CW 73 W — Romance Novel Workshop: Getting to the Heart of the Story
Quarter: Winter
Instructor(s): Jeanne De Vita
Date(s): Jan 16—Mar 20
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Thursdays
Class Meeting Time: 12:00—1:00 pm (PT)
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Jan 18
Unit(s): 2
Enrollment Limit: 18
Status: Registration opens Dec 2, 8:30 am (PT)
Quarter: Winter
Day: Thursdays
Duration: 10 weeks
Time: 12:00—1:00 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jan 16—Mar 20
Unit(s): 2
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Jan 18
Instructor(s): Jeanne De Vita
Enrollment Limit: 18
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Registration opens Dec 2, 8:30 am (PT)
Romance novels are the highest-selling genre of fiction, topping the bestseller charts week after week. While other authors are having a hard time getting into print and finding readers, sales of printed romance novels keep breaking new records. If you’ve got a love story in mind and think you’d like to try your hand at writing a breakout romance novel, it’s definitely within your reach. But writing a successful romance novel requires more than a love story.
In this course, we will study the current romance publishing landscape and debunk myths about “writing to market.” We will explore the concepts of genre, subgenre, and niche, reading and analyzing examples of best-selling works by authors such as Emily Henry, Casey McQuiston, and Jasmine Guillory so you can learn to avoid common mistakes and follow what the pros do to make their stories stand out. You will develop a solid premise, clearly define your characters’ goals and stakes, identify the beats of your story, and complete a plot grid that can be used as a template for future books. Open to authors writing at any “heat” level, this course will include a Q&A about publishing and creating a career as a romance writer, as well as workshopping weekly writing assignments.
In this course, we will study the current romance publishing landscape and debunk myths about “writing to market.” We will explore the concepts of genre, subgenre, and niche, reading and analyzing examples of best-selling works by authors such as Emily Henry, Casey McQuiston, and Jasmine Guillory so you can learn to avoid common mistakes and follow what the pros do to make their stories stand out. You will develop a solid premise, clearly define your characters’ goals and stakes, identify the beats of your story, and complete a plot grid that can be used as a template for future books. Open to authors writing at any “heat” level, this course will include a Q&A about publishing and creating a career as a romance writer, as well as workshopping weekly writing assignments.
Aspiring authors as well as multipublished authors are welcome. Prior experience reading or writing romance is not required.
JEANNE DE VITA
Author and Editor
Jeanne De Vita is a developmental editor, copy editor, and former acquisitions editor who teaches writing and editing courses privately and at UCLA Extension, Writers.com, and the Ripped Bodice bookstore. Her clients include New York Times best-selling authors and aspiring authors dreaming of publishing their first novel. She received an MFA in creative writing from the University of Notre Dame, where she taught in the First Year Writing Program. In addition to publishing an Amazon Editors' Pick series on Kindle Vella and horror and fantasy romance novels under a pen name, she has ghostwritten more than a dozen books, including two USA Today best-selling romance novels, romantic suspense, and nonfiction. Textbooks for this course:
Please see the syllabus for details, two books will be required.