University Day: The Sagging Middle, Part 2

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Last week, the UE authors shared tips on how to recognize the dreaded Sagging Middle. This week, we have tips for how to firm that Sagging Middle.

Margaret Callaghan
1. Move forward and work on the next key scene, moving back to the sagging middle once the pace has picked up.
2. Be ruthless and cut out any dialogue that does not move the plot forward.
3. Re-visit the plan and timescale and adjust accordingly. If writing ‘into the mist’, plot out the rest of the book by logging at least the main points of conflict.

JoAnn Carter
Plan for the climax. i.e. re-read your chapters and see if you have a blend of dialogue, conflict and character development to help set-up your fulfilling ending.

Ask yourself if the character’s experiences are leading up to who you want him/her to be by the end.

Ask yourself if you’re staying true to the story or following rabbit trails? You may need to re-familiarize yourself with your time-line, through-line or summary… or if you don’t have one of those re-connect why you wanted to write this story.

Meg Allison
Go through with a firm hand – and a red pen – and cut any and all scenes; bits of dialogue; description, etc, that do not either move the plot along or advance the romance. Do you love a scene more than you love the story? It’s time to be tough.

Deepen the main conflict. This can be done by revealing a ‘secret’; introducing a new secondary character; or, my favorite, killing someone off. :)

Tear them apart! Don’t let your hero/heroine become a happy couple too soon. They can’t admit they’re in love … or if they do, through an obstacle between them. The happy ending has to be just that – an ending, not a middle.

Josh Lockwood
1. Give them another problem to overcome.
2. Introduce an antagonist.
3. Beef up the beginning of the story so the middle doesn’t have a chance to sag.

Cindy Green
Come up with some extra crag to the story that is totally unexpected – a character, an event that mixes everything up a bit.

Make sure you are showing what has happened instead of having a character tell or think about it.

Keep sight of your main characters – what is their emotional level at this point and utilize that to stir the story up.

Sherry (Shara) Jones
Tip Number One: Once you resolve a conflict, introduce another conflict to increase the stakes.

Tip Number Two: Change the POV to reveal a different perspective on the conflict, introducing a fresh spin or to reveal new information.

Tip Number Three: Make the reader care. Up the emotional stakes to show character growth.

Angie Martin
Can anything change in the current setting/situation of your characters? Should it change? If it should, how should it change, for the better for the character? For the worse? How would a change affect the following scenes but still bring them to the happy ending you have planned?

Have the characters grown or learned anything from the previous experiences, or are they just repeating the same actions and saying the same words?

Are all the scenes actually needed to move the story forward? Do we need to know that aunt Mildred feeds her cat Princess every morning at 8:05? If not, painful as it may be, remove the scene. (Aunt Mildred really is much happier feeding her cat in anonymity anyway.)


Laura Hamby
Some questions to consider about your Sagging Middle:

1. How does this move the story forward? Am I saying it in the best possible manner?

2. Is the conflict strong enough to carry the story through? Am I bringing the conflicts (internal and external) towards resolution in a realistic and well-paced manner?

3. Have I gotten off track? Am I chasing down a scenic rabbit trail? Do I need to go back and remove any scenes to a "choppity chop" file in order to get the story back to where it needs to be?


Judy Jarvie
Pace and punch – have a read for pace and punch and see if you’re lacking. Pace and punch are key drivers in writing and if you lose them you can let your story go off the boil.

Is the piece emotional? Are you losing sight of what matters to your characters? Remember emotion is the key seller and if you haven’t ‘dug into/tuned in’ enough you may be losing the heart of the story.

Don’t be afraid to skip it – sometimes if you hit a block you just need a ‘breather’ to get to clear writing space. If skipping the hard part and coming back helps you find your mojo – then do it. Remember – getting the first draft down is the important part. Better to skip and finish than to leave a piece of work languishing because you got stuck in the middle.

Robin Bayne
Jot a timeline through the middle of the story, and chart each character’s progress.

Determine if each scene is needed—can you cut a whole scene without interrupting the flow?

Jot down a summary of your ending. Will the middle you have now support that?

Susan Atwood
1. Now is the time to reveal some information that will give the reader better insight into the characters. Make sure there is something new, not just a rehash.
2. Always a good time for a plot twist. Send the ho-hum, everything’s hunky-dory plot in a new direction.
3. Up the emotion between the hero and heroine in every encounter.

