#writeromance

[coffeetank]

Writing ROMANTIC TENSION!

When you're writing romance, you need to have TENSION. Your characters need to pull your readers into the story with not just their dialogues, but also their chemistry. What is tension, you ask? It's quite simple. When two people are attracted to each other, or like each other, or are in love with each other, it causes a certain shift in the air. When these two people come together, they seem to outshine everyone else in the room and make it just about themselves (in a good way ofc). This shift in the air which hooks you into the scene is called tension. The chemistry that your main characters carry, will infact carry the whole story --- if you're writing romance, i.e.

How do you write this romantic tension? Well, as someone who's been writing romance for 4 years now, here's a few things I do to show the chemistry between my characters.

Show, don't tell: This is probably the most common advice you'll ever receive. And spoiler alert: IT IS TRUE. Any scene that includes an emotion will require you to show it, visualise it for the crowd instead of just writing it down. Romance, love, is a sensitive emotion. The readers need to SEE it happening, instead of just reading about it. Eye contact, long stares, switching their gaze from the eyes to the lips & back to the eyes, coming close for a few seconds, banter-turned-flirting are some ways you can show the chemistry.

Intimacy is key: Proximity. Closeness. Coming together. Put your characters in situations where they have to work together. Show their differences/similarities in handling tasks and make them argue or slightly quarrel if there's any differences and show them rejoicing if there's an agreement. Intimacy lies in more than just the body, bring out a quality in your characters, preferably a good one, in your characters when they're together. Make that quality their strong suit that drives them closer.

Words are sexy: Dialogues can create tension better than anything else (in my opinion). Notice how every time your ships/pairings are bantering, one of them ends up saying something sexual or romantic in a frisky way and we end up blushing like crazy? Yep, that's the goal. We absolutely love it when the guy says "oh yeah?" or ends up calling the girl a cute nickname while bantering. Dialogues can reach out to readers in a more personal way because they are the direct interactions between your characters. Make your OTP interact and have fun (pun intended!)

Add restraint: Sometimes, when the characters are almost about to kiss and someone interrupts them, we feel like throwing the book away. But at the same time, we want more because we want to see our characters kiss, or confess, or even get down dirty ;). You have put your characters in each other's close proximities, given them a driving force and added a razzle-dazzle with the dialogues and flirting! Yet, something is missing and the romance feels too....predictable? Put a constraint. This is especially important for slowburns. Personally, I love me a slowburn - it creates higher tension, emphasises on a foundation between characters and makes the kiss/confession/sex even more hot (again, my opinion). I suggest, a hint of a barrier won't do any harm. When you've reached the level of tension where it's normal for your characters to kiss or make-out, your readers are more focused than ever. Adding a restraint will make them crave the romance more and hence, stay hooked into the story. HOWEVER, DON'T STALL THE PROJECT. Just because your characters got interrupted in chapter 7 doesn't mean they can't kiss till chapter 15 or something. If they don't kiss in this chapter, they kiss after maybe 2-3 more chapters. You want to delay the romance only by a tad bit, so that your readers are still interested.

That's all I have for today! I hope these help you guys! - ashlee.

[nauticalnotions]

7 Tips to Writing Captivating Romance

How to Write Captivating Romance

Romance stories are, without a doubt, among the top and most addictive reads over platforms like Wattpad and Inkitt. They gain large audiences, usually drawing the most attention. So here are some tips to help you in creating just that kind of truly unforgettable love story that will capture your readers' hearts and keep them haunted if you really want to write something like that.

Creating Realistic Characters

Unique Personalities: Give them different personalities. Make them interesting by adding strengths, weaknesses, and unique backgrounds to make them all the more interesting. Their differences and how they fit together can be interesting.

Character Growth: Allow the due growing together and as individuals to happen. Show how they enable each other to become better human beings.

Build Real Chemistry

Take It Easy: Don't go pushing the romance. Let it grow slowly through shared experiences, meaningful conversations, and growing trust.

Fun and Tension: Add banter, misunderstandings, and tension to the relationship at times. It keeps things dynamic and interesting.

