For example, you may take a passionate but doomed relationship in your past and change around real life names to fictionalize it. You may also change the setting or small details to make the situation more dramatic. You can also use the real life romances of others around you as inspiration. Maybe you have a friend who is in a stormy romance. Or perhaps you have a sibling who had a passionate relationship in the past.
You can also use romantic books and songs as inspiration for your romance novel.
For example, you may have a main character who is a high-profile criminal lawyer by day, and a single woman struggling to meet someone on her level at night. Or you may have a main character who is left by her husband and copes by going back to her hometown.
For example, if you are writing a romance set in 1930s West Virginia or during WWI, you are writing historical romance. If you are writing about a romance between a ghost and a woman, you are writing paranormal romance.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James Twilight by Stephenie Meyer Off Campus by Amy Jo Cousins The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
You could also have the girl be of a certain race or background that clashes with the boy she falls for. Or the girl could be from a family that does not get along with the boy’s family.
For example, you may set the novel in modern-day Savannah, Georgia, where the characters have Southern accents and the heat is unbearable in the summer. Or you may set the novel in a naval vessel in the ocean, where the characters are nauseous from seasickness and bad weather.
For example, you may have a central conflict where the main character has to choose between a high stakes criminal case and her budding romance with her next door neighbor. Or you may have a conflict where the main character’s illness gets in the way of uniting with her true love.
For example, you may describe the setting of the sex scenes using sensory detail, such as how it smells, feels, sounds, or looks. Providing context for the sex scene can make it more emotional for the reader.
For example, rather than write, “he was tall, dark, and handsome,” you may write, “he was good looking in a stylish professor kind of way. ”
For example, maybe your main character and her love interest finally get together. Or perhaps your main character recovers from her illness long enough to see her love interest one last time.
You can also read the novel aloud to catch spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Try reading the novel slowly so you can check that each word is spelled correctly.
You can also join a writing group or start your own writing group with friends so you can workshop your novel. Be open to constructive criticism from others. It will only make your novel better.
After you have revised the novel, you may consider sending it out to publishers so it can be read by a wider audience.
