34. Validating and exploring romance w/ Maria Secoy

Are you curious about writing romance stories, but you’re not sure what qualifies as romance?In this episode, you’ll get a deeper look into what constitutes the romance genre. You’ll learn what makes a romance novel literary and what distinguishes the 50+ subgenres from each other. Joining this conversation is Maria Secoy, a literary romance author and writing coach. Today, Maria shares three story development tips that help you know whether you’re writing a romance story, a love story, or a tragedy.Topics discussed in this episode: What makes a romance book literary What the Library of Congress has to say about romanceHow many subgenres exist under the romance categoryWhat distinguishes erotica from romanceWhere to find the LGBTQ+ romance subgenreM/M romance and the inadequate classification of LGBTQ+ romanceWhat’s happening with the newer subgenre sapphic romanceThe need for more LGBTQ+ categories An overview of 35 other romance subcategoriesFurther breaking down historical romanceCross listing books in subgenresFantasy vs paranormal romanceThree tips for romance writersWhat character development means for romanceThe only two ways to develop loveWhat romance requiresHow to show happily ever afterClarifying happily for now endingsDoes happy for now imply a sequelWhat’s a dealbreaker in the romance genre About Maria: Maria Secoy has a BA in English and an MEd in Secondary English. She spent more than a decade in the classroom helping students grow as authentic writers. She wrote and published her first romance novel, Alongside Lucy, in February 2022, which has since reached #4 on the Amazon Best Sellers List. And she released Gloria’s Gumption January 2023. After hearing stories of editors gone wrong, flopped cover designs, marketing struggles, and anxiety over the entire self-publication process, she launched All Write Well, which has grown to include a team of supportive experts who meet all the self-publishing needs of writers.Get her books:Alongside Lucy: https://www.amazon.com/Alongside-Lucy-Trail-Adventure-Adventures-ebook/dp/B09WKYLVVZ Gloria’s Gumption: https://www.amazon.com/Glorias-Gumption-Maria-Secoy/dp/B0BRH2F7WZ/ Connect with Maria:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/msecoywriter Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/msecoywriter Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/awwromance All Write Well (self-publishing support services): https://allwritewell.com/ Send us Fan MailREADY TO TAKE YOUR WRITING FURTHER? Join our Patreon community and access our vibrant Discord writing group to get writing prompts, participate in sprints, download free resources, and more: https://www.patreon.com/erinptcanningeditor