Gina Hartoog
* Play the ‘what if’ brain-storm game with some weak scenes. What if so-and-so dies, what if she finds out he killed someone. This can help you to increase the tension and suspense often lacking in ‘middles’.

* Read your work aloud. This helps you to catch repeated words, clichés and obstacles that draw away from the story.

* Leave your computer and invest in some ‘thinking time’ in your plot as a whole. Perhaps your characters need to move in another direction from where you are taking them. If you hit on something interesting, go with even if it isn’t where you envisioned the story to be.

Judy Huston
Plan to zip one or more of your characters into a new setting. This can freshen things up for both you and the reader (not to mention the characters!)

Keep the background info and flashbacks at a minimum.

Make sure there’s plenty of action and developments to keep things moving and to keep the reader wanting to know what happens next.

Deb Kinnard
1) If your characters are the problem, interview them. Write down several questions about their history, likes/dislikes, primary motivators, and the like. See what they “say” to you and use it to jazz up the middle chapters in your tale.

2) Consider your setting. For characters, like real people, a change of scene can be quite invigorating. Are they in the country? Give them a compelling reason to travel into the city. Are they getting burned out by the stresses of urban life? Give them a reason to take a break for a day and rediscover each other.

3) I’ve found I tend to draw out “travel” scenes way too much. Sometimes when these scenes happen in the middle of a book, I find I can cut pages down to a paragraph or two and nothing is lost—quite the opposite. The spark comes back.

Grace Tyler
1. Distractions R Us:
Turn off the internet. No, really. Do it now. Close the browser. Step away from your email. Do not answer the persistent call of your friends’ IMs. Turn off the television and the phone. Set the timer. Write some crap for a set amount of time, no matter what. No, you don’t need to clean the toilet today. It will just get dirty again, anyway, and you’ve got a sagging middle (and perhaps a deadline) to shore up. Spousal unit and/or kids can order pizza today. You’ve got a novel to save!!!!

2. What If:
There are probably as many ways to play this game as there are writers. I have a couple of ideas for you.

What if…Nora Roberts/Sandra Brown/Debbie Macomber/Lori Foster, etc. were writing this book? What would happen next? See where this is going? If you write cozy sweet novels and your middle is just sagging and you don’t know what should happen next, pretend you are J.D. Robb or Janet Evanovich. What would she throw in here to spice things up? A dead body? An exploding car? A second love interest? The more different from your own style, the better. Jot the ideas down and get your juices flowing.

Still can’t think of a thing? If you just can’t figure out what to type and you’ve gotten rid of your distractions (see Idea #1), I’ll let you get back on IM or the phone and call your best writing pal for help. Now, you have to work. No gossip or complaining about the spousal units. You are going to play the “what if” game, and it really helps to get someone else to help, because they will come up with some wild ideas you would never think of. After all, your heroine just wouldn’t do that. Or would she? What if she did, and …

3. Now hang up and get back to writing. After you’ve played a couple of creativity games with yourself, you’ll filter those outrageous ideas and find something that fits with your style and your book. Happy writing!

University Day: Your Middle May Be Sagging If...

No, we're not talking about the sagging middle many of us carry around on a daily basis, either. We're talking signs that you've hit that invisible, yet very scary wall and are suffering from Sagging Middle Syndrome. Next week, we'll have tips for firming up that problem.

Margaret Callaghan
1. Writing gives way to Spider Solitaire.
2. Redrafting the opening chapters has become an obsession.
3. The dialogue between the two main characters becomes forced and stilted.

JoAnn Carter
There is no immediate conflict.
The scenes are not moving the story forward.

Meg Allison
You fall asleep at the computer while editing chapter four.
Your major conflict is resolved by chapter five.
You use seven paragraphs to describe the heroine’s outfit in chapter six. She’s wearing jeans, sneakers and a t-shirt.

Robin Bayne
Your characters begin to venture into scenes that don’t contribute to the story.
Your descriptions get longer, slowing the action to a minimum.

Susan Atwood
The introduction of secondary characters who will only provide “fluff” and have no relevance to the plot.

The emotional play between the hero and heroine becomes stagnant.

Repetition of back story

Judy Huston
Writing it is a chore you begin to dread.
Once it’s finished, even you start yawning when you read it.

