Voices Carry As You Know, Bob: When Characters Need to Shut Up

By Siri Caldwell
Posted on 3/14/2024

Dialogue is a great tool for telling your story, but it’s not your only tool.

In certain situations, dialogue can backfire. One such situation is affectionately known as “As You Know, Bob.”

What Keeps A Reader Reading?

By Helen C. Johannes
Posted on 2/8/2024

Story and character, obviously. If a reader is engaged in the story, she/he wants to know what happens next. But how do authors hook the reader into turning those pages well past bedtime or the end of lunch break/commute?

Chapter Spotlight: Hearts Through History

Spotlighting RWA chapters
Posted on 2/8/2024

The Hearts Through History chapter of RWA discusses different aspects of the historical romance genre and how we as writers can further promote romance fiction.

One Question, Three Perspectives: How to Pitch Like a Pro

By Ann Kellett
Posted on 2/8/2024

New to pitching—and perhaps even a little (or a lot) intimidated by the whole process? Join the club!

Writing "Stupid"

By Janet W. Butler
Posted 2/8/2024

What’s your first thought when you see the title above?

Do you think of being "freed" to write badly, to have "dreck" as a first draft, knowing it’s only your starting point? That you can make notes to yourself about “stuff” you don’t know, or places where you don’t have a clue what comes next, and correct the lapses later?

What's the Problem? Or, Writing Convincing Conflict (Part 2)

By Janet W. Butler
Posted on 2/8/2024

Writing conflict can get us a bit conflicted ourselves at times, no?

It can prompt occasional stints of hair-pulling. Our own, mostly. (It is to be hoped.)

How does this happen?

Several ways.

Voices Carry

By J.E. Dyer
Posted 2/8/2024

Character dialogue. It’s a blessing for some writers and a bane for the rest of us. Like it or not, though, it plays a pivotal role in any and every story you create. What your characters say performs double or even triple duty, carrying essential information about worldbuilding, subtext, and character development for your reader. Writing dialogue exchanges doesn’t have to be daunting or painful. In this article, we’ll take a look at the biggest culprit for flat dialogue and explore several methods to help it leap off your pages.

Message from the President - February 2024 RWR

In the February issue of the RWR, Clair Brett discusses the importance of diversifying your TBR list.

How to Write When You're Sad

By Anwyn James
Posted 1/17/2024

One of the strangest things about being a romance writer is the need to write regardless of your mental state. Sure, everyone has to do their job when going through hard times. An accountant has to show up to work during a bitter divorce, and a lawyer still has to argue in court while grieving the loss of a parent. But the unique role of a writer, especially a romance writer, is that our jobs require us to access joy and love in our hearts even when those emotions might feel particularly hard to access. How are we supposed to describe the butterflies experienced on a first date when we’ve just had our hearts broken?

What's the Problem? Or, Writing Convincing Conflict (Part 1)

By Janet W. Butler
Posted 1/17/2024

When you start a story, you may have an intriguing “what-if” question, or a couple of  characters who’ve walked up and demanded to have their stories told, or a premise that makes you  itch to hit the keyboard.