My Top Five Romance Writing Tips

I’ve been writing romances for Carina UK/Harlequin for a few years now. I’ve published six ebooks and am currently in the process of writing three more. During that time I’ve learned a few things, simple but useful things, that I thought might be worth sharing. Here they are, in no particular order of importance:

1. Never let your success go to your head.

We’ve all seen it happen. An author writes a book; it may (or may not) be all that good, but it sells out faster than front-row tickets to a Prince concert.

Suddenly the author – formerly a nice enough, well-mannered person – morphs into a combination of Miranda Priestly, Joan Crawford, and Maleficent.

I’ve been lucky enough to have that little yellow #1 banner next to a couple of my own ebooks, and it felt fantastic. I took screen shots. I shrieked. I did a really embarrassing dance around the living room.

But I never forget that in the end, it’s the readers who buy my books. It’s the overworked mom, the librarian, the secretary who finds escape in the pages of a book while she grabs a sandwich and a diet soda at her desk. The fact that someone laid out their hard-earned cash to read a story I wrote is incredibly humbling. I don’t ever want to let those readers down, and I’ll never, ever take them for granted.

2. Take occasional breaks from writing.

Burnout is a very real possibility when you’re an author. If your publishing contract specifies three books and sets a specific deadline for each one of those books, you the writer must deliver. You might be able to wrangle an extension of a week or two; but that’s about all you can reasonably expect. Excuses won’t cut it.

This means writing at least 2-3,000 words a day, five to six days a week. If I stick to that schedule, I can finish a book within eight weeks. But it can lead to burnout, fatigue, and general grouchiness. Some days my brain literally hurts. Some days I hate my characters and just wish they’d figure out their own damned problems and leave me the hell alone.

When I start to feel like that, I know it’s time to give myself a break. So I watch an episode of “Master Chef,” or read a couple of chapters of someone else’s book, or I walk my dog for twenty minutes, and when I’m finished, I feel rejuvenated and ready to tackle the next chapter.

3. Always include a happy ending.

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a romance novel in search of readers must have a happy ending.

It doesn’t matter how that happy ending comes about or how long it takes; but by the time the reader finishes your story, the two main characters should find love. Of course they’ll face conflict throughout the book, and the conflict must be real, and not easily resolved…but before the reader reaches “The End,” Bridget and Mark, Lizzie and Darcy, or Jane and Mr Rochester must find their way to a real and lasting happiness.

4. Always try to find the right words.

My first book, “Prada and Prejudice,” was a learning experience in many respects. It was my first published work, and it was the first time my efforts had been reviewed by an editor.

One of her comments – and she had twelve pages of them – was to “add more emotion.” I already had the who, what, where, and why; I had the characters; I had plenty of page-turning things happening. But I’d glossed over one of the most important things in a romance novel – emotion.

How did Natalie Dashwood feel the first time Rhys Gordon kissed her? What were her thoughts? What was that kiss like? Did he feel the same? I needed to show those things, and choosing emotive words and descriptions served to clarify Natalie’s (and sometimes Rhys’s) feelings to the reader.

Another challenge, and one that’s unique to my status as an American writing British characters, is finding the right words. I keep a little notebook filled with Britishisms like ‘knackered,’ ‘knickers,’ ‘knackers,’ ‘punter,’ and ‘porkies.’ It’s almost like learning a new language.

But choosing the proper word – the word an English person would use versus one an American would say – is important. I want to try and get it right, and I hope that – at least most of the time – I do.

5. Be proud of your accomplishments as a writer.

Writing a book isn’t easy. It’s not something everyone can do. It’s hard work to get it right, harder still to implement revisions, and it means giving up a lot of other things – things like hanging out with friends, or reading the latest bestseller, or watching the latest episodes of your favorite TV shows.

But it’s worth every bit of the stuff you give up when a reader tells you how much they loved your story, how much they liked your characters, or when they want to know when your next book will be published. There’s no better feeling in the world.

Even if you’re not published, but you’ve written a book and you’ve finished it all the way to the bitter end, you should pat yourself on the back. You might not be Dostoyevsky or J.D Salinger…but you’re a writer, nonetheless.

You’ve written a book. That makes you a success. (Just don’t let it go to your head.)