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Writing Short and Not So Sweet – Harlequin Undone
 Posted by Jeannie Lin Sep 1 2010, 12:10 am in giveaway, jeannie lin, release day, the taming of mei lin
The day after I accepted the offer from Harlequin Mills & Boon for Butterfly Swords, I had the opportunity to meet with the editorial director who casually mentioned I might want to write an Undone to go along with Butterfly Swords. I had heard about the Undone series. It was relatively new and had just opened up for submissions. The market for shorter lengths is expanding rapidly and I think we’ll see many more shorts in the future in the form of free reads, prequels, linked stories, as well as a stronger short story/novella market in its own right. I was really excited about trying it out. My first concern was that the Undone line was a lot hotter than I was comfortable with writing. They had described their stories as sexy with a higher heat level than the Harlequin Historical full lengths. Did this mean they wanted erotic romance? I didn’t know if I could do that. Tip #1: Research the lineRead examples of the line that you’re targeting, whether it be Harlequin, Samhain, or any other publisher. The HH Undone program was relatively new, so I bought several of the most popular ones from e-Harlequin. I was pleasantly surprised! These weren’t erotic romances — they were very sensual, sexy, and emotional stories, much like I had read from Harlequin Historical. The stories featured well-developed characters and a strong emotional core romance. The heat level wasn’t too far off from HH. The key was that the overall story was a sexy vs. sexual scenario, with emphasis on the emotional tension and conflict. Tip #2: PlotHere were some plot tips that I took out of my reads:
Tip #3: Secondary charactersAt first, I thought I wouldn’t have much in the way of secondaries. But as I plotted, I realized my story had a “stranger comes to a small town” scenario. I needed the townsfolk to be integral to the story. Plus family is so important to the cultural and historical fabric in China that I couldn’t leave it out. The secondaries had to serve their purpose in very few words and in limited interactions. Every little action had to speak VOLUMES. Tip #4: Romantic DevelopmentDon’t skimp on the stages of romance – To make the romantic development believeable, the H/h still need to go through all the steps. They must have the initial meet, they must discover more about one another, the internal conflict must keep them apart, and in the end they must earn the right to pursue their love and overcome all obstacles. Tip #5: ExecutionMy story contains fight scenes, an unusual historical setting, multiple secondary characters, pretty extensive backstory for both the heroine and hero, flirtation, romantic growth, personal growth, and love scenes. How was I going to cram ALL that in 11,000 words? 1. Careful plotting. Every scene had to be pivotal and memorable. I couldn’t have long interludes to reveal backstory. No mood setting scenes. No long internal reflection scenes. The key was to combine as many elements of the story into each scene as much as possible — without getting things confused. 2. Backstory. There was quite a lot of background information. I had to play with ways of weaving backstory into the narration and at the same time. Most importantly, I had to trust that the reader would be able to follow the action without having all the background. 3. Telling instead of showing. I didn’t get that backwards. Obviously, I had to be careful not to get lazy and do it all the time, but telling is faster than showing and sometimes, telling just fits better. When you’re deep in a character’s POV, it makes sense to tell versus show. A character feeling a deep emotional pain might be more likely to think, “It hurt to think about him.” Simple. Done. Do you like reading shorter stories? What are some of your tips for writing them? What are some of your favorite short stories? To celebrate the release day, one commenter will be chosen randomly at 8pm CST today to receive a download code for The Taming of Mei Lin from eHarlequin. It’s a little peek into the drama and sensuality of the Tang Dynasty that I explore further in Butterfly Swords. Share:
              
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52 Responses to “Writing Short and Not So Sweet – Harlequin Undone”Leave a Reply |
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Jeannie – Congratulations on your release! That is an absolutely gorgeous cover. I can’t wait to read this precursor to Butterfly Swords.
Your insights into novella writing are spot on. The majority of my releases are novella length, so I’ve gotten pretty comfortable writing tight. It’s all about making it count and not trying to tell a bigger story than you have words for.
Here’s hoping that beautiful novella sells like crazy.