Add Meaningful Conflict

Challenges: Introduce problems that test the characters and their relationship. These may be personal problems, such as insecurities or past traumas, or external problems like different goals or societal pressures.

Working Through Issues: Depict the characters finding a way through these problems, making concessions to each other, and becoming stronger because of it. Obstacles make a romance more gratifying if overcome.

Focus on Emotions

Real Emotions: Write scenes that reveal character genuineness. Show what they are afraid of, or their hopes and vulnerabilities. Allow readers to feel their joy, sadness, and everything in between.

Quiet Moments: Incorporate quiet, personal moments where characters express thoughts and feelings. Such moments, just like big declarations of love, can be desirable.

Avoid Clichés

New Ideas: It is worth trying to avoid some of the very common romance clichés. One needs to think of ideas or plot twists that come as a surprise to readers.

Healthy Relationships: Be sure relationship is healthy and respectful. Steer clear of the romanticism of problem behaviors. Depict characters who communicate openly and show respect for each other's boundaries.

Draw from Real Life

Observation: Observe the world around you. Watch how people interact, what brings them together, and how they deal with problems. Realistic romance will be much more relatable for readers.

Keep the Story Moving

Balanced Pacing: The pacing of the romance has to be set against other elements of your story. A plot must move, and one has to make sure the romance fits organically into the narrative.

Bonus Tip: Add Little Details

Tiny details really do make all the difference. Maybe your character always brews the other person coffee in the morning, or maybe there is a special place they like to go together. It's these small touches that will make the romance feel real and make readers relate.

[viviparish]

🥳🍾 It's here! I can't believe it's here! WEEKEND TEMPTATION is finally out in the world. The paperback will go live soon! I hope you love Abbie & Derek as much as I do. 💙 Kindle: https://amzn.to/3ud73tN

iBooks: https://apple.co/3VJYORJ

B&N: https://bit.ly/wkendtemptbn

Smashwords: https://bit.ly/wkendtemptsmashe

Kobo: https://bit.ly/wkendtemptkoboe

Google Play: bit.ly/wkendtemptgplaye

[hillaryraymer]

Sneak peek of my current WIP 😍 This is book one of a series featuring FIVE sisters 😁 As the oldest with two brothers, I’ve never gotten to experience the bond of sisterhood, so writing about it and threading in friendships I’ve made over the years seems like the next best thing. Do you have any siblings? Sisters in particular? #writersofinstagram #romancewriter #romanticfiction #romancewritersofinstagram #bookish #readromance #writeromance #writersofig #booklover #happilyeverafter #snippet #sneakpeak👀 #bookworm https://www.instagram.com/p/CJWKW8EANBY/?igshid=ngvd37ikyjl5

[lizfielding99]

Ready for the Romantic Novelists' Association online conference today. #laptop #notebook #pen #glasses #sofa #writingcraft #writingromance #writerslife📚 #instawriterscommunity #writing #RomanticNovelistsAssociation #romanticfiction #RNAConf2020 #romanceauthor #romancestagram #writeromance #romancelandia #romancematters #romancerules (at East Grinstead) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCfuGqXAmdp/?igshid=1wv302wcouv4p

[alwaysjay08-blog]

The title of my book "Chapters of My Heart," holds significant meaning to me. I didn't just choose this title, because I needed to pick one. In the beginning, I didn't even have a title until after I sat to read over the manuscript. Then it just clicked "Chapters of My Heart." The reason I picked that title for my book was that I write a lot about romance and heartbreak. For me, each chapter of my heart has changed me. They have challenged me, made me feel lost at times, but ultimately, I wouldn't be myself without a single one of these chapters. Thank you for inspiring me to write! 📚✏💕 #writeromance #writeloss #writeheartbreak #justwrite #poetrylives #selfpublishedauthorsrock #chaptersofmyheart #eachchapterholdsmeaning #lifelessons #heartlessons https://www.instagram.com/p/B1sfN7mAdpZ/?igshid=1emcvmf5xtk71

[carriejonesbooks]

Writing Tips Wednesday: Romance, Structure, and the Meet Cute

Writing Tips Wednesday: Romance, Structure, and the Meet Cute

So, for the last few weeks, I talked about hooking your readers, but now I’m moving on a bit to story structure and romantic elements of your story.

