Way back when I was a baby writer and I sat down to try to write my first romance novel, I began to write a historical. I fell in love with romance by reading historical novels full of humor and great dialogue and the angst of two people falling in love who society doesn’t think should be together. It didn’t take me long to realize that even though I loved to read historicals, I wasn’t that interested in writing them, because while I loved to escape to the world of the past, I didn’t have the patience to research what that world was actually like. So, I wrote contemporary stories that took place in a world similar to the one I lived in–and haha, joke’s on me–while I still had to do research (ugh), I came across an even larger problem–conflict. What keeps two people apart in a modern day setting when cultural mores have changed so much, getting therapy isn’t taboo, and a happily ever after is no longer defined by a “good match?”
Creating believable conflict between modern protagonists can be tricky and I’ll be doing a deep dive into creating and sustaining conflict in contemporary romance in a 2-hour, live, remote video workshop presented by the Westport Writers’ Workshop. The class will be partly lecture, partly discussion, and if you write in any contemporary genre or are thinking about diving in, this is a great place to start. Conflict is one of the most important elements of any story, and in romance it’s arguably the most important, for without conflict our protagonists would ride off into the sunset after their meet-cute and the story would be very short, indeed.
If you’re interested in learning more about the class or signing up, visit the Westport Writers’ Workshop website or email me! Space is very limited, even though this a remote class, so everyone can get their questions answered.
What: Conflict in Contemporary Romance with Libby Waterford
When: Saturday, March 7, 2020 10AM-12PM Eastern
Cost: $75
To register