The good thing is I love to read novellas and shorts. They’re perfect for if I want to sit down and finish something. You get the story arc and emotional satisfaction and the writing is usually very tight and enjoyable.
Exactly! I think one of the reasons novellas have taken off in ebooks is because readers know they will get the resolution they want in a quick afternoon read.
Happy release day! What a great taste of what is yet to come. And what a provocative title!
The last time I wrote a short story I was still in high school–long about the neolithic age, or it would seem so to some of you.
My teacher encouraged me to write longer because, although she liked my work, I “never choose subject matter that fits into a shorter format.” Translation: I rattled on even then.
That said, I’ve given thought to challenging myself to write a short, although I’m more likely to shoot for novella length than 11K. (I’ve written letters to friends longer than that–longhand!)
Being a pantser, my stories tend toward the expansive, evolving as I go. That isn’t always a good thing. They can become quite convoluted, encompassing more than one story within the same frame. Writing short could help me curb that tendency. If not, being certain of my personal limitations will be well worth the effort.
I had a similar experience. I’d only written short stories in high school and they only fit because they were um…weak on plot. LOL. As historical authors, we love to take the time to build things up, so this was a nice challenge.
Happy release day, Jeannie! I’m downloading the novella as I speak! Incidentally, Amazon told me the Kindle edition is unavailable for Australian customers. But happily, we Aussies can download from the eHarlequin site.
Thanks for these great tips and your process. I recommend short-story writing for anyone who wants to learn how to write tight. I actually write scanty first drafts, so maybe I should try my hand at novellas!
Kindle not available for Australian customers? But I thought that was the beauty of digital. I hope eHarlequin works for you and THANK YOU!
You’re welcome! Not sure what the deal was with Kindle, but my eHarl download worked without a hitch–yay!
Jeannie, congratulations on your release date! I’m told it never gets old, so enjoy! Thank you so much for this wonderful guideline on writing novellas! Definitely something I need to consider, since brevity has never been my strong suit. Good luck and many happy sales to you!
Thanks Carla! I’m thinking this is preparation for my novel release day in October. I might have enough nervous energy then to clean my entire house. *looks at office* Maybe not.
Jeannie! CONGRATS on the releases! I can’t wait to read these!!
It’s beautiful! Happy happy release day!
Wow! Congratulations on your release day! Absolutely gorgeous cover!
I’m soooo impressed that you packed all you mention here into 11,000 words!!! It’s definitely in the long short story rather than novella range.
I’m very eager to read it. I’m assuming some version of it can be downloaded to PCs? (I’m one of those luddites who still has no e-reader.)
May you enjoy excellent sales today!
Probably Kindle for PC? Report back, if you learn!
Thanks Carol, Kelly, & Elisa!
You can download it to your PC to read. There’s a Kindle app if you like kindle or eHarlequin has Adobe PDF and EPUB versions that I like.
I’m still trying to get the hang of writing long under my belt, so thanks so much for this very useful tutorial!
In terms of novellas, I enjoy anything Emma Holly sets in her Yama world. Megan Hart wrote a gorgeous collection of connected novellas last year called “Pleasure and Purpose” which I highly recommend. And of course, there’s Vivi’s contribution to the Tickle My Fantasy collection, “The Ghost Shrink, the Accidental Gigolo & the Poltergeist Accountant” – which I absolutely HOWLED through. Fabulous, subtle worldbuilding in all of these stories.
Jeannie, please share with us just what sacrifice you made to The Cover Gods to get such beautiful book covers for both of your books? Blood? Firstborn? Prodigious amounts of Godiva chocolate?
I think humor helps so much for a short story or novella! I totally want to read Vivi’s story and ordered the anthology just to have the nice Ruby Slipper cover.
I’ve gotten quite lucky on my two covers. I joke that my second child may have to be named for the Harlequin art department, so maybe that was the sacrifice?
