Love the wild and whimsicalness of a good romance novel? Then try your hand at a bit of writing. And who better than the women who’ve sold over 23 000 copies of Mills & Boons novels to teach you about the most popular fiction genre? Let Therese Beharrie, writer of The Tycoon’s Reluctant Cinderella(Harlequin; R50; ebook), and Joss Wood, writer of Married to the Maverick Millionaire(Harlequin; R87), show you the ropes.
1 Your characters are your story
Make them real, show their flaws and focus in their relationships.
2 Use conflict
Both internal and external. Conflict makes your hero and heroine work to reach their happily every after. Conflict is essential and everything your characters do, and how they fall in love, has to be linked to your characters internal conflict.
3 Respect your readers
Give them the romance and emotion they deserve for picking up your book.
4 Don’t underestimate the romance novel
Don’t be fooled, a romance is so much more than a beautiful woman meeting a rich man who looks great with his shirt off! If a story isn’t believable to you, then it won’t catch the eye of an agent or make your readers carry on to the end.
5 Learn the craft of writing then develop your own unique voice
And don’t stall your process. Get that first draft of the manuscript down. Lots of people can write a couple of chapters, but not many can finish an entire book.
6 Read romance novels – then read a bunch more
There is not concrete formula to writing romance – or writing at all. It takes hard work, a thick skin and loads of determination to get published.
