Resources for Romance Writers

I write young adult novels. They're historicals, set in unique European locations, and each of them have an element of fantasy. There aren't nearly enough novels in this little genre slice for me to read. So I read historicals set in all periods and locations. Recently I read an e-galley by author Tracey Devlyn. It's a Regency with a twist: a thriller filled with spies, weapons, and a super-tough heroine.

At the end of the book, Devlyn thanked the members of Romance University, so I checked it out. I discovered it's a group blog designed for writers of romance. I love the site's tagline:  
Empower Writers ~ Entertain Readers ~ Understand Men
The seven-member faculty post three times a week, covering craft and career for writers. Even if you don't write romance, you'll likely find some great writing advice here.

A few examples:

Extreme Makeover: Writer's Office Edition Find out what kind of writing room you need depending on your personality.

Dark Matters: Cultivating Cruelty in Romance Fiction Read all about torturing your characters and why "love stories are unleashed not by license, but limitations".

When your critique partner's career is on the move and yours is standing still Feel left behind by the success of your writing friends? Read how three close friends rode the emotional highs and lows.


When Indie Publishing is a Viable Option Winning a major contest doesn't always translate into a publishing contract. Read about one author's journey through the ups and downs: ". . . in spite of my head telling me I was a solid writer, my heart felt like something you’d scrape off your shoes."

What not to do with a bad review Wendy S. Marcus shares what she went through with a particularly nasty review. Those of us on the journey to publication worry about the feedback from contest judges and agents, but think about it: we're exposing our work in a small pond, not the ocean of Amazon.

How "once upon a time" can lead to a happy ending for your manuscript Three tests your romance novel's first page must pass.

Subtext: Adding hidden layers to your story Find out what subtext is, and how it can make your manuscript more compelling.

Beta Readers: Saints or Sinners How to choose beta readers that will give you encouraging feedback, instead of bruising your ego.

You might want to put Romance University in your blog reader. I just did. Did any of these posts jump out at you?


6 comments:

  1. The extreme makeover one sounds good to me. I was just telling a friend what my space needs to look like when I write. Off to see if I am right!

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  2. You've found a great selection from this site.

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  3. Oooo! This is a great batch of links! I can't wait to dig in Debbie;) Oh, I wanted to ask you if you have published any books yet Debbie? You need to do a blog all about you. I would love to get to know you better. I'm just saying...
    XO

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  4. @Amy: I'm anxious to paint my writing room. I think some color will make it much cozier!

    @Stacy: Even though I don't write romance, I learned a lot.

    @Leah: Thanks so much for asking! I guess I'm overdue with something like that. I'll schedule it in. :)

    ~Debbie

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  5. I'm coming into the season of reviews. So, yeah, that one about nasty reviews ... gonna read that one. Although I hope and pray there are no nasty reviews in my future.

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  6. I doubt you'll get nasty reviews, Beth. I loved what I read so far!

    ~Debbie

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