Romance: How to Write a Romantic Novel

From Meet Cute to Happy Ever After Romance is the top-selling genre of fiction, but how do you write a romance novel? To write a successful romance novel you need to know the conventions (or tropes) of the genre – what elements need to be in the story and what sort of plot structure readers expect. You could spend a long time studying different romance sub-genres to learn all of this – but you don’t have to, because this book gives you all the details you need. What type of story do you want to write? Beauty & the Beast (she changes him), The Frog Prince (he changes her), The Virgin & The Rake (they change each other), or Cinderella (rags-to-riches). Development of the romantic relationship – the main plot of a romance Setting, Theme, Tone & Style The Character Development Arc – How does the heroine and/or hero change during the course of their relationship? Creating the Heroine Creating the Hero – including Seducers, Charmers, Bad Boys, Rebels & Byronic Heroes Secondary Characters – including the confidante Point of View – Who is the viewpoint character and should we hear the hero’s thoughts? The Modern Romance Plot in eight sequences, including the Meet Cute, the Lock-In, Creating Sexual or Romantic Tension, the Break-Up, Reconciliation & Happy Ever After Subplots and how to weave them into your main plot Romantic Dialogue – How to write witty banter and repartee Flirting & Body Language Romantic Dates & Dating Kissing Scenes & Sex Scenes How to Get Over Your Ex & How to Say You’re Sorry Romance Categories & Sub-Genres including chapters on Romantic Suspense, Marriage of Convenience & Mail Order Brides, Paranormal Romance, The Love Triangle, Forbidden Love, Second Chances & Secret Babies, Enemies to Lovers & Friends to Lovers Advice on writing other sub-genres and plots In this book you will learn what to write, why particular tropes are important to readers, and how to include them in your stories. Examples and prompts are given to help you create your own story elements and the eight-sequence structure helps you put it all together so you have all the right parts in the right places. Note that this is not a ‘beginner’s guide’ – it assumes some knowledge of writing. Nor is it a quick read – it’s a big book!