Fierce Romance: writing workshop

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Workshop: Turn Up the Heat

Turn up the Heat! Heightening Sexual Tension and Sensuality in Your Manuscript

Presenter: Nicole North

Date: August 1 - 31, 2011

Cost: $25

Description: Editors want to buy spicy-hot romance stories now more than ever before. How do you do it? In this class we will discuss all aspects of sexual tension and sensuality and how they relate to the developing romance in your story. You'll learn tips for successfully building sexual tension over the course of the hero and heroine's relationship from first glance, through climax, to happily ever after. Several examples will be used to illustrate different nuances of hot romantic chemistry and how to employ them in your own story. Learn how to avoid clichés and use sexiness in fresh new ways. Strengthening sexual tension will take your story from ho-hum to so hot and delicious your reader can't put it down. We'll do exercises for hands-on learning. (Please be aware this course contains explicit and frank discussions of sexuality.)

**Topics covered**
Using the five senses more effectively
Sexy talk
Word choice
First kiss
Foreplay
First love scene
How to rebuild sexual tension after sex
Why point of view is important
Hot characters
Combining physical attraction and emotion
Body language
Differences between romance and erotic romance
Revising to make a sensual romance manuscript spicy or erotic

Fun Extras
Visual inspiration
Multimedia examples and exercises

This is an online workshop conducted via private email group. To learn more or register please visit my website: www.nicolenorth.com

Thanks!!

Nicole

Nicole North writes hot erotic romance for Red Sage, Carina Press/Harlequin and Ellora's Cave. Books include: DEVIL IN A KILT in SECRETS VOLUME 27 UNTAMED PLEASURES,KILTED LOVER, BEAST IN A KILT (the second in the kilted shapeshifter series) SECRETS VOLUME 29 INDULGE YOUR FANTASIES anthology. SCOUNDREL IN A KILT in SECRETS VOLUME 30 DESIRES UNLEASHED anthology, LAIRD OF DARKNESS, STORM OF PASSION, and BLADE OF THE WOLF. To learn more please visit www.nicolenorth.com

There's still time to register for Turn Up the Heat!

Workshop: Turn up the Heat! Heightening Sexual Tension and Sensuality in Your Manuscript

Presenter: Nicole North

Date: Sept. 6 - 30, 2010

Description: Editors want to buy spicy-hot romance stories now more than ever before. How do you do it? In this class we will discuss all aspects of sexual tension and sensuality and how they relate to the developing romance in your story. You'll learn tips for successfully building sexual tension over the course of the hero and heroine's relationship from first glance, through climax, to happily ever after. Several examples will be used to illustrate different nuances of hot romantic chemistry and how to employ them in your own story. Learn how to avoid clichés and use sexiness in fresh new ways. Strengthening sexual tension will take your story from ho-hum to so hot and delicious your reader can't put it down. We'll do exercises for hands-on learning. (Please be aware this course contains explicit and frank discussions of sexuality.) This class covers a range of heat from mild romance to erotic romance.

**Topics covered**
Using the five senses more effectively
Sexy talk
Word choice
Meeting
First kiss
Foreplay
First love scene
How to rebuild sexual tension after sex
Why point of view is important
Hot characters
Combining physical attraction and emotion
Body language
Differences between romance and erotic romance
Revising to make a sensual romance manuscript spicy or erotic

Fun Extras
Visual inspiration
Multimedia examples and exercises

To learn more or register please visit the workshop page.

About the presenter: Nicole North writes sensual and erotic romance novels and novellas. She is the author of paranormal erotic romance novellas Devil in a Kilt, Red Sage Secrets Volume 27 Untamed Pleasures, July 2009; Kilted Lover, Nov. 2009; and Beast in a Kilt, Red Sage Secrets Volume 29, July 2010. She has finaled in over a dozen writing competitions and won several awards. She admits sexual tension and delicious love scenes are her favorite elements of romance and sprinkles them liberally through her stories. What others have said about her works: "This author handles sexual tension very well. Her characters are completely drawn to each other..." and "Wow! Talk about sexual chemistry. This story has it in spades. You're a natural in the romantic chemistry department." She has a BA degree in psychology. Please visit her website to learn more and read past student testimonials: http://www.nicolenorth.com/

Cost: $25

To register please visit: http://www.nicolenorth.com/ and click on "workshops" on the menu.

Thank you!
Nicole

PS There's also still time to enter my Under the Kilt contest.

Nicole North

Workshop: Turn up the Heat!

To learn more or sign up please visit this workshop page.

