The Writer's Workshop @ Authors Publish

Have you always dreamed of writing a romance novel, but don’t know where to begin? Or have you started writing, but find yourself mired in the middle? Finished your book, but not quite sure if it hits the mark? Then this class is for you.

In this one-week intensive, you’ll get to the heart of writing an engaging romance novel, learning what draws readers in and keeps them turning pages until your characters’ happily-ever-after.

The course includes personal interaction with Emily Colin, personal feedback on your writing, and access to live office hours with all Authors Publish instructors, even after the course is over.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn:

• Romance subgenres and which one your book fits into
• Writing engaging heroes and heroines—what makes readers fall in love with them?
• Plotting, pacing, and hitting the right “beats” (and how this is ‘wedded’ to character arc in romance)
• Creating an engaging setting or community for your story
• Point of View (POV) in romance (often 3rd person limited, shifting dual POV)
• Tropes—what they are, why they matter, and how to make the classics fresh
• The importance of the HEA (happily-ever-after) or HFN (happily-for-now)
• Heat levels and how they relate to your genre
• Writing romantic scenes (regardless of heat level) that drive the plot & help readers get to know your characters
• Writing single-title versus series romances
• How to analyzing romance readership and understand the market
• Representation in romance, including LGBTQIA+
• Advantages/disadvantages of publishing models (traditional, indie, self-publishing)

What you’ll do:

The class will have five video lectures, each accompanied by a slide presentation and focused on a different element of writing romance.

Emily will also give you in-depth feedback on two pieces. The first is your back-cover copy. If your novel isn't done yet, this is a great exercise to make sure you have a solid grip on the story.

Emily will also give you detailed feedback on the first 10 pages of your manuscript. These are the most important pages of your book, in terms of hooking both readers and publishers.

You'll be able to discuss Emily's feedback with her personally over email, or during the live class meetings. (Note, the meetings will be held online, via Zoom.) Midway through the class, you’ll have a write-in, where everyone’s invited to sit down together (virtually, of course!), share what you’re working on, and use the time to focus on your writing. Emily reports that she is looking forward to this, as it’ll give all of you a chance to get to know each other better, and for Emily to offer real-time feedback on any challenges you’re facing.

There will be three class meetings, where Emily will offer specific advice for your manuscript, discuss student work in a group setting, and lecture on the art and craft of writing a romance novel. One of the meetings will be the "write-in" described above. Emily is excited about this, as it’ll give all of you a chance to get to know each other better, and for Emily to offer real-time feedback on any challenges you’re facing.

The meeting schedule is as follow:

• Wednesday, July 14th at 2pm ET: Class Write-In and Networking
• Friday, July 16th at 2pm ET: Class Meeting
• Friday, July 23rd at 2pm ET: Class Meeting

Please note, this workshop is strictly limited to fifteen students. We will immediately close enrollment as soon as the course is filled. If you are planning on taking this course, you are encouraged to enroll right away.