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How to Write a Genuine Romance

by Lewis / February 11, 2020 / Character Development

Storytelling has taught me that romance is complex.

All too often, fictional romances end up stilted and hollow or outright creepy. Common romance tropes tell us that surprise kisses and fatal attraction are the building blocks of a good romance, when in reality these tropes miss the very foundation that makes romantic relationships work—love.

Of course, romance can be a truly heartwarming part of your novel. The key is to understand what creates true romantic chemistry, and to avoid the many pitfalls and tropes of the genre. Fortunately, by understanding the various stages of fictional romance, you can write a loving relationship worth swooning over!

The Problem With Romance Tropes

• 1 The Problem With Romance Tropes
• 2 The Challenges of Writing a Realistic Romance
• 3.1 Establishing Their Flaws:
• 3.2 Sparking Mutual Interest:
• 3.3 Creating Some Conflict:
• 3.4 Making Time to Bond:
• 3.5 A Period of Separation:
• 3.6 Finally Coming Together:
• 4.1 Characters on Two Sides of a War:
• 5 A Well-Written Romance is at the Heart of Your Novel

Sexual attraction doesn’t equal love.

One of the most common mistakes writers make when creating romance between two characters is assuming that a mutual—or even one-sided—physical attraction is enough to justify instant love.

While “love at first sight” definitely exists, there’s more going on behind the scenes than you may think. Even when two characters feel that immediate spark, it’ll take time for them to build a genuinely romantic relationship.

Robbing your readers of the chance to see that relationship grow is a surefire way to leave them disinterested or even disgusted by your romantic duo. For instance, imagine this:

What if Gaston was Belle’s love interest, rather than the villain?

Beauty and the Beast works as a love story because Belle and the Beast learn to love one another through a slow, genuine process. Their relationship feels natural, and they both have to earn each other’s love over time (and no, their story isn’t about Stockholm syndrome).

Contrast that with Gaston, who takes one look at Belle and decides he’s going to marry her, and you can quickly see the difference. Gaston is a creep, and definitely deserves the title of villain—can you imagine a love story where he was Belle’s love interest? Yet, many novels take this trope to heart, basing their love story purely on an instant physical attraction.

This isn’t the only negative romance trope out there either:

• Surprise/unwanted physical advances
• Stalker-like behavior
• Extreme emotional dependence
• Emotional manipulation

Not only do these tropes set a bad example, but they make for worse love stories too. Unfortunately, it’s easy to lean on them anyways, simply because writing genuine romance is hard. But what makes writing romance such a challenge?

The Challenges of Writing a Realistic Romance

Writing romance is hard because human emotions are hard—and love is one of the most complex emotions we have.

To make matters worse, writing a compelling novel requires you to create conflict , and love stories are no different. There needs to be a certain level of resistance between your lovers to make the story interesting, but there’s a fine line between interesting and harmful levels of conflict. Is it ok for your lovebirds to fight, and at what point does that fight go too far? What is the line for each character, and how much conflict is healthy or ok?

Honestly, writing relationships is one of the most difficult parts of storytelling.

This is why many writers lean on tropes they’ve seen in other stories to make writing romance easier, and society doesn’t help them with this. In the past, many people have touted extreme tales of emotional dependency as some of the best and most romantic stories around, such as Romeo and Juliet . Meanwhile, stalker love interests like Edward from Twilight are often revered, while we brush aside the disturbing things they do to their lover.

Though I don’t personally understand why these tropes ever became popular, I can confidently say that there are better examples out there. Astrid and Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon stand out, as well as Zuko and Katara from Avatar; The Last Airbender and Baby and Johnny from Dirty Dancing .

The trick here is balance—all of these couples come into conflict at various points, but they eventually circle back around to building each other up, not tearing each other down (we’ll get to Zuko and Katara’s more complex relationship later in the article). In fact, many of the best examples of fictional romances follow six distinct stages…

The 6 Stages of a Genuine Romance

This article is more about writing a genuine, loving relationship than it is about mastering the romance genre. The romance genre and its readers have a ton of expectations, many of which deal more with story structure and pacing than with relationship building. If you’re trying to write a romance novel, check out the guide below—it’ll still be useful to you—but also read up on some of the obligatory scenes of the romance genre here.

Establishing Their Flaws:

Before a relationship can begin, you need to establish both of your soon-to-be-lovers’ flaws.

Like I mentioned above, your love story will need a certain level of conflict to engage your readers, and your characters’ flaws will be the core of at least some of that conflict. Their flaws will be what prevent them from developing a strong relationship from the start, and they’ll have to make a genuine effort to overcome these flaws to come together.

Essentially, your lovers will be a  catalyst for each other’s growth.

What’s more, their early flaws will not only inject some healthy conflict into your story, but will also give readers a starting point from which to judge their progress. When they complete their character arc and earn happiness at the end of your novel, it’ll feel even more deserved.

Sparking Mutual Interest:

Once you’ve introduced both sides of your romantic duo, it’s time to light the flame of romance!

