The Writers Page

Anna Michelle Page

"Frankly, I don't care what genre a reader thinks my book is, as long as it gets him to pick it up."

                                       Quote by: Jodi Picoult (The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing by Writer's Digest)

"Honestly...this is why I write. I write to get the happy ending I sometimes feel is eluding me. I write for my sanity."

                                             Quote by: Debora Dennis

    Debora Dennis said it perfectly in the quote above. Romance is the happy ending that eludes us. To discover the secrets of a successful romance, the writer will have to first pick the trope and follow the beat sheet, then decide whether their romance will have one or more subgenre(s).

THE TROPES of Romance

There are more tropes for romance than I can list here, so I will mention just a few. 

 

• Friends to lovers
• Forbidden love
• Fake relationship
• Trapped
• Enemies to lovers

For a more comprehensive list, go to: 

    https://eviealexanderauthor.com/150-romance-novel-tropes/ 

THE BEATS of Romance

1. Introduce the 1st protagonist
2. Introduce the 2nd protagonist
3. The two meet, called a: Meet Cute
4. Reveal the reason this couple isn't a good match
5. By raising the stakes, you've reached the Turning Point
6. The Midpoint - they are in love
7. The Big Problem - they cannot be together
8. 2nd turning point - Another obstacle
9. Love is impossible - all is lost
10. HEA - Happily Ever After

The Meet Cute must have 3 criteria for a successful romance.

1. Chemistry
2. Tension
3. Conflict

SUBGENRE's of Romance

Nearly every subgenre written works with a romance. Here are a few. To find more, go to: 

    https://darlagdenton.com/2015/03/04/what-are-the-most-popular-sub-genres-in-romance-how-do-they-compare/

• Contemporary
• Historical
• Thriller
• Fantasy
• Paranormal
• Comedy
• Erotica

And my personal favorite subgenre is transnational romance. 

Play around with these genres. Nothing says you can't mix them together.

Successful Romance's need:

1. Happily Ever After
2. Must have 2↑ compelling protagonists
3. Hit the romance beats
4. Is the 'love story' believable
5. The denial/resistance
6. Have you affectively built the highs/lows 
7. The end - worth waiting for

To Create Your Success as a Romance Author:

• Figure out what you enjoy reading
• Drama
• Thriller
• Comedy
• Have you trained yourself on the expectations of romance?
• An outline will help keep you within the borders of those expectations
• Does 'love' remain at the forefront of importance in your story?
• Have you invested the time in learning the language of love?
• Can you repel the heartache of rejection and keep writing?

Begin:

• Learn your craft. Anyone can put one sentence after another. A writer goes the extra mile
• Create characters that want an 'all-consuming' something
• Make characters that seem real
• Creates empathy from the reader
• Characters with complex personalities
• Surprise the reader
• Get into the character's inner thoughts
• Create conflict
• Define the motivation that keeps the characters together and apart
• Write. Rewrite. Write again. Pluck every word, every sentence, every piece of clutter ruthlessly from your writing
• Join a writer's group and learn from the critiques of other writers
• https://thewritelife.com/find-a-critique-partner/
• Get a comfortable chair, a seat pad, learn to sit up straight, and toughen your exterior
• Get tough cause your heart will be broken
• You are going to believe your writing is brilliant 
• Rejection is easier if you are ready for it
• Rejection isn't personal
• Be forewarned - years later, after hard work and lots of writing, your early work will one day be an embarrassment 

Turn the page,

Anna Michelle