Things to Know About Writing Romance Novels
1. Pay Attention to the Synopsis
The synopsis is crucial, and you should put as much effort into it as you would writing ten chapters. A well-written synopsis is the most important factor in whether someone will choose to read your book. If the synopsis isn’t done well, even if the content is excellent, people may not bother to click and read further.
2. If the Story Starts Slowly, Add a Prologue
If your story is slow to heat up, consider adding a prologue. The extent to which you do this depends on whether you’re an established writer or a new one. If you have an established following, a gentle approach will work, but if you’re a newcomer, you must create conflicts and make them sharp and intense—this will captivate readers and make them eager to continue.
PS: The background of the story should have conflict and suspense.
3. Introducing the Male Lead
If the protagonist is an adult, the male lead should appear by at least the second chapter. If the protagonist is a child, there should be significant family or other conflicts to build tension, making the reader willing to wait for the male lead’s introduction.
PS: This tests the writer’s skill; new writers don’t need to be overly strict about it.
4. Every Chapter Should Have Conflict
Each chapter must contain some form of conflict—whether emotional, a battle, or a conspiracy—there must be opposition. Otherwise, the chapter is essentially a waste of words.
PS: Not every chapter must have conflict, especially for newcomers, but it’s best to include it within the first 5000 words.
5. Dialogue Should Drive the Plot
Avoid unnecessary dialogue that doesn’t contribute to the plot. The characters’ speech should match their identity, and avoid overusing filler words or expressions like “XXX, right?” when speaking for a strong-willed character.
6. Foreshadowing is Key
You can use foreshadowing, but avoid introducing too many character names at once, or narrating everything from a god-like perspective. It’s better to reveal information through the characters’ dialogues—this helps develop their image and personality.
7. Know What the Protagonist Wants
This is crucial. If you haven’t decided what the protagonist’s goal is, your writing will feel unstable and directionless, making it seem like the character has a split personality. For example, if you’re writing about a strong-willed character, show this from the beginning with small actions rather than switching between weakness and strength.
8. Establish the Protagonist’s Worldview
You must define the protagonist’s worldview and life philosophy. If you don’t, your story will become disjointed, and the plot will lose continuity as it’s pulled in different directions by your changing ideals.
9. Characters’ Actions Should Align with Their Roles
A successful businessman should be calm, not impulsive. If you’re writing about court intrigues, the characters must be composed and thoughtful. A character who gets angry over trivial matters doesn’t fit a high-ranking role; they would be a rough character, not a strategist.
10. Make Sure You’re Moved by Your Writing
After finishing a chapter, it’s important to be emotionally moved by it yourself. If you’re not moved, don’t expect your readers to be either. If you fail to capture your own feelings, your readers won’t connect with the story.
11. Avoid Typos and Overuse of Punctuation
Reduce typos and avoid unnecessary breaks, exclamation marks, ellipses, and excessive use of dividing lines. Learn from famous authors—rarely do they use such devices in their novels.
PS: This is an important point.
12. Don’t Write When You’re Upset
If you’re feeling frustrated or upset, it’s best not to write. Writing when you’re agitated produces poor content that won’t resonate with others. Pausing your updates can build anticipation, but random updates will lead to readers losing interest.
13. Be Careful with Descriptions
Don’t mix styles; purity has its own description, and so does seduction. If you try to describe a character as both pure and seductive at the same time, it will make your writing seem incoherent and unconvincing.
14. Don’t Make Everyone Perfect
Not every character needs to be described as handsome or perfect. If you want to convey that someone is attractive, let others comment on it through their dialogue. Over-describing characters will make them feel like stereotypes.
15. Deepen the Reader’s Impressions with Language and Action
Take your time to fully describe one character before moving on to the next. Don’t rush and describe everyone superficially like a revolving door.
16. Characters Should Elicit Strong Emotional Reactions
Good characters should be so lovable they warm your heart, while villains should be detestable enough to make your blood boil. For newcomers, don’t attempt to write complex human nature; start with simpler characters.
17. Introduce ‘Trash’ Characters
Introduce some minor, annoying characters (like fools) to make the readers excited, and make them as stupid as possible. If necessary, have them die in humiliating or tragic ways to satisfy readers’ desire for justice.
18. Don’t Write Schemes if You’re Innocent
If you are a naive person, don’t write about cunning schemes. Only someone who understands deceit can write about it convincingly. If you haven’t experienced exploitation or hardship, your schemes will come off as childish.
19. When Stuck, Read Other Works
When you’re stuck and can’t describe a scene well, read other novels for inspiration. You can even mimic a scene, especially in character depiction. After all, cool and handsome characters all follow similar traits—don’t force words that feel out of place or create odd expressions. Readers will laugh, and you won’t improve your own writing.