As we’ve discussed, this is often done through physical attraction, and at this stage that’s ok. The key is that you’ll continue to develop and expand on that relationship going forward, adding some much needed depth. Of course, sexual attraction isn’t the only way to create romantic interest.

Your characters could feel drawn to one another for a variety of reasons:

• Sexual attractiveness
• Intelligence
• Social status
• Wit or charm
• Spiritual connection

The form of initial attraction you choose will depend on your story and the personalities of your two characters. Think about what each of them would admire in a person and then show off that quality in their love interest.

Once your pair is interested, you can begin building on their romance.

Creating Some Conflict:

Conflict is the core of every good novel , and that’s no less true for romance.

However, when dealing with a romantic relationship you need to balance conflict and compassion between your characters—or risk damaging their relationship beyond what readers will accept. Fortunately, conflict can come in many forms, and it doesn’t always need to be interpersonal conflict.

For instance, your two characters could be separated by the plot of your story. Perhaps social taboo prevents them from being together, or maybe they’re on opposite sides of the world. Likewise, they may be separated by other characters who don’t want them to be together.

Of course, interpersonal conflict can also add some healthy tension to your love story.

Many lovers start out at odds because of their flaws as characters. They may be interested in the relationship, but resist pursuing it because of their own fears of commitment or a lack of trust. They may believe their relationship is wrong (especially if it goes against social norms) or they might have a personality difference.

Hundreds of successful love stories hinge on two characters who bicker like dogs, only to pine for each other in secret!

In the end, the most important thing is to understand where the line is.

How far can each character go before your reader backs out? Violence and abuse have no place in a healthy relationship. Unless you’re purposefully trying to create a negative relationship—in which case this article isn’t for you—then remember that both lovers should have each other’s best interest at heart, even if they disagree about how to achieve that.

Making Time to Bond:

Alongside conflict, you also need a chance to build on your characters’ relationship.

This is where many romances fall flaw—the author simply doesn’t give their lovers enough time to develop a genuine relationship. Creating a love story will take numerous scenes, because your characters need time to progress along their character arcs, come into conflict, and also bond as partners. Fortunately, this bonding can often tie into the plot of your story, meaning these scenes can pull double duty!

For instance, here are some ways your lovers can bond:

• Achieving a mutual goal
• Escaping danger together
• Helping each other with a personal project
• Impressing one another with their skill/wit/compassion/etc…
• Learning more about each other’s history, personality, or worldview
• Being supportive in moments of vulnerability

This list is by no means exhaustive, and there are as many ways for your duo to bond as there are potential scenes for your story. Don’t be afraid to experiment and think about how your characters’ relationship fits within the overall plot of your novel.

And, of course, remember to inject bits of conflict among these more supportive scenes—even if that conflict is as simple as a misunderstanding or minor disagreement!

A Period of Separation:

Before your lovers can come together once and for all, they’ll often experience a period of separation.

While this is by no means a requirement for your novel, it often fits perfectly within the Third Plot Point , or the darkest moment of your story’s structure. Not only is there a negative twist in the plot, but there is also an emotional downturn that pushes your lovers apart, either physically, emotionally, or both. This adds tension to your story and gives your characters a final chance to assess their relationship and fight to preserve it.

For example, maybe the pair has an explosive argument. They storm off, swearing they’ll never talk to their lover again. However, beneath the surface they both regret their actions and fear they’ve damaged their relationship beyond repair. This is the darkest moment of their relationship, and by the end of the story they’ll come back together, making amends and overcoming their flaws in the process.

Of course, this isn’t the only way to trigger separation. Your characters might:

• Have a major argument
• Be forced apart by rival characters
• Have a misunderstanding (perhaps orchestrated by another character)
• Be separated by a major plot event like a natural disaster

Fortunately, we know this isn’t the end for your romantic duo—or at least we hope not! Just like your protagonist will have to overcome the Third Plot Point and complete their character arc in order to reach the Climax, your lovers will need to confront their flaws and make amends to be together.

Finally Coming Together:

Last but not least, we have the culmination of your character’s romance!

This is where your lovers will come together to prove they’ve both grown into better people. Not only have they completed their personal arcs, but they’ve also recognized that this is a relationship worth fighting for. Whether they have to regain each other’s trust or overcome a war, they’ll find a way to be together in the end, bringing their romance to its conclusion.

Best of all, they’ve come to this point in a natural, genuine way.

They didn’t take one look at each other and declare their undying love, and they didn’t force each other into a relationship through emotional dependence or disturbing behavior. Instead, they developed their relationship as a pair, learning to love one another and treat each other right even in the face of their differences.

This is the finale of the heartwarming romance that your readers have been pining for!

What About Characters Who Start Out Hating Each Other?

While the six stages above will get you pretty far, not every romance is the same. Some characters will outright loathe one another, so much so that you’d never expect they could one day fall in love.

