Writing a romance novel may seem simple. All you have to do is tap into the depths of human emotions and create a strong connection between the readers and your characters. However, while the idea may seem achievable, the path to accomplishment can be filled with several problems.
Here are some of the best tips to help you write a romance novel that sells.
1. Create Emotional Resonance
Understanding the interests of the audience is crucial for writers in every genre, but it becomes even more significant when crafting a love story. You must understand how to make the reader laugh, cry, hate, and empathize.
Once you understand the interests of your audience, you must focus on making the emotions relatable and sincere. A combination of understanding your audience and engaging them effectively can help you create a memorable impact as a romance writer.
2. Give Flaws to Your Characters
Whether introducing a villain or the protagonist, you must remember that no one is perfect, even in your fictional world. If your characters are perfect, they will no longer be relatable to your target audience.
While creating your characters, you must give them flaws and imperfections. These qualities cannot only make your characters more relatable for the audience but also help you advance your plot forward when writing. Relatable flaws will also help readers create an unforgettable connection with your characters.
3. Improve Your Dialogues
Dialogues play an important role in determining how readers and critics will perceive your romance novel. Dialogues are not just a medium for you to convey information to the readers by stating the obvious. It is your chance to convey emotions.
Instead of wasting such a crucial opportunity on sharing repetitive lines with your readers, you can use action or subtle cues to bridge the gap between the character’s actions and the reader’s perceptions. This approach will give your readers the depth of emotional states they need.
4. Pay Attention to Antagonists
One of the biggest mistakes novice authors may make while writing a romance novel is to focus all their energies on the protagonist and the character they are pursuing. This mistake often leads to the antagonist being overlooked.
Just as you have been guided to focus on the flaws of your main characters to humanize them, you must also give some good qualities to your antagonists. This practice can help you add much-needed tension and excitement to your novel.
5. Add a Twist
Romance novels can become dull without obstacles or restrictions. They need some resistance, from society, family, or any other superior power. Therefore, romance writers need to spice things up to keep readers engaged. You can explore the concept of forbidden love to make your love story more intense.
Following the forbidden love approach, you can make it harder for the lovers of your novel to find each other. Every twist and turn will make your readers more eager for your characters to meet. Hence, you will be able to make your characters and novel more engaging.
6. Think About Love Triangles
If you have run out of ways to make your love story engaging, considering a love triangle is a great possibility. Although love triangles are fairly common in love stories, you can still make things work with a creative spirit and the right inspiration.
Love triangles make it easier for the authors to create intriguing and complex situations, especially when every character has clear motivations and goals. Following this approach will also allow you to make choices that are more challenging for your audience.
7. Leverage Unexpected Gestures
According to the National Herald, some 39 million printed copies were sold in the twelve months leading up to May 2023, marking a 50% increase from the previous year. With so many romance books being written every now and then, you can understand that your target audience has an array of options.
In such a competitive genre, finding your place can feel like a challenge. However, you can make things easier by using unexpected gestures. You do not have to rely on conventional ways of expressing love in your romance novel. Instead, surprise your characters and readers with unexpected romantic gestures.
8. Use Flashbacks
Another creative way to capture your readers’ interest in your story is by incorporating flashbacks. This writing technique is highly regarded within the writing community and is widely appreciated by readers, as it provides the best way to introduce and develop the characters.
While the readers can see your character’s present and make guesses about their past, flashbacks are the only way to educate them about the character’s past. This information can help you reinforce the motivations, traits, and goals characters have to the readers in the best possible way.
9. Read More
If you have just started your writing journey as an aspiring romance novelist, you must consider reading more. Reading more romance novels before you start writing your own can help you understand the genre and the audience.
As you read different romance novels praised in the relevant communities, you will learn more about what the reader’s expectations are from books in the genre. In addition, you will also learn about the things to avoid while writing to ensure the success of your work.
10. Hire an Editor
Whether you are thinking about publishing your romance novel for the first time or have been on this path several times before, you must understand the importance of having the best freelance romance editors by your side.
Romance editors are professionals who understand the genre inside out. They do not only take responsibility for correcting grammatical or lexical mistakes in your manuscript. These professionals also have an in-depth understanding of the genre and reader’s expectations, making them the best professionals to have by your side.
Make sure to choose an editor with relevant experience and good reviews when finalizing the best editor for your book. Their expertise will help improve your current work and ensure your success as an author in the future.
