The art of writing love stories: An interview with Kate Walker of Mills & Boon

Bookbite reader Stephen Wade met up with Kate Walker who has written over 50 novels for Mills & Boon

Stephen Wade writes: I am a freelance non-fiction writer and have worked with Kate Walker at the Caerleon Writers' Holiday and at the National Association of Writers' Groups Conference. When I approached Kate with the idea of an interview she was happy to participate and explained a great deal about what it's like to write romantic fiction for the world's best-known publisher of that genre. Kate was delighted to give Bookbite readers the benefit of her knowledge and experience just at the time when her Twelve Point Guide to writing romance is reissued by Studymates publishers.

Kate, with so many novels under your belt - what inspires you to write?

Everything! Everyday life is always throwing up some interesting snippet or some idea that makes me want to take it further. Just reading a story in a newspaper makes me wonder 'what if…' or think 'what happened next?' Stories on TV, in magazines, stories overheard on a bus or in a café - people and their lives and relationships are so fascinating that they are always stimulating my imagination.

I suppose the real point I'm making is that I love telling stories. That's the sort of writer I am. I grew up telling stories - in my head, to my sisters - writing them down and, sometimes, letting my friends read them. I don't feel I have something deep and amazing to say with my writing - but I do think that I can tell stories and the stories I tell are relationship stories. They start off with two people and a 'what if'? And then I write.

So how do you make a start?

What I need before I can start writing are two interesting characters - my hero and my heroine. Sometimes I have a plan for a plot, sometimes I have a lot of detail of the plot already in my head - sometimes I just have those two people. But when I have two people who intrigue and fascinate me then I really want to tell their story. In fact, I don't really 'write' their story - it's more like they come into the room and sit there, telling me their story and I write it down as they tell me!

Without those two characters, I can't get started, but when I know who my characters are and what they're really like and what's in their minds, then I can write their story.

What is it about the romance genre that appeals?

Well, part of the answer to the first question applies here too: I love telling stories. When I was little my mother used to read to me and my sisters at night when we were in bed, or sitting round the fire -that's the way storytelling was practised in the past. Also, I'm fascinated by people, by relationships, by the way that men and women interact - sometimes it works wonderfully well and other times it fails miserably.

Love stories are universal, ageless. It always amazes me that what I write, living in Lincolnshire, is read and enjoyed by women in countries from USA to Japan, Russia and Greece and dozens more.

The story of people meeting and being attracted, the 'courtship' and the problems that get in the way of it are endlessly fascinating - half the plot lines in 'soaps' wouldn't exist if they didn't follow those themes. It's the 'will they- won't they' questioning that grips readers or viewers and holds them. So much so that in a soap it seems that no sooner has a couple become happy, committed and settled than the script writers have to start ruining the relationship, breaking them up so they can go through the whole 'will they/won't they' scenario again. In the romance genre, we do much the same - but we write about a different couple instead, so we can tell the story again from new. The reader knows what to expect - they know the ending - but they like to see how it happens and want to go through that with the characters.

The wonderful thing about romance is the way it speaks to millions of people all over the world, people in different jobs, different family situations, aged 15 to 95 - who wouldn't want an audience like that? And who wouldn't want to write on a theme that has been celebrated and written about from the earliest primitive story tellers to the mass market of the modern day?

How do you manage to stay fresh in a genre that is to some extent Formulaic?

The whole idea of romance being written 'to a formula' is heavily overdone and tends to be one of those myths that is repeated over and over again without ever really being looked at properly. If there is a 'formula' to writing romance then I've never found it in the 25 years I've been writing them!

There is a format for romance, just as there is a format for a thriller, western or a detective novel - a set of bones, a skeleton, around which the story is hung. There's a basic plotline - boy meets girl, they are strongly attracted but there is some conflict, problem, complication that keeps them apart and prevents them rushing straight to the happy ever after. Through working out that conflict/problem, they come to really know each other and realise they want to be together. There is a convention of a happy ending in a romance novel with the hope of the couple being happy together in the future.

But this is only a format in the same way that, say, a sonnet is a form of poetry that then lends itself to endless permutations of different topics, ideas, thoughts and images. Basically, the writer follows the set pattern that is defined as 'a sonnet' or 'a romance' - but then is free to work within that framework to create the story, the book, they want. There are innumerable different types of romances: Contemporary, Historical, Medical, Fantasy, Intrigue . . .

