CW 73 W — Romance Novel Workshop: Getting to the Heart of the Story
Quarter: Summer
Instructor(s): Jeanne De Vita
Date(s): Jun 25—Aug 27
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Wednesdays
Class Meeting Time: 12:00—1:00 pm (PT)
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Jun 27
Unit(s): 2
Enrollment Limit: 18
Status: Open
Quarter: Summer
Day: Wednesdays
Duration: 10 weeks
Time: 12:00—1:00 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jun 25—Aug 27
Unit(s): 2
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Jun 27
Instructor(s): Jeanne De Vita
Enrollment Limit: 18
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Open
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. 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:
See syllabus for details., two books from the list are required.