Tag Archive - romance characters

Tips for Weaving Romance into Your Novel

Romance is a part of life, and so it should also play some part in our novels—if we intend for our characters to mirror real life. Even if you don’t write in the romance genre, don’t be too quick to dismiss adding the element of romance to your story.

However, just slapping a few romantic moments into a scene or developing a romantic interest to add flavor may not help your story. In fact, it could even sabotage it.

Depending on your genre and plot, your story structure is going to vary. As will the role romance plays in your novel. And this is important to understand. Continue Reading…

3 Essential Elements to Crafting Believable Romance

(Note: this original post of mine ran on Romance University last year. You can find it via this link.)

Boy meets girl. Sparks fly. They fall instantly in love. Voila! Happily ever after.

Oh, really?

Well, maybe in fairy tales and with couples who are self-delusional or sickeningly codependent. But in real life? Among “normal” people?

Not happening.

Sure, maybe we all wish romantic love worked that way. But wishes don’t reflect real life. And a writer’s job—unless writing a particular type of fantasy story or showcasing highly dysfunctional characters—is to create stories that are slices of life. Continue Reading…

Don’t Make These 5 Mistakes When Writing Romance  

Today’s post is by Stephanie O’Brien.

Whether it’s the main element of the story, or a subplot that adds drama, depth, and higher stakes to your primary plot, romance is a wonderful aspect of a great tale . . . when it’s done right.

But when it’s done wrong, it can frustrate your audience and detract from the quality of the story as a whole.

Here are five mistakes writers often make when writing romance and how to avoid them:

Mistake #1: Dragging out the “will they or won’t they?” phase too long

Some people love the chase. Continue Reading…

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