Love Is Love? As Writers, We Need to Know There’s More to the Story!

By Ann Kellett
Posted 2/28/2025

Writing love scenes can be tricky, even for experienced romance authors. But by identifying the kind of love the scene requires—and learning about all the options—writing these scenes can become a simple matter of stacking emotions onto actions.

In the romance genre, readers have certain expectations: two people meet, face conflict that keeps them apart (even if at least one of them over time realizes they belong together), and overcome that conflict to finally enter Happily Ever After (or Happy For Now).

Tips for Love Scenes from Someone Who Skips Over Them, Usually

By Robin Hillyer Miles
Posted 2/28/2025

Anything You Can Do …

You know how you’ll read a love story, and the sex is kinda blah? Or the intimate details are too graphic for your tastes? And you think, of course you think, gosh I can write a better love scene than that?

The Emotional Journey of the Romantic Arc

By Tina Radcliffe
Posted 2/28/2025

How do we move our love interests from awareness to forever love in a romance? By taking a trip on the romantic arc. The romantic arc is just that. It’s an authentic journey of awareness, emotional bonding, and falling in love. It parallels the internal journey of your story.

After years of struggling to create an organic bonding path for my romance books, I created my own falling-in-love arc. Since I plot using Michael Hauge’s Six Stage Plot Structure, my arc has roots in that process, although the framework is the basic three-act structure. It can be used whether you are a pantser or a plotter. For more on Hauge’s Six Stage Plot Structure, check out storymastery.com

Hot? Sticky? Sweet?

By Timothy Robare
Posted 2/28/2025

Most of us enjoy a good love scene, at least one would hope. Love scenes can be beautiful or they can be Game of Thrones level with Jamie and Cersei. Do you want a McDreamy type of love scene or a McSteamy? It is all about what you want your audience to gain and who they are. Sex scenes can be fun, a lot of fun, but they can also offer a lot about the characters involved. Love scenes are more than just sex of course. Steamy and Sweet are both different sides of love,not just sex to be clear.

Three or Four Observations about Writing Heart-Racing Love Scenes: Sweet or Steamy?

By Mike L. Downey
Posted 2/28/2025

RWA Publications

Welcome to the online home of RWA's member publications! Browse around and access past issues and more.

Romance Writers Report

The Romance Writers Report seeks to advance the professional interests of career-focused romance writers through an online magazine that educates and informs the members of Romance Writers of America.

RWR Archives

Click here to download and read past issues of the Romance Writers Report.

February 2025 Romance Writers Report

Inside This Issue

• Message from the President
  by Jacki Renée
• Love is Love? As Writers, We Need to Know There's More to the Story!
  by Ann Kellett
• Tips or Love Scenes from Someone Who Skips Over Them, Usually
  by Robin Hillyer Miles
• The Emotional Journey of the Romantic Arc
  by Tina Radcliffe
• Hot? Sticky? Sweet?
  by Timothy Robare
• Three or Four Observations about Writing Heart-Racing Love Scenes: Sweet or Steamy?
  by Mike L. Downey

Plus, the New Members, Debut Authors, and Chapter Contests & Conferences columns!

Download the February RWR (PDF)

Message from the President - January 2025 RWR

When I opened my annual email from RWA, I was struck by a deeply personal milestone: this month marks my tenth year as a member of Romance Writers of America. In January 2015, I took my first step into this community, not knowing just how significant it would be in my journey as a romance writer. Back then, I had just completed a 200,000-word romantic suspense manuscript and found myself searching the internet for guidance on what to do next.

Your Book Signing Checklist

By Barbara M. Britton
Posted 1/15/2025

Recently, a debut author emailed me asking what I brought to book signings. After I finished my response, I looked at the many paragraphs in my email and considered what her reaction would be. One of dread and panic.

Your book signing checklist will differ between small or large events, and how many books you are bringing to sell. You won’t break your back bringing one book but try lugging ten books to an event.

An Indie Author’s Guide for Getting More Book Events: Creative Book Events for Authors!

By Penny Sansevieri
Posted 1/15/2025

Bookstore events, signings and author talks are always a great way to build support in your local community, build your fan base, and sell books. But as options for book events have narrowed, with dwindling bookstores and event space, authors often feel like they’re out of options when it comes to doing book events. But that only means you need to dig in and get more creative. 

When I was first in business (23 years ago!), we worked with a lot of indie authors who were persona non grata – in the early days of indie publishing bookstore managers were really discouraged from hosting indie authors, which forced me to find more unique places to host events. 

Research as the Backbone of Fiction

By Belle Calhoune
Posted 1/15/2025

Research has been the backbone of many fiction novels, including my own. As writers, we are blessed to be living in an age when information is literally at our finger tips. As a child who grew up across the street from a public library, I recall the rudimentary ways we had to conduct research for school papers and presentations. It revolved around card catalogues and the Dewey decimal system. For the life of me, I can’t imagine currently conducting novel research in that manner. From what I remember, it was extremely time consuming and without the ROI of modern day research.