The Types of Romance
In today's multi-genre world, romance has invaded most types of fiction. You have fairy-tale romance where the damsel in distress is usually rescued by the hero and they ride off into the sunset to live happily ever after. Historical romances are popular and tend to follow specific rules not entirely unlike the typical historical novel. Contemporary romances are a little more modern, allowing the heroine to take more control than historical or fairy-tale romances permit.
And of course you have the cross-genre romances. Thriller romance, adventure romance, and even science fiction romance are suddenly more common these days. Fantasy romance is a cross-genre that's quickly gaining strength, as my novels Arianna's Tale and Thief's Heartache will attest to.
What does all this mean for an author? It means that you should know exactly what kind of romance you're writing before you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, as the case may be). You'll have to know your own style to really decide. But know what you're doing before you start or your romance novel will be a real mess.
Writing a Romance Novel
What makes a romance novel is a very specific sequence of events. The couple meets, there's an attraction, they fall in love, conflict arises, the conflict is resolved, and the couple gets to stay together in the end. But as society has changed over the last century, so too has the romance genre.
Romance novels used to involve the prince-princess stories almost exclusively. These stories are still written and much enjoyed by readers, but thankfully, the romance genre has changed enough that the possibilities are now limitless. Still, there are some basics. Almost all romances are written either from the woman's point of view or a more omniscient point of view. Few are actually written from the man's point of view, but if you think you can pull it off, go for it!
At least one good sex scene is a must in romance novels. But you get to choose whether your sex scenes are sweet and lighthearted or steamy. Be careful with the steamy scenes though. It's far too easy to cross that arbitrary line that will move your book from romance to erotica. There's nothing wrong with that if your intention is to write an erotica book. But if you're trying to stay firmly in the romance genre, don't get too graphic. And watch out for euphemisms. They're handy, but don't overdo it.
There has to be some kind of conflict or your book will go in the boring pile, but the nature of this conflict varies. It could a personality clash, or perhaps their lifestyles are just too different. Maybe one of them is emotionally scarred. Adultery is sometimes used as a conflict, but be careful with this one. Readers, especially female readers, aren't all that quick to forgive a character who has hopped into bed with someone else. If you want a conflict that involves a third party, consider having an old boyfriend or girlfriend get in the way. The point is, you need a believable conflict.
Writing a romance novel isn't as easy as many people think. In fact, making a romance believable can be one of the most challenging tasks when you're faced with today's readers. They're harder to fool and demand more from a romance author.
The Ending Makes It All Worth While
For all that romance has changed, it's still romance. The core of the story must revolve around the love blossoming between two characters. That means your ending has to have some sort of resolution to that love. This doesn't necessarily mean marriage. Many a romance novel has ended without the two characters being married, especially when it comes to contemporary romance. But a lasting relationship has to emerge.
If you're not sure how to craft a romance novel, pick up a few romance novels and give them a read. They have different stories, different characters, and different endings, but at their core, they follow the same basic rules. If you don't think this is true, pick up several books by different authors and compare them side by side. The goods ones are unique without losing the entire point of a romance -- an enduring love.
