How POV Impacts Reading Experience

By Tenesha L. Curtis
Posted 8/29/2024

Structure and Character in Ali Hazelwood’s Novella Under One Roof

By Tara Roi
Posted 8/29/2024

Writing Conferences for Introverts

By Lynn Lovegreen
Posted 7/30/2024

Writing conferences are valuable for learning new information, networking, and making progress in your writing and publishing journey. But they’re only for extroverts, right?

No, they’re for everyone!

I attended the national RWA conference last year and had a blast, even though I’m not your classic extrovert.

Size Matters. No, Really. (although not the way you might think!)

By Janet W Butler
Posted 7/30/2024

Ever hear the adage, “When you’re learning to write, you should start with short stories.”

This “sage” advice has been around for decades. Some people go so far as to say you shouldn't even consider yourself a writer until you've written and sold short stories, and that it's good preparation for novel writing. Saw that sage advice resurrected again recently, by a writer who ought to know better, and figured the time has come for someone to speak the other side.

9 Science-Backed Tips for Making the Most of Any Conference

By Anne Chase
Posted 7/30/2024

As writers, we plunge our characters into extreme situations without hesitation. But in real life, we might find new experiences—even the logistics and uncertainties of a writers’ conference—a bit daunting.

While new situations in real life can be stressful, they also can lead to amazing personal growth and fulfillment. A 2020 study from Cornell University, for example, found that having new experiences can boost our happiness, self-esteem, and confidence—and even our overall life
satisfaction. This was found to be true at every stage: before, during, after the experience.

The Windup…and the Pitch! Part 1

By Janet W Butler
Posted 7/30/2024

One of the more terrifying aspects of any writers’ conference is that moment when we’re face-to-face with an editor or agent, and they say, “So. Tell me about your work.”

I’ll bet your heart beat a little faster just reading those words. Right?

Sure, it’s scary to sit down and talk about your writing. And it’s also hard for many of us.

Let’s face it: if we were bubbly, talkative introverts, we probably wouldn’t be writers in the first place! So, how about a few tips to make the process less terrifying?

You asked; we answered. Here we go!

Message from the President - July 2024 RWR

Happy July all! I am always shocked when I look up from the writing cave and realize it is already July. I am sure you all can relate.

RWA Publications

Welcome to the online home of RWA's member publications! Browse around and access past issues and more.

Romance Writers Report

The Romance Writers Report seeks to advance the professional interests of career-focused romance writers through an online magazine that educates and informs the members of Romance Writers of America.

RWR Archives

Click here to download and read past issues of the Romance Writers Report.

September 2024 Romance Writers Report

Inside This Issue

• Message from the President
  by Jacki Renée
• Follow These Six Easy Research Steps to Build a World that Is Fictional—But Rings True
  by Ann Kellett
• 6 Writing Traps that Kill Your Sales in Chapter One
  by Adrienne deWolfe
• Want to Excel at Live-Pitching Literary Agents? 6+1 Pro-Tips to Raise You Above the Crowd
  by Felicia Salber
• The "Write" Way to do Writers' Conferences
  by Casey Cline
• 8 Tips for Successful Networking at a Live Writers’ Conference
  by Adrienne deWolfe
• Family Drama ~ Powerful Tools for Subplot
  by Renee Carter
• Scenes and Sequels: The (Relatively) Easy Way to Plot Your Novel
  by Ann Kellett

Plus, the New Members, Debut Authors, and Chapter Contests & Conferences columns!

Download the September RWR (PDF)

Deep POV: The Importance of Perception in World Building

By Romy Summer
Posted 6/20/2024

About a million years ago, when I was still bright-eyed and naïve and killing time until I could get into film school, I did a semester of philosophy at university. I had no clue what philosophy was really about or what kinds of crazy ideas I was opening myself up to – but it turned out to be mind-blowing for eighteen-year-old me. Sadly, after all these years, there’s only one thing I still remember from that course: Renaissance philosopher René Descartes’ theory of perception. He’s best known for originating the famous saying, “Cogito, ergo sum” (I think, therefore I am), but, for me, the bit that has stuck with me through the years is how he reached that famous conclusion.

The Writer As Reader — Can This Marriage Be Saved?

By Janet W. Butler
Posted 6/20/2024

More often than not, writers start out as avid readers. We read something wonderful, something that transports us out of our everyday existence, and we want to give that feeling to someone else — or just plain enjoy it again and again ourselves. (As Benjamin Disraeli so elegantly put it, “When I want to read a good book, I write one.”)