook and LinkedIn Learn about fiction editing: Resources Library and Blog Get a quote for your writing project: Get in touch with me form ![]() It’s almost the end of 2024. As I am writing this blog article at the beginning of November, I realise that there are only 2 months left for this year. When did time pass so far? At the end of each year, I can’t stop being retrospective. I am thinking about the goals I set at the beginning of 2024, the goals I achieved, and the ones I would like to achieve for the new year. I plan to take some time off at the end of December to think about the goals and the projects I achieved in 2024 and make plans for 2025. What about you? What are your writer goals for 2025? Why it is important to set goals Setting goals at the beginning of each new year is important because it gives writers a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment about all the writing projects they made progress or completed in the previous year. Also, writers can learn from their planning mistakes and set realistic and achievable goals for the new year. Setting short-term and long-term goals for their writing projects can help writers be focused, track their writing process, develop their writing skills and find the motivation to meet the deadlines for their writing projects. This blog article explains 3 types of writer goals writers can set for the new year: Word-based goals Task-based goals Time-based goals Word-based goals Word-based goals are particularly useful when the writers are in the drafting phase of their manuscripts. Some writers like to write a set number of words per day or per writing session while others like to write a certain number of words or pages by a specific date. Writers like to track their writing progress by noting down the number of words they write each day. Some writers like to join writing sprints with other writing friends and increase their word count through friendly competition. Writers who set word-based goals need to ask themselves how many words they can write every day and the total word count of their writing project so that they can come up with an estimated deadline. Knowing the estimated deadline can give them motivation to show up every day for their writing session and finish their writing projects. Examples of word-based goals:
Task-based goals Other writers prefer to track their writing progress with task-based goals. For example, a writer might want to write a romance novel in 2025. They might have a busy and irregular schedule and they can’t set a specific amount of time or word count goal. Instead, they divide their writing project into manageable tasks and put each task under each stage: outlining, writing, editing and publishing. The tasks can be as small or as big as the writer wishes, taking from one day to several weeks to be completed and they can be divided into subtasks. Examples of task-based goals:
Time-based goals Some writers may have a limited or specific amount of time each day because of their busy schedule so they prefer to set time-based goals. Also, time-based goals might be more suitable for beginner writers who want to create a consistent writing routine and improve their writing skills and writing speed. They might only have 15 minutes before an appointment or 30 minutes during lunch break. They don’t stop writing until the allocated time is finished. They don’t mind leaving a scene or a chapter unfinished. Examples of time-based goals:
Conclusion What type of writer goals will you set for the new year? Are you the kind of writer that combines some or all the types of writer goals? For example, you might want to write one scene (task-based goal) every day (time-based goal) or write 5000 words (word-based goal) each week (time-based goal). Or perhaps you don’t like having writing goals at all. You might be a beginner writer who doesn’t like writing schedules or deadlines and prefers to write whenever you want to as long as you want to. No matter what type of writer goals you plan to set for the next year, don’t overestimate yourself. Create realistic and achievable goals based on your schedule and your lifestyle. Don’t stress yourself to meet unrealistic expectations or deadlines. Know your boundaries and make sure you rest and have a balanced and healthy lifestyle. What are your writing goals for the new year? Are you writing a new novel? Are you editing the story you wrote this year? Are you preparing to publish your story? Comment below. If you would like to see more similar blog articles, make sure to leave a comment and share the blog article on your favourite social media! Further reading How to create a consistent writing routine How to write a novel in 90 days (writing challenge) What type of writer are you: pantser vs plotter vs plantser About the authorMaria Georgiou is a professional developmental editor for romance authors. She specialises in editing contemporary romance, YA romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance and romantasy. She is a member of the EFA and ClubEdFreelancers. Learn more about the author: About me Get in touch: Facebook and LinkedIn Learn about fiction editing: Resources Library and Blog Get a quote for your writing project: Get in touch with me form ![]() Trope is a plot, character or theme that is often used in (romance) stories. Romance readers often look at the cover, title and blurb of a romance book to see which tropes the story includes. Tropes come with specific expectations about how the story progresses. They provide familiarity, satisfaction and anticipation about how a specific plot or character unfolds in new and exciting ways to create a compelling story. Some