About the presenter: Nicole North writes sensual and erotic romance novels and novellas. She is the author of paranormal erotic romance novellas Devil in a Kilt, Red Sage Secrets Volume 27 Untamed Pleasures, July 2009; Kilted Lover, Nov. 2009; and Beast in a Kilt, Red Sage Secrets Volume 29, July 2010. She has finaled in over a dozen writing competitions and won several awards. She admits sexual tension and delicious love scenes are her favorite elements of romance and sprinkles them liberally through her stories. What others have said about her works: "This author handles sexual tension very well. Her characters are completely drawn to each other..." and "Wow! Talk about sexual chemistry. This story has it in spades. You're a natural in the romantic chemistry department." She has a BA degree in psychology. Please visit her website to learn more and read past student testimonials: http://www.nicolenorth.com/

Cost: $25

To register please visit: http://www.nicolenorth.com/ and click on "workshops" on the menu.

Thank you!

Nicole

Nicole North

HOW TO CRACK YOUR WRITER'S BLOCK

Hi Fierce Friends!

I’ve been teaching writing workshops since I was first published in 1993 and many of my students have asked me about having Writer's Block. I didn't even believe in Writer's Block until a couple of years ago, but boy am I a believer now! Now I know that even seasoned writers butt their heads against a wall from time to time, and I’ve sure had my share of days like that. After my father passed away in 2006, I had a really hard time focusing on getting out my next book. I had never experienced real Writer’s Block before in my life, and when it hit me, it was pretty devastating. What to do, what to do?

Well I moaned and groaned a lot. Whined a great deal. But finally I came up with a way to get myself jump-started and believe it or not, it really helped me on days when all I could seem to do was stare at my computer in despair. So for any of you who are struggling out there, here it is, in a nutshell. It’s not a magic wand to wave and isn’t good for the long haul, but is a realistic way to get started when you feel stymied by fatigue, stress, the lack of a muse, indigestion, unpaid bills or crying children.

HOW TO CRACK YOUR WRITER'S BLOCK
copyright Tess Mallory 2008

1. Choose a scene you have already planned. Write the dialogue first. No descriptions, no action, just words in quotes and ‘he said, she said’ or in this case, ‘George said, Elaine said’.

Example:
“I know that dog is around here somewhere,” George said.
“We’ve searched the entire yard,” Elaine reminded him.

(Note: Try to write an entire page of dialogue before moving on to the next step. )

2. Next insert brief character actions and revise.

Example:
“I know that dog is around here somewhere,” George said as he stared down at the ground.

Elaine shook her head. “We’ve searched the entire yard,” she reminded him.

(Note to New Writers: A person ‘looking’ or ‘gazing’ is an action. Notice how I rewrote the second sentence, putting Elaine’s action at the beginning and changed ‘Elaine’ to ‘she’.)

3. Now, insert a brief description of setting.

EX:
“I know that dog is around here somewhere,” George said as he stared down at the ground. Fido’s favorite squeaky toy lay at his feet, just a few inches from the red and blue doghouse in their backyard.

Elaine shook her head. “We’ve searched the entire yard,” she reminded him.

(Note to New Writers: Little details like the squeaky toy I put in make the characters seem real, as well as the setting.)

4. Insert brief description of people from ONE POV.

EX:
“I know that dog is around here somewhere,” George said as he stared down at the ground. Fido’s favorite squeaky toy lay at his feet, just a few inches from the red and blue doghouse in their backyard.

Elaine shook her head. “We’ve searched the entire yard,” she reminded him. With a sigh, she turned toward her husband. His dark brows were knit together in concern and he dragged one hand through his too-long brown hair.

(Note to New Writers: Once you start a POV in a scene, this is the POV you should stick to. You would not, after this last sentence, write a sentence from George’s POV giving a description of Elaine. What did I change in this version? Why? )

5. Insert character emotion into the scene.

EX:

“I know that dog is around here somewhere,” George said. He stared down at Fido’s favorite squeaky toy lying near his feet, just a few inches from the red and blue doghouse in their backyard. His thin lips pressed together as he kicked the ground with the toe of his work boot.

Elaine shook her head. “We’ve searched the entire yard,” she said. With a sigh, she turned toward her husband, hands on her hips. His dark brows were knit together in despair. He dragged one hand through his too-long brown hair in dramatic concern and she closed her eyes.

“If anything’s happened to that dog—“ he began, then broke off, almost sobbing.

Typical. He was the one who had left the gate open, but she’d be the one left picking up the pieces.

(Note to New Writers: Notice the rewriting that has happened in the this scene. Why did I change the things I did? How did I add emotion?)

Until next time -- Keep Writing!!