The Meet Cute

Full disclosure: I am not the best at writing the meet cutescenes in romance stories. This is because lately, I’ve been writing stories where the characters have already met. They’ve grown up together and their relationship shifts from…

[authoraveryflynn]

Good morning from the airport. Had an amazing Romance Writers of America board meeting. I’m blown away by this organization, the staff & the folks on the board. Looking so forward to the conference in July! #writersofinstagram #writeromance

[lemmony]

When the student is ready, the teacher appears. About three weeks ago, I purchased Write Naked by Jennifer Probst. I started it yesterday. I’ve plowed through half of it already and I absolutely love it. It’s a craft book, but it may not be what you think. It’s not a Step 1, Step 2, Step 3 on how to write a book book, more the various steps Jennifer took to get where she is today. The most moving part of it is her honesty. She’s so spot-on that I’ve found myself nodding my way through the chapters. (Yes, I’ve felt professional envy. Yes! I, too, talk to my dog!) The coolest part is that I can “hear” her in my head as I read it—since Jennifer Probst has been an author I’ve read, admired, followed, and ate dim sum with. 🍜 She’s a valuable member of the romance community and I’m honored to be part of her tribe. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to reading… (Psst, what are you all reading out there???) . . #thisauthorlife #jessicalemmon #writenaked #jenniferprobst #romance #writeromance #amwriting #greatreads

[flow-control-shop]

🔥👍Občianske Združenie LETTERS ponúka tuto stenu serióznym writerom. Stena je v Ružinove, hneď vedľa FLOW CONTROL SHOPu. 🌿❄🍷 Poprosíme serióznych záujemcov, aby nám poslali foto svojej veci. Stena je ideálna pre 2 umelcov. Cca 13 x 3m. Ako bonus daruje @oz.letters červený podklad. Aj GRAFCOM Jam bol realizovaný vďaka Vašim 2% z daní. Ďakujeme, že podporujete graffiti komunitu. Ak by ste nás chceli aj tento rok podporiť, tu sú naše kontaktné údaje Názov: LETTERS IČO: 42299420 Sídlo: Rúbanisko II, 420/23 98403, Lučenec #obcianskezdruzenieletters #graffitijam #graffiticommunityjam #slovakiagraffitiscene #graffitiartwolrdwide #obcianskezdruzenieletterssupportsgraffiti #graffitiartist #graffitiart #graffitiporn #graffitipiece #graffitican #sprayart #spraycan #streetlife #urbanart #europegraffiti #wallart #muralart #grafcomjam #ozletters #obcianskezdruzenieletters #flowcontrolshopsupportsgraffiti (na mieste Flow Control Shop) https://www.instagram.com/p/CMjkEgMpXkV/?igshid=m7z88msppjgp

[viviparish]

Don't forget - TODAY IS THE LAST DAY! Barnes & Noble is having a 25% off sale on preorders right now!

If you haven't preordered my debut yet, now would be a great time to grab it!

https://bit.ly/3OVQ5cS

[viviparish]

Barnes & Noble is having a huge pre-order sale today (1/25/23) through Friday (1/27/23) with code: preorder25.

If you haven't preordered my debut yet, now would be a great time to grab it!

https://bit.ly/3OVQ5cS

[viviparish]

I am super late with today's #TuesdayTeaserbut the day got away from me (again). We're a week away from release day! Make sure to get your preorders in! Link for Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Kobo: https://buy.bookfunnel.com/vtzi85csyt Link for Smashwords: https://bit.ly/3YckuI5

[viviparish]

A late #TuesdayTease for you.

Read Ch 1 for free on my website: https://bit.ly/3Vn3DjW

Link for Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Kobo: https://buy.bookfunnel.com/vtzi85csyt

Link for Smashwords: https://bit.ly/3YckuI

[viviparish]

Hello again

Haven’t been on tumblr in a while...let’s see if I remember how to do this lol

[authoraveryflynn]

via Twitter https://twitter.com/AveryFlynn