Of course, these are the romances readers seem to love most. 😉

Not only is it possible to write a romance where the characters start out as enemies, but it can be done to great effect. However, you’ll need to remember everything we’ve discussed above—these characters will need time to establish a genuine relationship, especially because they’re so at odds starting out.

If you’re trying to create romance between two enemies, pay extra attention to these things:

• Don’t force either character into the relationship through violence or abuse
• Both characters should play a role in helping the other grow and improve
• Their romance will take more time to develop, and will hinge heavily on trust
• Be careful what kinds of conflict you create—some wounds can never heal
• Focus on common goals that can bring them together as allies, even if it takes time for them to discover those goals

Characters on Two Sides of a War:

Let’s look at Zuko and Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender as an example. Yes, I know they don’t end up together by the end of the series, but this is a very popular fan pairing for a reason. There’s a lot of chemistry here!

These two start out on opposite sides of a literal war, but this isn’t a star-crossed lovers kind of situation. In fact, these characters hate each other, and would be thrilled to see the other one dead. Both are extremely flawed as well. Zuko’s desperate need to be accepted by his family has driven him to murder and pillage, and Katara’s resentment for her mother’s death is slowly pushing her in a similar direction.

It isn’t until both characters have begun to overcome their flaws that they come together. Zuko uproots his life after recognizing the harm his actions were causing. Katara refuses to trust him at first, and with good reason, but he makes it his goal to prove he has changed. Eventually, she enlists his help in getting revenge on the general that killed her mother, but in the process comes to the same realization he did—you have to learn to forgive.

This is the real heart of their relationship, and why these types of romances work.

Both characters had to grow as individuals before they could open themselves up to a healthy relationship. Not only that but, once they completed their individual growth, they then helped each other grow as well.

Katara was vulnerable in that moment of revenge, and Zuko did his best to support her and help her heal—likewise, Zuko made himself vulnerable by asking for Katara’s forgiveness, and over time she recognized that he had changed. Despite starting as bitter enemies, they end up as one of the most compelling romances in the entire series.

A Well-Written Romance is at the Heart of Your Novel

While writing romance is complex, it definitely isn’t impossible. At the end of the day, the key is to focus on building a relationship between your lovers that feels real and earned, even if it takes more than one scene to do so.

Here are some final tips to consider:

• Think about how your characters’ arcs will affect their romance
• Learn your characters’ personalities so you can write them realistically
• Look to couples that you admire and find what sparked their love
• Don’t be afraid to build friendships that don’t grow into romances until later on
• Remember that love is a two-way street—both lovers need to support each other

Above all, avoid creepy romance tropes as much as possible—trust me, you’ll know them when you see them! While they’re an easy crutch to lean on, your novel (and your lovers) will be better off without them. 🙂

How do your characters fall in love? Let me know in the comments!

Thoughts on how to write a genuine romance.

Wow. This is amazing advice. I was looking for ways to develop my character’s relationship without it looking hollow… and this is the best advice for anything like this I’ve read. Sometimes I just can’t STAND reading anything with romance because it just doesn’t seem realistic, and they haven’t progressed enough as characters or emotionally bonded together enough to ever really be able to have a sustainable relationship. Thanks so much Lewis!

Hi there! I’m aromantic, so I have a lot of trouble expressing the emotion of love in writing. This article really is good for talking about how to build a healthy relationships. Currently I’m writing two novels, both with romantic subplots, so I’ve been looking for advice and this is the best I’ve found so far. One of them involves the LI finding the MC injured and alone, and taking him in and bandaging his wounds. As the MC adjusts, their relationship evolves into one of mutual dependence, but both have secrets keeping them apart. I’m not sure if this would put too much on the LI, as the MC becomes paralyzed and they live together out in the woods.

Thank you so much for this article. I write Romance, I guess, lol, but this was a big help.

This is a great article! Thank you for the advice! I’m writing a dystopian novel and am struggling with the romance with my characters. They do escape danger together, as mentioned in your article, which helps them to bond. But I’m not sure how to give them ways to connect outside of the danger they’re in, or how to let them joke around without it feeling out of place in the type of novel it is, if that makes sense.

Obviously this will depend on your specific story, but I don’t think a few quiet, lighthearted moments would be too out of place. These scenes don’t need to be loud parties or side-splitting slap-stick, but even a subdued night before an attack or before a major plot point could give your lovers a chance to bond and you a chance to develop both of their characters. Most of their connection will probably come from the danger they’re in, but they could still have smaller things in common (especially things like their hope for the future, etc…).

Found this off of Google search results; it’s so good and puts this idea into words so well, and I wish more authors and storytellers could see it! I, as a person, am definitely NOT a fan of any romance, but it took me a while to realize that maybe part of the reason I was especially put off by some of it in stories was because the romance that I was seeing was creepily-written, poorly-executed, and unrealistic in every way. Looking back, the romance plots (often subplots) that I did somewhat enjoy were always the ones that felt like what is being described here. Buildup in a story based around a growing character relationship is so essential, and it’s so important to portray it in a healthy and realistic way, so it’s kind of surprising to see how it’s become so common to forget about it that now we have an entire concept of “love at first sight” in the vein of poorly-crafted romance arcs.

