Romance Writing Tips

A Fine Romance
It’s stating the obvious, but romance is vital to any romantic fiction and needs to be central to your story. You can mix in other themes and genres, such as a mystery to solve or a pointed commentary on modern living, but it’s the passion between two (or more!) people which takes precedence. Don’t short-change your readers by starting out with what appears to be a romance, but ends as a political thriller.

Market Research
If you want to submit your stories to magazines, do your research. Read your target publications to see what kind of material they print, and contact the magazine itself to ask for their guidelines. You will undoubtedly get some rejections at first, but take note of any advice they provide in the rejection letter – if they’ve taken the time to give you a personal response, the chances are you’re on the right lines!

Spicing Things Up
Clichés are a fact of life, but try to avoid them at all costs. Play with the words to make them fresh and even a creaky line like, ‘He kissed her tenderly on the lips,’ can be spiced up with some imagination. Alternatively, make something unique about the setting or whatever happens next so that your work stands out. Be careful with comedy though – it needs to be carefully administered and a misplaced gag can ruin the romantic effect you’re trying to create.

Writing tips found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/getwriting/module26p.

On Writing Romance

Here is an interesting essay about writing romance that I found at the BBC – Get Writing website.

Writing Romantic Fiction
by Katie Fforde

A Broad Genre
The Brontës, Sophie Kinsella, Phillippa Gregory, Helen Fielding and Jane Austen – they all write or wrote romantic fiction. It’s a large and generous genre but while many books have a romantic element, they can’t all be classed as romantic fiction. For example, The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk has a wonderful thread of romance running through it, but the romantic aspect isn’t what the book is about.

Romantic novels are mostly aimed at and written by women, but not exclusively so – some books are also written by men. Some men found it expedient to write under women’s names, but nowadays I don’t think it’s necessary. Alan Titchmarsh, Tony Parsons and Mike Gale, for example, all fit comfortably under the umbrella. Books with a male protagonist have all the same elements but from a different angle, because men and women share many of the same doubts and uncertainties.

But think very hard about writing from a woman’s point of view if you’re a man – your readers will notice instantly if you get it wrong. Women writing from a male perspective are more likely to get away with it simply because most of their readers are women themselves and so are less likely to notice mistakes.

The romance in a romantic novel doesn’t need to be traditional, but there has to be some element of sexual desire. The relationship between a mother and son, however touching, would not qualify. The protagonists certainly don’t have to be a man and a woman, the man being older, cleverer and richer than the woman. Same sex relationships, older women with younger men, people of different races and religions can all work very well if you really know your background.

Book: A Mankind Witch

Title: A Mankind Witch
Author: Dave Freer
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 352 pgs

Summary: Cair Aiden, one of the Redbeard Raider brothers, a pair of corsair seacaptains, has washed ashore in Norseland and made a thrall (slave) of the Telemark kingdom. This is a new phenomenon for him–Cair has always been master of his own fate, and just because he is now a thrall doesn’t make him believe differently. Studying his surroundings and the internal politics of this little kingdom of Telemark, set in the 16th Century, Cair manipulates his way into being the personal thrall of the Princess Signy, who is unknowingly at the center of an immense plot to throw the Christian oath-bearers out of the country and allow dark magics to reign supreme.

Excerpts:
pg 216 – Cair swept aimlessly. His mind was a ferment. First, relief that she was, it appeared, both alive and unhurt. Secondly, at her reaction. Seeing her, smiling down at him, it had been a holiday with his wits. Cair was finally prepared to admit to himself that he–he of all people–was hopelessly in love with the girl-child*. And to her he was a loyal thrall, to be trusted enough to carry steel. Not even quite human. To be cherished, yes, as she did her horse. And yet, when he made her laugh in that dark place–it was all right. He would be her thrall, if he could make her happy.

pg 232 – Head bowed, trying to look even smaller and more unimportant than she felt, Signy walked out of the troll queen’s throne chamber and down into the troll hill. Here she was–”Signy you can’t do anything right,” “Signy you are so clumsy you can’t be trusted with anything”–with a skeleton key. His only key. A map which she couldn’t read. Intructions she was terrified of having to follow. And it wasn’t “Signy you can’t succeed at anything.” The thrall simply assumed that she would. It was a frightening and somehow uplifting belief. The little hard core of her honor that was the essence of Signy Siglunddottir was determined to do it. She kept a wary watch while he set the trap rope. At his gesture she moved past the door toward noisome cells, and waited, willing herself to be invisible.

