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To Writers With Love: On Writing Romantic Novels
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 13, 2019
Mary Wibberley was a pretty prolific writer of Mills & Boon in the 1970's and early 1980's, so I was interested in her thoughts on penning (vintage) romance novels. As it turns out, notwithstanding certain elements of this book are dated (her wariness about using 'word processors' is noted!), it contains some interesting advice on writing in the romance genre. A selection of 'tips' from Mary - which I imagine would still be relevant for aspiring 'Barbara Cartlands'** - as follows:
Your Hero
• Don't keep him closeted; introduce him to the reader early on.
Another vintage romance author, Clare Bretton-Smith (pen name Hilary Wilde) advised; "Get your hero in on the first page, the first paragraph, the first line if you can", so in Mary's first M&B novel Black Niall, the opening lines include: 'Nobody knew that Niall McBain was coming home to Shielbaig until the stormy summer day he arrived'.
In Lord Of The Island, Mary also introduces the hero upfront; 'He was big, lean and dangerous - Sally Herrick knew that instinctively the first time she set eyes on him. But she didn't know who he was - not then. She didn't find out for several days, by which time it was too late'.
• The first impression your reader has of your hero will be the one that will stay with her/him throughout the book so make it count (per Mary; 'make it a real cracker while you're at it').
• While you are writing about the hero, you should fall in love with him, because if you don't love him, how on earth can your heroine be expected to? And, if you, the writer, love him from the beginning - despite his faults - he will come over as a warm, living human being.
Your Leading Lady
• To convey the heroine's thoughts and feelings to the reader, you'll need to use a blend of narrative and dialogue, e.g. 'She sighed gently. It was really rather a good sigh, so she repeated it. "I'm looking forward to seeing Uncle Max," she said. "I thought he'd be here to meet me," she even managed to put a little catch in her voice.'
• Your heroine often needs a sympathetic ear in the midst of all her traumas - in this respect an older relative character is ideal.
Your Plotting
• It's critical to weave obstacles into your plot that prevent the fulfilment of the romance, and which must be overcome before the romance can be brought to its conclusion. Mary draws on Shakespeare for emphasis: '...the course of true love never did run smooth'.
• The biggest obstacle in your plot should lie in the characters of the protagonists; in their clash of personalities you will have conflict. The source of their conflict could be: a family feud, cultural differences, lifestyle 'clash' (e.g. city sophisticate meets country bumpkin) or false assumptions about one another (classic tropes being the heroine as 'gold-digger' or the hero as 'heartless rake').
• Regard the conflict as the spark that keeps the book alive! Remember that it's easier to write an argument between the protagonists than a conversation where both are being nice to one another (although, if pleasantries follow a sustained battle, they can become extremely effective dialogue).
...And Some General Advice...
• Unless you write primarily for yourself, your book won't come to life.
• You can get more points across in dialogue than you can in narrative, and you should.
• Writers need a good dictionary, book of synonyms and a book of quotations. Mary recommends, respectively - Chambers 20th Century Dictionary, The Synonym Finder and Bartlett's Familiar Quotations: A Collection of Passages, Phrases and Proverbs Traced to Their Sources in Ancient and Modern Literature.
P.S. I've purchased Rodale's 'Synonym Finder' - whoever knew there were so many alternatives ways for describing the infamous vintage M&B 'punishing kiss'.
Par exemple:
- penalising
- admonishing
- reproving
- chastising
- castigating
- rebuking
- pillorying
- scourging
- lashing
- lambasting
- hurting/ hurtful
- bruising
- accusing
- reckoning
- judging
- retaliatory
- retributive
- revengeful
- recriminatory
- blaming
- harsh
- severe
- battering
- trouncing
- scolding
....honestly, you'll feel like Stephen Fry!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen...
** Some kudos must go to the 'woman in pink', after all, she did manage to generate a fortune dictating novels from the comfort of her chaise longue...