of the most popular tropes that readers love to read are the: Billionaire trope Enemies to lovers Friends to lovers Reformed playboy Fake relationship/ marriage Second chance romance Sports romance Workplace romance Billionaire trope In the billionaire trope, one of the main characters is rich and the other one comes from a more modest background. This trope includes a confident and powerful main character who can still show their valuable side to their loved ones and it shows how love can bridge the gap between the differences of the main characters. This trope can be combined with other romance tropes such as enemies to lovers, fake relationship, forced proximity, marriage of convenience, workplace romance or reformed playboy. Enemies to lovers The enemies-to-lovers trope is one of the most popular romance tropes. Authors who want to write a successful enemies-to-lovers story need to establish which character hates who and the reason. Do both main characters hate each other or one hates the other and why? As the characters spend more time together, they overcome their differences and misunderstandings about each other, they become friends and ultimately fall in love. Friends to lovers Friends to lovers is one of the most beloved romance tropes and explores how two friends develop romantic feelings for each other. The friends-to-lovers trope can be found in YA stories where the main characters are childhood friends, neighbors (or both) and they start developing feelings for each other in their teenage years. The main characters try to manage their romantic feelings while dealing with issues of identity, family, society, school, and friendship. This trope can also be found in stories with adult characters in their twenties or thirties. In one of my favorite romance stories, the main character realises that he is in love with his best friend when he sees her trying wedding dresses for her marriage with someone else. Reformed playboy The reformed playboy consists of one of the most commonly used tropes in romance stories. The bad boy can be a high school or college student with a troubled past, a bossy CEO or a mafia lord. The bad boy may seem mean, bossy or rude on the exterior but he hides a polite personality and a huge heart. His backstory, internal struggles and external conflict play a crucial role for the readers to understand why he behaves in such a way. There are different levels of “bad” boys depending on the genre you are writing: YA romance (light), romantic comedy (funny) and dark romance (sexy). Fake relationship/ marriage The main characters make a beneficial agreement to pretend to be in a relationship or a marriage to get the family inheritance, boost their career or make their ex jealous. Both main characters have their own reasons for entering this agreement and they often make rules or sign an official contractual agreement that is valid for a specific period of time. The main characters are forced to spend a great deal of time together to successfully convince everyone around them that they are a real couple. The fake relationship/ marriage trope emphasises the variety and evolution of the main characters’ feelings: jealousy, doubt, intimacy and true love. Second chance romance The second-chance romance describes the story between two characters who broke up and meet again after quite some time. The main characters might have been separated by external circumstances or misunderstandings and now they are given the opportunity to heal their wounds. The second-chance trope explores themes of separation, reconciliation, forgiveness, redemption and emotional growth. It depicts how the main characters can successfully overcome the obstacles that previously separated them and have their happily ever after through the power of love. Sports romance The sports romance trope is one of the most popular tropes of romance stories. One of the characters is a famous athlete or a former athlete. The other main character can also be an athlete, a sports journalist or working for the same team. Sports romance stories show how the publicity, the intense training, and the demanding schedule can affect the athlete’s dating life. This trope can be combined with other romance tropes such as enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, fake relationship, forced proximity or reformed playboy. Workplace romance The workplace trope is one of the most beloved romance tropes. The main characters can be a boss and an employee, coworkers or professional rivals. The main characters can work together towards a common goal or they can sabotage each other for their own personal benefit. The main characters are forced to spend a lot of time together because of their job. As they work together, they get to know each other true selves and they eventually fall in love. Their relationship can be public or secret if there is a work policy that forbids dating at work. Conclusion While tropes are not genres themselves, tropes can be found in multiple romance genres such as contemporary romance, YA romance, paranormal romance, romantic suspense, romantasy or historical romance. Romance readers love reading romance stories with specific tropes because of the familiarity and the satisfaction they provide. Authors should successfully combine different tropes in new and refreshing ways to create compelling characters and interesting plots. Further reading 8 romance genres authors can explore this year How to write the genre and the main characters of a romance novel How to write a romance novel using the three-act structure What are your favourite romance tropes that you enjoy reading the most? Comment below! Share