*Worderella note: Signy the girl-child is 24 yrs old.

Why should you read this book?
It reads very much like Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. The beginning is slow, full of slight backstory so we are acquainted with the characters even while watching their present actions. There is a lot of political intrigue. Apparently, it’s also part of a three-part story, where two of the main characters are the only main characters in the other two books, or so the narrative in this book leads me to believe. I probably won’t be reading those, because I like how this one felt like a stand-alone. So, for you writers, read this book for an authentic feel for setting and history; especially in terms of all these Norse words that the characters use like it’s no big deal. It’s a big deal to me, I almost put the book down because I felt like I had to learn some other language to understand the story. Luckily, Freer told me what the words meant just as I was getting frustrated, and I read on.

Read this book for a well-planned romance that isn’t the main point of the story. Instead, I would say this story is about self-empowerment. For both men and women, really, because all the characters at one point completely believe they will fail. By the end of the book, Freer utilizes the same trick Maguire does, which is to make his chapters shorter, so you feel like you’re flying with the characters through this intense action. Overall, a good read. The characters are tangible and funny. The setting is believable and integral to the plot. The plot itself feels original to me, but that might be because I only have a moderate understanding of Norse mythology. I did recognize the villains from what I do know about Norse mythology, and yet, I was still interested. I still don’t quite know their motivation behind their actions, except that as dark creatures they want more power, but I suppose that’s just another reason to read this book and learn from Freer’s mistakes and successes. Give it a try, I’ve decided I liked this book.

Book: Once Upon a Marigold

Title: Once Upon a Marigold
Author: Jean Ferris
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 272 pgs

Summary: The hook on the front cover of this book reads Part comedy, part love story, part everything-but-the-kitchen-sink. This book is actually a young adult fantasy, and I didn’t realize that until I found the book in that section of my local library, but hey. I have loved Ferris ever since I read her Rosie & Raider trilogy (Into the Wind, Song of the Sea, and Weather the Storm). …I can’t believe I remembered the characters and titles without looking them up. Seriously, I read these books when I was thirteen. Anyway, Once Upon a Marigold is about Christian, a little boy who runs away to live with a forest troll, and spends his developmental years roaming the forest and reading every book he can “borrow.” All the while, Christian uses his foster father’s telescope to watch the goings-on in the royal castle across the river, and subsequently, falls in love with the “ugly duckling” Princess Marigold. This is a time when p-mail (aka pidgeon-mail) is modern, when Queen Mab of toothfairy fame is losing control of her business, and when a curse may not be a curse after all.

Excerpt:
pg 48 – And that was how their long p-mail correspondence began.

April 19. I’m 17. I’m an Aries. Why did you decide to write to me? – Marigold

You seemed so absorbed in your book. I wanted to know what you were reading. – C

For some reason, he was reluctant to tell her his name. The more anonymous he stayed, the bolder he felt–as if he were someone else, an alternate version of himself, a version who casually corresponded with a princess. A version who couldn’t tell her his own birthday because he didn’t know it.

You can see me? – Marigold
P.S. What does the C stand for?

He thought her first question sounded a bit alarmed, as most people would be if they found out they were being watched. But the fact that she’d added a P.S. meant she was curious about him, which he took as a good sign. He debated a long time about how to answer.

Sometimes I can see you. The C stands for my name.

