I know we’re all not romance writers here, but if you would indulge me for the week. I would even say that if you’re not writing romance, you’re likely still writing about other relationships, so information here may still be applicable. But I want to talk about the work of writing two people falling in love on the page. Not easy, no matter what reputation romance writing gets, by the way. I’ll tell you who has it easy, film and TV.

Let me explain. As much as I read, I also watch a lot of films for inspiration. Real life is not always romantic so while I’m writing about two people falling in love, I like to get lost in the fairytale that is onscreen love stories. Recently while watching Nobody Wants This, I realized that having a visual helps tell the story in a way that’s harder to achieve in literature. There are longing glances, delicate touches, that don’t have to be explained because well, we see it. Writing this nuance is so much harder when you have to paint the whole picture for the reader.

the craftAshley M. ColemanNovember 30, 2024romance writing, love, books, on writingComment

the craft. what to keep and what to throw away.

You may know by now that I’m a big fan of revision. Worlds open up in your writing process when you stop getting analysis paralysis before you even put a word on the page and learn how to let the first draft of something be shitty. Excuse my French. But if you can convince yourself to start writing, whatever way it comes out, you’re already 50% of the way to actually completing something. I can’t tell you how many times I completely rearrange these newsletters and if I had more time, I would probably revise them three or four more times before sending them because I know they could still be better. But you have got to get going at some point.

the craftAshley M. ColemanJanuary 13, 2024editing, revision, books, publishingComment

the craft. tips, tools, and tricks.

I won’t say that I am the most technical girl when it comes to organization. I honestly still love pen and paper a lot! However, being productive takes some type of tools or systems whether it’s rudimentary or advanced. So, this week, I just want to share a few of the things I use to try to keep this crazy life of work, writing, and life on track.

processAshley M. ColemanJune 24, 2023writing, books, publishingComment

the craft. the call.

Now, the agent has sent an email and they absolutely adore your story. They’re going to want to set up a call with you to get to know you, ask questions they may have about the story, and give some feedback. And yes, rejection is rough, but acceptance, well, doesn’t that come with its own anxiety?

publishingAshley M. ColemanMay 28, 2023books, publishing, finding an agentComment

the craft. read like a writer vol. 86.

I’d not anticipated another read like a writer this quickly, however, here we are. I guess that’s what happens when you stumble across such immense talent in your writerly travels. This month, I had the pleasure of reading Black Candle Women by Diane Marie Brown for a conversation on her launch in Long Beach at Belcanto Books. Although I had to read rather quickly, there were some awesome things that stuck out to me that I’d like to highlight to a group of writers.

the craftAshley M. ColemanMarch 5, 2023books, black candle women, diane marie brownComment

the craft. the five senses.

I think as writers, specifically living in the 21st century, we are competing with so much more than our predecessors. I mean, there is social media, one hundred million streaming services, video games, and the list goes on. The attention span of someone reading a feature length article or a book, for that matter, has waned significantly. So, I think it’s almost more important now than ever, to ensure that we are finding captivating ways to tell our stories.

the craftAshley M. ColemanJanuary 22, 2023books, writing, writing descriptionComment

the craft. what happens next?

In writing, there are formally trained writers and those that have read a lot and have the ability to extract what they have learned from reading and apply it to their own work. What do I mean by the latter? For instance, when reading, I noticed early on that in fiction stories, there would always be a beginning that introduced us to the character and their regular life and then something happened that would essentially start the story. Upon beginning to study more about writing, I learned the proper term for that was an inciting incident and that is how most stories begin.

the craftAshley M. ColemanNovember 20, 2022books, fiction writing, jewell parker rhodes