u/roane-72

Hey all! I'm deeply jealous of folks who are at BHS International right now! So, I'm at home working on my book, a romance between a man and a woman competing in rival barbershop quartets. And I have a question.

The barbershop organizations in the book are obviously not the real ones--I can do more with fictional entities and not get sued at the same time! :) That said, I am trying to at least be fairly realistic about barbershop culture. So, folks who are at international or who have been before: Is it customary for SUI and HI queens to wear their crowns out and about? Obviously not if they're competing or otherwise on stage, but just around? This is normal at SUI and HI conventions, I wasn't sure if it was weird at BHS events.

I'm writing my first book (contemporary romance) in about eight years, and I'm super happy with how it's going, but worried that I'll fizzle out. I've been talking to some book coaches on Reedsy and I'm considering it.

Have any of you used a book coach before, and was it worth it? What can a book coach do for you that a good writing group can't? (And btw, anyone know of any good writing groups?)

Hi all! I'm diving back into writing romance after about ten years away from it, and about seven years away from writing at all.

What would you say is the difference between writing romance vs. fiction with romantic elements?

In my current project, at the moment I'm more focused on and excited about the external plot than the romance. Granted, it's very early in the process, but it's making me think.

How plot-driven are your works vs. character-driven?

I am a singer (primarily barbershop at this time but I have classical training) and a writer. In my current project, one of my characters is working on a masters degree in vocal performance. I would love to find someone (or someones) who would be willing to talk to me about their experiences as a student, things like the academic culture, course work etc. I realized I have a lot of barbershop-related resources, but not so much in the classical world!

Thanks!