Tips Corner

Falling in Love

A romance is about two characters falling in love. Readers expect all the juicy details including who, where, when, why and how.

In our discussion on what turns us off a romance story, instant love rated high along with suddenly going from hate to love, often for no apparent reason.

Long descriptions of appearances or clothes also got the thumbs down.

In a romance, we prefer to read about how the leading characters feel about each other and how this develops into love. Whatever else happens must either help or hinder this process.

Often a romance story doesn't do well because there is too much emphasis on things other than the relationship. Perhaps the lead character is more interested in getting that job, nights out with friends or solving a mystery.

If something overshadows or is irrelevant to the romance, the story might even fly right into another genre. For example, a mafia story that concentrates on fleeing from the bad guys together becomes an adventure story.

Unlike in an adventure story where a physical journey is appreciated, in a romance, a more abstract emotional journey is expected.

So in order to write that romance -

How do we show what our characters are feeling?

How can we use story events to change how our characters feel for each other?

What emotional journeys can the characters undergo during the story?

Please leave your suggestions to these in the comments below and together we might figure out how to plot a great romance story.

Points raised will be summarised at a later date with shout outs for some enthusiastic contributors.

Mary -ambassador