Tag: romance writers
Coming Nov. 26th…Characterization
We’ve all encountered those characters that leap off the page and take on a life of their own—but how do you make that happen in your own work? On Sunday, November 26 we’ll be chatting about how to add depth and realism to your characterization. Join us at 4pm PT | 7pm ET to share your experience.
Making A Writing Calendar (Or, Writing A Novel In A Month)
This Sunday’s #rwchat topic is about Stealing Time To Write and how difficult it can be to find writing time amidst our busy schedules. Here’s Robin Lovett’s strategy for planning her writing when real life threatens to steal it away.
I’m pretty lucky. For the most part, writing is my addiction of choice. When I run out of things to write, that’s when I have a problem. I also love deadlines. When someone is waiting for my work and likes it so much and believes in it so much they’ve contracted me to write it, I get even more excited.
But that doesn’t mean that life never gets in the way. Or edits come back with a half-rewrite (!) and eat a month out of my deadline to write the next book. So I make plans, honest plans, because if they’re not honest, they won’t work. Continue reading
Coming Nov. 19th…Stealing Time to Write
All year round, but especially with the holidays coming up, finding time to write can be difficult. How do you keep putting words on the page when you can’t block out big chunks of time to sit down and work? Whether you struggle with stealing time to write, or you’re an expert with all the answers, come share your knowledge and your struggles with us on Sunday, November 19th @ 4pm PT | 7pm ET.
Writing A Book Proposal
This week’s chat topic is writing series proposals! #RWchat co-host Robin Lovett talks here about the skills needed for writing proposals, and why they’re necessary for authors to learn.
Before writing the book, starting with the blurb and synopsis is my new favorite way to do things.
Now that I know how, that is.
Most of us, when we write our first book (or two) haven’t yet learned how to write a blurb or synopsis. But once you’ve learned how, once you’ve figured out how to concisely communicate your book’s contents in condensed format, it makes writing the book inevitably easier.
Coming Nov. 5th…Romance Subgenres
RWA has a list of subgenres on their site, but the last time we asked for topic suggestions, this one came up a few times. Do these sub-categories still represent the breakdown of Romance as a genre? Should there be more? Fewer? What happens if you’re writing genre hybrid–how do you decide how to pitch, market, and sell your books? We’ll talk about all of that and more on Sunday, November 5th, 7pmET/4pmPT.
Coming Oct. 29th…In-Person vs. Online Marketing
Self-promotion is one of the biggest struggles we face as authors, but it gets even more complicated when you factor in introvert/extrovert strengths. You might have finally mastered (or at least come to terms with) the ins and outs of digital promotion, only to freeze up when pitching your book face to face. Or maybe you feel way more comfortable recommending your book to someone you can have a real, live conversation with, while digital promotion feels like shouting into the void.
Bring your strengths, or your utter befuddlement towards any kind of marketing, on October 29th, when we discuss in-person marketing vs. online marketing.
~Kimberly Bell
Using Research to Deepen Characterization
The October 22nd chat is about research! #RWchat co-host Alexis Daria weighs in on doing research for her debut contemporary romance, Take the Lead.
I thought writing a contemporary would be easy.
Wait. Let me backtrack: I hate doing research. So I thought writing a contemporary romance would be easier than, say, a historical. No research, right?
Little did I know.
When I set out to write Take the Lead, I thought I had obtained enough dance knowledge from years of watching Dancing with the Stars to write a book that was kind of about dancing and mostly about people getting out of their own way to find love. And then I hit the first dance scene…and I was stuck. I didn’t know enough about dance to write a character who was a professional dancer.
Sure, I suppose I could have just skimmed the details and said, “They danced across the porch,” and left it at that. I knew which dance they were doing—a sensible waltz—but I wanted to use more dance vocabulary and detail. So I opened a browser and did a quick bit of research.
Coming Oct. 22nd…Research!
Last month we asked for topic suggestions at the end of one of the chats, and we got quite a few! One topic that many chatters mentioned was research. Research isn’t just for historical writers! Even if you’re writing fantasy or paranormal, you might still find yourself falling into Wikipedia rabbit holes. Let’s talk about it next Sunday at 7pm Eastern, 4pm Pacific. See you then.
Coming Oct. 8th…Failure & Rejection
Writing is a craft, a calling, a creative endeavor, but it’s also a business. The writing process is intensely personal, but once your words are out in the world, it’s a whole other story. (Pun intended.) Rejection letters, canceled contracts, agent breakups, even unfinished manuscripts that never make it out from under the bed—writing careers have ups and downs, but it’s how we deal with the setbacks that make all the difference.
Let’s talk about it at the next #RWchat, Sunday, October 8th.
Romance Writers Chat 