Why should you read this book?
Because it’s actually pretty funny, and funny is hard to do in books. It starts a little slow, but the characters are vivid, and interesting, and are people I wouldn’t mind knowing in real life. And let me tell you, writing young adult fiction is hard. You have to get the exact amount of detail in there so the reader understands just what you want them to understand, without losing their interest. The plot runs really quickly as soon as Christopher starts to interact with Marigold, and you’ll find yourself skimming just to know what happens next. But don’t do it. Read it thoroughly and enjoy the pacing and narrative voice, and learn something from it. Once Upon a Marigold is great for anyone wanting to learn how to speed up their story, and to make their characters seem vivid (if a little stereotyped for some of the secondary roles).

Book: Green Rider

Title: Green Rider
Author: Kristen Britain
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 480 pgs

Summary: Karigan G’ladheon has been unfairly kicked from school because she, the daughter of a mere (if rich) merchan, insulted a spoiled heir in a sword fight. Instead of facing the suspension board, Karigan decides to run away from school and make her way home. Seems like a good plan, until a rider dressed in green with two black arrows in his back blocks her path and asks that she finish his mission by sending an important message to the king. Being the spontaneous girl she is, Karigan accepts, and thus begins the typical fantasy story about the journey from being an innocent, ignorant, yet fiesty, schoolgirl to an experienced warrior who may not know what her future holds, but at least knows she has the strength to withstand just about anything.

Why should you read this book?
Ok, I admit it, I picked this book up because it had the word “green” in the title and I basically love all things green. I was actually searching for a different book, one that was actually on my reading list, when I stumbled upon this one. All in all, a good read. Nothing spectacularly interesting, Britain tends to rely on a lot of fantasy cliches. The redeeming factor, thankfully, is the main character. Karigan is a strong female lead in a predominantly male-led genre, and is easy to relate to despite her dangerous path.

I will say, however, that this book felt long. It was interesting, but I put it down a couple times because Karigan’s “wild ride” lasted almost half the length of the book. By the time Karigan reaches her destination, there’s a lot left to happen and I inwardly groaned at where my bookmark sat in the pages. Read this if you’re looking for a strong female lead who has more on her mind than the usual stereotypic schoolgirl, and be as confused as I am that a “mere schoolgirl” still apparently attracts kings and lords and dark elves. How old is Karigan, anyway? And why can’t we have stand-alone fantasies anymore? I hear the sequel is even longer than this was, which has me thinking twice about reading it. A respectable read, but nothing to inspire the writing muse, in my mind.

Book: The Slightest Provocation

Title: The Slightest Provocation
Author: Pam Rosenthal
Genre: Historical Romance
Length: 352 pgs

Summary: In the tradition of Romeo and Juliet, Mary Penley and Kit Stansell of the Regency feuding Penley and Stansell families elope, after nourishing a secret friendship from their early teens. Their first year of marriage is one long honeymoon night, if you get my drift, but when Kit is teased by his club friends for only lusting after his wife (how provincial!!), he dallies with an actress and catches a disease such that he can’t go to bed with Mary for a year. This doesn’t stop him from going to other actresses, however, and to get back at him, Mary allows Kit’s best friend to seduce her. Of course, Kit walks in on them, and that’s just the backstory.

When the book actually starts, Kit and Mary have been separated for nine years, during the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon is finally defeated, and Kit and Mary are returning to England, worried by rumors that there is an insurgency threatening their homeland.

Why should you read this book?
I can see what Rosenthal was trying to do with this book, partially because I read her group blog, History Hoydens. She took an actual event from history, threw in her own fictional characters who would have access to the people involved, and went from there. Rosenthal is completely correct in the debauchery of married Regency couples, so I guess I can’t complain on that aspect, except that, in reading this book, I kind of felt like the plot was completely secondary to Kit and Mary’s lust for one another, which apparently never died even after nine years of separation. Sure, we’re reading about English countryside intrigue, and we’re also learning about Kit and Mary through their memories of one another. Their realization that they got married much too young is apparent, and that they’re trying to work through their history is admirable. I don’t know. I have mixed feelings, but I’m primarily disappointed. The cover is just so pretty, I hoped to read something that would both impress and touch me, but instead, I found myself just making sure I was reading it alone because it felt… naughty haha.