A little interesting tidbit is that the Undone covers are created from reworks of the Harlequin art database. They do this for all the covers, but for westerns and Regencies and medievals, there’s such a huge database of cover art to choose from that you rarely recognize the old cover. For The Taming of Mei Lin, there wasn’t much in the art database, so it’s a reuse of Jade Lee’s cover models from The Concubine. I e-mailed her about it and she got a great kick out of it. I only recognized it because I have the Blaze on my keeper shelf.
This sounds awesome, Jeannie! I love reading historicals set in unusual locations and time periods.
I’m a big fan of short stories, but I’ve never read any short romances, or novellas. For some amazing short stories retelling fairy tales with a feminist twist, Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber is amazing. But definitely not romance.
I always found short stories great for science fiction where you can raise some great questions and leave readers hanging as part of the genre. I also loved reading Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword and Sorceress anthologies (my first submission ever when I was 15).
In romance there’s the added challenge of making the hero and heroine reliably develop a romance. Even if there’s no HEA in the story, I think there needs to be the promise of an HEA on the horizon. My favorite S&S stories were the ones that also had romance. Funny that!
Jeannie, congratulations on your release day! Isn’t this your very first release day EVAR??
Huzzah! May it be the first of many. Cheers!
I love the creative options that Harlequin offers to its authors. At the Spotlight on Harlequin Single Titles, I asked if they’d be willing to publish a book in, say, Spice, which is a single-title program, involving a world that an author had begun in Blaze, which is a category line. The editors on the panel said they’d love to, and are always interested in maximizing an author’s potential readership across multiple Harlequin programs.
I began to imagine all the cool ways that an author could explore her universe through Harlequin’s many programs, and got very excited!
The very, very first! I couldn’t keep still yesterday. My husband was laughing at me. This morning when I came up from the office, he asked if I saw any published authors down there. He’s so sweet.
And I was also surprised to see what Harlequin was willing to try. I think it would be good for them to get readers to read across category lines — which is probably what they’re looking into. The possibilities abound for authors…
Congratulations on your release day, Jeannie!!
OMG, 11,000 words. That’s insanely short. I haven’t read any romances that short, ever, but you’ve intrigued me–I’ll have to try them (starting with yours!!).
When it was over I looked at the word count and thought, wow…I have another 4000 words if I want it. But it just felt done. I was stunned.
Great tips, Jeannie!
P.S. Don’t enter me in the contest only because I have already purchased the Taming of Mei Lin for my Nook!
Hi there! You should give some pointers from your experiences with Nocturne Bites.
Now, not one to complain about the mother ship, but between Nocturne Bites, Spice Briefs, and Historical Undones…I think we got the least sexy of the names there.
Wow, fantastic post, Jeannie!!! I cannot wait to get this, and what an amazing cover! You have definitely been blessed by the cover gods, my love.
I am going to post this everywhere for anyone thinking about submitting an Undone. Super job, you!
And super congrats too!!! How exciting!
~D~
Thanks for the pointers! I struggle w/ writing short & desparately want to have that ability but the story gets away from me. I’ve just started a new short so this was perfect timing.
My favorite short is Sherilyn Kenyon’s “Winter Born”
Congrats on the release!
Congrats on the release! Also, thanks for the helpful tips. I’ve been thinking about writing a short story for awhile and didn’t really have any idea how to go about it. This helped tremendously!
Happy release day!! \o/
It’s not surprising that shorter stories are quickly becoming more desirable; I blame the instant gratification technology grants us.
I still love getting lost in a good thick novel, but in terms of writing, I prefer doing it in short sprints. If it leads to an involved writing session, then hey, that’s awesome. If not, then I know I’m writing again soon. It keeps the ADD-riddled child in me soothed.
Thanks for the tips, and for the chance to win! I’m so excited, I’m sneaking on to comment at work.
Congratulations on your release. I will download to my Kindle ASAP. And Oh My what a beautiful cover.
I have to admit that I like longer stories. I like all the character building and world building that you find in a longer read. (And let me say that I think of most Single Title Romances as being short. I love big beach books!)
I don’t think I could ever successfully write in a format of only 11,000 words. But if I’m ever am asked, I will immediately turn to these tips. Very useful, indeed.
