Romance Writers’ Week 2024 recap

Join ProWritingAid’s Director of Community Engagement, Hayley Milliman, on a deep-dive into making your editing process easier with ProWritingAid.

Writing a historical romance isn’t just a question of dressing your characters in costumes out of Pride and Prejudice. (Although who doesn’t love those costumes…) Avid readers of this sub-genre will expect a certain amount of historical accuracy not just in costume, but in manners, milieu, and many other little details. In other words, you need to do some research. But how much? How do you know what’s important and what’s not? Where is it okay to invent things? And how do you weave it all into the story seamlessly, so the romance takes center stage rather than the research? In this workshop, you’ll get tips and strategies for structuring and prioritizing your research, a list of web resources to lead you to what you need, and a worksheet with the five key details essential to creating a world that will immerse your readers.

Congratulations! You finished the draft of your novel! Now… it’s time to edit. But how? Too many writers start with a scene-by-scene, chapter-by-chapter process. Unfortunately, through this method, you can miss some of the larger, structural issues which then go unfixed. An initial revision from the beginning to the end doesn’t allow you to see the overall picture. Join Author Accelerator certified book coach Rona Gofstein as she shows you how to use five key scenes so you can see what’s working and what’s not there yet. Discover a new process that emphasizes the pivotal moments in your story, enabling you to have a more significant impact on your book—in less time—and enhance your editing process.

Special links:

• Visit Rona’s website: http://www.ronagofstein.com/

• Follow Rona on Instagram @write.with.rona

Scene is the atom in Story’s periodic table, but many writers struggle to define what it is and how to use this essential building block in their work. Join book coach Julie Artz on February 13 for a deep dive into understanding what a scene is and how to use it to write compelling stories. We’ll dig into the six parts of scene, some common scene types, showing and telling in scene, how to use scene to create a cause-and-effect trajectory through your story, and how strong scenes help with pacing, tension, character motivation, and emotion, and more!

Special link:

Check out her weekly newsletter, Wyrd Words Weekly, and download today’s slides: https://pages.julieartz.com/prowriting-romance

During this networking session, you will have the opportunity to meet other people in the Romance writing community through speed dating. We will be sending you into breakout rooms in groups of 4 or 5. 

The Romantic Novelists’ Association is the UK’s number one professional membership organization for writers of romantic fiction. Join us for a lively panel with our President, Sunday Times Bestselling Author Sue Moorcroft, and our talented author members as they discuss why they are proud to write romantic fiction, the Respect Rom Fic campaign, and the benefits of joining this supportive writing community for both traditionally and independently published authors.

Special links:

• You can find Virginia Heath procrastinating online on her Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/virginiaheathsheadstronghellions

• Follow Sue Moorcroft on Instagram: @suemoorcroftauthor

• Follow Frances Mensah Williams on Instagram & X (Twitter): @francesmensahw

• Learn more about Carrie Elks: https://www.carrieelks.com

• Follow Laila Rafi on Instagram: @lailarafiauthor

If you’re not selling your books directly, you’re leaving a lot of opportunities (and money!) on the table. In this session we will explain the benefits of selling your books directly through your own website and how to do so utilizing print-on-demand technology. Earn more revenue per sale, collect customer data, take advantage of white-label shipping and grow your email list with direct sales. Tune into this session to learn how!

Special offer:

Promo code ROMANCE15 will give Romance Writers’ Week attendees 15% off print products through August 12, 2024: https://bit.ly/4bA0WnK

This workshop will help writers understand the Enneagram personality system and how to use it to create powerful relationship dynamics in their romance novels. Writers will learn the distinguishing characteristics of the nine types within the Enneagram, how to use type pairings to create conflict and passion, and how to choose the best types for their novel. Attendees will come away with reference materials and practical steps to build swoon-worthy romances.

Special links:

• Check out Dani’s Untapped Writing Superpower Quiz: https://www.daniabernathy.com/quiz

• Access Dani’s Enneagram Cheat Sheet: https://www.daniabernathy.com/pwaromance

Suzanne Park is a Korean American writer who was born and raised in Tennessee.

In her former life as a stand-up comedian, Suzanne appeared on BET, was the winner of the Seattle Sierra Mist Comedy Competition, and was a semi-finalist in NBC’s “Stand Up For Diversity” showcase.

Suzanne graduated from Columbia University and received an MBA Degree from UCLA. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, female offspring, and a sneaky rat that creeps around on her back patio. In her spare time, she procrastinates. Her comedic novels have been featured in “best of” lists in NPR, Popsugar, Real Simple, Country Living, Bustle, Buzzfeed, Marie Claire, Parade, Shondaland, and The Today Show.

