Romance Writing Cheat Sheet For Beginners

Romance is an extremely popular genre for writers, but this doesn’t mean that it’s an easy style to get right. Romance can be complex and includes many sub-genres that can send beginner writers and aspiring romance authors into a tailspin. I’ve come up with a simple cheat sheet and tips to help you write your romance story.

• Get inspired! – Read romance novels and listen to love songs for inspiration. Find out what you like and dislike about it.
• Know the basic romance writing plot/ sequence/ formula which includes:
• A lovable and handsome hero.
• A heroine the reader can sympathize with.
• A realistic conflict that ensues and separates them to create emotional tension.
• A resolution to the conflict or a happily ever after.
• You need to provide an emotional outlet to your reader.
• Let your character/s sacrifice for love – don’t hand their relationship to them, let them work for it.
• Keep the action or tension moving to keep your reader engaged.
• Most romance is written in third-person to avoid muddling too many points of view.
• Let your readers pilot the plot.
• The relationship is the most important part of your story.
• Show your reader how your characters fall in love.
• Show their physical attraction and desire for each other.
• Leave your readers wanting more at the end of each chapter by using cliff hangers.
• Know the types of conflict:
• Internal conflict – these conflicts include personality clashes, differences in motivations, aspirations, goals and desires. These internal conflicts can be caused by an emotional or traumatic situation or circumstance. Emotional conflict increases tension and excitement.
• External conflict – should be the secondary type of conflict in your story, brought about by other characters who influence the hero or heroine, misunderstandings and circumstances.

 

How to plot your romance:

1. Introduce your hero.
2. Show how he meets your heroine.
3. Conflict ensues between the two.
4. They must work together/ spend more time together.
5. The characters have opposing goals and objectives.
6. They start falling for each other due to a situation that brings them together.
7. Their own desires or goals conflicts with the relationship.
8. There’s a crisis when they try to form a relationship.
9. One or both of them must sacrifice for love in the end.

 

Are you a romance writer? Do you have any other tips to share for writing romance? Do you read romance novels? Let me know by commenting below!

 

Love and Blessings,

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