How to Write a Romance Novel
You’ve decided you want to write a romance novel. The process seems overwhelming and you might not be sure where to start. These five tips will hopefully give you some guidelines for writing the next great romance novel.
- Start by reading romance novels. The only way you’re going to know how a romance novel flows is by reading how other authors write them. There are many different subgenres of romance novels – from chaste to highly erotic, from historical romances to paranormal futuristic ones – so you must decide where your style of writing will fit. If you’re a first time author this is the time to explore different subgenres. Don’t be afraid to experiment and let your imagination run wild. This allows you even more freedom to write and publish any kind of romance or women’s fiction novel you can dream up.
- Set up the structure. While some people call romances formulaic, you know it means they end happily. However, there are structures romances should follow to ensure your readers keeping reading and that they are satisfied at the end. Your book should have a beginning, a middle and an end to start with. Other central elements of romance novels include: a strong, believable hero and heroine, a conflict that sets up obstacles for the hero and heroine, some level of sexuality, supporting characters that move the story along, but don’t steal the show and a satisfying resolution to the conflict so the hero and heroine can be together in the end. If you’re not sure everything is flowing properly, check out our Content Edit service for help.
- Don’t cross the line. There are some things in romance novels that are not acceptable to your readers. Rape, incest, bestiality, terminal illnesses, terrorism and unhappy/unsatisfying endings will not keep readers coming back for more from you. While there are many subgenres of the traditional romance novel you can explore, this is not the place to try things that are not socially acceptable to your readers.
- Know your characters. Good authors take notes and keep track of the plotlines, events, themes, places and characters in their books. This is particularly important during character development because if you can’t create a believable character why would your readers think he/she is believable? It is helpful as you’re starting out with character development to write down everything about your characters – from hair and eye color to internal conflicts. Even if you don’t use all those details in your book at least you will have the background information figured out and can keep it straight while writing.
- Revise and polish your book. Errors in your book cause you to lose credibility with your readers. Therefore, it’s very important to go over your book multiple times yourself and have someone else read over it too. During the polishing phase you should look for words you use over and over again, sentences that don’t flow together, paragraphs or even chapters that don’t help your book move along, awkward dialogue, and typos and grammatical errors. Read parts, especially dialogue, out loud to yourself to see how it sounds to your ear. In this stage you must be ruthless with your book and yourself and cut things that simply don’t work. If you’re still not sure your book is the best it can be, purchase one or more of the editing services offered by Dellarte Press.
Following these tips is just one way to get you started writing the book you’ve always dreamt of writing. You will need to work hard and find your own unique writing “voice” as you go along your writing journey, but Dellarte Press is here to help you every step of the way.
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