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Melonie Johnson: Building a Meet Cute From the Inside Out

  • Golden State Romance Writers San Jose, CA (map)

Melonie Johnson: Building a Meet Cute From the Inside Out

Create memorable meet cute scenes by exploring how this essential moment works on a visceral level.

Though widely recognized as the realm of the rom-com, from paranormal to historical, romantic suspense as well as romantic comedy, the moment the main character(s) meet their love interest(s) on the page is an integral part of any romance.

While conducting interviews for her live chat series, MAD ABOUT MEET CUTES, Melonie Johnson observed over and over again that what speaks to authors as readers also works for them as writers.

After an introductory look at the fundamental concept of the meet cute as well as a breakdown of their form and function, participants of this workshop will reflect on the meet cutes that hold personal significance, from real life stories to fictional favorites, including their own manuscripts. These examples will be analyzed through group discussion to examine commonalities and identify the key elements that make a scene click. A Q&A session will follow, focusing on how to better put these findings into practice. By the end of the workshop, participants will be ready to craft (or at the very least draft) a memorable meet cute.

USA Today bestselling author Melonie Johnson―aka #thewritinglush―enjoys sipping cocktails that start with the letter m. She lives in Chicagoland with her husband and their two redhead daughters. A former high school English and Theatre teacher, Melonie now spends her days in her Star Wars office, dreaming up meet cutes. Declared a “writer to watch” by Kirkus and a “fizzy, engrossing new voice” by Entertainment Weekly, her smart funny contemporary romances include TOO GOOD TO BE REAL, a Buzzfeed and Goodreads pick for best romances of the summer, and her award-winning Sometimes in Love debut series: Getting Hot with the Scot, Smitten by the Brit, and Once Upon a Bad Boy. Her next rom-com, TOO WRONG TO BE RIGHT arrives in Feb 2023.

Visit her website or find her on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok at @thewritinglush.

Schedule (Pacific Time)

9:00 a.m. Zoom link will open for casual chat and networking
9:30-10:30 a.m. Business Meeting
10:30-11:30 a.m. Presentation