Workshop Description:
When someone asks what I write as Beth Henderson, the simple answer is “Romance”. But I don’t actually write romance, even if the stories frequently take place in the contemporary world. I write romantic-comedy, and that’s another whole bowl of chili.
What’s the difference? Well, it’s a big one but the answer lies in the characters and what you’ve put on their plate to deal with other than finding that perfect someone for them to love.
That doesn’t mean characters in romantic comedy don’t have problems similar to those in contemporary romance. It’s that the situations and the things that result from the way they handle things are different. The dialog shifts.
If you thought you were writing one kind of story and it turns out you’re writing a different sort, it’s handy to know what to call it. Even handier to know if you’re getting the “formula” right. The wrong ingredients can make your product blow up rather than make it sale worthy and a great snatch for an editor…or a reader!
Join me for 4 weeks to sort out the differences. There’s no reason you can’t write both. The key is knowing which type you’re writing so marketing it to publishers or the person cruising the bookstore (be it brick and mortar or online) for something new to take them away from real life temporarily, is right on the mark!
Bring story ideas, manuscripts, and be prepared to evaluate what you’ve dreamed up. But also, what you like best to read. The goal here is to always write the story you were meant to write…and then another and another and another.
Instructor’s BIO:
In the 35 years since her first novel was published, Beth Daniels has signed several different names on the title page of books for readers. She’s been Beth Henderson, Lisa Dane, and Beth Cruise. As Henderson, Dane or Cruise, she wrote a lot of comedy stories because when she picked something up to read it was frequently a romantic comedy. Her writer friends and students didn’t usually write romantic comedy, so she ended up reading a lot of straight contemporary romance as well. Which naturally led to writing a couple herself. One such story she’d been pushing aside for years simply because it wasn’t a romantic comedy. Oddly enough, it became one of her personal favorites to reread – even if it lacked the comedy element. Hopefully, this workshop will sort out your own preferences, or show that you, too, enjoy both styles and discover how to keep them separate when it comes to dropping the romantic spin in place.