Cindy Green
If you are bored with your characters or plot then the readers will be too
You’ve lost focus of the plot to get you to the finale
You do in several chapters what could have been accomplished in one

Judy Jarvie
Where’s the oomph gone? If you’re feeling like you’re train’s run out of steam, there’s a sagging middle.

You’ve peaked too soon.

Josh Lockwood
I know I’ve got a sagging middle when I start adding scenes that don’t contribute
to the story just because I need the word count.

Gina Hartoog
* You lose interest in the story as you get into the middle chapters. If it doesn’t grab and hold your attention, it’s unlikely to affect your readers.
* Your characters lose their depth and become two dimensional
* Plot loses impact. Scenes don’t propel the story forward.

Deb Kinnard
1) You fall seriously out of love with your plot or your characters.
2) You re-read your middle chapters and discover that although you’ve written some dynamite scenes, absolutely nothing in them moves the plot forward.
3) You’re not being rough enough on your characters.

Angie Martin
The sagging middle… well, one sign that it’s sagging is when you decide that you are getting bored reading it, and just want to skip ahead.

When your characters seem “out of place”. Would they really be in this place/situation if they are headed for the ending you are planning? Or are they just wasting time?


When the character’s conversations have become stilted and they seem to spend more time watching the scenery around them than actively doing something.

Sherry Jones
Sign number one – The original conflict hasn’t been resolved, increased, or changed in any way.

Sign number two – The characters aren’t revealing any new information and have become ‘talking heads’ — generating conversation, but little substance.

Sign number three – The emotional stakes haven’t changed so as to show character growth.

Laura Hamby
#1 No matter how hard you try, you can't finish that sentence/phrase/paragraph/chapter.

#2 What you have been able to write contributes nothing to the story plot-wise, romance-wise, character development-wise-- in other words, it does absolutely nothing for the story arc.

#3 You've written just exposition, or just narrative, or just action.

University Day: Muse Training Tips

Need help taming the Muse? We read Valerie Parv's Muse Obedience School and then came up with our own commands.

Judy Huston
Roll Over

When your muse has mastered the basic training requirements, you may like to move on to some simple tricks that can benefit both of you. ‘Roll over’ is one that can go a long way towards overcoming the challenge of the dreaded writer’s block.

No matter how engrossing a particular work may be, there will be times when your muse becomes a little restless or even bored with the work she is doing and, eventually, refuses point blank to keep going.

In preparation for such a stoppage, have another work on the go or in the planning stage. When your muse makes it clear that she has had enough of the current work for now, encourage her gently to turn to the other project.

Enjoying distractions and always curious, your muse will be pleased to leave the familiar task to investigate something new and different. This works much better than pressuring her to continue and, you will find, brings her back refreshed and willing to refocus on the first task. By making the trick an enjoyable exercise, you’ll soon find your muse will roll happily from one work to the other on command, helping you to make progress on both in the process.

Walking to Heel

Muses love to go off (goof off?) on side tracks. If your muse tries to coax you down a different path, don’t let yourself be tempted. No matter how pleadingly your muse gazes at you with soulful eyes, no matter how strongly she tugs you towards the byway, be firm. Let her know that you appreciate her suggestion, note down its details quickly and assure her you and she will return to explore it when the time is right, but for now you have an agenda that must be followed. Remember, that detour will still be there when you have completed the work you promised yourself you would do. If you follow your mischievous muse down the other road now, however, you may find it actually leads nowhere constructive and you will have deprived yourself of time and focus for the work you need to finish.


Sherry (Shara) Jones
1. Miss Muse – Come. Sit here by me. Have you lost weight? This is non-caloric chocolate. All the taste, no calories. Promise. We have a few eensy little chapters to write – no pressure. Really.
2. Here is your feather boa. You rook mahvelous. No. Really.
3. Here is your tiara. Only the best the dollar store has to offer.
4. Music. You know how you love music. Yessssss. Just close your eyes…
5. Now…you may begin… Wait! Where are you going??
6. Oh. I forgot the “visual” portion. Yes, he is something to look at….I’ll just tape his picture by the monitor. No, I can’t airbrush away his clothes….

