On Saturday, February 9, the heat will rise at the Haviland Club in downtown Charlottetown, as writers of all levels gather to learn more about romance writing in the twenty-first century. Open to both members and non-members of the PEI Writers’ Guild, this sizzling workshop, entitled Heat Rising: Writing the Romantic Revolution, promises to warm participants up from the mid-winter cold.
Led by Nova Scotia author Michelle Helliwell from Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada (RWAC), this day-long event will cover not only the romance genre and what constitutes a “romance,” but will also dive deep into the hero(ine)’s journey. It will discuss romantic arcs, tropes, sub-genres, and how to best use each in order to meet your readers' expectations. Exercises will include 'beating out' that romantic novel outline.
Time will be spent discussing romantic tension, heat levels, and how one builds that all-important sexual tension. Don't worry, the process of writing those often awkward sex scenes will also be covered with some fun writing exercises.
Finally, Helliwell will inform participants about the publishing process specific to the romance genre.
The workshop will run from 9:00am until 4:00pm. Cost is $50 for Guild members and $60 for non-members.
Michelle Helliwell grew up on a steady diet of Grimm’s Fairy Tales and fantasy, then discovered the glorious phenomenon that is the historical romance novel, and her writing life would never be the same. She is a sucker for pure historical escapism—the swish of heavy skirts, guys in linen shirts, and moody weather is her happy place.
She lives, work and enjoy life with her husband and two sons in Nova Scotia, where moody weather and bagpipes are plentiful, but alas, guys in puffy shirts are too few.
She carries a Bachelor of Arts from the University of King's College, and a Masters in Library and Information Studies from Dalhousie University, both in Halifax. She is a past president of the Romance Writers of America (Atlantic Canada chapter).
Michelle Helliwell is the author of four historical romance novels (with a novella on the way in March 2019). Her most recent novel, Nothing Magical about Midnight, was released in November of 2018.