what is RWF – Romantic Women's Fiction Chapter of RWA

Busy Student Writing Something

Why did you join RWF, a chapter of RWA?

When I first joined Romantic Women’s Fiction (RWF), I was searching for a group that could help me in my writing journey. I wanted a group that wrote romance and women’s fiction as their genre of choice. I’d had an editor and an agent give me two conflicting statements—one said my story was a romance, the other said it was women’s fiction.

According to RWA, Romance has two basic elements in every romance novel: a central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending.

According to various writers and Wikipedia, Women’s Fiction is about how a woman deals with the challenges in her life.

lover holding hand walking on the beach

From my view point, Romantic Women’s Fiction (RWF) is “a marriage of romance and women’s fiction.” It’s a story of the heroine’s journey through life challenges, and along the way the hero enters, beginning the romantic dance. In the end, many of her issues are resolved and the romance ends with a happy conclusion. Life’s journey is easier when traveled as a couple.

In my research, I found some very good explanations for the meaning of “romantic women’s fiction.”

Edie Claire says, “Romantic Women’s Fiction is a hybrid of contemporary romance and women’s fiction. It’s a popular type of book; readers often just don’t know what to call it!”

See Edie Claire, Julianne Maclean, and Mary Campsi’s YouTube presentation of its meaning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DbzVlVrMaE

From the savvyauthors.com, Cynthia Rachette, says “A new sub-genre is emerging that combines the ever popular romance and the tried and true women’s fiction. Yes, it’s romantic women’s fiction.”