Your Hero
• Don't keep him closeted; introduce him to the reader early on.
Another vintage romance author, Clare Bretton-Smith (pen name Hilary Wilde) advised; "Get your hero in on the first page, the first paragraph, the first line if you can", so in Mary's first M&B novel Black Niall, the opening lines include: 'Nobody knew that Niall McBain was coming home to Shielbaig until the stormy summer day he arrived'.
In Lord Of The Island, Mary also introduces the hero upfront; 'He was big, lean and dangerous - Sally Herrick knew that instinctively the first time she set eyes on him. But she didn't know who he was - not then. She didn't find out for several days, by which time it was too late'.
• The first impression your reader has of your hero will be the one that will stay with her/him throughout the book so make it count (per Mary; 'make it a real cracker while you're at it').
• While you are writing about the hero, you should fall in love with him, because if you don't love him, how on earth can your heroine be expected to? And, if you, the writer, love him from the beginning - despite his faults - he will come over as a warm, living human being.
Your Leading Lady
• To convey the heroine's thoughts and feelings to the reader, you'll need to use a blend of narrative and dialogue, e.g. 'She sighed gently. It was really rather a good sigh, so she repeated it. "I'm looking forward to seeing Uncle Max," she said. "I thought he'd be here to meet me," she even managed to put a little catch in her voice.'
• Your heroine often needs a sympathetic ear in the midst of all her traumas - in this respect an older relative character is ideal.
Your Plotting
• It's critical to weave obstacles into your plot that prevent the fulfilment of the romance, and which must be overcome before the romance can be brought to its conclusion. Mary draws on Shakespeare for emphasis: '...the course of true love never did run smooth'.
• The biggest obstacle in your plot should lie in the characters of the protagonists; in their clash of personalities you will have conflict. The source of their conflict could be: a family feud, cultural differences, lifestyle 'clash' (e.g. city sophisticate meets country bumpkin) or false assumptions about one another (classic tropes being the heroine as 'gold-digger' or the hero as 'heartless rake').
• Regard the conflict as the spark that keeps the book alive! Remember that it's easier to write an argument between the protagonists than a conversation where both are being nice to one another (although, if pleasantries follow a sustained battle, they can become extremely effective dialogue).
...And Some General Advice...
• Unless you write primarily for yourself, your book won't come to life.
• You can get more points across in dialogue than you can in narrative, and you should.
• Writers need a good dictionary, book of synonyms and a book of quotations. Mary recommends, respectively - Chambers 20th Century Dictionary, The Synonym Finder and Bartlett's Familiar Quotations: A Collection of Passages, Phrases and Proverbs Traced to Their Sources in Ancient and Modern Literature.
P.S. I've purchased Rodale's 'Synonym Finder' - whoever knew there were so many alternatives ways for describing the infamous vintage M&B 'punishing kiss'.
Par exemple:
- penalising
- admonishing
- reproving
- chastising
- castigating
- rebuking
- pillorying
- scourging
- lashing
- lambasting
- hurting/ hurtful
- bruising
- accusing
- reckoning
- judging
- retaliatory
- retributive
- revengeful
- recriminatory
- blaming
- harsh
- severe
- battering
- trouncing
- scolding
....honestly, you'll feel like Stephen Fry!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen...
** Some kudos must go to the 'woman in pink', after all, she did manage to generate a fortune dictating novels from the comfort of her chaise longue...
January 24, 2026
This book was published in 1985, so it's a little dated in some respects (eg: it talks about typewriter ribbons and the wonders of the new word processors!) but the advice on creating a satisfying romantic read is spot-on. Written in a warm and friendly style, as though Mary was speaking directly to me, it certainly inspired me to get on with my work-in-progress which was exactly what I was hoping for.
August 30, 2020
Three and half to four stars, as the advice given is great, but some parts of the book have invariably dated.
Gets the procrastinor writing.
Gets the procrastinor writing.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews