As a disabled writer, I write YA contemporary romances starring disabled leads. How can I navigate a market where romances written by abled authors are often prioritized over disabled #ownvoices authors?
R. Lille
1 year ago
If romance is a secondary, but prominent subplot, what’s the best way to position it when you query, and eventually, go on submission with a publisher?
How can romance play a part in a character’s main arc? To be more specific, how can a romance help a main character or a couple of main characters overcome their flaws without the romance overtaking it? (Does this even make sense?)
What are your personal favorites out of the basic romance tropes (e.g. enemies-to-lovers, best friends, instalove)? What can be some pros or cons to each of them? Are there some that you think don’t get the attention they need?
daphnedador
1 year ago
Read between the lines! Yay! Any other favorite romance tropes?
Jen Malia
1 year ago
I’m an autistic author who does not currently write YA romance. I loved Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient, which is definitely not YA. I like the idea of a YA romance with an autistic lead. In general, what makes a YA romance fresh in terms of character and plot?
Miscommunication (or total lack of communication) is an age-old source of relationship conflict, but can be very frustrating to read. What are other places writers can look to keep the romance interesting without resorting to keeping their leads perpetually clueless?
daphnedador
1 year ago
All your characters and side characters end up coupling up at the end? Good? Annoying?
For Megan and Whitney specifically: What is on your Manuscript Wishlists in terms of YA romances?
mjwrites
1 year ago
Do you have any tips for weaving romance into a big external plot? Sometimes it feels like I’m only slipping it into the moments-of-reprieve scenes, and I don’t want it to feel like the romance is there to distract from the main plot.
In adult romance, there are sometimes series where the romance in resolved by say book 1, and the rest is about the other plots. In YA if the series focuses on one protagonist, the romance arc usually continues to be tumultuous. Is that just a function of teen characters or is there space for happy couples (even happy for now) in YA romance?
Can you recommend YA books that have strong dual narratives (2 different POV with equal weight)?
Kris
1 year ago
My daughter is only 12 years old, but she loves romance novels. We want her read age appropriate books with “PG” only scenes. Do you have any book recommendations for her age group? Thanks!
As a disabled writer, I write YA contemporary romances starring disabled leads. How can I navigate a market where romances written by abled authors are often prioritized over disabled #ownvoices authors?
If romance is a secondary, but prominent subplot, what’s the best way to position it when you query, and eventually, go on submission with a publisher?
Is romance 100% necessary in YA? Will agents even want a book with no romance at all?
What’s a good recipe for heart-stopping romance in YA?
When your target is a YA audience, are there topics that are off limits in romance?
Thoughts on love triangles? How to do them well?
How can romance play a part in a character’s main arc? To be more specific, how can a romance help a main character or a couple of main characters overcome their flaws without the romance overtaking it? (Does this even make sense?)
What are your personal favorites out of the basic romance tropes (e.g. enemies-to-lovers, best friends, instalove)? What can be some pros or cons to each of them? Are there some that you think don’t get the attention they need?
Read between the lines! Yay! Any other favorite romance tropes?
I’m an autistic author who does not currently write YA romance. I loved Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient, which is definitely not YA. I like the idea of a YA romance with an autistic lead. In general, what makes a YA romance fresh in terms of character and plot?
Tips for writing a series with one central romance? How do you keep the conflict/tension going without it going stale or boring?
Miscommunication (or total lack of communication) is an age-old source of relationship conflict, but can be very frustrating to read. What are other places writers can look to keep the romance interesting without resorting to keeping their leads perpetually clueless?
All your characters and side characters end up coupling up at the end? Good? Annoying?
How can authors avoid accidentally writing a toxic romance? What are some red flags there?
Can you recommend any recent culturally diverse YA romance (not sci-fi)?
For Megan and Whitney specifically: What is on your Manuscript Wishlists in terms of YA romances?
Do you have any tips for weaving romance into a big external plot? Sometimes it feels like I’m only slipping it into the moments-of-reprieve scenes, and I don’t want it to feel like the romance is there to distract from the main plot.
In adult romance, there are sometimes series where the romance in resolved by say book 1, and the rest is about the other plots. In YA if the series focuses on one protagonist, the romance arc usually continues to be tumultuous. Is that just a function of teen characters or is there space for happy couples (even happy for now) in YA romance?
Can you recommend YA books that have strong dual narratives (2 different POV with equal weight)?
My daughter is only 12 years old, but she loves romance novels. We want her read age appropriate books with “PG” only scenes. Do you have any book recommendations for her age group? Thanks!
Thanks so much for the chat! It was amazing!