Introduction to Romance Writing: What is a romance novel? Types of romance novels. How to choose a type. Studying romance novels.
Character: The heroic couple. The heroine. The hero. Character descriptions. Creating characters. Bringing characters to life.
Conflict: Romance plots. Problems and solutions. Planning a plot. Cause and effect.
Love: The developing relationship. Lust vs. love. Pulling the couple together and keeping them apart. Love scenes. Sexual tension. Finding the right resolution.
Storytelling: Starting a story. Scenes and chapters. Story elements—narrative, flashback, suspense, pacing, foreshadowing, the switch.
Point of View: Point of view types—first person and various types of third person. Which POV to use. Choosing the POV character. The author's voice.
Dialogue: The benefit of dialogue. How dialogue is real but not real. Handling dialogue. Dialogue mechanics.
Setting: How to choose a setting. Political correctness. Research.
Revision: Reviewing your work. Tips for revision. Diagnosing romance novel “problems."
The Business: The ins and outs of publishing. Self-publishing. The submission process. Agents and editors.
Note: Content may vary among individual classes.