I love this advice. It’s so important to establish boundaries, healthy communication and sustainable behaviour in romance novels. So many people base their ideas and expectations of a relationship on what they read or watch so it’s all the more important. I read twilight religiously as a teen and internally swooned at behaviours that I cringe at as an adult. Thank you for putting content like his into the world!

I think you’re absolutely right Olivia! Ultimately, there’s nothing wrong with bad boy/girl romances or even questionable behavior in fiction. The most important thing is that readers know what they’re getting into, and that they also have enough healthy romances to look towards to judge what is or isn’t right for them.

Loved your content Lewis, very well-written! Successful romance stories does not happen immediately at first sight. They are build up to get readers in the heart.

Cheers, Monique

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10 of the Best Romance BookTubers to Follow

By Isobel Coughlan

Interested in adding a little extra love into your life? Romance BookTube should be your next stop.

This side of YouTube is all about the latest romance book releases, reviews, and recommendations. With engaging videos and helpful suggestions, romance BookTubers are always on hand to help.

Don’t start searching alone! Scroll down to find the best romance BookTubers you should watch today.

1. @LarryReads

First up on our list is Larissa’s channel, LarryReads. Larissa is an enthusiastic reader who focuses on romance books and spicy fiction, ensuring her 95,800 subscribers never miss a swoon-worthy recommendation. She’s also a frequent uploader, which is ideal if you enjoy consistent content.

Popular videos on this romance BookTube account include book ratings,  bookshelf tours, holiday romance books , future romance releases, and much more. Larissa even interviews authors of popular romance series, so scan her uploads for your top writers.

Find Larissa on YouTube here .

2. @StephBohrer

Ready to binge-watch some romance book videos? Steph’s BookTube should be on your subscription list. This YouTuber focuses on romance books, trending books, and the latest literary trends. Plus, Steph has over 578,000 followers, proving her content is popular and entertaining.

When you follow Steph, you can explore her top books of the year, small-town romance books, book hauls, soft romance books, and much more. Steph also posts lifestyle content and vlogs, so you can tune into her everyday life too.

Find Steph on YouTube here .

3. @HaleyPhamVlogs

Start drafting a list of books to read, because Haley and her romance BookTube channel are here to inspire your romance reading. This YouTuber provides video content about romance books and trending fiction books, helping her followers find titles that fit their needs. Currently, Haley has 853,000 subscribers!

Haley’s videos include seasonal romance reviews, monthly reading wrap-ups, favorite books of the year, opinions on famous books, and vlogs. She also completes fun challenges, like reading a whole series of books in a week! Entertaining and educational.

Find Haley on YouTube here .

4. @RemarkablyLisa

Calling all romance-obsessed readers! Lisa’s BookTube is here to ensure you never miss a single romance book again! This dedicated content creator has reviews on all romance reads, popular and indie, keeping her followers in the loop of every romantic tale. Lisa currently has 10,500 subscribers on the platform.

Top videos from Lisa include her favorite overall romance books, the top books of the year, and romance book rating videos. To ensure her subscribers don’t miss a thing, she has read every holiday romance on Kindle Unlimited and rated them accordingly! This is literary dedication through and through.

Find Lisa on YouTube here .

5. @ChandlerRainsley

Ensure your reading list is ready for the next year with romance recommendations from Chandler’s BookTube. This content creator focuses on romance and steamy books, but you can find some YA content on her channel too. Right now, Chandler has 100,000 subscribers.

Popular videos on this BookTube channel include the 10 best romances of 2022, 6 hottest romance reads, weekly reading vlogs, and anticipated books of 2023. From sports romances to dark romances, Chandler covers all tropes.

Find Chandler on YouTube here .

6. @PeaceLoveBooksxo

Jessica is an English teacher that’s here to spread her love of romance books and the written word. With an endless stream of romance-related uploads, Jessica’s passion for love stories is obvious, and her reviews are always well-thought-out. Currently, Jessica has 65,700 subscribers on YouTube.

When you explore Jessica’s BookTube channel, you’ll find the top anticipated romance releases, the best romance series, and five-star romance reads. Other popular uploads include Jessica’s favorite romance authors, seasonal romance recommendations, and monthly wrap-ups.

Find Jessica on YouTube here .

7. @InLoveAndWords

Keep your literary life filled with romance with Bree’s BookTube channel. This YouTuber focuses on romance-related books and lifestyle vlogs, allowing you to access the latest romance book reviews and catch a glimpse into Bree’s reading routine. Bree has 12,500 subscribers on the video content platform.

Popular videos from Bree include romance book hauls, recent reading catch-ups, monthly favorites, and seasonal book recommendations. Bree also compared her reviews to Goodreads scores, ensuring you are as informed as possible before you start your next novel.

Find Bree on YouTube here .