the blog article on your favourite social media! About the authorMaria Georgiou is a professional developmental editor for romance authors. She specialises in editing contemporary romance, YA romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance and romantasy. She is a member of the EFA and ClubEdFreelancers. Learn more about the author: About me Get in touch: Facebook and LinkedIn Learn about fiction editing: Resources Library and Blog Get a quote for your writing project: Get in touch with me form ![]() The romance genre is the most popular book category. All romance stories have 2 things in common: 1) The romance between the main characters comprises the central focus of the story. Romance stories narrate the emotional journey between these two people and how they overcome external obstacles and internal doubts to be together at the end of the story. 2) A happily ever after. All romance stories need to have an emotionally satisfying and rewarding happy ending (or happy for now.) If the romance story doesn’t have a happy ending, then it is not a romance story. The romance genre is a very broad fiction category and can be divided into many subgenres. This blog article explains 8 romance subgenres that authors can explore this year. The blog article explains the following romance subgenres: Contemporary romance YA romance Romantic suspense Paranormal romance Fantasy romance Romantasy Historical romance Science fiction romance Conclusion Further reading Contemporary romance Contemporary romance is the largest subgenre of the romance genre and involves stories set from the 1950s to the present. Contemporary romance stories usually include a diverse cast of relatable characters with different beliefs and backgrounds. The characters come from small towns or big cities with different cultures and traditions. Contemporary romance stories deal with current social and cultural issues such as career goals, family conflicts and friendships. Readers are specifically drawn to this genre because they read about characters from different places that overcome the issues that keep them back from finding love and they emotionally grow and change throughout the story and have their own happily ever after! YA romance Young adult romance shows the lives of young people, usually teenagers from 13 to 18 years old. Young adult novels usually include diverse characters that face the external obstacles and the emotional conflicts of growing up while also being romantically attracted to someone (maybe for the first time). Young adult novels deal with themes of identity, adventure, emotional exploration, school, family, friendship and technology. Romantic suspense Romantic suspense is a subgenre of romance genre that blends romance, action, thriller, mystery and suspense elements. The two main characters are tasked to solve a crime or uncover a deadly secret together. Usually, in romantic suspense stories, one of the main characters needs to protect the other from some kind of danger. While the main characters are working together to eliminate the threat, they come closer to each other emotionally and they fall in love. Romantic suspense stories have a diverse cast of characters and include themes of murder, kidnapping, drugs, and abuse. Paranormal romance Paranormal romance is a subgenre of romance genre that contains otherworldly characters such as vampires, wolves, witches, demons, angels, zombies, dragons, ghosts or humans with psychic abilities. Paranormal romance stories include themes of science fiction, fantasy or time travel and blend elements of suspense, mystery and horror. Paranormal romance stories require extensive worldbuilding since they can take place on other magical or technological planets. Fantasy romance Fantasy romance stories focus on political, social and romantic relationships and the fantasy aspect of the story takes the central stage rather than the romance. The main plot of fantasy romance stories includes battles, quests, political relations, mystery, or magic, while romance plays a secondary role. Fantasy romance stories include a diverse cast of characters such as witches, kings, princes, dragons, elves, fairies and other fantasy races that live alongside humans. Fantasy romance stories require extensive worldbuilding since they can take place in the past or an alternative version of our world. Romantasy Romatasy is another popular subgenre of the romance genre. Romantasy is a combination of the words “romance” and “fantasy” and it blends elements from these two genres. The difference between the fantasy romance and romantasy subgenres is that in romantasy the romance between the main characters takes center stage of the story and the fantasy elements (setting, creatures) exist to serve and elevate the romance story. Romantasy stories include fantasy races and require rich worldbuilding. Historical romance Historical romance stories are set before the 1950s. Historical romance stories highlight the cultural and social issues of the era in which the story takes place. The author needs to research the time and the place their romance story takes place to give their story realistic settings and in-depth characters faithful to the particular era of the story. Historical romance readers usually have deep knowledge of history and they will notice egregious mistakes. Science fiction romance Science fiction romance combines elements from the science fiction and the romance genre. Science fiction romance stories include elements of adventure, suspense, mystery, fantasy, horror, and a variety of romance tropes blended in. They feature a diverse set of characters such as humans, aliens, and robots and