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Monday, March 06, 2006

Five Secrets to Writing a Great Desire

Okay, I admit it. I'm cheating. These aren't really my secrets--these are straight from Melissa Jeglinski, Senior Editor of the Desire line at Silhouette. Trust me, her secrets are much more interesting than mine! January 2007 begins the new Desire. Desire like you've never known before. Desire as it should be: exciting, fast-paced, and oh, so romantic.

So reader and writers alike, this is it. The New Desire. Each day this week I'll reveal one new secret, as told to me by Melissa.

Secret Number One:

1) Create a complex conflict. Even the simplest set up could be added to in order to create a more dramatic conflict than previously dealt with in Desire. So a simple Cinderella marriage story becomes a marriage of revenge plot in which the hero seduces the plain Jane hero, not to just sweep her off her feet, but so that he can destroy her father. Or a secret baby plot becomes more complex when the heroine is the hero's mistress and he thinks she was sleeping with his brother.

Okay, Barbara speaking now.

Thanks, Melissa. Conflict is one the most difficult, yet most important elements of a story. (by the way, I like the "marriage of revenge" plot.) And it sounds as if the hero has more of an edge, too. I'm already gasping that the hero would think the heroine might have slept with his brother! (Ah, but I see tomorrow's "secret" will address that...)

Bio for Melissa Jeglinski:

Senior Editor Melissa Jeglinski is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After receiving her Bachelor's Degree in English, Melissa relocated to New York City and began working at Harlequin Books. During her years with the company, Melissa has discovered over fifteen first time authors, worked on almost every line the company publishes and sorted through more than her fair share of manuscripts. Melissa currently resides in Queens with her girls--two cats named Esmerelda and Tallulah.

Visit Barbara's website

posted by Barbara McCauley at 9:00 PM

18 Comments:

Nalini Singh said...: Thanks for that great explanation of complex conflict, Barbara. I'll definitely be coming back every day to learn all the secrets. :)
Yvonne Lindsay said...: Me too! I love the concept of taking the traditional and putting another twist in it's tail (maybe that should be tale!). Thanks for sharing the secrets, Barbara.
Carol B. said...: Oh, good deal. It's been too long since we've had some insider insight on Desire. Thanks, I'll be back.
CrystalG said...: I love writing secrets. It gives the reader insight into how authors create such good books.
Playground Monitor said...: Ooohh! Secrets! Thanks Barbara and MJ for sharing these. I'll definitely check every day for more.

Marilyn
Jennifer said...: Thanks for sharing. I agree that the secrets give readers an idea of the writing process. I can't wait to read more of the secrets!!

-Jennifer Yates
Marilyn SHoemaker said...: I like the idea of conflict as well. Keeps the reader on the edge of his/her seat! Can't wait for the next "secret".
dsexton said...: It sounds like the New Desire is going to be better then ever,i will be back to hear more.
catslady said...: Sounds like a good thing to me. Variety is needed to keep sreaders interested. Thans for the first "secret."
catslady said...: please forgive my typos, had a cat on my arm :)
Joyce said...: I don't write but I do like hearing about the 'new' series.
KimW said...: Hi Barbara! Nice to see you here. Love conflict in the stories I read. Keeps me turning the pages fast to see what happens in the end.
BJ Deese said...: Hi Barbara! Thanks for sharing some Desire secrets with your fans. I'm looking forward to reading more of your posts.
Deb said...: Thanks Barbara and Melissa! It's exciting to see what is going on behind the scene. Thanks so much for sharing the tips. I'll be back daily!
Barbara McCauley said...: Thanks everyone! I can't wait to share the next secret tomorrow. You're gonna love this one...
Cheryl Free said...: Thanks for sharing secrets Barbara! I enjoyed reading today's and look forward to the rest of them.
kim h said...: thanks for the secrets barbara. great blogging with you
Carol said...: Conflict in a story is important to me. It keeps me interested!

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