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Category: Writing

Build your knowledge of romance writing concepts, such as romance novel plot structure and genre conventions. Also get grammar tips, plot ideas, and more.

How to Come Up with a Romance Novel Idea for NaNoWriMo

October 20, 2023

Table of Contents NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, is an annual challenge to write a novel during the month of November. Its “winning” word

10 Tips for Choosing Your Romance Book Title

October 15, 2023

Table of Contents Your romance novel’s title is pretty important. In fact, it’s marketing copy. It’s how readers will search for your book online, ask

100 Internal Conflicts for Your Romance Story

March 13, 2021

Every story must have external and internal conflict. External conflict comes from the world around your main characters, and internal conflict is rooted in your

50 More Romance Writing Prompts

March 9, 2021

I recently posted a list of fifty romance plot ideas to help you get inspired to write your next romance novel. Below are fifty more story

How to Write a Romance Book Description That Sells

February 25, 2021

You’ve written a romance—maybe it’s 25,000 words, maybe it’s over 100,000—and now it’s time to publish it. If you’re like most authors, the few hundred

How to Write a Romance Novel: The Setting

February 23, 2021

Table of Contents Repeat after me: World building isn’t just for fantasy authors. In fact, it’s for every author, even those writing contemporary settings. I’ve

50 Romance Writing Prompts

September 11, 2020

For many writers, myself included, coming up with an idea for their next romance novel can be difficult. Looking for inspiration can feel like waiting

Romance Writing Simplified: Love Interest = Antagonist

February 26, 2020

Many people have the misconception that antagonist and villain are synonyms, but the function of an antagonist is not to be evil. Instead, the antagonist

Romance Writing Simplified: Writing Sexual Tension

February 25, 2020

If you write romance with heat, sexual tension is an essential story element for creating suspense and excitement in the reader. To create sexual tension,

Romance Writing Simplified: Character Motivation Comes from Backstory

February 24, 2020

Most story problems, in my experience, come down to a lack of effective character motivation. Oftentimes authors (I’ve been guilty of this myself) will make

Romance Writing Simplified: Conflict in Romance Stories

February 23, 2020

Every story, regardless of genre, needs conflict. And this conflict must be relatable and believable to readers or the story falls apart. Romance readers in

How to Write a Romance Novel: The Idea

February 16, 2020

Table of Contents A lot of people (including myself) will tell you that story ideas don’t really matter. There are no original ideas, after all.

A Romance Novel Outline Template

May 20, 2019

In a previous blog post, I discussed the six essential plot points (and one optional plot point) readers expect to see in a romance novel.

10 Sexy Character Traits for Your Romance Heroes and Heroines

May 13, 2019

Table of Contents In a romance, your reader has to fall in love with your characters. It helps if at least one of those characters—usually

How to Write Interrupted Dialogue

May 6, 2019

Table of Contents As a writer, I love dialogue. As an editor… Well, my feelings are a little less fuzzy, especially when it comes to

Character Planning with the Zodiac

April 22, 2019

Table of Contents One of the most challenging parts of writing fiction is crafting characters who feel like real people. And if you’re someone who

The Plot Embryo for Romance Stories

April 15, 2019

Table of Contents Dan Harmon, the man behind Community and Rick and Morty, created an explanation of story structure called the Plot Embryo or Story

How to Use Commas

March 5, 2019

Table of Contents When I first started writing and publishing fiction, which was when I first encountered editors, the two pieces of punctuation I struggled

6 Pieces of Terrible Writing Advice Authors Won’t Stop Giving—and What You Should Do Instead

December 13, 2018

If you’ve spent any time at all in the online writing community, you’ve heard some if not all of these writing tips. Authors, even the

Romance Novel Structure

July 17, 2018

Table of Contents I used to think the three-act structure was nonsense. I know how, however, that I only felt that way because I struggle

10 Tips for Writing M/M Sex Scenes Your Readers Will Love

July 11, 2018

Table of Contents Warning: Frank language within. Some authors struggle with sex scenes. I struggled at one point, too—before all those years of roleplaying and

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