The way to keep fresh is to forget about any ideas of a 'formula', or 'rules' I keep the freshness by looking at each new book as a new story with - more importantly - a whole new set of characters. The hero and heroine in Book A are not going to be the same age, nationality, have the same jobs, the same relationships, the same problems, the same life history as the hero and heroine in Book B - and it's those characters I write about, not any 'formula' that must be followed.

The problem is that some critics delight in perpetuating the many urban myths bout writing romance, and especially writing for Harlequin Mills & Boon. They have a set image of romances - and romance writers - in their heads, and it's usually based on the late Barbara Cartland. As a result, there is an image of romances and romance writers that is years out of date. People get stuck with that image, and because they never read the books, they never see how much the genre has changed and developed over time.

When people find out I write for Mills & Boon, they tell me stories of a 'rulebook' they say M&B writers have to follow. I've also been told about a computer that apparently writes the books - you program in the name and nationality of the heroine and hero, what jobs they do etc - press a key and the computer whirrs away and comes up with a brand now romance story, carefully calculated according to the formula! I wish it was that easy!

I can honestly say that writing strong, emotional stories that are consistently popular and interesting to the readership is far more of a challenge than, say, writing my thesis for my MA ever was.

What is your writing routine?

When I'm writing, I tend to be an 'all or nothing' writer. I write long hours, sticking with a story while it's working and while the emotional intensity is right. So I've been known to start at 6am and work through until 10pm or later. But that's when I'm at the writing stage of a story. There's a lot of thinking and planning and working through ideas before I get to that point. Sometimes I can look as if I'm working really hard because I'm at the keyboard and the words are flowing out, and then other times I might not be actually writing but answering emails, or interviews like this - or just filing, or doing accounts - but at the back of my mind my characters and their plot are waiting, growing, developing.

Are you disciplined in your work?

I try to work office hours - and then it depends on what stage I'm at with a book as to what I spend most of my time doing. Of course, as a fulltime, self-employed writer, there are plenty of other office jobs that are not just creating the stories. I find that the part of my mind that deals with admin is not the same part as the one that creates, so I work on the different things separately.

How do you prevent 'real life' from intruding?

It's hard to prevent real life from intruding , especially when you work from home - but this is a job, not a hobby - it earns money, pays the bills.

I am under contract to produce three books a year. That's 50,000 words minimum every four months - more if a book needs revisions. I have deadlines on which I am expected to deliver the books, and there are slots in the publishing schedule allocated to the next Kate Walker. That means I have to be professional and arrange my life and work so that I deliver. I use an answer machine on my phone quite ruthlessly - too many people think that saying 'I won't keep you long' means they aren't distracting you, when often just speaking to someone else can destroy the scene you had in your head.

I treat this as a job. I write when my husband is at work, and then I can relax when he does. The knowledge that there is that deadline waiting for you - and the fact that if you don't fill your slot, then someone else will get it, concentrates the mind wonderfully. You need to keep your name current and out there in the mass market publishing world.

Tell us the story of how you got your first novel published.

After some years working as a Children's Librarian, I left work when I had my son. It was at this time I decided to concentrate on writing and aiming for publication in what spare time I had. My first attempts at novels were written at the kitchen table, often late into the night when my son was asleep or during a few snatched hours when he was out at nursery school.

The first novel I sent off to Harlequin Mills & Boon was rejected, and I'm not surprised. I made the mistake of going along with the 'formula'. I'd read some Mills & Boon novels some years before and assumed this was what they were still like - I couldn't have been more wrong! So before I wrote the second attempt, I read a lot more of recent Mills & Boon stories to prepare. The second book came back with a positive letter saying the editor had enjoyed a lot about the manuscript and pointed out why they had rejected it. They suggested I read some authors who seemed to write the same sort of story as I did and try again. So I did, and my third attempt was successful.

I can still remember the moment when a letter, rather than the rejection slip I had been dreading, arrived in the mail. I must have read it over and over at least a hundred times before the reality of what it said sank in, and for days I kept checking it just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. In 1984, The Chalk Line was published just in time to be one of my best Christmas presents ever.

I always say that my first acceptance was the result of delirium. I had a dose of flu and a temperature of 102. My husband put me to bed with some aspirin and a hot drink, but a couple of hours later I came downstairs declaring that I had an idea for a book and wouldn't go back to bed until I'd noted it all down. It must have been intriguing and different because The Chalk Line was accepted with just a few revisions.

There's a certain preconception that romance novels are 'easy' to write. What would you say to that?

There's a famous quote by Enrique Jardiel Poncela that says: "When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing." And that really applies to writing romance - or writing any form of 'easy reading.'

