Firstly, write them down! Also write down where you were when you had them, any other facts pertaining to the thought (i.e. at the time you were watching reruns of Melrose Place where Kimberly steals Jo's baby).  This is a great memory jogger. Then get a box or a folder and store them away. When one idea calls to you louder than the others, that's usually the one to start with first.

Ideas are the easiest part. But not all ideas can carry through to 100,000 or even 60,000 words. Ultimately you, as the writer, are the one who creates the story. And you have to make it compelling enough for a reader to stay with you through that storytelling journey.

There's some good how-tos out there, but my top tip would be join a writing association.  RWAmerica are huge and also have   small state chapters where you can meet face-to-face.  RWAustralia also have affiliated groups and an isolated writers scheme.  Take your pick.

Read, read and read some more. The best book to write is the type you like to read - romance, thrillers, horror, fantasy, whatever. Read them for enjoyment, but also study them for writing techniques e.g. point of view, scene and sequel, dialogue and setting.

Get yourself some how-to books on the craft of writing. A good grammar book, a good dictionary, a synonym book will never go astray. Check out the list on the right for my favorite how-tos.

Write. Write. Write. Even if you think it's crap, write. Some writers sit down and complete the story from beginning to end. Some have to edit and polish the first chapter to perfection until they can move on. Some plot. Some don't. I can't tell you which method would best suit you-you'll have to work it out yourself. For me, I start with two characters, a situation and some dialogue. I have to finish the first chapter then a draft synopsis to see if the story will work all the way through. Then I write the whole thing. I'm an edit-til-it-hurts kinda gal but I learnt my lesson after taking around 10 years to finish one particular book (I kid you not!). Now I do the bare minimum of plotting before my fingers even touch my story again. Works for me.

Surround yourself with like-minded people. If it's romance writing, join an association like Romance Writers of Australia or RWAmerica, or any one of their local state-by-state groups (called chapters). If it's crime, try Sisters In Crime or the Mystery Writers of America. Go to my Links page for more sites.

As a member of a professional association, you'll probably receive an industry newsletter or magazine, have the opportunity to attend local and national conferences, enter contests and join e-lists. There's nothing like the energy buzzing from a room full of like-minded writers to get your enthusiasm firing!

Enter contests. This is, of course, dependent on your financial situation and your skin (i.e. if you have a tough one or not). Contests can be a hit and miss affair, especially if you are looking for blind validation that your writing is wonderful (and it may not be). But you also receive anonymous feedback, possibly get your work in front of an acquiring editor, a chance to boost your bio, and maybe win some prize money. Me? Speaking as an entrant and a judge, I love 'em - and I have 86 entries to prove it!

Research your market. This is essential. Find out which publishers are accepting historical novels, or only category romance, or agented queries. Check out your local bookstore or Amazon for publishers' names. Do a search in Google and take note of industry magazines such as Romantic Times BookReviews and Publishers Weekly.

Attend writing conferences and network. Romance writers are the most generous people. Ask questions, wallow in the knowledge. If you're in the US, RWAmerica holds a national conference every year in various cities (in 2008 it's San Francisco, in 2009 Washington DC). Their State chapters also have mini conferences too. If you live in Australia or New Zealand, Romance Writers of Australia hold their nationals in August, as do RW New Zealand, so there's plenty around to keep you going!

Okay, definitions of some of the most popular writing terms:

ms - shorthand for manuscript

QLS - shorthand for query letter and synopsis

Query Letter - a letter you write to a publisher, introducing yourself, your novel and asking if they want to see the full ms.

Synopsis - a summary of your novel, from beginning to end. The most popular method is writing it like a mini-story, not separated into chapters. For more help on writing a synopsis, click here.

Outline - sometimes confused with synopsis. Outlines are usually dryer than a synopsis and are sectioned off into chapters.

GMC - goal, motivation, conflict. The three most important things a character must have in order to make your story believable. GMC can be summed up in once sentence: (character) wants (something) because (he's motivated by xx) but (someone or something is in the way). OR Julie (the heroine) wants to find her birth mother because her son needs a compatible blood donor but she doesn't want to face the reasons why she was adopted out.

Internal dialogue - what the character is thinking. The reader knows, but the other characters in the book cannot hear it. Internal dialogue is not punctuated by speech marks.

POV - shorthand for point of view.

Head hopping - also known as POV switches. The reader may be in one character's POV (by way of internal dialogue) and then the writer 'jumps' to another character's POV. This can either be done very well - practically unnoticeable - or very badly.

Depends on what you write. Go to my Links page for a list of publishers.

But I'm bringing so much joy to those who like to feel morally superior...

Ah, you gotta love the small minds of those who sit in judgment! You can do a few things. Either smile and walk away, secure in the knowledge that they have no idea what they're talking about. Or you can come back with...

~ Have you read a lot of the genre? (look of affront from accuser. Of course they haven't!) Ahh, then you're opinion is obviously based on heavy market research.

~ (to the statement that they're not 'real books') Oh my God! You mean to say that a page with words, bound by a cover isn't a REAL BOOK??!!

~ (laugh pityingly) I'm really sorry that you feel the need to put down other peoples' livelihoods. What do you do again?

