Rating: Summary: Inspiring, irritatingly enough Review: I hate this book, but it's so helpful. Some of the phrases are downright ridiculous, but most are pretty good. AND the best part is, they got me thinking of my own descriptive phrases in a whole new way!
Rating: Summary: Very helpful tool to the aspiring romance writer. Review: I have found this little book to be very helpful when my mind draws a blank on just the right phrase needed for a scene. By reading the phrases in the book so many more come to mind. I believe this is just what it was intended for. It is also very well laid out. I recommend it to anyone just starting out in the romance genre.
Rating: Summary: What happened to my review of yesterday? Review: I reviewed this book yesterday and now I don't see it. What happened to it? I was told it was accepted.
Rating: Summary: Wonderfully imaginative and inspiring! Review: I've found this book to be a great addition to my library of reference books. I find myself referring to it more than any other book I own. Since I've started using it I often wonder how I ever did any writing without it.
Rating: Summary: Good book! Review: If you write romance, this is a great book to help you spice things up. It helps you to explain colors and emotions and much more. Suppose you want to say your character has blue eyes...this book will help you make it sound a whole lot better. Get it! You won't be sorry...I promise.
Rating: Summary: A GEM OF A RESOURCE BOOK Review: It's unwise to judge a resource book by its size. This is never more apparent than with "The Romance Writer's Phrase Book". This perfect springboard to writer's developing phrases of their own, is not only a wonderful assistant to composition, but an entertaining read as well. A gem of a resource book. A superb addition to any writer's library.
Rating: Summary: Like a train wreck--sickening, but you can't look away Review: Oh, but this book is awful! Its authors have taken all the very worst, most revolting, most overused phrases found in romance books (those same hackneyed phrases that make romance book editors swear they'll scream if they have to read them one more time) and organised them into one tome, all in neat little chapters. This book is like a tombstone on the grave of creative writing, and my advice to any aspiring romance writers is to follow your heart and your head in your writing, not the sickeningly bad examples shown in this book. Frankly, while this book's terminology is supposed to be rather sexy and sensual in content, it is actually only about as much of a turn on as getting a pap smear. In fact, I've read tractor magazines that were hotter and spicier than this.
And yet, in spite of all that, this book is nonetheless still quite a fun read, so long as you don't take it too seriously. Honestly, most of the phrases listed in it are downright hilarious! Read them out with your friends while you're drinking margheritas. Test how long you can keep a straight face before you have to laugh at how ridiculous they are.
My advice to you is that if you want a good laugh, then go ahead and purchase this book. However, if you're looking to buy it because you need advice on how to write a good, original romance book and be taken seriously as an author, then look elsewhere. Elizabeth Benedict's book, 'The Joy of Writing Sex' is an excellent alternative. Or try a simple, old fashioned thesaurus. I'm sure Amazon sells them.
Rating: Summary: I wasn't cheating! Review: Take a little bit from column A, add it to column B... continue on, and before you know it, you have your very own romance novel! Well, it doesn't quite write itself, and this book doesn't exactly give you everything you need--but where's the fun in writing if you take it all from somewhere else? Sometimes I felt like I was cheating--sneaking a look at the answers before writing something myself. But this isn't cheating. It's inspiration, a nudge in the direction you want to go. It's a companion book, but not something you can't live without.It is exactly what it claims to be--a romance phrase book. It covers looks, feelings, facial expressions, voices, and, of course, sex. This last category I found the most lacking. The sex is the most important part of a romance novel--it's why most people read the books. I felt that the phrases used here were a bit... reserved. They skirted around the lovemaking and didn't get around to the nitty-gritty of it. We get phrases like "love flowed in her like warm honey" and "gusts of desire shook her," but not much that actually gets down to describing the act of intercourse. I guess this is what I have to come up with on my own. Something I was hoping to find in a book like this is more words for anatomy. There is a section on physical appearance--both male and female--but they're the shortest sections in the book. Again, I found this book a little reserved. Where are the euphemisms for that certain part of the male anatomy? There are plenty of words to use, but it's difficult to know which to use when... and this book helps none at all with that. Again, this is one of the most important parts of a romance novel. You'd think that they could at least include something as simple as this--I don't want to have to use "manhood" for the rest of my romance writing career. Other than that, though, this book is rather good. It's a good way to spark the imagination. If you're having trouble in your writing, pick up this and get a little hint. Sometimes that's all it takes.
Rating: Summary: A Great Book for Romance Writers Review: This book has just what you're looking for when you can't think of a phrase for your novel. I can't think of a better book to keep next to you as you write your next romance novel.
Rating: Summary: A wonderful resource! Review: This book is a wonderful resource, not only for romance writers, but for creative writers in general. Kent and Shelton provide phrases that are springboards for original ideas by the writer. The phrases are vivid and have saved me a lot of time I would have spent looking for the right phrase in a thesaurus.
|