Our character’s job can be a source of story conflict, but how can we avoid clichés, especially with an office romance? Angela Ackerman shares her tips.

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Writing Conflict: Love, Work, and Office Romance — Guest: Angela Ackerman

As we wrap up 2019, let’s give a shout out to a book or author we’ve discovered this past year! Who’s a new favorite? Or what book did you discover by a new-to-you author?

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What Authors or Books Did You Discover This Year?

With our busy lives, we might feel we don’t have time to read, but reading is important for writers—and we might learn how to add appeal to our stories.

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What Can Our Reading Choices Tell Us about Our Writing?

My new workshop covers all of the underlying elements that contribute to readers’ sense of a strong, deep relationship so we can portray healthier romances.

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Romance Genre: How Can We Portray Healthy Relationships?

A reader asked how we’d place the 12 Stages on Intimacy on a beat sheet for the best pacing. Can we mesh the 12 Stages with romance beats in a story?

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Romance Beats vs. 12 Stages of Intimacy

In our story, something makes our protagonist change and progress in their internal journey. But what’s that something? What triggers them to grow?

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How Is Our Protagonist Challenged to Improve? (& a Worksheet!)

The romance genre is often called “aspirational,” but even romances with a happy ending can fail at being uplifting. What other elements contribute to an uplifting story and what can they teach us about other genres?

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More Than a Happy Ending: What Makes a Story Uplifting?