Those who are fans of romance novels are said to read at least one book per week. Comparing this to a typical American who reads books, they read around five in a single year.

It goes to show that people love to read romantic fiction – and why not? 

It takes a person out of their everyday life, and provides dreamy entertainment that often has a happy ending. However, this does not mean you cannot make the story have as many twists and turns as a theme park rollercoaster.

If you are inspired to write your own romance novel, then you have reached the right place. Here we shall take a look at how to write a romance novel using some carefully crafted steps that will ensure you write a successful book. 

What Is Your Niche Within A Genre?

Every good book knows exactly what its niche and genre is. It helps to tell the story to its full, and allows you to immerse yourself into the life your characters lead. Not only that, it helps with setting the scene (which we will move on to later).

Fortunately when it comes to writing a romance novel, there is no right or wrong way of choosing a niche. For example, you can choose contemporary, historical, fantasy, young adult, supernatural, thriller, or even erotic.

You might even find that your story takes a turn and you realize that your original niche was not quite what you had expected, and that is okay. If it is your first romance novel then you have time to explore the different genres to find out which one suits your story. 

If you need some inspiration, why not check out the section of romance books at your local library or bookstore. The genre or subgenre you enjoy reading the most may be the one you enjoy writing about the most, so start there to make it easier. 

What Is The Setting Of Your Story?

The setting of your book is very important because it shows what kind of story it will be. While you may have chosen an historical romance genre, you will then need to figure out exactly where the scenes take place.

Will it be set in a castle, or is it during the years of the world war? The scene needs to be immersive enough to allow your readers’ to become completely lost in the story. It also needs to be believable too. So make sure you know at least some historical facts if you go down the historic route.

However you can also choose modern day settings such as a college campus or a bustling city. However, see how you can make yours different from the other romance novels out there.

Have You Created Strong And Likable Characters?

There is nothing worse than reading a book with main characters that you do not like. For this reason, you will want to make strong and likable characters – the kind that you want to see get together and live a happy ending.

The stereotype is the man and the woman getting together, but books are becoming more diverse than ever before. This means that you can make relatable characters, as well as make their sexuality gay or their gender non-binary.

However, you will want to create strong stories about their pasts, rather than leaving them to be boring and personalityless. To make it easier for you, write down the lives of both characters, even if it is just for your benefit at this point. 

Some things to think about is making the female lead strong. Gone are the days of the woman ‘needing’ the man. It is fun to see a strong female lead be able to live on her own, yet want to enjoy her time in a comfortable relationship too.

You might also find that you write about unique characters. For example a sex worker who is trying to build a life for their child, or a mysterious person who has some surprising storylines about their life. 

Even though love isn’t everything, it is in a romance book. Make the characters open to love and very happy because they have found each other. 

Are You Forgetting Secondary Characters?

Do not forget that there are other characters in the story. While they do not need to be as strong as the main characters, you should make them worthwhile. You don’t want them to actually come across as secondary, and instead they should help the story move along.

Think about how secondary characters are in the romance books you read, or even in romantic movies. They always have a way of pushing the story forward. 

Are You Sticking With Tried And Tested Formulas?

Romantic novels often have tried-and-tested stories. Despite reading a plethora of romance books that all finish the same, it never makes the book boring.

In fact, people want a happy ending, so always make sure the happy couple live a wonderful life. Also, this means adding in particular character traits too.

For example, the main characters often despise each other – but then they end up in love. There are also the different social classes too, which is also another reason why they hate each other. One might be rich while the other is struggling to get by.

Another idea is for the two main characters to work together to get another two people to fall in love (co-workers for example), yet they fall in love during the process.

Final Thoughts

Writing a romantic novel is all about making sure your reader is immersed fully into the storyline and finishes the book with an overflowing heart.

There are many ways to approach writing a romance novel. So long as you pick a genre you enjoy writing about and use familiar storylines and character traits, there is a good chance you can write a fun romantic novel that is worth reading.

However, try to add in your own uniqueness too!