Black STEM Romance: Embracing the Journey of Writing

Carlotta A. Berry, PhD
Jul 1
3 min read

Updated: Sep 7

The Challenges of Writing in STEM

A black woman writing a novel with a pencil sitting in front of a window — A Black Woman writing a novel with a pencil

I have written a master's thesis, a 300-page dissertation, and numerous conference papers and journal articles. All of this was expected on my journey to get a PhD and then tenure and promotion in electrical engineering.

However, writing my first fictional novel was much harder. I began this journey during the pandemic. I collaborated with several other Black women engineering professors. We aimed to use fiction to amplify, market, and normalize the experiences of Black women in STEM. Although we are Black Girl Unicorns, we wanted to show that we are not so rare in an unattainable field.

Black Girl Unicorn human robot interaction robot sitting on dining room table

This process required a major shift in my writing approach. I had to step into the perspectives of multiple characters and develop them fully. The two most challenging aspects were using visual language and writing dialogue.

The Importance of Detail

Does anyone really care what color the bedspread is or what type of flowers are in the vase? Or about every detail of the female main character's appearance, from her hair in two long cornrows to her purple Crocs?

The engineer in me, who dislikes this minutia, initially thought, "NO!" But my writing mentor helped me see otherwise. 😂 Similarly, with dialogue, I had to break the habit of telling rather than showing the reader what was happening in the scene. These are still challenges for me, but I can confidently say I have improved.

Finding Ease in Romance Writing

Writing my romance novels during the pandemic was easier. My writing may not have been as polished, but I found more room in my life to keep moving forward. Once my mentor taught me about outlining, the process became much less daunting.

In fact, my latest work in progress was set to be published in July 2024. It has been written since before then, and all I needed to do was edit based on beta reader feedback. I also have several short stories completed for a Black STEM romance collection. I know, I know. That means Heart Lessons: Jordyn's Journey is now officially one year late. Since July is my birthday month, I like to time my romance book releases to coincide with it.

The Journey of Publication

With the July 1, 2022 release of Elevated Inferno: Monet's Moment, I was off to a great start. Then, when Moses from Elevated found Chandler in Breaking Point: Chandler's Choice, released on July 21, 2023, I knew I had hit upon a great formula. However, 2024 brought new challenges. I was a visiting scientist at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, conducting K-12 STEM workshops for the Indiana Department of Education, and traveling to schools, museums, and libraries for book and STEM events. My perfect July book release track record was ruined. The engineer in me, who thrives on linearity, hated breaking that streak, but such is life.

Now, during Mini #NaNoWriMo in July 2025, I am finally getting back to editing my work in progress, which will not be released in July 2025. Heart Lessons: Jordyn's Journey will be part of the shared universe of the first two books, where EMT Zion finds love with college student Jordyn.

A Sign to Finish My Novel

Now that I have stopped babbling, let’s get back to the main point. I was scrolling through social media yesterday and saw a post from an old classmate. It was an Instagram post about a husband-and-wife entrepreneurial team being interviewed on a podcast. Part of the interview focused on the challenges the wife faced while earning her math and engineering degrees. As she spoke, my mouth dropped open. Her story was eerily similar to my first draft of Jordyn's story. I felt this was a sign from the heavens to get back on the horse and finish this extremely late novel. Considering the long list of romance and children's book ideas I have, it is unacceptable to be this far behind. Plus, OMG, someone is telling my story before I publish it! 🤯😲🤭

The Dilemma of Similarity

Although I am not upset about how similar my story is to reality, I face a dilemma. Since I am still in the editing stage, should I change it? I am okay with some overlap or similarities in my stories, especially since an Instagram story inspired Elevated Inferno: Monet's Moment. However, when does the alignment become too much or too close?

Let me know in the poll at the end: Should I embrace the “art imitating life” vibe, or revise to keep readers guessing?

What should I do about my WIP?