How to Write a Romance Novel the Easy Way

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By chameleon
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Imagine your name on the cover of a romance novel... it's possible!

Writing a romance novel used to be considered "formula romance", but today's new lines of romance novels and novellas offer a unique opportunity for contemporary writers of all stripes. If you've ever imagined yourself as a published romance writer, follow these steps to reach your publication goal!

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Your imagination
Persistence
A good work ethic

Step 1

Get familiar with the line you'd like to write for. Harlequin Romance, still the largest publisher of romance novels, publishes 115 new novels every month in several different lines. Each line focuses on a different kind of heroine or story. Read a few to get a feel for the style of writing that the editors want.
Step 2

Create a strong, likable heroine. The heroine of your romance novel is the single most important element of your story - and the key to your success. No matter which romance line you want to write for, the heroines will always be strong, likable, attractive and "spunky". She's the kind of woman that you'd like to be or to have as a friend.
Step 3

Imagine the worst possible man for her to fall in love with - and then give him redeeming characteristics. Okay, that's a stretch. Obviously, you don't want to make your hero a complete worm. After all, the goal of a romance novel is a happily-ever-after ending. Just imagine your heroine's natural opposite--and then build in a reason for her to like him.
Step 4

Engineer a meeting between your heroine and your hero. If you did Step 3 right, this should be fairly easy. For example, she's a public defender working for a legal clinic in a rundown neighborhood. He's the CEO of a big company that wants to build a new office building in town. They meet when his company tries to evict tenants of a building his company wants to tear down to make room for the new office building.
Step 5

Make them fall in love with each other. This part is the easiest part of all. There's an immediate attraction between them that she tries to deny. She's drawn to him even though he's all wrong for her. He can't stop thinking about her even though she's the most infuriating woman he's ever met. The electric physical attraction should infuse the scene every single time they meet--and linger long after they part.
Step 6

Keep supporting characters to a minimum. There may be more people in the world than just the two of them, but your romance novel should keep its focus completely on them. It's okay to bring other people into the story, but avoid giving them stories of their own to distract from the main action--the growing romance between your heroine and her hero.
Step 7

Escalate the conflict between your main characters as their feelings for each other grow stronger. This is where you have to maintain a tricky balance. Have your public defender find out that her hero's company has bought the building after he promised her that he'd look for another site. Let her run into him having lunch with a woman who is everything that she isn't. Mix real conflict with circumstantial misunderstandings--but make sure you can get your hero out of trouble without having your heroine do something completely against her principals.
Step 8

Let the romance blossom. The physical attraction between your heroine and your hero will only satisfy your romance readers for so long. You'll need to add some emotional depth to their attraction as well. So go on--let them run into each other at the mall where he's hopelessly (and cluelessly) shopping for a gift for his sister so she can come to his rescue. Let them have a good time together and take a break from the tension. It will only make her inner conflict sharper.
Step 9

Come up with a happy ending that projects your hero and heroine into the future. It's not enough for them to realize that they really love each other after all. Your romance novel needs to wrap up all the loose ends believably and put your happy couple at the start of a new life together.

Comments

vallain said

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on 1/11/2009 I want to read your novel already. Are you writing one?

scarletdreamer said

on 1/6/2009 This is hilarious, but true. Another good tip is to disguise your novel by placing it in a different age, then it becomes a historical romance (a much better buy in many eyes)