8. @AlexaRaye

Romance BookTube provides helpful content, but many watch these bookish videos for cozy vibes too. If you want to follow a romance Booktuber that provides a healthy balance of romance book videos and vlogging content, hop over to Alexa’s channel today. This BookTuber has 58,100 subscribers and countless videos to binge-watch.

On Alexa’s page, you’ll find her top books of all time, a tour of her home library, her monthly reading lists, and outfit videos based on her favorite romance book characters. Alexa even posts frequent bookstore vlogs, the cozy atmosphere is strong here!

Find Alexa on YouTube here .

9. @OHeyItsMichae

Romance isn’t just a genre, it’s a way of life – so if romance is your go-to book theme, start browsing Michae’s romance BookTube now. As an avid reader that only reads romance-related books, Michae is an expert on all the books you should and shouldn’t read. With 8,200 subscribers, this channel is a trustworthy source of romance book recommendations!

Videos on Michae’s page include her top ten romance books of the year, monthly reading wrap-ups, and romance book hauls. She doesn’t just post about her favorite books, she also keeps her subscribers informed on any overhyped books to save them time and money – no wasting time on subpar books here!

Find Michae on YouTube here .

10. @SaraCarolli

Out of romance books? Don’t fear, Sara is here to ignite your romantic fiction spark! With 144,000 subscribers and an endless stream of reading-related content, this romance BookTuber is here to keep you entertained.

Sara’s videos include general book talks, seasonal book recommendations, monthly wrap-ups, and reviews of trending books. She even rates all romance book boyfriends in one video, a must-watch to see if your favorite characters make the cut!

Find Sara on YouTube here .

ThinkWritten

108 Romance Writing Prompts & Love Story Ideas

Everybody loves a good love story – here are 108 romantic writing prompts and love story ideas to inspire you!

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Sharing is caring!

Everybody loves a good love story, and with these romance writing prompts for romantic fiction, you are sure to find some inspiration to write a story for the ages.

These romantic writing prompts are free for you to take and let your imagination run wild. Use them as novel ideas, short stories, screenplays, or just try them as creative writing exercises to stretch your imagination.

Romantic Fiction Writing Prompts and Story Starters

Please note : We use the pronouns “she and he” in some of these examples, but of course you have the freedom to reverse and change genders as you see fit!

1. Their story begins on a bright summer morning when they both awake in bed together with no memory of who they are or where they came from.

2. She is determined to go on an epic road trip this summer. When her best friend bails out at the last minute, she talks one of her co-workers into joining her as a reluctant sidekick for the adventure of a lifetime. 

3. Write a story where one character finds the other character in their tent while camping alone.

4. Our heroine catches the hero stealing food from the restaurant where she works. Is he a bad guy or is there more to this story? What happens when she realizes she is falling for him?

5. A mysterious stranger leaves an item at the main character’s front door with a note attached saying “For a rainy day”.

6. Our hero is a jet-setter whose father has died and just left all of his possessions to someone else. He’s about to demand the rights to his inheritance when he realizes maybe he likes this person.

7. Write a romance story about an undercover cop investigating a person for a crime they didn’t commit. As the cop learns more about them, they realize they are innocent and they might be falling in love.

8. The heroine’s father warns her that she’ll be in terrible danger if she accepts the hero’s marriage proposal.

9. Our two characters are shipwrecked after an unexpected storm. They find themselves on an island where they are forced to spend their first night together under the stars.

10. An impromptu dance competition is announced at the bar where two characters are enjoying an evening of drinks. Do they have what it takes to win the contest and at love?

11. The hero is the brother of the person our heroine has had a crush on for years – who is also her best friend.

12. Write a love story where two single parents drop their kids off at the same daycare every morning. When they run into each other, will they be ready to give love a second chance?

13. She has a secret thinking spot on the roof of a nearby building. When she goes there after learning she lost her job, she discovers someone sitting there.

14. Our characters are both recovering addicts. They both have had problems with alcohol and drugs – will they be able to stay clean long enough for true love to find them?

15. Our characters are on vacation in the countryside of a foreign country when they accidentally crash their cars into each other, resulting in them being sent to the same hospital where they share a room for a week.

16. Our hero and heroine meet in line at the grocery store almost every week. After constantly running into each other, he finally asks her out.

17. The heroine’s wedding is cancelled the day before she was supposed to walk down the aisle. She isn’t sure how to pick up the pieces so goes to the beach to sort herself out, where she finds herself falling for someone new.

18. The might be lawyers on opposite sides of many cases, but they can’t deny that there is something between them…

19. The two of them are in a band together, hoping to get their music heard by the world. They start falling for each other, but will it rip the band apart?

20. Our main characters are both struggling to find their places in the world – one feels like their parents never supported their dreams, and the other left their hometown behind without any plans to return. Together, they learn what it’s like to be true to themselves for the first time.

21. They’ve lived together in the same apartment building for years and have a somewhat passive aggressive relationship with each other. It sparks into something more when he asks her to try his new hot sauce recipe.

