O Romeo, Romeo...

So, you want to add romance to your novel? Most people do. I've met a couple of writers (mostly males) who say: "but I'm writing a fantasy/sci-fi novel! I don't want to ruin it with romance!" You won't ruin it. Trust me. IF you do the romance right. In fact, if I had to classify myself as anything, I'd call myself a romance novelist. Some of my novels are epic fantasy/sci-fi adventures. I've got some smut out there, some YA novels... some courtroom drama/action/thrillers, ect. But ALL of them have romance at some point (and usually sex, either explicit or implied).


1. In order to write a good romance novel, you need strong characters. Characters are the building blocks of any novel, but they are extra important in a romance novel, because it's the interaction between the two characters that creates the tension and... release... ;D Avoid creating a standard boy-or-girl toy for your main character just so they have someone. The last thing someone wants to read about is a perfect lover. As with all characters, flaws give depth and color to a romantically involved pair.


2. Observe! Go back and reread your favorite romance novel (or any novel that has some romance in it, if you don't like pure romance). See what they author did and make a list of what you liked. If you are reading a new novel or short story that you dislike, try to figure out why and remember it. That's how good writers learn to write anything, romance or not. They read, see what works and what doesn't, and try to incorporate it into their own work.


3. Templates can be fun. As always, I advocate 'stealing' couples with a lot of chemistry and changing them around to make them your own. The Second Sister actually did not start as an Uber novel (Uber novels, for those of you who do not know, are lesbian romances placed in any time where the characters resemble the epic duo Xena and Gabrielle). I created Belle and Ellie on my own, although I changed Ellie's eye color from green to blue in order to match Gabrielle's description. Uber is great for beginners (and even those of us who are no longerbeginners), and you shouldn't feel bad for 'copying' another couple. Xena and Gabrielle are a template that was around long before the 1990s. The angsty warrior/protector and their redeeming, innocent lover is a volatile combination that has existed in literature for centuries. Besides, if you write an Uber, it's still original fiction, you can still publish it, and you get a ready-made group of fans in the Xena community! It's a good deal.

That said... Make sure your characters have enough originality so that people don't get bored. Add your own flavor, or the novel won't be worth reading. Even fanfiction writers do this. Every individual writer (and sometimes each individual universe belonging to a single writer) has a different 'flavored' version of their leading character(s).


4. Add conflict. There has to be something keeping your leading ladies (or dude(s), if you write straight/gay male romance) apart. No matter what point in the book the lovers fall in to each other's arms, there should be some looming, outside force conspiring to keep your characters from finding happiness. This can be a physical force such as a villain, or an internal force such as societal taboo (lesbianism? best friend's girl? feuding families?) or conflicting personality traits (one of your girls is afraid of commitment because of her dark past? One has other priorities like a child that require her attention?) You get the idea.


5. Decide how descriptive you want to get. Choose in advance how much of the 'action' you want to write out. In case you are very, very dense, I'm talking about sex. I can only say that deciding in advance is helpful. I also encourage writers to at least TRY to add some sex for fun, even if they "don't think they can write it". You can always fade to black and save that part in a secret file somewhere. No one else ever has to see it. But you might find that it enhances the novel. I'll make another complete post about writing sex scenes tomorrow, so this isn't the end of this subject!