He's got everything except the one woman he can never have,even though she's temptingly within arm's reach.True love is hell on earth. Got your attention, didn't I?You love tropes. I love tropes, and most importantly, every romance reader adores tropes!Let's dive deeper into how tropes keep your reader up way past their bedtime because you've just given them that most delicious of all things---an unputdownable book.As authors, we know romance readers have their favorite tropes---forbidden love, forced proximity, and protector are three popular ones.But what makes tropes so addictive?Because tropes are about relationships, that's why fairy tales and folk tales are still with us centuries later. We crave stories to show us how we're all connected.Dozens of tropes can be twisted to tell your story, so learn how to apply these building blocks to give your romance conflict-ridden characters. Study over sixty romance tropes definitions, examples, and suggestions for using tropes. Then dig into ten romance subgenres and learn specific ways to apply them to create your best romance novel. Go #teamtrope!

Even a quick glance at popular books, movies, and streaming series says it all-- a skillful application of tropes sells stories. That's because tropes create a foundation between the audience and the action. I'm not suggesting we slap a few tropes together, and call it done. I'm talking about twisting tropes to create characters that fans can't stop thinking about to increase story conflict. How do we do that? By digging down into the functions of tropes. But isn't a trope just a trope? What do secret baby, road trip, and revenge have in common? Conflict. Conflict. Conflict. The Trope Thesaurus explores tropes common in romance, mystery, suspense, thriller, science fiction, and fantasy. It also features a listing of tropes with their definitions, along with some ideas about how to use them more effectively to craft stronger stories. New and established writers will appreciate this different take on a craft topic in the quest to become a fan favorite.

Third edition. Expanded and updated with more words and categories.A must-have reference for writing romance.If finding the right words for your love scene is challenging, Naughty Words for Nice Writers: A Romance Novel Thesaurus can make it easier. USA Today Bestselling Author Cara Bristol has written a thesaurus and sex scene writing guide for romance authors to help make sex scenes sizzle.Naughty Words for Nice Writers contains thousands of usable, functional synonyms geared for romance, erotic romance, and erotica. Included are more than 50 word lists and tip sheets for male and female anatomy, using the senses, foreplay, orgasm, kissing, flirting, terms of endearment, sex scene locations, specific sexual acts, sexual noises, and spanking terminology. More than a thesaurus, Naughty Words for Nice Writers is a sex scene writing guide with practical suggestions on how to craft a love scene and "show" the intimacy between your characters rather than tell it. Whether you intend to "fade to black" or spell it out in explicit detail, Naughty Words for Nice Writers will provide the craft tips and words to write an appropriate love scene.

There are only, in my humble opinion, two kinds of readers. Readers who love your books. and… Readers who don’t know they love your books yet. But how do you reach those readers in the second category, no matter what kind of writer you are? The answer to that question is… Universal Fantasy Universal Fantasy is why my sales tripled when I “accidentally” wrote three books that landed in the Amazon Top 100. Universal Fantasy is why some authors get gobs of gushing reviews and some authors who write “way better” get crickets. Universal Fantasy is the answer to many of the questions you might have thought were unanswerable or simply up to luck, like… • Will this sell? • Why is that selling? • Why didn’t this sell? • Will readers like what I am writing? • Why do I love the TV shows/books/entertainments I do? • Why did I buy that thing I bought when I didn’t intend to buy it? BE WARNED…once known, Universal Fantasy cannot be undiscovered. Leave this book be if you’re truly satisfied with your current writing life. But if you’re not afraid—if you’re ready to know the secret hidden inside all bestselling stories, open this gift and find out how to use UNIVERSAL FANTASY to write and market books that SELL to ANYONE.

An extensive collection of over 500 tropes and hooks. Each has a description, and some include examples and variations for crafting romance stories your readers will love.

"A teen obsessed with 19th century literature tries to cull advice on life and love from her favorite classic heroines to disastrous results--especially when she falls for the school's resident lothario"--

Every story starts with a character who is motivated by a need and has a goal that can resolve it. Whether their objective is to find a life partner, bring a killer to justice, overthrow a cruel regime, or something else, conflict transforms a story premise into something fresh. Physical obstacles, adversaries, moral dilemmas, deep-seated doubts and personal struggles…these not only block a character’s external progress, they become a gateway for internal growth. The right conflict will build tension and high stakes, challenge characters as they traverse their arcs, and most importantly, keep readers emotionally invested from beginning to end. Inside Volume 1 of The Conflict Thesaurus, you’ll find: * A myriad of conflict options in the form of relationship friction, failures and mistakes, moral dilemmas and temptations, pressure and ticking clocks, and no-win scenarios * An analysis of each scenario that maps out possible complications and catastrophes, internal struggles, and the stressful impacts on a character’s basic human needs * Guidance on using conflict to influence your protagonist's character arc through opportunities for failure and success * Master class instruction on internal conflict: what it is, why it's important, and how to incorporate it at the scene and story levels * Information about the role conflict plays in generating high stakes that are personally significant to the character, upping the tension for readers * A breakdown of the various adversaries your character might encounter along the way Don't give your character a break. Keep the hits coming with a variety of obstacles that will force them to work harder to get what they want. With over 100 entries arranged in a user-friendly format, The Conflict Thesaurus is the guide you need to write intense and satisfying fiction readers won’t forget.