~ So reading about killing, rape, torture, genocide, devil worship and war is good. Reading about love and commitment is bad?

~ Romance novels account for over half total paperback sales (this usually speaks for itself!)

Read my "Good Answers to Bad Questions" article for more!

No. What's so unrealistic about books that celebrate love, honor, commitment, monogamy and triumph over adversity? Let's not assume that romance readers can't differentiate between fantasy and reality-they are medium to high income earners, educated married women with semi- to highly professional careers. And have better sex lives. Come to think of it, do you think readers of Stephen King, Clive Cussler or Michael Crichton believe in bloodthirsty cars, world conspiracy theories or dinosaurs running amok?

FWIW, here's why I enter. Because:

1. final judges are actively acquiring editors from publishing houses;

2. first and second round judges are writers (so they generally know what they're talking about);

3. a finalist placing in a comp looks good on my query letter;

4. I'm also writing to a deadline which is great practice;

5. I like to get anonymous feedback from the critique sheets;

6. For the money (not that it's a huge amount, but it's better than a kick in the teeth :O))

Romance Writers of America have some, as does The American Booksellers Association

Let's tackle category first. In the US, they are called 'series' romance - books released in order and by month, with a number on the spine and with a series title on the cover e.g. Harlequin Presents. They have a limited shelf life, there are a number of titles in each line published every month and they have specific word counts ranging from 50,000 (Mills & Boon Sweet and Sexy) up to 100,000 (Harlequin Historical).  Harlequin, Silhouette and Mills & Boon are all category publishers.

By definition, a single title is a book that is not a category novel, i.e. they stand by themselves and have a one-man-one-woman relationship in the forefront e.g. Stephanie Laurens, Anna Campbell and Nora Roberts are all single title authors.  The term 'single title' and 'mainstream' can mean pretty much the same thing in Australia, but in the US, 'mainstream' is used as a definition for women's fiction, which can have romantic elements or not.  A lot of the time, mainstream is more about the woman's story than 'the man and woman falling in love' story.  In the Romantic Times Book Reviews magazine, the mainstream fiction reviews consist of chick/lad lit, women's fiction, contemporary and young adult, with authors such as Barbara Samuel and Deborah Smith.  They also have a "Mainstream Romance" section which reviews single title books with that 'one-man-one-woman' thread - romantic comedy, fantasy, suspense, including authors such as JD Robb, Jennifer Crusie and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

Single title is all about one man-one woman - just like category.  But the voice is usually different, and STs have a longer word count, can include more subplots, more secondary characters and profanity.  Whereas category novels have strict guidelines regarding word count, time periods and (sometimes) settings, the requirements for ST depends what you're writing, what publisher you're aiming for, your voice etc.  Word counts begin at 80,000, and can go up to 150,000. Generally, they're around 90-110,000. Again, publishers guidelines should be a guide. The market are houses like Avon, Berkley/Jove/Ivy, St. Martin's Press, Harper Collins, Leisure, Kensington and others. MIRA is Harlequin's foray into the ST world, as is HQN, Luna and Red Dress Ink.

Contemporary means set after Word War II. Usually in modern day, the here and now.

Romantic Comedy - Obviously, a humorous story, whether it comes from the characters, setting or situation.  Can also be classed as 'chick lit' (see below).

Chick Lit - has elements of romance, generally about the main character of the story (usually female) and her life - friends, career, relationships etc.  Beware: It's more than books about 'shopping, dating and hating my job'.  Character growth is essential in these books, with strong relationships (not necessarily romantic) and conflict featured.  Chick lit also has spinoffs such as mom lit, lad lit, nanny lit, God lit (Christian chick lit) yada yada.

Historical - the industry definition says this is a novel set before Word War I.

Inspirational - containing spiritual themes e.g. the beliefs and faith of popular religions (not limited to Christian values, I might add).

P/F/F/SF/TT - acronym for 'paranormal, futuristic, fantasy, sci-fi, time travel".  Basically containing 'other-worldly' stuff such as science fiction elements (space travel, new worlds), magic, mystical characters (ghosts, angels, vampires, werewolves), time travel.  Also known as 'speculative fiction'.

Regency - set in England in the Regency period from 1811-1820.

Romantic Suspense - containing mystery and intrigue.

Erotic Romance - very explicit love scenes but generally with the hero and heroine who have an emotional connection (which is the difference between ER and pure erotica).

Quick answer? As long as it takes to tell the story :O) Oh, you're after word counts from the publishers, right?  Check out eHarlequin which also has breaking information and new lines/imprints.

Unless the editors say specifically 'use computer word count', then no.  That button can be out by as much as 5,000 words. The accepted industry standard to calculate word count is below, which will make every page approximately 250 words.

- if in the US, use the letter-sized paper.  For Australia use A4;

- set your top, bottom, left and right margins to 1 inch;

- change to a 12-point non-proportional font like Courier, Courier Dark or Courier New (non-proportional means every letter is allocated the same amount of space i.e. an 'l' takes up the same space as an 'M');

- turn off your widows/orphans command, your 'keep with next' and 'keep lines together' (in Word it's found under Format > Paragraph).

This list is by no means the complete collection of what's good: these are the ones I regularly use, I credit with advancing my writing career and ones I'd save first if my house ever caught on fire :O)