can take place on other planets, in dystopian/utopian societies or in parallel or futuristic worlds. Conclusion The romance genre is the most popular genre of fiction. Readers look forward to reading romance stories that feature captivating characters and can transport them to other places and times. Romance readers embark on an emotional journey to discover how the main characters overcome the obstacles that keep them from finding love and how they grow and change throughout the story and have their happily ever after. What is your favourite romance genre to read and write? Comment below! Don’t forget to share the blog article on social media! Further reading What is developmental editing vs other kinds of editing How to write the genre and main characters of a romance novel How to write a romance novel using the 3-act structure How to create a consistent writing routine About the authorMaria Georgiou is a professional developmental editor for romance authors. She specialises in editing contemporary romance, YA romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance and romantasy. She is a member of the EFA and ClubEdFreelancers. Learn more about the author: About me Get in touch: Facebook and LinkedIn Learn about fiction editing: Resources Library and Blog Get a quote for your writing project: Get in touch with me form ![]() Fall marks the time of the year that many authors focus on their writing projects. NaNoWriMo provided a good opportunity for writers to gather together and write the first draft of their novel or revise their story. However, the NaNoWriMo organisers are currently facing a backlash over allowing the use of A.I. Many authors announced that they will not participate in the official NaNoWriMo event this November and they won’t relate themselves with NaNoWriMo anymore. Maybe you are one of those writers too. You don’t want to participate in the official NaNoWriMo challenge this year, but you still want to challenge yourself to write the first draft of your novel. Instead of NaNoWriMo, I suggest you take the 90-day novel writing challenge created bythe author of this blog article. The blog article includes: What is the 90-day novel writing challenge? The goals of the 90-day novel writing challenge Choose the writing software Brainstorm your novel Find the time and day that suits you best Track your writing process What happens after the writing challenge? Conclusion Further reading What is the 90-day novel writing challenge? The 90-day novel writing challenge is a writing challenge where authors aim to write a completed first draft of their novel in 90 days. Writing 50,000 words in a month can be stressful and overwhelming for many authors. The 90-day novel writing challenge is a more realistic and flexible challenge where authors can finish the first draft of their novel in a more relaxed and consistent way. The 90-day novel writing challenge will help you create a consistent writing routine that you can maintain after the challenge ends. You can ask your writer friends to participate in this challenge with you so that you can share your writing progress, motivate each other and talk about your stories. You will also improve your writing and editing skills. The goals of the 90-day novel writing challenge Main goal: Finish writing the first draft of your novel in 90 days. The average word count for writing a novel is 80,000 words so for the purposes of this challenge you need to write 80,000 words to finish the first draft of your novel. Your novel might end up being fewer or more words. The purpose of this writing challenge is to finish writing the first draft of your novel, no matter how many words your novel is. The 80,000-word count goal is just an estimate based on the average word count of novels for most genres. Write 1,000 words every day. If you write 1,000 words per day, you will finish the first draft of your novel in 80 days. You can use the remaining 10 days of the challenge's 90 days to plan your novel. Remember that this is just an initial plan and it can change any time. For example, you might finish your novel at 85,000 words or have an emergency that keeps you from writing every day. Stay flexible. Adjust your schedule and deadline as needed. Don’t get discouraged. Keep writing every day or as often as you can. Smaller goals: Divide the 80,000 words into 4 smaller goals of 20,000 words. Subgoal 1: 20,000 words Subgoal 2: 40,000 words Subgoal 3 : 60,000 words Completed manuscript: 80,000 words Divide your story into smaller goals to boost your confidence and motivate yourself to keep writing your story. Every time you hit the 20,000-word subgoal reward yourself. The rewards for the smaller goals can be as simple as going out to your favourite restaurant with your friends, going to the cinema or having a day off for yourself. Make sure to reward yourself with something “bigger” when you finish writing the first draft of your manuscript. The reward can be going on a short trip, upgrading your writing software or going back to your favourite hobby e,g drawing, playing a musical instrument, or reading a book. Choose the writing software Choose writing software that is easy and comfortable for you to use. There are many available free and paid writing software on the market. If you are a new writer on a budget, you can try Microsoft Word or Google Docs but you can also check Scrivener or Campfire if you are interested in writing software with more outlining and editing features. Do your research and choose one that best suits your budget and needs, if you don’t already have one. Brainstorm your novel 1) Think about your story idea, genre and tropes. What is your story about? Is it a contemporary romance story, a murder mystery or a paranormal thriller novel? What tropes will you include in your story?Write down in your writing software as much information as you can about your story idea and tropes. You can learn more information about how to brainstorm your story’s genre, tropes and main characters in this blog article. 