As I said, I used to work as a children's librarian, and a lot of people think that writing for children must be really easy - simple stories, simple plots, simple language. But it isn't like that. Writing 'simple stories' can be one of the hardest things in the world. You need a good storytelling style, you need interesting characters. You need a plot. There are theories that there are only seven or so plots in the whole of literature anyway - but however many there are, it's limited. And romance plots are very limited too. That's why so many of the same or the tried and tested plots come up again and again.

So it's very difficult, if not impossible, to write a romance plot, or any popular reading, that hasn't been written before. The difficulty comes in creating characters, a setting, an individual touch that creates a whole new world in which the same plot can be acted out but with different characters, different motivations, so that although the reader knows they are reading that plot again, it has a freshness and an interest to make them want to know what happens this time, to these characters whose story they have never read before.

So it isn't really possible to be original and different - but it is possible to put in your own individual style that makes the book authentically 'yours'. And that's what an editor is looking for.

It's like writing pop music really - it needs to be appealing, close enough to other records to be recognisable, but different enough to be interesting. That's not an easy task!

Are there any story themes or styles that appear more commercial or easier to sell to a publisher?

It depends on the line. One thing that many would-be romance writers neglect to do is to study their market. They think 'M&B buy romances - a romance is: boy meets girl…' and they set to write a story. But if you take a look at the Mills & Boon shelves, you'll see that there are many different lines - Modern Romance, Romance (which will become the 'Cherish line' in September), Modern Heat (which will soon be renamed Riva), Medical, Historical, Sensual, Silhouette Desire, Special Edition, Sensation, Intrigue, Superomance. And each of those lines has its own individual approach, themes, levels of sensuality, types of characters.

The line I write for - Modern Romance - has a very sophisticated feel. The themes can been dark and deeply emotional - revenge, blackmail, broken marriages. I've just written about the effect a miscarriage can have on a relationship. The themes of a modern romance are strong. They can be about things that could tear a marriage apart or stop a relationship developing. They are about people working out their problems.

Each line has its own individual 'flavour' so a writer needs to be a reader first. Read, read, read - read all the types of romance and see which ones you enjoy. See which ones appeal and which ones you feel you could write yourself.

And that reading will also show you what themes or styles the editors of those particular lines are looking for. There are guidelines available on the Mills & Boon web site (millsandboon.co.uk) or the American site for Harlequin (www.eharlequin.com) that can give some help - but the real way to get a feel for the line you're writing is to read it. Read the authors who are successful in that line and see why they are being bought in thousands and thousands of copies.

There are always 'hooks' and very popular themes like marriages of convenience or 'Secret Baby' plots - I deal with a lot of these in my award winning how-to-write-romance guide, Kate Walker's Twelve Point Guide to Writing Romance (Studymates) - but they aren't all the same for each line. And knowing the popular themes isn't any help without also knowing the flavour of the line

There is a myth that selling to Mills & Boon is a fast track to instant riches and tax exile. But rarely an author is picked up as a first timer and sells fast and stays at the top. Readers need time to get to recognise an author's name, to build author recognition. If they like you, the rewards can be great - but if they don't, your book could end up pulped. There was a story not too long ago about how motorways were built on pulped, remaindered M&B titles, so you book could end up there! It's that pop music image again - if you hit the right note, you can become famous, make money - but you have to do it again and again and again. And you have to keep current and up to date - and popular.

Harlequin Mills & Boon books are sold all over the world in 26 different languages and sold in 109 countries and all those sales add to my income. But not every author is picked up by the international market - and not every international market is big. I'm lucky, I sell well in America and Japan where the market is big and that helps up my income.

So to anyone thinking of quitting their job and writing fulltime, I'd advise caution. Even if you make good money, the proceeds can take up to three years to come in from some of the foreign markets. Also you are only paid royalties every six months, and the percentage isn't huge. I was advised not to give up the day job for about five years - and certainly I wasn't earning a living wage for several years from the beginning.

There is money to be made in romance writing - but it takes time and depends on the popularity of line you're in, whether the readers take to you and whether you can keep up the regular output that makes the income regular.

How important is getting an agent?

I've never had an agent; never needed one. The Harlequin Mills & Boon contract is a standard contract and it stays the same with each author, whether on a first book or the 100^th. I've never heard of any agent being able to negotiate anything different for any of their authors and I've always been able to deal with the business aspects of my writing myself. If I wrote something else for another publisher it would probably be a different matter, but as things are it's probably a waste of money.

