Whether “ever after” or “for now,” queer romance readers need their happy ending. Here’s how to give it to them.
Happily Ever After or Happy For Now: Create Reader Satisfaction Read More »
Epilogues get a bad name. They serve a purpose, but they can also detract from a story. Decide carefully on when to use one.
Epilogue or No Epilogue: Does Your Story Need One? Read More »
Your romance’s climax is what the entire story has been leading up to. Make it worth your readers’ time in three ways.
Climax in Romance (No, Not That Kind) Read More »
Character growth can’t happen without emotional pain and the rock bottom that comes with it. Here’s a few reasons it’s necessary to your queer romance.
Emotional Pain, or The Necessity of Rock Bottom Read More »
Writing the middle of my story is difficult, to say the least. I’ve picked up a few tricks, though, to help me along the way.
Weave the Romance: How I Avoid the Sagging Middle Read More »
Story Beats in Your Queer Romance: When “Romancing the Beat” Isn’t Enough Despite being the top-selling genre, romance novels continue to catch a bad name. The word “formulaic” is bandied about as though every story ever written doesn’t follow a formula of one kind or another. Within romance, categories abound, especially
Story Beats in Your Queer Romance Read More »
I try to anticipate my characters’ decision points. Often I fail. Still, the process works for me. This blog covers why.
Decision Points: Plantsing My Way Through My Story Read More »
Queer romance relationships are just as messy as cishet ones. The Fichtean curve shows that messiness perfectly.
Fichtean Curve: Why It’s My Preferred Structural Framework Read More »
Story structure isn’t as intimidating as you might think. For queer romance especially, it’s crucial to have in your writing toolbox.
Structure Your Queer Romance Story Read More »
Queer romance tropes exist to be used. Genre conventions exist to guide authors in their drafting and revising journey. Take advantage of them.
Subgenre Conventions: Lean Into Them (Not Away) Read More »
While queer romance is technically a subset of the romance genre, queer romance conventions and tropes allow authors to explore a deeper level of the genre.
Queer Romance Conventions and Tropes Read More »
It wasn’t until I started to regularly read writing-craft books that I made the switch from queer romance hobby writer to storyteller. It takes some time, but here’s a few questions to ask as you transition between the two.
Storyteller or Hobby Writer: A Mindset Shift Read More »
Debut Author Writing Part-Time Yet Doing Full-Time Author Work Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash I’m proud to be a full-time queer romance story coach and developmental editor. However, that means I don’t have much time to work on the manuscript that will earn me the title of Debut Author. Firstly,
Debut Author Writing Part-Time Yet Doing Full-Time Author Work Read More »
My Early Queer Romance Writing Days Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash Queer romance writing feels like something I stumbled into by chance. At the same time, it feels like the natural result of my overall fiction writing journey. As an adolescent and preteen, I drifted toward reading romance thanks to
My Early Queer Romance Writing Days Read More »
It can be hard to find the right queer romance writing coach for you. Here are a couple questions to ask that make that decision easier.
How to Find the Right Queer Romance Story Coach Read More »
Inner monologue shows who characters are on the inside. Here’s three tips on building more well-rounded characters using their inner thoughts.
How to Create Character Depth Through Inner Monologue Read More »
Although Q1 wasn’t my best quarter, as a freelancer, the only easy day was yesterday. Q2 is waiting.
Adjusting My Freelance Editing Business Read More »
Alpha readers and beta readers work hand in hand, but they very much belong at opposite ends of the drafting process.
Alpha Readers vs. Beta Readers and When to Find Them Read More »
In fiction writing, authors always reach a point where they believe their story is never going to be finished because it’s just not perfect yet. This week, I offer a look at what each subsequent draft of a novel should cover, so you don’t lose yourself in the rabbit hole of fixing every minor error before you either move forward with self-publishing or hiring a professional author.
How Many Drafts Is Too Many? Read More »
The end of 2023’s Camp NaNoWriMo came six weeks ago. It was my first year participating. Check out this week’s article on how that participation affected my approach to fiction writing and the lessons you can think about applying to your own processes!
How NaNoWriMo Changed Me as a Writer Read More »
Fan fiction has so much more to offer authors than the opportunity to play around with their favorite TV, book, or movie characters. Writing fan fiction offers the chance to hone your craft. This week’s blog article argues why that’s the case.
Fan Fiction to Original Fiction: Is It Worth the Jump? Read More »
Even best-selling authors have to go through the editing process, and it all starts with developmental editing. Follow me as I break down this initial step in the editing journey and introduces the key questions to be answered at this stage in the book publishing journey.
The Editing Process: Developmental Editing Read More »