Huge congratulations on your release day, Jeannie! So exciting! Great tips for writing short and tight. Since I tend to write long, this would be a great exercise for me to try, so I can make sure every word counts. Thanks!
Tina
Happy release day, Jeannie! With all these great e-books from my Ruby sisters, it looks like I’m going to have to break down and get that kindle.
I tend to like reading longer stories–it’s hard for me to believe two strangers falling in love in the space of a novella-length story–but when it’s done well, it’s awesome. Can’t wait to try The Taming of Mei Lin.
Happy release day, how exciting! I don’t generally like shorter stories but the few Undones I’ve read I’ve enjoyed. I will be getting yours, definitely want to read the prequel to Butterfly Swords! Writing short for me is even harder! But you’ve broken the technique for writing one down into really manageable steps, th
er…what happened to my “thanks” got cut short somehow! But thanks!
Congratulations, Jeannie. I bet you’re as excited as all get out. I hope your book sells a zillion copies.
I’d love to win a download code for “The Taming of Mei Lin”, assuming I can get it in PDF format. (I havent’t bought an ereader and don’t intend to until a winner emerges; no Betamax for me… again.)
I congratulate you for possessing the ability to write successfully at both novel length AND short story length; as you indicate, it is NOT the same thing, and not many authors can do both well.
I’d be inclined to attribute the rise in demand for short stories to the rising ereader technology. With the arguable exception of specific genres like scifi, fantasy, and mystery, for which monthly magazines and frequently published anthologies provide a market, the market for short length fiction has been declining for decades along with the general fiction magazine market. It would be a LOT harder to do today what F. Scott Fitzfgerald did in his day: finance his novel writing by selling short stories.
The downside is that those of us nostalgic for the days when you could hold your reading material in your hands and read it in the sunshine,…
without using batteries or plugging anything in,
are increasingly going to be out of luck,…
UNLESS you include a short story like this in the paperback edition of a LATER novel in the series. (HINT! HINT!)
Congrats, Jeannie! I read your intro to this in the booklet you handed out at Nationals, and I can’t wait to read the full! (or of Butterfly Swords, but that’s another instant gratification whine…)
Switching to this format as the day job is hounding me so I only have a few more minutes for lunch break!
@Darynda – Thanks and the cover gods seem to be smiling on all the Rubies. I LOVE looking at the Rubies Books section and thinking how much we’ve all accomplished.
@Sasha – Good luck with the short. I agree that they’re not necessarily any easier just because they have less words!
@Dara – I’ve read a couple shorter pieces on your blog that I thought were wonderfully paced. It’s good to play with different forms when I feel myself in a rut. For example, after finishing a longer manuscript, I always get in a funk. Good time to write a short!
@Julie – Hi there. Also sneaking in from work, huh? Glad you stopped by. I also like big meaty books. I haven’t sat down with a good epic in a while. Not since Ken Follett’s sequel to Pillars of the Earth. Stephen King had an interesting video today where he said people didn’t read shorts because they were lazy. Interesting take! I get his point though. You’re not as invested in this collection of authors as you are in one big name you know you’re going to read for a while. I’ve never felt that way, but he does have a point.
@Hope – Single title romances seem to be shrinking in size even more…or is it just me?
@Tina – Writing this story really helped me look at where I was getting lazy in my longer lengths. On the other hand, I’m reading Joanna Bourne and I LOVE her detail. I want to put more of that into my books. It’s a constant barrage of inputs and self demands — keeps us on our toes!
@Shoshana – I think romantic shorts have a slightly different flair and pace than the full length novels or even novellas. It’s cool to see what people are doing in each. When I read Courtney Milan’s This Wicked Gift, I was floored by how much depth and character and ANGST she put in so few words. I’m an old school historical romance reader – I love angst.
@Diana – My pleasure! I’m such a nerd that I don’t feel like I really know what I’ve learned until I write it down somehow. Blogging helps me put my thoughts together.
