Subject: My Week at a Writer's Conference

For Readers

Hi Friend,

The Romance Genre is Going Strong

If you love romance books, you'll be happy to know that romance seem to be as strong as ever.

I spent five wonderful days with romance writers, those who have been writing for a long time and are multi-published, and those who are just starting out. I was happy to see many young people. One of my concerns about the genre has been that the younger generation may not be as interested in romance novels as those of us who grew up reading romances in the 1970s and 1980s when romance exploded onto the publishing world.

But from the attendees at the Romance Writers of American Conferences, I've decided that I have nothing to worry about. Maybe the style of romance or the sub-genres have changed a bit. I think younger readers who have been heavily influenced by Manga and Anime might be more interested in fantasy and sci-fi romances rather than traditional contemporary novels. But the great thing about the romance genre is that is has always adapted well to new ideas and changed with the times. This is why it has remained relevant.

Of course, I haven't done an official study of reader interest, but simply noticed the books they tended to buy during the signing on the last day of the conference.

Do you read romance novels? Which are your favorite?

For more on romance novels you can read my blog post: The Changing Image of Romance Novels.

Nostalgia for the '80s

Another fun part of the writer's conference that had nothing to do with writing was that Susanna Hoffs from the 1980s band The Bangles was invited to be a speaker because she has written a romance novel.

She spoke about her book, and she sang a couple of songs for us, and that was really cool. But I was reflecting with Author, Caridad Pineiro the next day about how different and fun it was to have all-girl bands back in the 80s. Before that, women were lead singers, but the rest of the band members were men.

In the 80s, a few girl bands popped up, and it was great because it seemed like there was nothing girls couldn't do! So, to meet someone whose albums I still have and that I listened to in my teenage bedroom while doing my homework in high school was a bit surreal and really fun.

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For Writers

Write Stories That Matter

As writers we want to write stories that readers love and will remember long after they are finished. Not that all novels have to be deep introspective stories; some novels are just fun reads and that's what both the author and reader want. But for those who want to make a deeper, longer-lasting impact on readers, I share some suggestions in the video below on how you write stories that touch readers deeper.

If you are just starting out as a writer or you've ever said, "I'd love to write a book" then visit my How to Write a Book group on Facebook to read more of my blogs about writing for free, and to chat about your project and ideas with others.

Or if you want to be walked through the writing process, my course The Easy Tell Your Story Course for Beginners is a great place to start.

And my newest mini-course titled, Clarify The Vision of Your Book and Find The Story Question in One Weekend is now available also.

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