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Write Backstory With Confidence Course

In Guest Articles, RWA Academy by RWA Blog Coordinator1 Comment

How to weave in the past without information dump telling. The art of integrating backstory seamlessly into a ficton narrative is vital to show casing how your character formed their world views, beliefs and desires. Understanding the purpose of backstory A character’s past isn’t just about providing context to who they were as a child, it’s about breathing life into who they are now. It’s the key to unlocking their motivations, fears and desires. Effective backstory humanises our characters in order to make them more believable and relatable to our readers. It provides the all-important why to every action they …

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Library love stories: Romance in the National Library of Australia’s collection

In Creative Writing, Guest Articles, Publishing Industry by RWA Blog CoordinatorLeave a Comment

Author: Alice Quinn (Article reproduced with permission from https://www.nla.gov.au/stories/blog/library-love-stories-romance-national-library-australias-collection#) When it comes to romance writing in Australia, it’s a been a long affair. Romance is one of Australia’s largest and most impressive literary exports, and since the 19th century has been a way for readers to explore tales of intimacy from the innocent to the risqué.   Our collections of these stories ensure the voices of authors who write and read this genre are preserved, so that readers of the future can indulge in and re-examine the love stories under the covers of Australia’s literary history. Mills and Boon, dust …

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Flash Fiction

In Contests, Creative Writing by RWA Blog CoordinatorLeave a Comment

Welcome to the Romance Writers of Australia Flash Fiction series! And our inaugural winner this month is Athena Law – congratulations Athena! The Perfect Pairing – Athena Law My earring was caught up in the blindfold. I was paused on the top step attempting to untangle it when a body bumped into me from behind. From the distinctive snort-giggles I could easily identify my friend Jules sight unseen. ‘Move it along, Becks! A room full of delectable men awaits!’ She pushed me through the doorway, feeling foolish as my hands groped the empty air in front of me. ‘They’re probably …

Volunteer required: Volunteer Coordinator

In Volunteer Vacancies by Louisa WestLeave a Comment

Position title: Volunteer Coordinator Volunteer commitment: 10 hours per week (approximately) after initial set-up period Reporting to: Member Services Manager About us Since 1991 Romance Writers of Australia (RWAus) has been helping writers all across Australia (and beyond!) to follow their dreams. We provide support and inspiration while actively fostering opportunities for our members to engage in professional development, network with industry professionals, and pursue excellence in their writing and publishing careers. About you As an organisation that is reliant on our amazing team of volunteers, it’s imperative that we help keep them organised, focused, and happy. That’s where you …

Volunteer required: Anthology Production Coordinator

In Volunteer Vacancies by Louisa West1 Comment

Position title: Anthology Production Coordinator Volunteer commitment: 3 hours per week or less(approximately) Reporting to: RWAus Contest Manager About us Since 1991 Romance Writers of Australia (RWAus) has been helping writers all across Australia (and beyond!) to follow their dreams. We provide support and inspiration while actively fostering opportunities for our members to engage in professional development, network with industry professionals, and pursue excellence in their writing and publishing careers. About you Service delivery is at the heart of everything we do. In your role as Anthology Production Coordinator, you’ll be committed to RWAus’ goals for the contest season. You’ll …

Volunteer required: Opal Mentor

In Volunteer Vacancies by Louisa WestLeave a Comment

Position title: Opal Mentor Volunteer commitment: Numerous hours in mid to late May to determine the top three winners  Reporting to: RWAus Contest Manager About us Since 1991 Romance Writers of Australia (RWAus) has been helping writers all across Australia (and beyond!) to follow their dreams. We provide support and inspiration while actively fostering opportunities for our members to engage in professional development, network with industry professionals, and pursue excellence in their writing and publishing careers. About you As an Opal Mentor you will be committed to RWAus’ goals for the contest season. You’ll be an established author with experience …

An Interview with our R*BY Nominees

In Uncategorised by RWA Web AdminLeave a Comment

Fiona Holden – Sweet Treats, 2nd place What book or author was your gateway into romance?This one is a bit of a hard one for me, as it was more like a series than a particular book that dragged me down the inescapable spiral of being a romance reader. As a teenager, I was a sucker for the ‘Sweet Dreams’ series and if the title or cover included a cowboy or a horse, it was a definite read. As an older teenager on the school bus a group of us sat on a small group of chairs reading out loud the …

Beating ‘The Drum’ of Discrimination

In Media Release, RWAus News by Louisa West7 Comments

RWAus media statement – 24 August 2023 Romance writers have grown a thick skin against the titters in the room or raised eyebrows when we say what we write. We’re used to being asked questions about ‘inspiration’ and ‘research’, and an unhealthy curiosity about our paychecks even though romance is the highest-earning genre of fiction with an average over $1.44 billion USD in revenue world-wide each year. What we won’t accept is the ableism and discrimination we witnessed in The Drum’s segment that went to air on Thursday 17 August 2023. The segment featured Steffanie Holmes, a successful entrepreneur, and  …

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Romantic Book of the Year 2023

In Conference, Contests, RWA News by RWA Blog CoordinatorLeave a Comment

One again it’s time for the RWA awards and on Saturday 12th of August we can celebrate our nominees at our Gala Dinner at the Wentworth Sofitel. Kudos to our contest team, reader judges, organising committee and contest co-ordinator Sarma Burdeu! You can read along with the #RubyReadalong for 2023 on social media, where you mention one of the books in any category on social media, and tag it with #RubyReadalong. Please put your hands together for the Romance Writers of Australia Romantic Book of the Year finalists for 2023! Congratulations everyone, what an amazing effort! And the finalists are… …

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Kiss and Tell with Karina May

In Interview, Member New Releases by RWA Blog CoordinatorLeave a Comment

One of the very best things a book can do is make me laugh a lot, swoon a little, set my tummy rumbling and fan the flames of wanderlust, all from the comfort of my lounge room, and I’m delighted to say, the gorgeous new release Duck á l’Orange for Breakfast did all these things and more! This novel is the print debut for Sydney author Karina May, and I’ve been seeing window displays and social media posts all over the place since its release with Pan Macmillan last month. Readers will have a ball with the quirky main character …