In RWA chapter-sponsored contests I repeatedly received comments like, “this was a fantastic read, but all of the other stuff took away from the romance.” Well yeah, I thought, I’m not writing pure romance. Sure there is a romance in it, but that was only one aspect of my heroine’s journey. The more I studied, the more I decided my writing didn’t fit into any other genre category either. Then Novel with Strong Romantic Elements was introduced for the RITA and that felt like a better fit. And yet, so many storylines can fit under that broad heading, not just women’s fiction.

Therese Walsh came up with the idea that women’s fiction needed a solid home ground, a place dedicated solely to the understanding and advancement of this genre. And I’m so very thankful she did!

We discovered as we created this chapter that defining women’s fiction is a very difficult task. After much wrangling, discussion, brainstorming, and revising we finally created a definition for the purposes of this chapter. It’s very eloquently stated by our president in the “What is RWA-WF” section of this website. We welcome members who are writing women’s fiction as well as those who are supportive of the genre.

I’d like to invite you to browse RWA-WF’s website, whether you’re here as a member or a visitor. You’ll be amazed at the variety of information available on this site – I supposed that’s because women’s fiction has such a myriad of faces. This group is filled with such an incredible well of talent you’ll want to dip deeply and return often so you don’t miss anything.

Welcome to you all,
Susan