22. Our two characters find themselves thrown together and in love after they meet while on vacation in a tropical paradise – only to discover that they live in different countries on separate continents. Can they make it work?

23. He likes her… she likes him… but he’s a total ladies’ man. Can she ever get over this fear and see him as more than a player?

24. They are both running from something in the woods and help each other to escape and survive a dangerous situation. What are they running from and could it make them fall in love?

25. She thinks she’s found the perfect guy – until she discovers he has a secret identity. Will he tell her on his own or will she call him out for it?

26. After a mix-up with their reservations, the characters find they both booked the same rental for the week. Rather than forfeit the deposit and ruin their plans, they decide it to share the space together. Will temporarily living together spark romance or will it be a disaster?

27. The story begins with our heroine rescuing the hero from a life-threatening situation. After they meet, sparks begin to fly. What we don’t realize until much later is she’s the one who caused the accident in the first place.

28. The protagonist is a famous chef who is loved by everyone in the neighborhood – except the frustrating food critic who keeps writing terrible things about their cooking. Can the chef woo them over?

29. Our characters meet when both of their cars break down in the middle of nowhere, and they need to wait together until their cars are repaired.

30. The two of them are sharing the back seat of a limousine after a logistics mix-up at their job when things take a turn for the passionate…

31. They have been friends since they were kids vacationing together every summer – but now it’s getting serious. They might not be just friends anymore…

32. The heroine has been hired by the hero’s start-up company to test his new product for attracting love. However, the product is so effective that she finds herself falling for him!

33. He is a famous actor and she is a waitress at a restaurant he frequents – but they both know that he’s tired of the glitz and glamour and wants to settle down. Can she show him that romance is real?

34. One of them is a real estate agent and the other is a home buyer looking for the perfect house, but they end up finding so much more than either of them expected…

35. They go out on a blind date with the hopes of finding love. But what if one of them ends up being the other’s boss and part owner of the company?

36. They had a casual romance in high school, but they both went their separate ways and have both changed a lot. When fate has them meet again, will it spark the magic from their old relationship?

37. They’ve both reached fame in their careers – but when the cameras are on at all times, how can they be honest with each other and their feelings?

38. Frustrated with life on earth, our hero and heroine volunteer to go live on the space station as part of an experiment for two years. They might have escaped all their problems on earth, but can they actually make a relationship work?

39. The two main characters work together at a local animal shelter and they both have secrets to hide about themselves and their lives. When their paths cross on a daily basis, can they resist the pull to tell each other everything?

40. The story begins with two high school sweethearts who are reunited years later only to discover that they are both unhappily married to someone else. Is it too late or will their love prove to be stronger?

41. He’s a famous musician with all kinds of problem. His life is falling apart and now he starting to fall for the person who tends the gardens at his mansion.

42. They’re both on the run from the law. When they cross paths to form an unlikely bond, can they both get out of their current situations to make it work?

43. He wants his lost love back, but how can he convince her he’s changed?

44. The two of them are on a business trip in a foreign country when there is unrest in the streets – can they make it out alive?

45. A famous actor and a famous actress are both staying at the same hotel during the filming of a romantic movie. Could the sparks be more than just what’s in the script?

46. She has had a crush on him for years, but he never notices her. Will he finally realize that true love is right under his nose?

47. Our main character is always setting up their friends on dates and playing matchmaker – what happens when someone tries to match them with someone new?

48. One of them is a soldier, the other an army nurse. They meet on a helicopter ride after being evacuated from a dangerous situation.

49. They broke up years ago but then run into each other after not talking to each other anymore. When they stop and actually listen to what the other person has to say, do they realize that maybe they never really stopped loving one another?

50. Our main character’s dog is missing – but will they find love in an unexpected place instead?

51. Write a love story where one person is a tech mogul and the other person thinks technology is evil. When they start to fall for each other, will technology get in the way?

52. They are both running for mayor in their small town. Only one person can win the election – but can they both win in love?

53. Write a romance story where one character believes that love isn’t for them, so the other person must prove them wrong by showing them how wonderful love can be.

54. Two people meet after finding out they’ve both been dumped. As they try to plot their revenge on their exes, they discover maybe they have feelings for one another.

55. Our main character’s father is determined to find them a match and has arranged for them to have a new date everyday. Will they ever meet the one?

56. When two people who have never met before get into an argument, they end up trapped in the same room together for hours on end. Will this argument push them together or tear them apart?

57. Our main character finds themselves having vivid dreams that feel real about someone from their past. Use this romantic writing prompt to write a love story that transcends the test of time.

58. They are both avid readers who frequently go to the library but one of them believes they can read people’s future through their books. When they finally meet will they be able to read the other’s mind?

59. Our main character is an adrenaline junkie living life on the edge. When they meet someone who wants to tame them, will they be able to gain some balance in their life?

60. She lives in a world where men are forbidden. When she finally meets one face to face, will she be able to resist her feelings or fall into temptation?

