How To Write Romance Well

How do authors write romance?

Do you have an ambition to write romance but are not so sure how to go about it? Are you trying to discover that elusive something which brings good romantic fiction to life? Would you like to learn some of the secrets to penning a love story that people will adore and go back to, to read and re-read, time and again? Because if you are going to invest endless hours of time, energy, and effort into writing a book, I’m thinking that the chances of you wanting other people to love it too are pretty good.

I don’t know about you, but I love a good romance novel, I always have. Some of my earliest reads (alongside James Herriot, who gave me hours of entertainment when I was young, and to be fair, still does!) were romances. It is a beloved genre, timeless, and perennially popular. So how do we authors of romance keep such a devoted fan-base satisfied and happy?

Let’s take a few minutes to cover some basic ground rules together.

Craft your characters

To write romance well, your characters need as much care and attention as your plot line, if not more, so you’re going to want to put some serious thought into them. A romance novel ought to be 75% about the love story, 25% everything else.

Above all, make sure you love them. Because if you don’t want to spend time with them, why would anyone else? If you aren’t falling in love with your main character as you write him, how can you expect your reader to? If you find her to be somewhat dull and boring, won’t other people?

I actively love the characters in my books. I know it could be viewed as being a teeny tiny bit unbalanced, (who, me??? Surely not…) but I see them as my friends. I want to be with them, and I value the time I spend living in their worlds with them. They please me, they really do, and I devoutly hope that my readers get that same level of enjoyment.

So make sure that the personalities you write are well-rounded. Give them beauties, virtues, and strengths by all means, this is romance after all, and should bewitch and beguile, but don’t forget to add a few credible flaws, because, let’s face it, we all have them! Let them be vulnerable, and allow them their weaknesses, because doing so will help make them relatable, even lovable. If your reader cares about your cast of characters, they will read until the end. Job well done.

Use real life to write romance

One trick I like to use to write romance is to search out inspiration in real, day-to-day living. For instance, is there a special person in your life? Someone you love and admire? What qualities does that person have that you particularly adore? It may be a physical attribute, or a personality trait, but if you love it, then why not write it into your character? It will likely come across as genuine and true.

By the way, I’m not suggesting you should write that person directly into your book, although I suppose you could if you wished, but be warned, they may not like it! However, try borrowing the special aspects that you love, and start building your characters with those blocks.

For example, does your partner have a strong work ethic? Use it, it’s admirable and commands respect. Perhaps they happen to have beautiful hands, so why not give them to your favourite character? If you love the sight and feel of those hands, if you love holding them, linking your own fingers within them to feel their comforting warmth and strength, it’s probable you will be able to write that with touching authenticity.

Engage the senses

So you’ve worked on your characters and they are coming along nicely. Well done for that! They are the cornerstone of a successful romance. However, the task does not end with a good story and a believable cast. Did you know, for example, that to write romance, it’s a fairly firm rule that you must engage all five senses? Must. Why?

Well, let’s think about that for a second or two. What’s the point in reading a romance? Why do we open up a love story in the first place? Isn’t the aim to get lost in the story, to put ourselves in the pages and live vicariously through them? To feel whatever the protagonist feels? Love what she loves? Or even whom she loves?

As writers, it’s a joy and a privilege to provide that experience for the reader. And the surest way of achieving that is to engage all of the senses through the conduit of the written word, on into the imagination of the consumer.

Romance as a genre is descriptive. So think about the sights, sounds, and smells that surround your characters. Relate to your reader how they perceive the things around them. What can they hear, feel, and taste? Particularly in relation to each other?

Describe and engage!

Your male character’s voice, for example. Is he loud and bold, or soft and gentle? Smooth or gravelly? Rich or silken? Give him a voice and you give him a hook for your reader to get caught on. And I mean that in the nicest possible way!

Don’t neglect the yearning…

Believe me, it’s important. If everything happens all at once with no longing involved, it’ll fall a bit flat. How underwhelming. Coming up with ways to keep your couple apart increases the tension tenfold.

Maybe they don’t like each other at all at first… but we know they will! The enemies to lovers trope is forever popular, and, when well-written, keeps devotees turning the page for that inevitable, eventual payout.

Also, let’s not forget the astonishing power of eye contact. Who hasn’t enjoyed the frisson of meeting someone’s gaze across a room, then, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t let go..? Remember that scene in the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice? When Darcy and Elizabeth lock eyes – ooh! That something so innocent could be that intense! (If by any small chance you haven’t watched it yet, do, it’s a great adaptation.)

What else? Ah yes, a hand touch, possibly accidental, or a concerted effort not to touch, but oh! How they want to! A stolen kiss, a whisper, a confession… Small moments add up to form connections that spark and smoulder, keeping your reader’s interest until the turn of the last page.

Together forever?

And in the end? Will they be together?

Well, that’s up to you, although I will say that readers of romance generally want a satisfying ending. So, however you decide to give them that, make sure to deliver. Then they will love your book, love you as a writer, and will be eager to read your next work.

Write your romance

So get down to work, and just do it! Take these pointers on board, and enjoy the journey. There’s nothing quite like crafting a beautiful romance; it’s an incredibly gratifying endeavour. Imagine the pleasure you glean from reading a good love story, then multiply it infinitely, because you will spend many, many more hours writing a book than reading one.

And, as always, I cannot stress enough the importance of cleaning your work before you try to publish it.

Even small errors can detract from the loveliest tale, pulling the reader out of your carefully crafted world, and spoiling the experience you want them to enjoy. Punctuation is a strange phenomenon. Done correctly, it’s hardly noticeable, but make one tiny mistake and everyone except you will spot it!

So edit well, and send your manuscript to an experienced proof reader to ensure that all is as it should be before you set it loose on the world. Because do you know what? Your hard work deserves nothing but the best.