How to Write a Romance Novel

Romance is the most popular genre, and with a huge range of sub-genres and niches, it encompasses an incredibly wide range of stories! This week, we're talking about how to write romance. We'll start out with some genre-basics and general things to know in this video, and in the next chat about some common tropes you might find in your romance story!

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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Intro
0:55 - Finding your niche
1:51 - Create an immersive setting
2:46 - Create your lead characters
5:55 - Pick your tropes
6:45 - Writing intimacy
7:55 - Create your secondary characters
9:40 - Write a happy ending

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[missaxou]

I'm actually trying to write a romance. But as I myself don't have much experience in romantic relationships, it's kind of hard 🥲

[jackquentin]

"Say, the main character moves to a new town and don't have a job and the love interest owns a bookstore and so they give them a job in their bookstore."

Me: laughs nervously and hides the drafts of my novel where an accomplished musician goes to a countryside to escape his trauma and meets a bookstore owner who happens to be his future love interest.

[billyalarie]

please if you can, talk about magical realism!

[CassidyDrew]

You should do a video on how to write dystopian and/or sci-fi!

[sazmarie]

Please talk about lit fic or coming of age novels. Ones that span decades! That’s basically all I read and I really want to write one!

[inthemakingof]

I'm a guy but I'm getting into writing romance a little bit, ive got one in the works now.

[aliciacharlene]

Hi, good afternoon. I’ve learnt so much from this video. Thanks to Shaylene and the Reedsy team for making this. It’s very enjoyable and useful to beginners like me. Btw, I’m going to start writing my romance novel later on, wish me luck!!

[paulapoetry]

I wrote a Romance short story to explore whether or not I liked writing the genre. I couldn't imagine writing a Romance novel, at this point. But I like Romance and Women's Fiction, as a reader.

[rev]

Have you ever tried writing a romance novel? (Does Holding a Ghost count as romance?)

[vondakayb]

Interesting and compelling past ! That's easy !

[Jantonio]

I found your channel a bit ago, and God am I so glad I did. Took my writing test for Law School and felt so easy!

[JoleCannon]

I have a question. I'm writing a m/m romance set in the late 90s. I have a few locations. The club at the start (where MMC1 realizes he doesn't fit into the world of gay standards and begins to doubt he is lovable), his home, his work and the sandwich shop him and his friend go to for lunch and discuss topics. He goes to a local bar a few times with friends, and a ball game in San Jose once with a friend. MMC2's areas are his house, his parents house (where he is reminded he is single and should settle down already because he's 35) and his church (where he struggles with the conflict between his religious beliefs and his attraction to men), then the park where MMC1 and MMC2 spend time together. It's a friends to lovers trope. So, is that too many locations? I'm not sure how to narrow it down. Thanks for all the advice you give. It's been extremely helpful.

[Gcherry]

I haven't tried to write romance (except for a scene or two for some characters I had a long time ago). I don't really read romance novels, but I do love cute romance webtoons and thought it was kind of neat comparing what Shaelin said to those comics.

[Low_violin]

I'd love to see how to write a War novel 😁

[michaelcain]

I’ve written 5 romcoms. I’d read a couple, and watched hundreds. But I didn’t know the rules. So they, though funny and sexy, don’t have the desired romantic punch needed. One is so bad I’ve unpublished it. And my first is so terrible I can’t stand to even try to rewrite it. But, between immersing myself in videos like this, and reading and rereading Romancing the Beat, I’m going to try and get it right with my new novel. So yes, knowing the rules before writing a romance novel is far superior to going in blind and maybe/probably not hitting these beats by accident.

[Kodochafanever]

Thank you so much for covering this! I finally decided to finish a novel this year and this is exactly what I needed!

[genevieve]

this helped me flesh out all my little ideas! thank you so much for all the great advice

[WhiskeyBlack]

I always forget you do vids on Reedsy & every time I see one I get so excited.

[singularityawaits]

I am writting my first novel (first anything). I struggle to think what genere it fits. Is as much about heartbreak, maturing, self forgiveness and second chances under a new light as it’s about romance. And then there is a sci-fi element to the twist.

[jacobit]

I'm planning to write something that seems like a romance novel. I feel like everything I write doesnt fall clearly into a cliché genre title. It's like I'm writing on a shard of glass between topics.