2) Think about the main character(s) of your story and write down as much information as you can about their goals, motivations and flaws in a character profile. You can also write some information about their physical appearance and personality. You can learn more information about creating character profiles and compelling characters in this blog article. 3) Outline your novel using the 3-act structure and the 15 beats analysed in Save the Cat Writes a Young Adult Novel by Jessica Brody. Write as much information as you need in every beat. You can also write detailed chapter-by-chapter summaries if you want to know exactly what happens in every chapter of your story. The amount of preparation you can do is up to you. You can find more information about how to write a romance novel using the 3-act structure in this blog article. Find the time and day that suits you best Find the time of the day that suits you best to write 1,000 words per day. There is no ideal time to write. Write when it is best for your schedule and lifestyle. Try to write every day in order to keep the momentum going and create a consistent writing routine. Beginner writers will need at least 1 hour to write 1,000 words but experienced authors will need less time. Take as much time as you need to write 1,000 words a day. You can learn more tips about how to create a consistent writing routine and write every day in this blog article. Track your writing process Keep a planner where you add your daily word count and how much time you write every day. You can also create a word count tracker in an Excel spreadsheet where you add the date, scene/chapter, sprint duration, words per sprint and daily word count every day. This is a writing challenge so focus on writing. Do not edit. Move forward. Write your story. Don’t think about how to improve scenes that you have already written. Leave them for the editing stage. Your goal now is to finish writing the first draft of your novel. What happens after the writing challenge? After the 90-day novel writing challenge ends, put your story away. Get back to your manuscript after a month and start reading it. While reading your manuscript, make notes on what changes you wish to make. Look at the big-picture storytelling elements of your story such as story structure, characters (goal, motivation, flaw, conflict), pacing, setting, show vs tell, dialogue and genre conventions. Make notes about the issues of every chapter in the manuscript and note down issues that cover the entire manuscript in a separate document. Then, look at the issues you have noted, create an editing plan and start editing your manuscript. Conclusion This blog article encourages authors to participate in the 90-day novel writing challenge. It is high time for authors to look beyond NaNoWriMo and participate in flexible writing challenges that promote their creativity, inspiration, and motivation and allow them to set realistic writing goals. Comment below and let me know if you are participating in the 90-day novel writing challenge this year! Don’t forget to share the blog article on your social media! Further reading NaNoWriMo A.I. controversy explained How to brainstorm your novel’s genre and main characters How character profiles can help you write consistent and compelling characters How to write a romance novel using the 3-act structure How to create a consistent writing routine Save the Cat Writes a Young Adult Novel About the authorMaria Georgiou is a professional developmental editor for romance authors. She specialises in editing contemporary romance, YA romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance and romantasy. She is a member of the EFA and ClubEdFreelancers. Learn more about the author: About me Get in touch: Facebook and LinkedIn Learn about fiction editing: Resources Library and Blog Get a quote for your writing project: Get in touch with me form ![]() You wish to write a novel but you don’t have the time or the energy. You often wonder how writers manage to finish writing their manuscripts. What is their secret? The secret to a finished manuscript is committing yourself to a consistent writing routine. Having a writing routine sounds challenging but if you are determined to write a book, you need to have the discipline to write every day and turn your writing process into an everyday habit. Having a consistent writing routine can help you avoid procrastination, find motivation and inspiration, complete your novel on time and improve your writing skills. This blog article explains the 7 steps for successfully creating a consistent writing routine. This blog article includes the 7 steps for creating a consistent writing routine: Find the time and day that works best for you Write down your writing goals Find a writing space Create a playlist Avoid distractions Use the Pomodoro method Join a writer’s group Conclusion Further reading Find the time and day that works best for you Think carefully about your everyday schedule and your commitments. When is the best time for you to write? Early in the morning, late at night or somewhere in between? Check your calendar and see when you have free time to write. You may have other obligations such as studies, parenting or full-time job and think it is impossible to find time to sit down and write. Don’t