Susan Atwood
When training your muse, you must realize that her schedule is not always your schedule. And while it is inconvenient to be woken up at 2 a.m. with pages and pages flowing through your mind like a river, sometimes that is when the muse is most active. While a tape recorder or notepad is helpful, on those occasions when she just won’t stop yakking, it is really best to just get out of bed, fire up the computer and have at it. You will return to bed in a much better frame of mind and will find that the hours of sleep that you have left will be extraordinarily restful.

Robin Bayne
Pray for muse. Ask for guidance on where it should take you.
Exercise muse—take a walk, outdoors or on the treadmill.
Caffeinate muse—entice muse with hot fresh coffee. (you may want to do this step prior to exercising muse for best results)
Reward muse—after writing, enjoy your favorite comfort read.

Josh Lockwood
SPEAK – This command is normally given in the wee small hours of the morning, after the muse has wakened you from a sound sleep, and you just want to get the dictation over with. I don’t have this particular problem with Blabbermouth ... she just never shuts up.

PAUSE – This command is for when she’s talking faster than you can type.

REPEAT – And this is for when you’ve typed everything you can remember and want her to go over it again so you don’t leave anything out. Blabbermouth gets very upset when I leave stuff out.

Laura Hamby
1. The Right/Write Now Command: You're on a deadline and your muse has taken off for parts unknown? Try this Right/Write Now Command. Lay in a supply of "Muse Bribery" Treats, play some mood music and see if you can't entice her to come home. Given the fickleness of some muses, this may or may not work. If it doesn't work, chances are you got the wrong Muse Bribery Treats.

2. The Let Me Sleep Command: Keep a notepad and pen by your bed for jotting down the ideas your Muse throws at you while you're trying to go to sleep. Write down all the ideas she gives you, promise you'll get right on it after you'd gotten some sleep and are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed enough to do these wonderful, magnificent ideas justice.

3. Nice Muse Command: Never fail to let your muse know you appreciate her and love her. Don't forget to tell her what a nice muse she is, what a good muse she is and reward her for a job well done when the WIP is finished.

Judy Jarvie
Your muse may lead you to develop a hygiene fixation – the best ideas often come in the shower. Your hair will never have been quite as clean when you’re in the middle of the black moment. And beware of allowing the pearls of your wisdom to vanish down the plughole – keep a pad and pen nearby.

Muses get most vocal during long energetic walks. So dig out those all terrain boots and take her for a power hike across rough terrain. That’ll teach her to make you dig so deep! And think of the calories you’ll be burning as you go. Win win.

Gina Hartoog
The Brace Command – Sit forward at computer with arms over head.
This command is useful for an onslaught by the muse – too much too soon. Equally useful when the muse takes a vacation!
The Hold Command – Put your muse on hold while you carefully maneuver your vehicle off the road. Muses have a dreadful habit of showing up while you are driving at top speed on the highway - without a pen or paper insight or the ability to use either.

MG Braden
1. Sometimes the Muse needs a vacation – if she isn’t there and you can’t find her, no matter how hard you try, think about how hard you’ve been working her. Do you need to give her a break? Everyone creative (or not) needs some time off.
2. Sometimes the Muse will do what she wants and you must follow her – if she’s going in a direction you never wanted or planned sometimes it is good to just go with it. Sometimes you write brilliant stuff. Sometimes it’s crap. But, you never know if you don’t let her go with the flow.

Denise Patrick
The "Play Dead" command: This is when you need your Muse to STOP talking for a little while so you can finish the ideas she's given you before. Sometimes the Muse has to be convinced that it's okay to relax and do nothing. She needs similar rewards as if she's done a hard day's work - because sometimes it's hard to do nothing.

University Day: Using the 5 Senses in Your Writing

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Dayne Gearner's What Happens in Vegas has received a lovely review at eCataromance. Click HERE to read this review for yourself. What Happens in Vegas is available at Moonlit Romance.

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Congratulations to BARBARA who correctly guessed that yesterday's Name That Title clues referred to Robin Bayne's The Scent of Falling Snow. BARBARA may pick any title in Robin's backlist at By Grace. Just enter Robin's name in the search box and you'll get a list. Email your title of choice and format of choice to laurahambyeditor @ yahoo dot com with "February Name That Title Winner" in the subject line.

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Using the 5 Senses in Your Writing



Adding the 5 Senses to Your Description is an easy-to-read article that's not so much a "how-to" as it is a list with some good suggestions. Try writing a paragraph, as the UE authors have done, utilizing as many of the 5 senses as possible.