Special link:

Learn more about Suzanne Park: https://www.suzannepark.com/

“Narrative Heartbeats: Enhancing Romance Writing with ChatGPT” is a focused, one-hour journey into the world of AI-assisted romance storytelling, tailored for authors. This session will introduce the capabilities of ChatGPT as a creative tool in the development of engaging and emotionally rich romance narratives. During the presentation, authors will learn how ChatGPT can be utilized to brainstorm and refine key aspects of romance writing, including character development, emotional arcs, and plot generation. We will showcase how ChatGPT can assist in crafting detailed character profiles, suggest intriguing storylines, and help create dialogues that resonate with depth and authenticity. The talk will emphasize the collaborative nature of ChatGPT, guiding authors on how to effectively interact with the AI to enhance their creative process. This session is not just about understanding ChatGPT’s functionalities; it's about empowering authors to use this advanced tool to enrich their storytelling, ensuring that while the AI provides innovative suggestions and support, the heart and soul of their romantic tales remain distinctly human.

Special offer:

Get 10% off Melle’s “BOOK A WEEK” course: https://ai4ces.mykajabi.com/pl/2148099441

Writers know they need to use the senses in their novels, but how much? Which sense? And how do you make it flow? In this session, Sacha Black will answer those questions, as well as:

• Showing you how to layer your sensory writing

• Explaining when you should and shouldn’t use the senses

• Tips and tricks to make your writing more sensory

Special link:

• Learn more about Sacha Black: https://sachablack.co.uk/

Want a foolproof “recipe” for structuring a sex scene? How about five types of dirty talk?  Whether you are just tiptoeing away from closed-door sex scenes or looking to enhance your erotica, co-writers Karelia and Fay Stetz-Waters will provide practical, easy-to-apply sex-scene tips as well as suggestions for books, videos, and activities for further exploration. The presentation will also have a special focus on cliteracy, sharing debunking sex-myths that have left many women (and other people with clitorises) and their partners feeling sexually broken or inadequate. Romance writers have a unique opportunity to educate the community about fulfilling, cliterate sex. Let’s use our beautifully crafted sex scenes to make the world a more pleasurable place!

Special link:

• Pre-order Second Night Stand: https://amzn.to/3UHg4tI

HEA or Happily Ever After (for now) defines the romance genre. So when we’re writing romantic suspense, where there are Bad Things happening as well as the will they/won’t they tension, how do we keep it from getting muddy? When do we resolve the HEA, and when do we resolve the suspense? How do we create and execute twists that the reader will find meaty and satisfying, without sacrificing the central romance arc? This hour-long session will cover these questions as well as:

• A deep-dive into villain logic, the key to satisfying twists

• Tips for coming up with and mapping out your suspenseful moments to ensure satisfying pacing

• How to create twists that work

Special links:

• Learn more about Samantha Skal: https://www.samanthaskal.com

• She is a huge fan of #bookstagram and talks about her favorite books on @authorsamanthaskal

In this webinar, we’ll discuss what is—and isn’t—dark romance and how to know if you’re writing one. We’ll explore why readers love the genre and their expectations so you know how to satisfy that audience. This will empower new dark romance authors to confidently create their stories by understanding genre expectations.

Special link:

• For inquiries or further information, reach out to her at kallistannediting@gmail.com

During this networking session, you will work in small groups to create a couple. Collaborate to create both the main character and the love interest. Then, decide which trope is bringing them together. Teams will introduce their couples at the end of the session.

Are you ready to captivate literary agents and publishers with your love story?

Join us for a one-hour interactive workshop where you’ll master the art of crafting a compelling pitch for your romance novel. This session will guide you through the essential elements of a standout pitch, from hooking your audience with a tantalizing premise to showcasing the emotional depth of your characters.

Don’t miss this opportunity to refine your pitch and take your romance novel to the next level!

Alexis Daria is an award-winning and international bestselling author of You Had Me at Hola, A Lot Like Adiós, Take the Lead, What the Hex and more. Her books have been featured on “Best of” lists from outlets like Oprah Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Buzzfeed, and Washington Post, and have received starred reviews from trade publications like Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews and Library Journal. A former visual artist, Alexis is a lifelong New Yorker who loves Broadway musicals and pizza. Her next novel, Along Came Amor, will be released in January 2025.

Lara Ferrari is an author marketing specialist who’s on a mission to make social media promo as easy, comfortable and fun as possible – so you can attract readers and sell more books without the awkwardness. Join her in this brand new workshop especially for romance writers as she introduces us to 12 author archetypes, each with their own winning strategies for cultivating relationships with readers without being “salesy.” Tune in to discover whether you’re a Dreamer, Rebel, Provocateur, or something else entirely…

During this networking session, you will be placed into small break-out rooms to get to know each other and discuss your takeaways from the week.

Due to technical difficulties with our first networking event, this is NOT exclusive to Premium Day. All are welcome to attend! We hope to see you there.