The 10 Commandments for Romance Writers

Via Associated Content from Yahoo

Published June 11, 2007

by:Leigh Michaels

Rules for Writing a Romance that Will Touch Readers' Hearts

I. Thou shalt make thy reader care about thy characters.

For a reader to get involved in a story, she has to care what happens to the characters. We don't care much about people we don't like and admire, so our characters' flaws and problems must be realistic and reasonable.

It helps a lot if the character is facing his/her problems in a straightforward way, without whining.

II. Thou shalt create main characters who have logical reasons to like and trust each other as well as to dislike and distrust each other.

In too many romances, the main characters actively hate each other right up until the final scene, when they fall into each others' arms with declarations of love. But unless the reader sees the characters growing fond of each other as the story progresses, it's difficult for her to believe in the happy ending.

III. Thou shalt keep thy main characters on stage, together, as much as possible.

When the main characters aren't physically together and interacting, it's difficult to show a developing relationship. If the main characters aren't physically close, perhaps the hero should be on the heroine's mind, and vice-versa. And a scene where they're separated should usually be followed by one where they're together.

IV. Thou shalt not weasel away from conflict.

Almost nobody likes to witness a fight in real life; when one starts, we tend to leave the room. Maybe that's why, in fiction, there's an urge to summarize the dangerous action or rush through the argument.

To do so, however, cheats the reader of the feeling that she's there, and it cheats the writer of a marvelous opportunity to showcase the characters and heighten the importance of the conflict.

V. Thou shalt make thy characters' problems emotionally involving for thy reader.

For the reader to get involved in the story, the problems involved have to be important not only to the characters but to the reader. It's hard to get a reader deeply involved in an intellectual dispute like environmental issues. Misunderstandings which could be solved with five minutes of honest conversation don't make realistic, believable conflicts. Neither do disagreements which are engineered by others. And readers find it difficult to empathize with characters who have created their own problems through foolishness or carelessness.

VI. Thou shalt write love scenes which are appropriate to thy characters and thy plot.

A sexual relationship has to grow naturally from the characters. Twenty-year-old virgins react differently from forty-year-old widows. First experiences with love are different from later ones. And love scenes should affect the characters' later behavior; they shouldn't get out of bed in the morning and forget all about the night before.

VII. Thou shalt maintain mystery for the reader.

Many romances benefit from the reader having access to the points of view of both heroine and hero, but it's tempting to tell the reader too much. It's difficult to sustain a conflict - even a very strong one - if the reader knows up front all the details of what both hero and heroine are thinking. Build suspense by leaving things for the reader to wonder about, right up to the end.

VIII. Thou shalt prefer straightforward narrative.

Flashbacks add depth and dimension to the writing, and in places they are necessary to tighten the plot structure. But multiple flashbacks, or interlocking ones, are confusing and hard to follow.

Convoluted sentences make reading difficult, too. Including too many clauses, starting sentences out with long and involved clauses, or constructing overly long and complicated sentences makes your work hard to read.

IX. Thou shalt make each character, episode, and scene do double duty.

Romance novels are short, compared to most books - so we don't have the luxury of space to bring in meandering action and long descriptions. We also don't have room for extra characters. Every secondary character, scene, and episode should accomplish more than one thing. If your heroine has two friends, can you combine them into one? While you have your hero and heroine arguing over one thing, can you also foreshadow an upcoming piece of action?

X. Thou shalt never forget thee has promised thy reader a fantasy.

"Realistic" doesn't mean "real." The reader reads to enter a magical world, where lovable women and dynamic men risk everything in order to live happily ever after. Keep the romance paramount, and reflect the special

magic of two people coming together for all time in full understanding, empathy, and love, and you'll give your reader the enchantment she's been promised.