Welcome, API Romance Authors!
This chapter aims to teach those of you interested in writing Asian & Pacific Islander Romance. Please note that this is a short guide as we hope you will use your own writing style to tell the story!
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What is Asian & Pacific Islander Romance?
Asian & Pacific Islander Romance is a subset of romance filled with Asia and Pacific Islander-inspired stories. While you don't have to be of Asian and/or Pacific Islander descent to put together an Asian & Pacific Islander Romance story, it's important you do your due diligence to ensure you have a compelling story and one that pays homage to Asian & Pacific Islander culture in a way that doesn't offend other individuals.
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Steps for Writing Asian & Pacific Islander Romance
STEP 1: PICK YOUR GENRE
What kind of story do you want to tell? Are you interested in writing a chicklit story with many twists and turns, or a romantic comedy like a drama? Like any other genre, Asian & Pacific Islander Romance can mix with other genres and/or subgenres. The genre you select will affect how your story will play out and who your characters are. It will also determine what your setting will be.
STEP 2: PICK YOUR CHARACTER AND SETTING
Asian & Pacific Islander Romance stories are known for featuring Asian and/or Pacific Islander protagonists. Take a moment to think about who your character is, what their goals are, and where the story will take place. How you mold your character will impact their development as your story progresses. You don't have to create a full character chart if that's not your comfort zone, but just think about three things: (1) personality; (2) goals; and (3) obstacles keeping them from achieving their goals.
Your character should have some meaning to you. You want their journey in the story to represent a larger message to the reader. A question you should ask yourselves is whether you will have enough research to write a character and if you have reliable sensitivity readers or beta readers to assist you in preparing the narrative. It's also important to acknowledge that if you're writing about a character with a background different than yours, you may not be the right person to tell the story. However, if you demonstrate your willingness to learn and to take constructive criticism, anything is possible! It shows you respect that culture and you're taking all the steps necessary to ensure you are portraying the culture and its people in an accurate way.
Your setting may be influenced by a real place, or it could be a completely new fantasy world that you've poured your heart into. Setting is important because it can provide context to any events or conflicts that may be happening in the story, or that you plan to happen in the story. Is your story taking place in a fictional place like a fantasy realm you've created from scratch? Is it inspired by an existing place? Regardless of whether you are using a real place or a fictional place inspired by something real, consider all the elements needed to make that world real.
Consider asking those who live in that country in order to better understand how society works, what cultural values are present, and courting practices between couples. For example, do characters enter matchmaking sessions? Do they engage in arranged marriages? How are divorces perceived in that culture? Don't be afraid to explore all your options.
Another element of setting is when the story takes place. It can help provide context to your world's resources, cultural values, technology, and how knowledge is passed down through the generations. Although you don't need to incorporate all your world building details into the story, you should be layering it in as you write so the reader can learn with your main character. It's always good to have more information than less, so you don't disrupt your writing and have to go back and develop a concept more.
STEP 3: RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH!
When you write a story that is influenced by real cultures and people, it's important to do your research to ensure things are accurate and considerate to those cultures. When conducting research, use credible sources. Some ways to ensure you are using viable resources is to check multiple sites to see if they share the same thoughts. Also, check the endings of the domains. You can typically rely on sources with ".org" and ".gov" at the end of a URL. You'll also want to seek out sensitivity readers with knowledge in the particular backgrounds you are researching. Everyone's experience is different, so the more people you can find to provide feedback, the better.
When you are conducting your research, remember there are cultural differences. Asia is a big continent and there are many nations included in Pacific Islander culture, so it's important to not assume all of its countries share the same values, beliefs, and traditions. Each are unique and an adventure to learn about in their own way.
STEP 4: PICK YOUR THEMES & TROPES
What message do you want your story to send? Understanding this will help you identify potential themes in your story. If you would like to see a comprehensive list of themes in books and films, please check out this link >>>
What tropes would you like to include in your story? This can help shape character relationships, and even identify romantic relationships. If you would like to see a comprehensive list of character tropes in books and films, please check out the following links (available as in-inline comments on the side):
✿ Character, Setting, and Plot Tropes
✿ Romance Tropes
✿ Genre Tropes
✿ Narrative Tropes
✿ Topical Tropes
STEP 5: WHAT NOW?
Once you have everything ready, start writing! You may have questions come up as your write, but that's okay! Whether you are a plotter or a planner, you will succeed when you do your best!
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Please let us know if you found this guide helpful! If there's anything you'd like to see us post, please let us know.
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