Susan May Warren - How to Write a Brilliant Romance

Written by RITA award - winning, best-selling novelist

How to Write a Brilliant Romance. Copyright 2015 by Susan May Warren. Manufactured in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by My Book Therapy, a division of Susan May Warren Fiction, LLC, Wild Plum Dr , Grand Marais, MN 55604. First Edition.

Visit our Web site at www.mybooktherapy.com for information on more resources for writers.

To receive instruction on writing or further help with writing projects via My Book Therapys boutique fiction editing services, contact

My special thanks go to Beth Vogt, for her endless hours of editing.

Andrew Warren for showing me what is means to love someone.

For your Glory, Lord

Susan May Warren

Susan May Warren is the Christy, RITA and Carol award-winning author of over forty-five novels with Tyndale, Barbour, Steeple Hill and Summerside Press. A prolific novelist with over 1 million books sold, Susan has written contemporary and historical romances, romantic-suspense, thrillers, rom-com and Christmas novellas. She loves to help people launch their writing careers and is the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com and www.LearnHowtoWriteaNovel.com, a writing website that helps authors get published and stay published.

Shes also the author of the popular writing method, TheStoryEquation. Find excerpts and reviews of her novels at www.susanmaywarren.com

I love romance. My boys are convinced I am a hopeless romantic, from the way I make them dance (yes, Im a firm believer that every boy should know a few foxtrot and swing dance steps) to the advice I give them on datin g . A small part of me lives in that happy world where people break out into song, make grand gestures for each other, and say deep, profound, romantic things.

And Im not the only one who loves romance. The romance genre continues to hold strong despite the recession. According to the 2008 Romance Writers of America (RWA) annual report, romance fiction generated $1.37 billion in sales and remained the largest share of the consumer market at

13.5 percent. The romance genre continues to dominate the publishing world. The truth is, people still want to believe in love and happily ever after, even in the bad times. Maybe especially in the bad times.

It behooves us then, as writers, to consider romance as we write our novels. Whether were die hard romantics who want to write a full-out romance, or romantic suspense writers who write half and half, or even womens fiction, fantasy, or thriller writers who add just a smidge of romance, theres no doubt that a great romance thread makes a good story great. Even men like a little romance. (I have a growing list of male readers who swear me to secrecy!)

So, how do you write a great romance? Its all about creating great expectations!

Not long ago, my husband and I celebrated twenty years of marriage. Since I was doing a book tour in Holland, we decided to add on a trip to Prague. About four months before our trip, we got online and searched for hotels and found a beautiful hotel right on Old Town Square, facing the Tyn Cathedral. We ordered Prague travel books and we hired a guide for a day. My husband recorded every travel channel episode he could find on Prague, which led to a day-long excursion to find the perfect apple strudel, thank you so much, Samantha Brown.

We were ready. Or so we thought.

We knew from pictures that it was beautiful, but when our taxi drove us into Old Town square, words failed us. Everythingfrom the dark grandeur of the gothic cathedral, to the storybook buildings bordering the square, to the tangy smell of the local caf ovens roasting pork the fresh bouquet of linden trees, to the sound of horses hooves clopping across black cobblestones convinced us that wed been swept into a fairytale. We expected to eat a pigs knuckle, explore castles, to linger at the artwork and sculptures on St. Charles Bridge, to tour the city, and most of all, to escape into a different and romantic culture. Our anticipation only whetted our appetite, and the reality exceeded our expectations.

A great romance novel does exactly this. We understand the feelings of falling in love, but a great romance brings these feelings to life and stirs in us those memories and moments we may have forgotten. A romance captures the hope and anticipation and, most of all, that sense of intimate belonging we all crave.

But what sets a romance apart from, say, a literary novel? Or even womens fiction?

A great romance is comprised of loveable heroes and heroines we want to root for. Its about tension and sexual sparks (even in inspirational romances). A great romance woos the reader with dialogue and creative scenes (not unlike dating!). It has a Black Moment and an Epiphany, and especially a happily ever after. A great romance is about meeting expectations. When a story lets you down, its because it didnt meet one of the essential storycrafting expectations.

Because of that, all romances have the same ten elements. And yes, its a formula, but just like perfumes are formula, when they are put together differently, they create a different scent. Your novel may use a formula, but only you can create it, adding your own unique fragrance.

In How to Write a Brilliant Romance , Im going to reveal my secret ten ingredients and demystify the romance formula. Ill walk you through questions as you create your hero and heroine, then well apply these ten ingredients into the structure of a three act romance structure. Finally, youll learn some techniques, some lethal weapons, and what to do after you novel is written.

Are you ready to fall in love?

Take a romance off your shelf. It doesnt matter what subgenre it isromantic suspense, historical romance, contemporary romance, Amish romance, vampire romance, supernatural romance, even eroticathe plot will have the same elements as every other romance. They may be in different order, but for your romance to have the right fragrance and to meet expectations, youll need to recognize and apply these ten ingredients.

Boy Meets Girl An event, goal, or circumstance occurs to bring our hero and heroine together. Interest/Need Something about their individual situations makes their hearts vulnerable to romance. Why The core reasons why they belong together.

WhyNot External and Internal Obstacles between the hero and heroine conspire to separate them.

Wooing Events or situations that allow the hero and heroine to fall in love.

Sizzle Dialogue that creates romantic tension.

Kiss The romantic tension leads to the physical connection.

Breakup The biggest Why Not (Obstacle) rises to push them apart and scrape open their wounds.

MakeUp The wound is healed and the Big Why (the core reason they belong together) saves the day.

Big Gesture/Sacrifice/HEA The Hero or Heroine are able to prove their love through big gestures/sacrifices in order to stay together and find the love theyve always longed for.

Well go through each of these in upcoming chapters. However, if you are plotting a book, knowing this structure may assist you in laying out a rough plot. Before you even start your character study, you may brainstorm with these elements to see if you like the story, and if it works.