How to Write a Romance Book

I was reading a thread the other day about self-worth and a woman commented that they learned self-worth from romance books when they were younger. Now this may sound silly, but romance writers have a responsibility to ensure they aren’t writing characters that don’t learn, grow, evolve and mature from the love they experience in the books. The love has to change them in some way, the best sort of love is that that lifts the characters up to be who they are meant to be in their life.

Writing romance isn’t as easy as people think. You have so many tropes to choose from and choosing the right one requires strategy to bring it to life in a way that resonates.

I have just finished writing a new book with a romantic plot line for one of the characters. It’s what’s known as a second-chance romance. Love after divorce. This one brings in all sorts of complications like ex-spouses, children and so on. It was nice to write, because I think second-chance romances must be realistic to resonate.

The other trope I think that is fantastic when done well is the Enemies to Lovers trope. But, it has to be believable, and it can’t be abusive because then it’s weird and goes into kink territory. The slow burn is where the good stuff is, where your readers are ready to burst with anticipation.

In my latest bundle of writing tools, I have collated the writing tools and worksheets that I think can help any romance writer. 76 pages of good stuff to get you thinking and working your romance muscle. Is that the heart? Yes, keep it clean people!

Reading romance books helps people see what they want, expect and desire. It teaches boundaries and opens discoveries about themselves they might not have been able to access. Years ago I wrote a series of YA romance books and there were sexual themes, and sex in some of them, first-time themes and so on and the amount of letters I got from girls living in very modest societies thanking me for writing about sex in a consensual, beautiful and not scary way was shocking. In my own way, I was teaching young girls from heavily religious areas of the world that sex wasn’t something terrible. Not a bad thing.

So if you like to write romance and want to sharpen your skills or if you want to practise writing romance, then my bundle is available now on Etsy.

Thanks lovers!

K

xx