The basics of romance writing
The guidelines for romance writing are absolutely specific, and each publishing house will happily send them to you. There is a formula behind it, but it also leaves lots of room for creativity. It's a voracious market, quite profitable and growing all the time. Also, new sub-genres or categories are being added all the time. Harlequin is one of the publishers that takes unagented novels, and some series are done by book packagers - they come up with a concept and then hire a group of writers to carry out the theme.
Let's talk about some of the basic elements of romance.
First, of course, it's character. So let's dispel some of the myths about romances - like the heroines are wimps. Modern romance heroines are lively, appealing and in control of their own destiny. The heroine's personality is the foundation for the book. She's not being rescued, can't live without the hero. The old line about writing romances is that the heroine is someone that readers relate to and the hero is someone they can fall in love with. Usually they have their own venue - are often entrepreneurs and professionals. I think making them a flesh-and-blood presence is essential.
Sometimes romances are written from both points of view - but be careful of adding other viewpoints. Romance readers want to concentrate on the relationship, not on what other characters think. Also, romances are sometimes considered mainstream, like LaVyrle Spencer.
Frequently asked questions:
Do romance novels ever cross genre - for instance, fantasy, horror, Christian, sci-fi?
Writing coach: Yes - there is romantic suspense, Christian romance, inspirational romance, paranormal is quite hot. Ghosts are big - Marilyn Campbell, Christina Skye. Also sci-fi romances are definitely a sub-genre. Romantic suspense is the hottest, right now. In romantic suspense the heroine has to be in danger somehow, the element of suspense has to permeate every scene.
I think the genre that is a bit weak is glitz - the setting is exotic, the characters are usually wealthy, the conflict is usually about the control of a business. Romantic suspense is a good idea because it has crossover appeal - not necessarily always sold in romance section of the bookstore.
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