Many novelists claim to write on the fly - but even so - the planning still happens even if it's just in their heads. Below is a method for planning that works. Whether you do the planning in your head or on paper - it always helps to plan. Remember the adage "Fail to plan, and you plan to fail!"
Basic Writing method
- Start calling yourself a writer!
- Read everything you can on becoming a writer. Read all the resources on this site so you can avoid typical mistakes earlier on in the novel rather than when you are finished !
- Read tons, literally tons of romance novels. There are many available online for free reading. (See links page) Make this part of your day. This will allow you to get into the mode and mood of writing. Spot mistakes other writers make once you've learnt what not to do from the resources on this site and elsewhere
- Find time and space to start writing. This depends on when your mind is most awake creatively - late at night or early in the morning ? You decide
- Decide how you are going to write. This could be on a legal pad (ala JK Rowling), on your computer using Word or a Writing program. (See links for some helpful resources)
- Decide what you want your story to be about
- Decide when your story will happen in which year, century, time period
- Decide who your characters will be. Sit down and visualise them. What does your ideal heroine and hero look like? What do they do ? What do they sound like ? Where do they live ? What pasts do they have ? Where do they want to go in their lives ? It helps to use inspiration from hot actors and beautiful actresses you think would fit the part. Use photos of them to inspire descriptions you will write about them
- Decide what drives the story (the plot). What incident drives the story. You have to have one major incident or a few - it's up to you
- Decide when your main characters will meet, how they will meet, what they will feel
- Decide who the supporting cast will be
- Decide whether you will be writing from the heroine or heros point of view (POV). Typically in romance novels, stories are written from the POV of the Heroine. Decide whether you will write in First person or Third Person. E.g. I saw him standing there (First Person); She saw him standing there (Third Person). Hint: Third person is easier and a more acceptable form of writing.
- Once you've made your final decisions on your story - you can then start writing it down (or typing it) into an outline for your romance novel. A typical outline would look like this:
- Background Information - provided by Narrator
- Introduction to characters
- Inciting incident or meeting that creates conflict - either internal or external. Internal would be something inside the hero or heroine, something emotional, something that happened to them in their past resulting in their current state of mind; External is something outside of the hero or heroine that happens that creates conflict. E.g. an arranged marriage, a misunderstanding on the nature of the hero etc
- Characters reactions to the incident and the results
- Conflict resolution - what happens to ensure that the conflict is resolved. E.g. the heroine realizes that her past is causing her to be afraid of falling in love, or she realizes that her perception of the hero is incorrect, or the hero stops the arranged marriage of his beloved
- Conclusion - the HEA !
Once you have completed your outline - the exciting part starts - the writing. Simply sit down and write write write !!
Once you've completed your novel - you can start your first self-edit - this is simply you reading through your story and making corrections and revisions.
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