Judy Huston
In another time Kate would have relished their aloneness as they sat together on one of the steep, stone steps leading down to the sand. Once, at such moments, there was never enough time to say all the things they wanted to say to each other; now the only sounds were the strident cries of seagulls mingled with the rhythmic, muffled roar of waves breaking against the shoreline. In that other world, Adrian’s arms would have closed around her, holding her against him, and his strong hand would have tilted her face gently for his kiss. Now, they sat side by side but rigidly apart and only the ocean breeze caressed her body, bringing with it a tang of salt that lingered on her lips. Without thinking she traced the taste with her tongue, trying to savor again those exquisitely salt-flavored kisses - until she saw Adrian watching sardonically.

Susan Atwood
Alex had just plopped down in her favorite spot on the sofa, pulled the fuzzy blue and purple afghan up to her chin and was channel surfing when Dillon dropped a beautiful gold box tied with red ribbon into her lap. She looked up into his twinkling eyes and tugged at the satiny ribbon. Eagerly, she pulled the top off the box and was enveloped in the heady aroma of sweet chocolate. There was the familiar crackle of the fluted paper cup as she lifted a piece from the center of the box and brought it to her lips. The first bite was sinfully rich and sweet and she laughed as the caramel was pulled into a long string before she snagged it with her finger. Dillon leaned down and gave her a kiss that was every bit as sinful and rich and sweet as the confection she’d just tasted. “Happy Valentine’s Day, love,” he whispered.

Sherry (Shara) Jones
The rich aroma of the coffee woke Ansley from a dreamless sleep. Before her eyes could focus on the empty, indented pillow beside her own, Owen’s inimitable tuneless whistle wafted from the kitchen. The comforting sound grew louder as he padded back towards the bedroom with two steaming mugs. The warmth generated from the cup now held in her hand couldn’t match the coffee-warmed kiss he placed on her lips. “Good morning.”


Robin Bayne
Melissa heard the faint strains of music filtering through the room. It soothed her nerves, as did the warm, sweet jasmine tea she sipped. The atmosphere was in sharp contrast to the mad scene Robert had caused last night; his yelling and throwing of a vase had shattered the evening’s peace. Tonight, she planned to approach him again, speaking only in the softest of tones, and touching the back of his hand in a soothing manner. She’d offer him a glass of brandy, knowing the bitter drink would bring his attention to her. Then she’d approach him face to face, and ask if he perhaps today he remembered the color of her eyes.


Nell Dixon
Susie sniffed the air. “Yum, fresh bread.”
She could almost taste the fresh crumbly texture on her tongue and her stomach growled in appreciation. Overhead the fan twirled making a steady rick-rack of noise as it reduced the heat in the stifling bakery.

Denise Patrick
Diane's head whirled. Flashing lights, ringing bells, and a pungent cloud of cigarette smoke left her breathless and nauseated. She rubbed her arms against the chill of the air conditioner as she made her way through the crowd. Through stinging, watery eyes, light from the doorway beckoned her. The glass was cool against her fingertips, the door giving way to her push, and she stepped outside with a heartfelt sigh into a hot Las Vegas afternoon. Grasping the warm iron railing and feeling its heat seep into her blood, she made her way down the stairs and away from the casino.


Laura Hamby
The wind sighed through the trees, eery and musical all the same time. It carried a cool dampness with it as it caressed Nova's bare arms. She turned slowly, almost like she recognized the source of the wind, her eyes narrowed as she scanned the landscape. She worried her lower lip, tasting the tart afterbitey flavor of her lip gloss. Then came the scent she'd been waiting for---a spicy musk, and she knew for certain what the wind meant. She shivered.

Josh Lockwood
She gripped the rough stone railing even tighter and felt the coppery taste of anxiety rise in her throat at the unfamiliar surroundings: boats of all colors floating on their reflections, the voices of men calling each other in languages she couldn’t understand, and the heavy, homey smell of potatoes. The whole thing was overwhelming. Even for her.

Jessica Raymond
Demi stepped off the patio and on to the freshly mown grass. It was soft and spongy between her toes and the organically pure scent of the green blades lightened her mood. The emerald lawn stretched before her, in alternate stripes of darker and lighter. Birds flitted and sang in the trees, and the sunshine was as thick as honey in the air—she could almost taste it.

