Katherine King - The Love Plot Workbook: How to Plot a Romance Novel

THE LOVE PLOT WORKBOOK

HOW TO PLOT YOUR ROMANCE NOVEL

Katherine King

Copyright2015 by Katherine King

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Romance as a genre makes up more than half the market of the written word. Romance readers and writers are smart folks. They know what they want. Romance. Smart romance. Romance that satisfies. And lots of it.

And there is. The genre itself breaks down into so many subcategories and subgenres. If you hope to write romance, which is a huge industry, you have to know the breakdowns. Where you fit in. Where the story you want to tell will find its audience. And you must know the right way to write romance.

Readers won't tolerate melodrama or bad dialogue or posers trying to write what they think the romance genre is. Actually, editors won't let you get past their sentinel posts. If you are a poser, you aren't making it past the first round. Romance writing is not for the faint of heart. It is, however, for the intelligent writer who knows how to deliver a good story that sweeps the reader away.

Romance categories span everything from sweet and innocent love stories to hot-and-heavy-breathing erotica. For the most part, when one says romance novel, one does not mean erotica. Erotica has its own niche market. As does another subset of the romance genre, women's fiction. Our focus is on category romance. You can, however, use the worksheets (try the second plotting worksheet) to write for either erotica or women's fiction. I simply will focus less on the sex and the needs of women's fiction and more on the 50/50 romance required for category romance. (If you need more on either of those aforementioned subjects, see my author page for other offerings. There are also several other good books out there that speak to writing in both those markets. See the Resources page for craft book recommendations.)

Today's market for romance is still expanding. For example, a boom in Christian romantic fiction has readers clamoring for more. And more means more opportunity to break into print. And to reach another niche market. From Amish romance novels to mystery and suspense, Christian romance novels are on the rise. A big company in romantic fiction recently expanded its Christian romance offerings, publishing two more per month in the suspense category. That's a big jump. But that isn't the only expanding market in romance.

The romantic fiction industry itself never seems to experience a lull. People seek escape in many forms, but romantic escape still ranks number one. Right now, the top three categories for best selling fiction are Romance, Thriller/Mystery, and Fantasy.

Check out the shelves at any bookstore, any grocery store. Even my pharmacy sells romance novels. They are the guaranteed seller. A sure thing.

If you want to write for this big industry, you need to do your homework. First, you need to read the romances in the categories you wish to sell. And then you need to know the needs of the genre, the subgenre, and the market.

Sounds like a lot of work. And it is. But that's where this book comes in. I've done a lot of the homework for you. I've studied the market, the romance books in various subgenres, and other plotting and writing resources. Some of the resources may be of help to you as well.

To find instruction on individual elements of plot, story, character development, or general writing needs, see the resources listed below and at the end of the book. Those same resources I list here are those which have shaped my writing, plotting, editing, and teaching. I have synthesized what I found to be the best of all I have read and studied and analyzed and taught. And I present that to you here.

For your further edification I suggest you purchase the following if you are not in possession of copies already.

Story by Robert McKee

Screenplay by Syd Field

The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell

The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler

Story Engineering by Larry Brooks

Please Understand Me II by David Keirsey

And .... a psychology textbook.

If you're looking to write a romance novel, read on. You could fall in love with the methods and outlines presented here. And in turn, an editor could fall in love with your book. So could the millions of romance readers just waiting for the story you have to tell.

Now, let's show them some love.

CHAPTER ONE

GETTING IN THE MOOD

When you peruse the shelves at the bookstore, whether brick and mortar or virtual, for what are you looking? Sure, like anyone reading fiction, you want escape. And like anyone reading romance, you want the vicarious experience of falling in love. Then what? How do you want that to happen? What are your romance needs?

You will fall somewhere on the romance continuum. Chick lit, Christian, Contemporary, Erotic romance (really racy romance that's explicit at the love scenes), Erotica (There's a difference. This is mostly about the sex details, with or without any emotional attachment.), Paranormal, Gothic, Historical, Inspirational, Medical, Comedy, Suspense, Mystery, Sweet Traditional, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, and more. Then, these break off and branch out and intersect. The romance market is big. And Tone and Mood can be anything from sweet to smoldering sexy to outright kink.

Knowing your category is critical. Just as you would not send your romance novel to a horror publisher, you don't want to send your paranormal romance to an editor or publisher of sweet traditionals. The editor will not read past your blurb or synopsis.

Know the market, know your book, know your place.

Writing romance novels in any of the categories above requires reading them too. Buy three or four well-received and well-reviewed romance novels in the category you are targeting. Read the first time for enjoyment, the second as a student, perhaps a third time as a student as well. The more you can study how a story works, the more likely you personally will succeed in writing a successful story.

Watch romantic movies. Do the same as with the novels. Enjoy. Then study.

Romance novels are no different than any other novel when it comes to the basics that make them work. They will have plot points, pinch points, a hero/heroine, opposition, fully fleshed out characters, settings that contribute to the story, and all the elements that make for a tale well told.

The difference lies in that the romance is the story, the main story, the main reason the audience reads your book. A romance novel has as its central plot, the love story--two people falling in love, encountering problems and obstacles to their happily ever after, HEA. Their struggle/conflict is the driving narrative. All else is external or tangential and can be part of the character arc or personal goal threads or a subplot for depth or parallel emphasis. The romance resolution is also genre-specific.

The resolution to a romance novel is usually a happily ever after, HEA. The couple's future looks bright--marriage or a committed relationship ends the conflict of the plot.

Also, in category romance, we have two protagonists who get 50/50 time in the story and on the page. However, the story remains that of the heroine for the most part. The chapters are usually divided equally between the two lovers, and the subplots are often minimal, depending on the category and word count.

Nonetheless, the basics of story development remain the same.

The story will follow a basic three act structure, have a beginning, middle, and end and hit all the major milestones of a regular novel.

Basic story structure remains intact.

If you've read my book, Plot with Character , this next section will be somewhat of a repeat, but one you can stand to review. It has been tailored to speak to the romance novel.