discourage yourself. Even 30 minutes or 1 hour a day can be enough time. The most important thing is to write every day (or almost every day) to keep the momentum going and create a regular writing habit. Check your calendar and mark 1 hour every day for writing. Preferably, the same hour every day. Write down in your calendar that this hour is designed for writing to remind yourself of your writing goal. Write down your writing goals Set a writing goal. The goal can be a timed-based or a word count goal. Preferably, write down a word count goal. How will you do that? Let’s say that you are planning to write a 80,000 novel and you can sit down to write 1 hour a day. Beginner writers can usually write about 1,000 words in one hour. Let’s say that you are a new author and you set a daily word count goal of 1,000 words per day. Divide the total word count of your story with the amount of your daily word count: 80,000/1000= 80 days. You can finish writing your manuscript in 80 days. Mark down in your calendar the expected deadline and write down your daily word count and the amount of words you have left every day. Remember that this is your initial plan and it can change at any time. For example, you might finish your novel at 70,000 words or have an unexpected emergency that keeps you from writing every day and actually finish your story in 4 months. Don’t get discouraged. Keep pushing forward! Keep writing every day or as often as you can and you will soon have the finished manuscript in your hands! Find a writing space Find a quiet and clean writing space. It can be your office desk, the kitchen table, the garden table or anywhere else you want. This will be your designated writing space. Set it up beforehand so that it is ready for you to write every day. Get all the things you need in your writing space before you sit down to write such as water, snacks, notes and anything else you might need. Make sure that all your writing notes are already organised so that you can start writing as soon as you sit down. Create a playlist You can also find or create a playlist with songs that match the mood, tone and genre of your story to help you find inspiration and avoid writer’s block. Create this playlist beforehand so that it is ready when you sit down and write. You can use noise-cancelling headphones to help you focus on your writing and remove outside noise. Avoid distractions You have only 1 hour to write. Turn off your phone, or move it to another room to avoid the temptation to check your messages or emails. Don’t check your social media during your writing time. Tell the members of your family how important writing your novel is for you. Inform them that this hour is solely dedicated to writing and no one can disrupt you unless it is urgent. Use the Pomodoro method The Pomodoro method is a time management method that helps you perform focused work during 25-minute intervals (pomodoros) and then take a five-minute break. You can use the Pomodoro method to help you avoid distractions and improve your focus. For example, you plan to write for 1 hour. You can set a timer to write for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break to read what you wrote or note down some notes. Then, set your timer again for another 25-minute session and then take five minutes to update your character profiles, outline or any other notes you may have, Join a writer’s group Connecting with other writers or having an accountability partner can tremendously help you finish the first draft of your novel. You can find motivation with other writers, share your daily word count goals, brainstorm through any issues that you encounter as you write your story and make writer friends. Remember that you’re not alone. There are dozens of writers trying to finish their manuscript. You can find other writers by joining your local writer’s group, by attending writing workshops, classes and seminars or by joining writer’s groups on Facebook. Conclusion This blog article explains the 7 steps to create a consistent writing routine. I believe the seven steps mentioned in this blog article will help you create and maintain a successfully consistent writing routine and turn your writing process into a regular habit. Keep writing! Do you like this blog article? Comment below and tell me your writing routine! Don’t forget to share the article on your social media! Further reading Are you still in the outlining stage? No problem. Check out these resources to learn how to outline your story: How to brainstorm the genre and the main characters of your story How character profiles can help you write consistent and compelling characters How to write a novel using the three-act structure About the authorMaria Georgiou is a professional developmental editor for romance authors. She specialises in editing contemporary romance, YA romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance and romantasy. She is a member of the EFA and ClubEdFreelancers. Learn more about the author: About me Get in touch: Facebook and LinkedIn Learn about fiction editing: Resources Library and Blog Get a quote for your writing project: Get in touch with me form ![]() What type of writer are you? Do you prefer to outline everything in advance, make up your story as you go or somewhere in between? Knowing what type of writer you are can help you establish your ideal writing and editing process and successfully write your book. This blog article analyses the three types of writers: pantsers, plotters and plantsers and their main features. This blog article includes: Pantsers Plotters Plantsers What type of writer are you? Conclusion Further reading Pantsers A