Gina Hartoog
The light flickered on, briefly, then off again. Janice squinted in the dark and tried to make out familiar shapes in the room. The smell of gasoline filtered up from the street below. Somewhere there’s a window open. She dropped to her knees and carefully began to feel her way through the darkened apartment. After several paces she felt a coolness ripple over her hair. I must be close. Just a few more feet. She flattened her palms against the wall and moved along on, one knee in front of the other. Finally her fingers hit the rough timber of the window frame. Freedom. She pulled herself up to her full height and sucked in the night air. The gasoline smell was stronger now, mixed with fried chicken and fries.


JoAnn Carter
Mike's pulse pounded in his ears. He squeezed his eyes tight and prayed. He was not sure what gagged him more, the stench rising from the pool of stagnant water at his feet, presently penetrating his worn leather shoes, or the foul rag tied securely around his mount, reeking of greased and turpentine. Perspiration dripped from Mike’s brow. The cold metal of the gun’s point rested against his forehead while his captor’s oppressive breath brushed his ear. The deep voice behind him goaded, “You’re not wanted here, Dig Boy. Now it’s my turn to dig…your grave.” The voice sounded frosty, brutal, and all too clear.

Judy Jarvie
The smooth aged leather bag made a snapping noise when opened. Rosa examined the rusted sticky hinge then sniffed; old lavender and mothballs. Wrinkling her nose she peeked inside its faded purple silken interior. She fingered the tiny glass bottle she found there. ‘Taste Me!’ invited its faded script.

MG Braden
Shivering, Janie huddled closer to the brick. It wasn’t as if it was going to maker her any warmer, but at least it kept her under the lip of the overhang. Out of the rain. The clouds, ominous and dark, seemed to bang together in a clap of thunder, right before they let loose their downpour. Lifting her Starbucks Carmel Machiatto to her mouth, she first inhaled it’s heady scent. Mmmm. Then, slowly, savouring, she sipped. If nothing else, she hoped this would keep her warm while she waited for the bus.

Unique Enterprises University Day: Editor's Desk Tip of the Day

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Active Voice.
A Quick Refresher Course on English 101

Active means the subject performs the action, the action is being performed.
Passive means the action is performed upon someone or something.

It's a difference between doing and happening.

A Clue That It May Be a Passive Sentence...
Keepin' it Simple For Ya.

The main verb is "was" or "were" and is followed by an "-ing verb." To wit: "He was walking past the pond." Much better: "He walked by the pond..." See how that also opens up the sentence for more detail? "He walked by the pond, stale bread for the ducks in hand." Now, it's not only active, we know why he was walking by the pond.

Vivid Verbs...
Easier to Find Than You Think.

Google "vivid verb lists." Here's a sampling of what I found. Check 'em out!

High School Vivid Verb List

The Vivid Verbs List of All Time

A 1000 Verbs to Write By, by Deanna Carlyle

And that's your Editor's Desk Tip of the Day.

University Day: Writing Tips

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Congratulations to the January *Name that Title* Contest Winner: KRISTY!
The hints were: 1. The setting of this particular novel is Northern California.2. It is published by Moonlit Romance.3. The original title was *Meddling Mamas*.4. The author is Laura Hamby.5. Includes a scene in which one of the heroine's best friends explains the facts of life as she puts condiments on a hot dog. KRISTY'S correct response was It's All Greek to Me. Congratulations, Kristy! Please email Laura at ueauthorsblog @ yahoo.com with your choice of title from her backlist and your format choice. Put *Title Contest Winner* in the subject line. You can check out Laura's backlist HERE.

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We write a wide-range of novels for By Grace and Moonlit Romance---from inspirational, tender/sweet at By Grace to racier titles for Moonlit Romance, and today, the UE authors share their tips.

Nell Dixon

1. Always write from the heart.
2. Tender/sweet romance is the most powerful writing because the reader is immersed in the emotions of the heroine and hero. The writers role is to take them there.
3. Never be frightened of writing emotions.

