Midwest Romance Writers (MRW) members write in a variety of genres including cozy mysteries, contemporary and historical romance, romantic suspense, paranormal fiction, women’s fiction, and mainstream fiction. We are fortunate to have members who have attained best-seller designations on Amazon, USA Today, and New York Times Lists.
The purpose of our organization is to educate and support fiction writers of all genres at every stage of their writing career. MRW helps authors improve their writing craft and book marketing skills by providing guidance, positive critique, and insight from industry experts.
Next meeting:
Thursday, September 11, 2025, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m. Eating and chatting
6:45 p.m. Short business meeting
7:00 program
Carrabba’s Italian Grill
10586 Metcalf Ave,
Overland Park, KS 66212
Program:
September’s meeting will be presented by all the members.
Below are the prompts we will be discussing at the meeting. Feel free to complete as few or as many as you'd like. Hopefully we'll get some good samples from each prompt.
Prompt 1 - (show vs. tell) write a short scene where your character is approached by their vet and told that their eight year old chocolate lab has to undergo emergency surgery. Write it once in "show" mode and once in "tell" mode.
Prompt 2 - (subtext) write a short scene about two characters who argue over something small and surface-level (like dirty dishes, being late, or leaving the porch light on). In reality, the fight is about something much deeper (feeling unloved, betrayal, fear of abandonment, resentment, jealousy, etc.).
The rule: they can’t name the deeper issue directly. It has to be hinted at through word choice, body language, and what they don’t say.
Prompt 3 - (flashback) Write a flashback but weave it into action so the memory is triggered by what the character is doing.
Prompt 4 - (sensory details) Write a scene that's set at a summer carnival at night. Since it's common to focus on sight, instead write it once using only sound and smell and once using only touch and taste.
Prompt 5 - (Conflict in Every Scene) Write a “quiet” scene (making tea, walking the dog) but add some form of tension: an unspoken resentment, a deadline, a secret.
No pressure if you'd rather simply be a casual observer. I promise each of us will learn something and come away with a few new trips and tricks to better our own work.
Visitors welcome!