61. Write a story where the main character is the president’s daughter. Can she have a relationship with the son of a political rival?

62. Two discover that both their horoscopes describe what their ideal mate would be like and how they will meet – and it’s each other!

63. One of them is a hard working chef and the other is a photographer who wants to take pictures in the kitchen. When they meet, they find that they have more in common than just their love of food.

64. When our main character gets a new puppy, it turns out to be more than they bargained for. After the dog tears up their neighbor’s flower bed it might just turn into romance.

65. She’s an actress and he’s a cop on location providing security for the movie – but what happens when reality mixes with fiction?

66. Two lovers forced apart by war are reunited only to discover that one of them has been injured physically and the other mentally. Can they get past their scars and move forward?

67. Two people who have gone through terrible things in life meet in a support group and learn how to live again together.

68. The Civil War has just broken out – but one of them is from the north and the other is from the south. Will the war tear them apart or bring them closer together?

69. In a post-apocalyptic world, our two characters are both on the run. When their lives cross paths, they decide teaming up could benefit them both – but does their alliance turn into something more?

70. After accidentally sending an email to a stranger, they become online pen pals. When they meet for the first time in real life, will it be love at first sight or disaster?

71. Their tempers have both gotten them in trouble in the past. When they meet at an anger management class, will they finally learn to control their anger and let love in or will it all blow up?

72. Two con artists meet and decide to team up. They have great chemistry but will they ever be able to fully trust each other?

73. After a tornado devastates a small town, our two characters are drawn together by their grief. Can they rebuild a new future together?

74. When two detective partners need to catch the bad guy, they go undercover as a married couple. Could it be more than just a ruse?

75. Write a romantic love story where two friends start having dreams about each other. Will will these dreams be prophetic or turn into a real life nightmare?

76. When our hero finds himself trapped in another dimension, he takes refuge in an abandoned warehouse only to discover that there is another guest who also happens to be beautiful.

77. The two are travelers who both stop at a diner at the same time. When they are served something otherworldly, they suddenly find themselves with the ability to see ghosts – and each other’s pasts.

78. After finding a wallet in the parking lot, the main character is determined to find out who it belongs to and return it. After a long goose chase of research, they finds themselves falling in love with them. When they finally meet, is the person everything they imagined?

79. A group of people are forced to live in a small bunker together when nuclear war breaks out. Can they find love with each other or will they all turn on each other?

80. Our main character starts seeing a vivid symbol in mysterious places. They try to brush it off as nothing until meeting a stranger who has a tattoo of the symbol. Could it be fate?

81. During their first date, two people receive terrible news. Can they still find happiness together despite all of their problems?

82. After being ditched by their friends at the prom, two loners meet and decide to spend an exciting evening together.

83. While skeptical of psychics, our protagonist is also desperate to find love. After being told of a terrible misfortune about to happen, will it turn out it makes them meet the one?

84. Two people from different social classes find themselves attracted to one another. Can they make it work or will it be torn apart by their differing backgrounds?

85. Two long-time friends find themselves thrown together by a terrible accident. Can they be there for each other or will their differences tear them apart?

86. A young couple find themselves responsible for protecting a powerful and ancient weapon. Will they be able to keep it together and stop the evil that is trying to destroy it?

87. A woman confronts her ex-boyfriend at the wedding of a mutual friend – and their hate for each other is unleashed. Can they make up or are they determined to destroy each other?

88. Our hero meets a woman who teaches him about true love and everything he’s ever dreamed of finding in a relationship. Before they can be together, however, she disappears – only to return mysteriously years later.

89. Burned out by the dating scene, two people decide it’s best to sign up for a service that sets up arranged marriages. Will they be able to make it work?

90. They might both be rich and beautiful, but they always feel like the people they date only care about their looks and money. One decides to pretend to be poor while the other wears a disguise. Have they finally met someone who loves them with no regard to money or looks or will the truth be too much to handle?

91. They just met and really hit it off but one of them has to leave for a work project overseas for the next 5 years. Can they make a long distance relationship work?

92. Two people who hate each other become stuck on the same ocean liner together and must work together to survive a violent storm.

93. He might only be 28 and has a successful career, but he’s starting to go bald. Is it too late for him to find a partner?

94. As journalists for their school’s newspaper, they are always on assignment together. Could an innocent stop for breakfast one morning turn their casual relationship into something more?

95. The older couple in a photograph she discovers looks familiar – but she doesn’t know who they are. One of the people looks a little like her, only older. Could it be a view of the future to come?

96. Two people who have known each other since childhood must fight to survive against an army of zombies that are trying to turn them into meals. Can they make it out alive or will their pasts consume them?

97. She is out of work and lives in a trailer park with her sister. She decides she will marry someone rich and sets off to win over the heart of the local millionaire. Will she learn there’s more to love than just money?

98. They have been growing apart for years – but when they each meet someone new, they realize that maybe it’s time to stop running and face the past head on.