@Laurie – From your lips…I’m just happy if more people want to try Butterfly Swords. Actually, I was just happy to be able to write this little tale!
@FredTownWard – I do all my e-reading on my laptop and actually like the Adobe PDF and EPUB formats quite a bit. I’m also a late adopter of technology. Just not enough time or money to adopt early while things are getting fixed and upgraded! As to including the short — I have no control over what Harlequin does — but they have put out an Undone anthology in the past with some of the most popular ones gathered together and re-released for print. One can dream….and I dream a lot.
@Pamela – Hello! I’m glad I included the opening in the excerpt booklets then! I think Harlequin included the opening to Butterfly Swords in with the Undone. Don’t know how much they put in there…
I’m waiting eagerly for October as well!
Happy release day, Jeannie. I lover the cover and definitely will be downloading to my PC> I have no Kindle yet. Thanks for all the writing tips and info on this series.
Question. What was the hardest part about writing this length story for you?
(((HUGS))) AJ
Hi Autumn!
This was my first time writing such a short romance. I’d have to say the most difficult part was building up to the um…culmination of the romance. Okay, the love scene. I just wasn’t sure how to build it up since we usually get 100+ pages to get to that point LOL.
Still could use some pointers on that.
Congratulations, Jeannie! It’s a beautiful cover–very hard to look away:) Appreciated your tips. 11,000 words! You’re my hero.
Well, I finished reading The Taming of Mei Lin in one sitting let me just stop clutching my pearls for a moment and take a breath. Phew! This one was steamy without being overtly gross. It was subtle & made my imagination go wild! Jeannie Lin has brought me back to romance novels after a hiatus of nearly thirty years. I never thought it could be done. Oh and the sneak peek of Butterfly Swords, gosh darn it I want my book NOW! Well written, great pacing, and a storyline that leaves you breathless with each and every turn of the page. One question to Jeannie, is there more of Mei Lin’s story to tell?
I’m glad you enjoyed The Taming of Mei Lin.
In my head, Mei Lin and her hero have many adventures together before they settle down. In Butterfly Swords and the other novels, you will get a sense of what’s become of them.
All those adventures in between…I’ll have to leave for another day.
Love the tips Jeannie! You make it sound easy to write a short story and I never thought that before. Congrats on your first release – It sounds so awesome. Can’t wait for Butterfly Swords.
Thanks for stopping by Kat. It always seems doable to even me when I write out my thoughts, but I’m trying to write another short right now and it has a whole new set of issues! Each one is a learning experience.
I love reading romantic shorts. Congratulations on your first release, Jeannie!
Sorry I’m late to wish you a happy release day! I hope you had a fun day
I will admit that I wrote an Undone as a sort of challenge. I really liked the story. Submitted it and got a rather nice rejection. Then I realized my biggest mistake. I hadn’t read any Undones. Um. Yeah. The actual reading and understanding what they are doing in a line is important. I really wished I had taken the time to do my research. I still like my characters – they have real spark and I love my scenario.
Congrats on yours. I’ll be adding that to my TBR pile which grows steadily higher
I’m glad I checked a couple of them out. Not only did I get some nice reads out of it, it gave me the inspiration to try one. In retrospect, this was the perfect place to tell this story.
And I have a feeling that’s not the last you’ll see of those characters. There are so many markets now for shorts. It’s great to see.
Sorry I got back a bit late from critique group tonight.
THE WINNER IS:
Katrina!!
Congrats. I will contact you with the download code. Hope you enjoy!
I’m running behind this week, but just had so say that this cover is GORGEOUS and I’m thrilled to have my first Jeannie Lin story on my Kindle!
[...] – Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood: Writing Short and Not So Sweet & [...]
[...] I’ve been asked to blog from time to time about tips on writing short stories, such as for this year’s Harlequin Mills and Boon’s New Voices Contest: Less is More — Making Every Word Count and I wrote a similar, but more detailed post upon the release of my first short, The Taming of Mei Lin: Ruby Slippered-Sisterhood: Writing Short and Not-So-Sweet [...]