Table of Contents
First of all, ‘What is a romance story?’ A romance story is a genre fiction novel that places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an “emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending.”
With women being its authors romance stories have undergone various levels of growth, this is most likely why in 2023, over 39 million romance novels were sold in prints invariably this implies that more than 39 million romance books were released.
Likewise, romance novels generated over $1.44 billion in revenue, making romance the highest-earning genre of fiction. With its sales increasing by 52% compared to the previous year, I’ll say this growth has been remarkable.
Based on the above stats, an author who sets out to learn how to write a romance story and eventually become a romance author, will most likely do well.
Subcategories of Romance Story
What are the subcategories of romance novels? Romance story as a category in fiction stories is blessed with diverse subcategories and they are:
- Contemporary Romance
- Young Adult Romance
- Erotic Romance
- Historical Romance
- Regency Romance
- LGBTQ+ Romance
- Romantic Comedy
- Religious Romance
- Paranormal Romance
- Gothic Romance
- Romantic Suspense
The categories above are very promising categories, that you can make your choice from, write, and earn good sales. However, stats have it that the contemporary and suspense romance has the highest sales mark with Contemporary topping the chart.
Examples of Romance Novels
- It End with Us Boxed Set by Colleen Hoover
- With Love, from Cold World by Alicia Thompson
- Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
- Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
- Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
- The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
- Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan
- Happy Place by Emily Henry
- Vision In White by Nora Roberts
- The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
From Romeo and Juliet‘s tragic love story to Rebellion (Nora Roberts) and Americanah (Chimamanda Adichie), romance bestsellers have something in common which is compelling
plots, steamy love scenes, strong characters, sub-genres, structure, and tension/suspense.
Generally speaking, most people love ‘’love’’ and as a writer, you can tap into this and learn how to create such a happy place for them by creating stories that will ignite their hearts with passion and what it means to truly be in love.
Without further ado, we are going to be delving into how you can write a romance story, and in the end, you’ll be able to get started right away.
LEARN HOW TO COME UP WITH A CONCEPT FOR A ROMANCE BOOK COVER DESIGN
How to write a romance story
In writing, there are many ways to begin a story. One such way is to begin with a sensational prologue that will build the reader’s interest in delving deep into the body of the story. You can also choose to start from the beginning, middle, or end, whichever best suits your imagination.
However, to help you get started quickly, I’d love to teach you how to write a romance story in the most practical ways, so I’ll advise you to read on with your pen and paper by your side. Here comes the very first process to follow:
- IDEATION:
By ideation, I am referring to the idea that sparks up a story within you. You have to think deeply about what you want to write about.
But thinking is not enough, so you must come up with an idea that will sell you out to your readers especially if you are a romance ghostwriter for online clients like GoodNovel and the likes. Make sure to jot down your ideas so you can always come back to them and improve them if it doesn’t feel satisfactory to you.
~Now get out a pen and then write out the very first idea that just jumped into your mind right now! This idea could be more than one idea it does not count just let it out champ!~
- OUTLINING YOUR PLOT
A plot is the course of a story, comprising a series of incidents that are gradually unfolded, sometimes by unexpected means.
Outlining your plot helps you create a writing blueprint that guides you in your writing so you won’t fall out from your idea. It is a great tool that helps to shape your storyline.
~Interesting facts about plot outline, now you sketch a mini-outline using the idea you have written down, this won’t take more than 2 minutes!~
- KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS
This is very vital if your story is to succeed. While an idea of how the story should go is important, you also need to know that, characters are the people that bring your story to life.
~Write the two character traits of your protagonists and any other characters you feel like talking about in your story.~
- WHO ARE YOUR READERS
The ability to tell who your readers are matters a lot, if you can’t picture who your readers are before setting out, then you might be addressing your story to the wrong crowd.
The fact is what should you know about your reader before writing your romance book? You have to know their age, sex, and perhaps race.
~Now go ahead and describe your readers, are they young adults or adults?~
- WATCH MOVIES
There’s no better way to draw ideas and create outlines and blurbs than seeing them in a movie, especially love stories.
I should also add that this helps with Writer’s block. Watching movies tends to inspire us as writers and helps us spin off stories from our idea of how the movie should go or spark an idea within them. Examples of such movies are Sound of the Music, Romeo and Juliet, Love in a Pandemic, etc.
~If you’re struggling to get an idea to write about you’re already experiencing writer’s block this is the perfect time to see a romantic movie on Netflix ~
- HAVE A MENTOR
Most importantly go for a mentor, first mentors are experienced individuals who offer their expertise and knowledge to people who need their mentorship. But you’ve to pay for time and skills. however I can assure you that you grow faster with the help of a mentor.
~Look through the internet and search for a romance author that can mentor you~
- READ ROMANCE STORIES
A writer is also a reader. What better way to create romance stories than reading some for yourself and boiling under the steam of reckless and intentional love? There are a whole lot of romance stories and they can be grouped into love-inspired, contemporary romance, historical romance, super romance, and blaze.
Blaze is very steamy for those who love explicit content, highly erotic if you ask me. When a writer opens themselves up to reading, they learn new vocabulary, improve their techniques in writing, form better imagery, and learn new styles of writing.
There are famous romance authors like Nora Roberts and many more whose stories a romance writer can read and develop themselves.
You can also check some good Wattpad stories for inspiration or Wattpad Authors like Sweetdreamer33 (author of The Girl He Never Noticed and other series).
~Don’t write a word just get a romance book and read this will help fuel your imagination and give you crazy ideas to write about!
- PAY ATTENTION TO OTHER WRITER’S STORY AND STYLE
It is not enough to just read, it’s important you also pay attention to the writing styles and techniques used in the stories you read. This tells a great deal about your level of focus. Don’t just read, pay attention to what you are reading.
~We learn by observing the right people do their stuff, want to write a good romance story then pick up an author and study her way of writing!
- CREATE YOUR OWN STYLE
We writers have our own unique way of writing and that’s called “writing style” It’s not hard to come by, you’ve been using it and perhaps never recognized it. If you feel you never had one, then you can create one.
~Write with your style~
- Go Into the Chapters
After all is said and done, now begin your chapters! Don’t think about it, just start. Let your hand guide your pen as your brain and heart scribble down the words. It mustn’t be perfect in the beginning, see it as a draft. Scribble down those words in the tablets of your heart, let the words flow. Thinking about perfection in the beginning ruins the creativity and inspiration in writing.
~Just keep writing~
- BUILD TENSION SLOWLY
In as much as you are writing, remember that tension leads to climax and it is important to create tension subtly when you write so as to hook your readers in for an exceptional ride (winks).
You can also use romance tropes to further gain your reader’s attention such that their minds will be totally enveloped in what they are reading. Remember to always be a step ahead of your readers so that your novel is a page-turner and keeps them coming back for more.
~Have you ever read a book that it felt like you couldn’t stop reading? Make your story that kind~
- EDIT
Now that you’ve written the chapters, read them again. Make corrections where necessary and read it again. Read it to someone you trust and accept corrections. Thus, you might also need an editor but that’s not your concern in the beginning. Besides there are various editing apps you can use to edit your story for free!
~Download Grammarly~
- DON’T GIVE UP
You need to motivate yourself. A country wasn’t built in one day. Keep pushing, keep trying, and don’t strive for perfection in the beginning. YOU’VE GOT THIS.
REMINDER-
In all that has been aforementioned, I hope you understand that there is nothing impossible for you to do, it’s all in your mind. Quick one learn how to promote your book here and also learn how to write a book marketing plan here.