The Fabled Formula for Writing a Romance Novel

Continued

Step 3: Read the romances. Read them as fast as possible, ideally two or more a day, for several days. Very soon, you will begin to pick up a pattern. This is the most important step in the formula, but because many would-be romance writers believe they’ll just get bored reading the same sort of story over and over again, it’s a step they often skip. Do so at your peril. Ask yourself this: if you can’t stand to read a bunch of romances, how on earth are you going to get into the mindset of people who do? You have to please the readers if you hope make a good income from writing romance novels. So find out what readers like to read by reading books in the genre yourself.

Step 4: Write a romance that has all the elements common to other romances, using your own plot, characters and original words. These common elements are such things as conflict, sexual tension and a situation that keeps the heroine and hero constantly seeing each other as the story progresses. In your reading of romances, you should also have noticed that each writer has tried to come up with a unique and fresh story idea. Although you don’t have to choose the kind of romance plot that requires a lot of research, if you do decide to write an historical or a medical or crime thriller or the like, don't make up fake details and expect that no one will notice. They will. Do your own research to ensure that your plot, characters and backgrounds are plausible.

That’s it. That’s the formula. To be a successful romance author, you’ll need to write a book that delivers most if not all of the elements found in already published romances. And in the same proportions, too. All formulas involve quantities, after all. So make sure that your romance is recognizably a romance, that it’s more about this heroine and this hero and their relationship than about anything else. Even if you write a romance that is different and original, it’s still got to deliver what romance readers expect and want, or it’s not a romance. Do not ignore reader expectations.

Simple, huh? That’s why they call it a formula. But like all formulas, if you fail to carry out any of the required steps, you won’t get the hoped-for positive reaction.

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