Denise Patrick

Tips for writing Inspirational Romance

1. Understand your characters' faith or lack of faith
2. Don't try to create "over the top" crises; the smallest things often create the largest obstacles
3. Know your Bible and how to apply its teachings to your characters' lives

Meg Allison

Writing Tender/Sweet stories:

1. While writing your story, think of your audience. I usually think about how I’d feel if one of my young teenage daughters were going to read what I’ve written. Would you be comfortable letting a 12 or 13-year-old read it? If not, back to the drawing board.
2. The hero and heroine of tender/sweet stories can and should be physically attracted to one another. What’s love without a little chemistry? Just avoid detailed descriptions of that attraction.
3. In tender/sweet romances, the gentle emotions should take precedence over more lustful ones. It’s very easy to show your characters falling in love with small glances, little sighs, soft whispers, etc.

Cindy Green

For writing sweet/tender

1. Create endearing characters who can carry a story. Make them lively, interesting, and believable.
2. Make it an emotional tale that hits your reader right to the heart.
3. There should be physical attraction and sexual tension in the story without needing to go beyond and written in such a way that what you leave out isn’t even missed.

JoAnn Carter

By Grace Inspie.

Write for an audience of one… God.
Spend time in prayer, asking God to show you what He’d desire you to write.
Show your characters relationship with God rather than telling your reader.

Dayne Gearner

For Moonlit:

There's no nice way to say it, but the most important part of writing is to 1) apply the butt to the chair. There's a point when you just have to dive in and start. 2) Research and 3) preparation are very important, but the day comes when you have to just "jump off the cliff" and do it. Start writing.

Judy Huston

1. Always be aware of how your characters are feeling: their emotions will drive your story.
2. Remember that as well as being tender, romance is also a lot of fun.
3. Care about your characters, warts and all – and don’t be afraid to give them just a few of those warts!

Laura Hamby

I write for both By Grace and Moonlit Romance, but it looks like there's going to be plenty of tips on writing inspies and tenders, so I'll pitch for Moonlit.

1. Don't write sex for the sake of sex. Focus on the emotions of the moment to make it a satisfactory scene to read. I'd hazard a guess that most of us are familar enough with the mechanics, so it's not necessary to incorporate a detailed description of what went where.
2. There's more to a plot than the nookie. The characters need to be real, likeable people worth rooting for--- show them falling in love, dealing with their baggage, functioning as actual, living, breathing people do.
3. Show, don't tell. Action is tangible, draws the reader in and makes it hard to put your book down.

Sherry (Shara) Jones

I write for both By Grace and Moonlit Romance, but for this University Day lesson, I’ll focus on writing tips for the Tender/Sweet line.

1. The first tip is Emotion, Emotion, Emotion. Just when you think you’ve added enough emotion, add just a little bit more.
2. When writing for the Tender/Sweet line, the writer is limited in the use of physical body actions (watch those wandering hands, tongues, etc.). The writer MUST rely on strong dialogue and. …emotion!
3. Keep your characters real. People don’t come equipped with a halo. They have faults and foibles, so let your characters be real as well.

Josh Lockwood

1. Do your research. For a historical, nothing is more important than this. If your historical facts are not correct, you can fully expect someone to call you on it.
2. Flood the senses. In creating a setting, try to make the reader to experience it with all five senses.
3. Use correct dialogue. Trying to speak in the update, fad, cool lingo of today just doesn’t get it done for a historical.

Gina Hartoog

Tender/Sweet:

* To be creditable, your story should be true-to-life – the plot shouldn’t be too outrageous or hard to believe.
* Remember the five senses. They are one of the strongest tools you have to craft your story and create human emotion and conflict.
* Avoid flowery language but rather use strong verbs. Your reader must be able to relate to
your heroin/hero and care about what happens to her or him.

Judy Jarvie

Taking The Leap was a ‘Moonlit Madness’ release. My tip for writing sensual stories in a ‘hotter’ level of story is write with passion but within your own comfort zone, not as if your Granny/Mother/Aunty Audrey is reading or listening. That doesn’t mean to say go crazy, just find what level you’re happiest at. My book was short=listed for a UK award – the judges praised its ‘plausible love scene’. I figured that meant I’d done it well, without being obtrusive or gratuitous. Write what makes YOU tick!

MG Braden

Tips for writing an inspirational romance:

1. Write from your heart.
2. Try not to be preachy, you are not giving a sermon but rather showing a romantic relationship that is tested or held together by faith.
3. Let your faith guide you.

Jessica Raymond

Be realistic. Don’t have characters doing things that would make no sense in the real world. This applies even if you’re writing paranormal or fantasy romance – stay within the bounds of the *faintly* believable!