pantser is a writer who writes “by the seat of their pants”. They have an idea, a theme, a character or some story events in their mind and start writing their story immediately without any written notes. They are called discovery writers since they like to let their imagination and creativity lead them as they write their story and like to have the freedom and flexibility to write whatever they want without being restricted by an outline. Pantsers can create notes while they are writing their story. A pantser can write the most important information of each scene such as the number of the scene, word count, pov character, present characters, setting, the main story event and any other comments in an Excel spreadsheet or their preferred writing software to help them keep track of the important elements of their story and make their lives easier during the editing process. Plotters A plotter is someone who plots their story in advance. Plotters like to know everything about their story beforehand and outlining in advance saves them a lot of time during the editing stage. Plotters like to trace story arcs and character arcs, create detailed character sketches, plot detailed beat sheets with subplots and write down chapter-by-chapter summaries to guide them when they start writing their story. They can use character, beat sheet and worldbuilding templates they find online and they fill them with detailed information. Plotters like to know everything about their story before they start writing it because they can write the first draft of their story more quickly and have a clear picture of every aspect of their story. Plotters avoid writer’s block because they know what will happen next in their story but they are more confined to their outline, meaning that if they want to make major changes halfway to their story, they might need to rewrite their entire outline. Plantsers A plantser is a combination of the pantser and the plotter’s styles. Plantsers can use characters, beat sheet or worldbuilding templates but they don’t fill them with detailed information. Instead, they briefly write down the most important information of their story in bullet points. Planters like to have a sense of direction. They like to know where their story is going but they still want to discover new aspects about the characters and the story events. What type of writer are you? Are you a pantser, a plotter or a plantser? Knowing what a type of writer you are can tremendously help you during the writing and editing stage of your story. If you are a seasoned writer, you might have already established a writing process and know exactly how much preparation you need to do before you start writing your story. If you are a new author, experiment and see what is best for you. Try to write one chapter of your story as you go without any notes and another chapter with detailed notes. See what method you like the best. Don’t worry if you don’t know what type of writer you are yet. It took me a few years to find mine. I started as a heavy plotter but I quickly realized that outlining the story in great detail takes out the fun and the creativity from my writing process. I also noticed that heavy outlining is a waste of time for me because a lot of things change in my story as I write it and I had to revise my outline several times. I am a plantser. I prefer to write some important information about my story’s genre, tropes, main character and the 15 beats in bullet points to help me guide my story. The whole process takes about 2-3 hours. Then, I create a separate beat sheet, character profile and timeline template which I fill in as I write my story. (I write my fiction stories using the 15 beats in Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel by Jessica Brody and Campfire.) Conclusion This blog article explained the three types of writers and the different outlining process that each type of writer has. What type of writer are you? Comment below and tell me about your writing process! Further reading If you want to learn more information about how to outline your novel, check the following links: Learn how to brainstorm your novel’s genre and main characters Learn why authors need character profiles to write consistent and compelling characters (+ free character profile template) Learn how to outline your novel using the 3-act structure About the authorMaria Georgiou is a professional developmental editor for romance authors. She specialises in editing contemporary romance, YA romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance and romantasy. She is a member of the EFA and ClubEdFreelancers. Learn more about the author: About me Get in touch: Facebook and LinkedIn Learn about fiction editing: Resources Library and Blog Get a quote for your writing project: Get in touch with me form |
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About the authorMaria Georgiou is a professional developmental editor for romance authors. She specialises in editing contemporary romance, YA romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance and romantasy. She is a member of the EFA and ClubEdFreelancers. Subscribe to the Fiction Editing Newsletter and get free monthly advice on writing, editing and publishing your romance stories! I will never spam, share or sell your personal information. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read my Privacy Policy. |
Subscribe to the Fiction Editing Newsletter and get free monthly advice on writing, editing and publishing your romance stories! I will never spam, share or sell your personal information. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read my Privacy Policy. |