Highlighting RWA chapters
by Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal chapter
What’s better than an enormous dragon, a hunky alien, and a sassy witch? The authors who write them, of course! We’d like to introduce you to the FFP Chapter of the Romance Writers of America, where your imagination is the only limit.
Right now is the perfect time to write in the FF&P genre! The romance genre is number two by sales volume of the top 100 titles on Amazon, and the science fiction and fantasy genre is number four. That means these genres are making money, and combining them attracts readers from both best-selling genres.
In addition, crossovers from books to audiobooks, TV, and movies are at an all-time high. We only have to look at the movies and streaming services to see new bestsellers in all three genres:
- Fantasy: Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time, Game of Thrones, Black Panther, Wonder Woman
- Futuristic: Dune, The Matrix, Halo, Foundation, Maze Runner, Blade Runner, Interstellar, Nope
- Paranormal: The Witcher, Shadow and Bone, the Walking Dead, Harry Potter, Black Adam
World-building is a vital part of all three FFP genres, which offer a universe of possibilities. Again, your imagination is the only limit! Building your own world includes things like the government, the monetary system, the social mores, cultures, races, and the magic system, so the more world-building you do, the more you understand how people think and how our world works.
Different genres offer different archetypes and elements that allow you to flex your writing prowess:
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Fantasy: Magic systems, dangerous or epic quests, mythical creatures, heroic or fantastic love interests like shifters. Fantasy includes subgenres like Steampunk and Urban Fantasy.
- Futuristic: Technology, aliens, space travel, time travel, parallel universes, supernatural love interests like AI, robots, or aliens. Includes subgenres like Dystopia and Space Opera.
- Paranormal: Psychic powers, supernatural events, supernatural love interests like shifters, angels, and vampires. Includes subgenres by character like vampires, shifters, ghosts and witches.
Blending these genres and a romance takes writing skill and prowess, something we focus on in FFP. We offer plenty of ways to take your writing to the next level. First, we offer two workshops every month and bimonthly online meetings. Second, we offer a critique group called the Mudpuddle, where you can put up your writing and ask for critiques. Third, we run the PRISM contest for books published that year. Fourth, we offer the OTFS contest for unpublished works, where you get feedback on the first two chapters of your novel. And last, but definitely not least, we offer time to network with other authors and get support at meetings.
Whether you are an experienced writer in the genre, or just starting out and looking to see what FFP is all about, we invite you to join us for the upcoming year! And no matter what you write, we wish you a happy holiday season and hope you have a happy, healthy, prosperous and productive 2023.