M&B read all the submissions they receive with the same attention whether the submission is unsolicited or come from an agent, so you are just as likely to be picked up if you submit yourself rather than going through an agent.

How about self-publicity, how important is that?

Well, as someone who is published by one of the most recognised names in publishing, I start off with a distinct advantage here. Shops and supermarkets have designated Mills & Boon shelves and many buyers are regular readers who know that books are replaced every month and will look out for new books on the specific date. But then of course when they get to that section there are dozens of romances by different authors, so you hope the readers will pick your book from amongst all those other.

The other problem is that the UK market is minimal compared to the USA market, so it helps to be known in America. I can't do signings etc in America - but I do have a web site (kate-walker.com) and a blog (kate-walker.blogspot.com) where I have information about new books and dates of publication for both UK and US readers.

But I really believe that the best way to win popularity is to write the best book you can. If a reader buys your book and loves it, she'll look for the next one - if she doesn't enjoy it, then all the publicity in the world won't make her buy your next.

What about e-books? Are they successful in romance?

The e-book market is growing year by year in all forms of publishing. It started out slowly, with a lot of people believing that readers would still want to keep the traditional print and paper books. But this is now changing with many readers downloading books onto e-book readers from web sites like Mills & Boon.co.uk. Last year 150,000 e-books were downloaded and the numbers are growing.

Why do you think this is?

It has been suggested that the success of these e-books is due to some readers preferring to get books with a sort of anonymity because they are embarrassed by the titles or covers. This might be true for some readers, but I don't think that's the main reason for it. An author don't have much control over the titles or covers of the books. They are chosen by the editors, with a large input from marketing, which has been keen on 'buzzword' sort of titles that they believe give the reader an instant impression of the book. So I had books that were titled 'Bedded By The Greek Billionaire', or 'The Sicilian's Red-Hot Revenge' - titles that were not my choices. Now things are changing. There will be new cover designs coming up and the 'buzzword' titles are going. My latest book is called The Good Greek Wife? And the next one coming out in March 2011 will be The Proud Wife.

But I do think that the ebook downloads will continue to grow in ways that have nothing to do with titles or covers. These books appeal to many younger readers who are used to electronic devices, reading on phones or computers - and now e-readers. They are also hugely convenient: you can download hundreds of books onto one reader and it will still be small, light and compact - the perfect way of taking a lot of reading with you when you are travelling. It's also so easy to get hold of a book. If you want a new title you can get it instantly and effortlessly from a web site, no waiting, no fuss - you don't even have to leave the house.

Some people will continue to love the physical feel of holding a real book in their hands and reading the story in print on paper - but lots of people will use the new technology and read their books that way.

What are your do's and don'ts in writing a romance?

DO: Read, read read

Treat the genre with respect and don't see it as silly books written by silly women for other silly women to read. The romance market is huge - huge numbers of reader, potentially huge numbers of sales. If you can love what you write and write for enjoyment - your and your readers' - you'll have a chance of winning them to your books. Cynicism, or the fact that a book is just 'dashed off' or 'churned' out' to make a fast buck, shows and turns the readers away.

Learn about the differences between the lines and what the editors are looking for.

Learn what is currently being written - not what used to be written in 1994 or 1974 or 1964. Romance is a growing, changing genre - not something that is 'all the same'.

Don't try to copy any of the established authors by rehashing their plots with different names, settings etc. The editors are looking for new, original voice - not pale copies of established stars.

Don't believe there's a simple, easy formula and all you have to do is to write according to that formula and you're made. Write because you enjoy writing (and hopefully enjoy reading too). If you are only looking to arrive at the destination (being published) then you're likely to be disappointed. But if you enjoy the journey then you'll have a great time - no matter how great or how little success you have.

What's the most important thing you've learned about writing for publication?

There are no days when you can 'coast' - no writing you can do on automatic pilot.

You are only as good as your latest book - if the reader liked the one you wrote last time, she'll pick up the one you've just published. But if you disappoint her then, she may never be back. So 'it'll do' doesn't work.

Nothing ever happens quickly in publishing! Editors take ages to read submissions. Even when a book is scheduled it's usually a year or so before it comes out, and the royalties from that book are only paid out every six months - if they've been collected in. If not, you're waiting again for the next six months.

So the most important thing is to be realistic. Don't expect to just dash of a simple book, a book that's 'just the same' as all the others and expect to win instant fame and fortune. Be genuine, and write your story.

Interview by Stephen Wade