RWA U Webinar: Self-Editing Your Style and Syntax

Save Time, Editing Costs, and Stress! This is not a basic course on commas! Join developmental editor, copyeditor, and writing and editing instructor Jeanne De Vita for a primer on self-editing. Topics covered will include: •Understanding the various POVs; knowing how to choose the right one for your story and cues for finding breaks in your work; what are the rules around POV within a book, a chapter, a scene?  •Verb tenses: how to use them and use them consistently and correctly  •What is a dialogue tag and how does it differ from an action beat? When to use which? And how to correctly punctuate them! •Dangling modifiers… or how not to break your future editor’s brain. •Punctuation and CMOS (Chicago Manual of Style) basic FAQs. The course will allow plenty of time for Q&A so bring specific examples and we'll help solve your FAQs!
When
4/2/2019 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Sign in or create an account to register Registration ends 4/2/2019 2:00 PM (Central Daylight Time)
My registration status: Not registered

RWA U Webinar: Category Romance 101

Join us in this RWA U 101 webinar presented by Maisey Yates. Category romance has been a staple of the genre for years and is a gateway to romance for many readers (including me!). These books release every month with little buzz or fanfare, but regularly occupy 1/3 of the spots on Bookscan’s Top 100 romance list every week, and are released in over 100 markets worldwide. These stories are a pure shot of romance, with each line set up so that readers can find exactly the experience they’re looking for.  In this webinar we’re going to explore:  *What is category romance? *Misconceptions about category romance *The creative freedom of category romance *What category romance offers to reader *What category romance offers the author
When
4/9/2019 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Sign in or create an account to register Registration ends 4/9/2019 2:00 PM (Central Daylight Time)
My registration status: Not registered

RWA U Webinar: Plot That Book!

Are you a "pantser" who wants to learn plotting techniques? Do you struggle with saggy middles or having strong stakes? Trying to figure out how to make your romantic arc resonate? Award-winning editor and multi-published author Rhonda Merwarth is offering a session on plotting. The course covers basics of outlining, goal/motivation/conflict, crafting compelling characters stakes, integrated subplots, and more. There will also be time for Q&A. Presenter Bio: Rhonda Merwarth is multi-published in teen romance, New Adult, and adult romance with Simon Pulse, Kensington, Berkley InterMix, and Hallmark. Her teen romance PROMPOSAL was an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Younger Readers. Rhonda is also a two-time RITA award-winning romance editor. She previously acquired for Carina Press and Hallmark Publishing, and now she does freelance developmental editing for Hallmark Publishing and Tule Publishing.
When
5/28/2019 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Sign in or create an account to register Registration ends 5/28/2019 2:00 PM (Central Daylight Time)
My registration status: Not registered

RWA U Webinar: The 5 Essential Building Blocks

This is a deep dive into the five essential building blocks of the romance novel: characters; plot; conflict (internal and external); world-building; stakes. Developmental editor Jeanne De Vita will provide examples of how each work within a romance and explores common mistakes made in the crafting of each.  The world-building discussion will address broadly all sub-genres, including simply how to effectively build the universe of the contemporary romance.  Students will leave this course with not only functional understanding of the parts of the romance, but also exercises to test how well-developed (or under-developed) each building block is for the student’s own work-in-progress.
When
6/11/2019 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Sign in or create an account to register Registration ends 6/11/2019 2:00 PM (Central Daylight Time)
My registration status: Not registered

RWA U Webinar: Panic-Free Pitching

Join us for a webinar featuring Rayna Vause. Pitching your novel can be an intimidating. Boiling your book down to its core hook can seem like a daunting task. In this interactive workshop we will cover how to write a successful pitch, an important skill that has applications beyond the editor/agent appointment. We'll also talk about the ins and outs of the appointment itself and how to keep your cool.
When
6/14/2019 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Sign in or create an account to register Registration ends 6/14/2019 2:00 PM (Central Daylight Time)
My registration status: Not registered

RWA U Webinar: The Three-Act Structure of a Romance

Many authors are familiar with the three-act structure of narrative but have never seen the three-act structure applied to the romance novel. This course will explain in detail the three acts; what the author should accomplish in each act;  how the three act structure can help even “pantsers” pace the novel; how sub-genres effect the structure of the three acts (and what elements of suspense or paranormal should be built into which Act).   Students will leave this course with not only functional understanding of the parts of the romance, but also exercises to block out the three acts of the student’s own work-in-progress.
When
8/6/2019 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Sign in or create an account to register Registration ends 8/6/2019 2:00 PM (Central Daylight Time)
My registration status: Not registered

RWA U Webinar: Style Primer: Transforming Tell into Show

Writers hear this advice all the time: show, don’t tell. But how does an author know what telling is? Isn’t narrative telling the reader the story? Are there times when a scene or statement should be told?  How does an author balance showing and telling so the reader is engaged but not drowning in adjectives?  This course will use three examples to demonstrate the transformation from “tell” to “show”: a single paragraph; a full page; and a full scene. A cheat sheet with “clues” to know whether you’ve told too much, or shown the wrong things will be provided.
When
11/12/2019 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Sign in or create an account to register Registration ends 11/12/2019 2:00 PM (Central Standard Time)
My registration status: Not registered