Writing Romance in the 21st Century

This new, inclusive guide to planning and plotting romance novels in the 21st Century is written by Vanessa Grant, the author of 32 published romance novels with over 10 million copies of her books sold. Vanessa has been translated into 15 languages and has presented writers' workshops in Canada, the USA, Australia, and New Zealand. Her iconic guide WRITING ROMANCE was originally published in 1997, went into subsequent editions in 2001 and 2007. Whether you're new to writing or a published author; whether you're a Plotter or a Panster, this new guide to plotting and planning romantic fiction demonstrates creative strategies for using your own personality and experiences to create powerful characters who evoke strong emotions in both you as the writer, and your readers. Romantic fiction has become more inclusive in the 21st century, reflecting a growing acceptance of the diversity of race, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Despite all these changes, the heart of romance remains unchanged. Romantic love features in almost all our fiction and in our ballads, poetry, movies, and dreams. Half of all paperbacks sold are romance novels, stories in which human individuals struggle to overcome the obstacles to their romantic love. The need to love and be loved is deeply embedded in our DNA and our brains. When we love and are loved, we become stronger and we live longer, forging bonds for a lifetime. Whatever kind of romance you want to write, and whether romance is the primary focus of your story or a sub-plot for your mystery, science fiction, fantasy, historical or futuristic novel - the 21st century is calling on you to create a story with characters readers can believe in; characters who are emotionally and psychologically true.