Atmosphere is everything, especially with paranormal. Picking up on the finer details (e.g. the colour of the approaching storm clouds, or the steady ominous drip of a tap down the hallway) will add more layer into your story than you might expect.

Put yourself in your character’s shoes. Feel what they can feel, hear what they can hear. If you were lying in bed in a large, empty, supposedly-haunted house, what sort of prickles would run across your skin if you heard a floorboard creak outside your door?

Margaret Callaghan

In order to make the dialogue as realistic and lively as possible, I try to psych myself into the role of the heroine, so that her reactions would be my reactions if placed in such a situation. This also helps bring out the emotion. Basically, I need to believe in the characters I have created in
order to make the book come to life.

Unique Enterprises University Day: What We Publish

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University Day... Take an author, aspiring and pubbed, to school day. And no, you don't have to leave your house. We don't care if you come in your jammies, if your hair is sticking out in eleventy forty-seven directions or if you have dragon breath. University Day is an opportunity for us to take a look at what we've learned along the way, help and encourage each other, and maybe, just maybe, learn something new.

What We Publish

We publish quality romantic fiction: By Grace-- inspirational, sweet/tender, chick lit, light paranormal, romantic comedy. By Grace publishes 2 themed anthologies: June's Brides and Bouquets and a spooky anthology in September. Brides and Bouquets centers around the wedding traditions, while the spooky anthology is a light paranormal. Traditionally, we publish 3 novellas in each anthology. There are two available "slots" in each at this time. Moonlit Romance publishes racier titles, from PG to R ratings. Moonlit Madness is our "hard R" imprint, but please note: we DO NOT publish erotica.

By Grace Publishing

By Grace Publishing is a small electronic and print on demand publisher. We specialize in G Rated Romance of all kinds. Some of our titles are inspirational, many others are sweet romances. Keep your eye out for romantic suspense, light paranormal, and romantic comedy in addition to our wonderful Christian centered titles.

By Grace's Guidelines

Directly from our website:

Thank you for your interest in our company. If you are a writer with the desire to publish your Christian or tender romance, we would be happy to look at your work. We are also accepting Chick-lit, however we prefer Christian Chick-lit. Secular, but "chaste" Chick-Lit will also be acceptable.

We are a royalty paying publisher. Regrettably, we cannot pay an advance, but we do pay 50% of the net earnings to our authors.

We will provide you with cover art, and promotions. You will be expected to help promote your work.

Our Current Needs As of May 1, 2007

We are swamped with submissions and unfortunately must close our submission door! **Note: we will be re-opening for submissions in the near future.

What we do not want:

Stories that anthropomorphize God, or His angels.
Foul language. If you are unsure, be safe, and do not use the word.
Heroes that do not respect women. This includes stories in which the hero is redeemed.
Graphic violence.
Incomplete manuscripts. We have been known to request a full from a partial in one week.
Divorce that is not for Biblical reasons.

Moonlit Romance's Guidelines

Directly from our website:

All books will be published in ebook format, and print on demand. We are currently accepting submissions of manuscripts, however, please give us at least three months. We are often deluged by submissions. Our guidelines are simple.

We are looking for contemporary AND historical romantic fiction.

Sensuality levels should fall between PG and soft R for our regular lines.

There will be three divisions for length, ranging from 5,000 to 60,000 words.

Paranormal, and time travel will be welcomed under a yet to be named imprint.

Heterosexual, monogamous couples only please.

Also seeking hard R stories for our new Moonlit Madness line.

NO multiple submissions. This means submitting the same manuscript to multiple publishers.

Sensuality LevelsWe define our sensuality levels as PG, soft R, and hard R.

PG contains sexual situations, but no actual sex is described. We pan away from the scene to return later.

Soft R stops the scene just before the act of lovemaking, or moves from the physical aspects to the mental/emotional.

Hard R describes the sexual act, but the focus is still emotional. There must be an emotional attachment before sex can occur, and language must never be crude. We do not publish "erotica."

What We Are Currently Looking For: At this time, both Moonlit Romance and By Grace are looking for a winter themed novel for December, 2008. WINTER, not holiday-themed, please. By Grace is looking for bridal themed novellas for Brides and Bouquets 2008, and two light paranormals for the annual spooky anthology.