The novel is well-written, but I didn’t read anything that particularly spoke to me, or made me want to write it down as a quote, which is why there aren’t any excerpts with this book. So, I would say this book left me with an “eh” sort of feeling once I finished. Also, why were we paying attention to the lovelife of Mary’s servant? It didn’t really add anything to the story except that it made the character a little more 3D. Take it or leave it, this book probably isn’t meant for my demographic.

Sweet vs Spicy

Recently, a friend and I were discussing trends in the romance industry. She would like to see an upswing in historicals, specifically, Victorian-set historicals. “But,” she says, “historicals seem to have gone either super-sweet, or super-erotic. I want something in the middle, like they used to be.”

The previous was taken from the most recent blog post at Romancing the Blog. On the one hand, I’m glad to see I’m currently writing something someone is looking for: a Victorian-set historical which could be categorized as sweet. And so my topic for this entry emerges…

Why is sweet romance looked down upon as immature and YA (young adult) only?

Let’s define sweet romance. A sweet romance is a romance in which the characters never get past kissing. It is, in other words, a polite romance; a romance of manners, if you will. Erotic romance, the other extreme of the polarized romance world, can be anything from PG-13 to XXX. Why has sweet romance been marginalized as young adult fiction, an immature attempt at romance, or a fiction that ignores a very integral part of life (sex, to be blatant)? It might be because erotic fiction has been the big trend for the last couple years. It might be because our society, in general, is more obsessed with sex than ever (take a look around. How many underwear commercials have you seen lately?). It might be because our nation is a collection of work-a-holics who are too tired to act out our fantasies with whomever we come home to, so it’s easier to get our kicks from a book. It might be all these reasons, it might be none of these reasons.

My mother and I are looking for fiction that is between sweet and erotic. I want to be able to read something that, on the surface, seems very innocent, but because of the context (the characters, the setting, the emotions involved) is breathtaking and page-turning. I want to read something where, sure, the main characters never get past a kiss maybe, but have made such a connection that simply touching the other’s cheek not only makes the heroine blush, it makes me jealous. That is the sort of fiction I hope I’m writing. I want to be able to write fiction that I can enjoy, and the sort of fiction I enjoy seems to be…gone.

Romancing the Blog is correct in saying romance is polarized, and I find it very frustrating. That isn’t to say I don’t love sweet romances, if I want to feel good that is most likely the first thing I’m going to pick up. If I feel a little spicy, I’ll try an erotic, but by the end, I usually feel a little dirty. It’s not something I’m comfortable reading, so I can hardly go about writing it. I just hate the idea that there isn’t an in-between anymore. You can be sensual without being sexual. Appeal to the mind and heart, not the body…that’s what I hope to do, and hope to make a market for. There’s a gap in romance lit, I hope to fill it.

Book: Bright Arrows by Grace Livingston Hill

Title: Bright Arrows
Author: Grace Livingston Hill
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Length: 352 pgs

Bright Arrows by Grace Livingston Hill is one of her many “feel good” inspirational romances. I first read Hill in seventh grade, after being told that Out of the Storm (originally written under her pseudonym Marcia Macdonald) was a “Worderella book.” Hill’s plots are simple yet elegant, if slightly dated because she was writing at the turn of the century until her death in 1947. All of her books have a definite message: all paths lead to God. Whether you agree with that or not, and whether you can get past the often-quaint plots, Hill is a pretty good read.

Summary: This particular book is about a young woman who just lost her beloved father from an accident. Her scheming cousin and aunt through marriage only, come in search of her jewels and inheritance. Her schoolmates are coming home from WWII thinking to marry her, even though they call her morals and beliefs antiquated. I will say this: this is a great book for people who feel like a total outcast, no matter the reason, and sends an encouraging message to stand firm.

Why should you read this book?
If you are trying to break into the inspirational romance market, Grace Livingston Hill is a good place to start. She was so prolific during her lifetime that there are many examples to read, and at least you will have an understanding of where the genre came from.