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.

When Heroes Must Swear: How to Keep Your Heartthrob Real Without Offending Readers

By Adrienne deWolfe
Posted 1/17/2024

We live in a society where F-bombs are the norm. Men use cruder language than women.

Chapter Spotlight: Romantic Women's Fiction

Spotlighting RWA chapters
Posted 1/17/2024

Romantic Women’s Fiction encompasses all subgenres of romance. Whether the story be a dramatic read, or a romantic comedy, or historical, the protagonist is a character in her second phase of life who in her journey discovers strengths she didn’t realize she possessed, while she experiences a romance.

The Not Sexy, but Very Important Secret Art of the Novel Summary

By Jaye Viner
Posted 1/17/2024

From jacket copy, to website blurbs, to that all-important middle of a query letter, writing an effective  book summary involves a special set of skills that don’t tend to overlap with writing a novel. Writing a  good summary means not just having an intimate understanding of the novel you’ve written but also understanding the expectations other people will bring to it when they pull together the combined  messages of your cover, title, and the summary. Today, we’re going to look at the basic pieces of the  book summary and some ways you can send the right message with yours.

Show, Don’t Tell: A Fiction Writer’s Secret Weapon

By Leslie J. Hall
Posted 1/17/2024

Most writers have heard the advice, Show, Don’t Tell. But what does it really mean and how do  we use it in our stories? Through study and practice, I discovered that this misunderstood tool helps my  narratives connect with readers more deeply. Beyond the drive to show more, we can use the tool to  push our writing to the next level by forcing a deeper, systematic look at our sentence structure,  character reactions, descriptions, and how those descriptions come directly from a character’s point of  view. Although it seems counterintuitive, mastering Show, Don’t Tell is also about understanding when telling is better for the story.

Message from the President - January 2024 RWR

In the January issue of the RWR, Clair Brett discusses the power of 'no' in reaching your goals.