Writing Craft

Last week we polished off the editor’s wish list from the lovely editors at Harlequin. It occurs to me that there’re some serious omissions on the list.

The story must be a romance. This is my own favorite mistake. The story should revolve around the character based conflict between the hero and heroine, which prevents them making a mutual commitment to a long term relationship. Want to write thrillers? Fine, but don’t pester the poor over-worked romance editor with your courtroom thriller and then get huffy over your form rejection. Same goes for mysteries, paranormals, science fiction, fantasy et al.

Personally, I find it hard to keep the focus on the hero/heroine conflict when the story includes suspense, mystery – in short anything. Even a secondary romance can take over the story. The current work in progress is pure romance, no sub-plot, no other elements. I should learn something.