99. When you are born, you are assigned three potential love matches. You meet them all on the same day at the same time on your 21st birthday and must choose one by the end of the night to spend the rest of your life with.

100. They are both from different cultures, but when they meet each other for the first time, they are instantly drawn to each other. Can their love survive all the forces that want to tear them apart?

101. She is kidnapped and sold into slavery, but he will do anything to find her.

102. When he ends up in prison, will she find a way to help him or will his past always be too strong for her to overcome?

103. The two of them have been best friends since they were kids, but when they go into business together, their love for each other may become more than it was before.

104. Write a romantic love story that is inspired by whatever you ate for lunch yesterday.

105. A man travels back in time to find his true love and change the way things ended.

106. She has been sent on a mission by the king to find and return the prince before something terrible happens to him.

107. He is one of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy – but when he meets someone who can be considered his greatest catch yet he realizes he is in love with them.

108. Two leaders of planets on the way to extinction decide to join forces and create a new species of people to continue their worlds. Will their attempts to play matchmaker and procreate work?

I hope these romantic writing prompts and love story ideas inspire you to write something great. If you do happen to write a story with these prompts, you know we would love to check it out so please let us know about it in the comments below!

Looking for even more great story ideas and writing prompts? Check out these other resources at ThinkWritten!

• 365 Creative Writing Prompts for Everyday
• 42 Fantasy Writing Prompts
• 101 Poetry Writing Prompts

Do you have any other romantic love story ideas to add to this list? Share your own romantic writing prompts in the comments below!

Chelle Stein wrote her first embarrassingly bad novel at the age of 14 and hasn't stopped writing since. As the founder of ThinkWritten, she enjoys encouraging writers and creatives of all types.

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How to Write a Romantic Short Story

How do you write a short, sweet (and spicy!) romance story?

Let’s find out and then write one together!

During the last stream, a subscriber requested that we do a stream about “how to write a romantic short story.”

Watch the full video here or scroll down for highlights.

• There are MANY types of short stories: flash fiction, anecdotes, vignettes, fables/fairy tales, abstract pieces, sketch stories, slice of life, and many more.
• But today I want to focus on the TRADITIONAL short story, one with a beginning, middle and end, a rising action, climax, and resolution
• And we’ll go one step further than that, to talk about ROMANTIC short stories

The First and Most Important Step

• Read a LOT of short stories
• You can’t write one until you’ve read at least 100 of them
• The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
• The Egg by Andy Weir
• An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce
• The Jaunt by Stephen King
• The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant
• The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe
• The Monkey’s Paw by W. W. Jacobs
• The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
• The Open Window by Saki
• To Build a Fire by Jack London

Three Traditional Short Story Basics

• Depending on the story you want to tell, it might be best to concentrate on just one day, one night, one hour, one scene
• It’s going to be hard to tell a traditional story story with multiple POVs and not have it become long/abstract
• We don’t have a ton of time with the story, so this is how you leave an impression

Five Romance Story Basics

#1. Main character and love interest should have both complementary and contrasting traits

• You’ve Got Mail: they both love books and own bookstores, but she’s a quirky owner of a little store and he’s a serious owner of a chain store
• Example A: they’re both the number 1 and 2 students in their class, but he’s shy and she’s aggressive
• Example B: they’re both cutting class, him because of overprotective parents, her because of abusive parents

#2. The main character should grow/change over the course of the story

• One of the big selling points of romance is that love changes people, so it’s good to have that happen in your story
• You’ve Got Mail: the woman realizes there’s more to life than preserving the past, the man realizes that there’s more to business than cold numbers
• Example A: the number 1 girl learns that you don’t have to be bloodthirsty to win
• Example B: the boy realizes that he’s missing out on a lot of other things in life

#3. Needs a secondary story/conflict that integrates the romance

• The conflict cannot just be the romance (will they or won’t they???), need something else to fuel it
• This is part of the reason Twilight/Fifty Shades are boring, because for the most part their only conflict is the romance
• You’ve Got Mail: the woman is trying to keep the bookstore she inherited from her parents alive in New York when a big chain store moves in
• Example A: there’s a science fair competition, with the winner getting bonus credit which could push girl to number 1, she and boy both work on their entries
• Example B: she wants to go to a concert and he wants to help her get there

#4. Avoid cliches or twist/expand them in new ways

• Misunderstanding causes a falling out… maybe it’s not a misunderstanding, and they actually do have a falling out
• Takes of glasses/gets a haircut and becomes beautiful… maybe they mess up the makeover and have a laugh over it
• The evil ex… maybe the ex is a good person and helps out the main character

#5. Has to have a happy ending, not necessarily “happily ever after,” but happy

• Part of the genre, just as much as magic in fantasy and technology in sci-fi
• You’ve Got Mail : of course they end up together and everything is fine
• Example A: girl wins science fair, but she gives the award to boy since he helped her so much, making him valedictorian instead of her, but she asks him to prom and he says yes, making her feel like the real winner
• Example B: abused girl escapes her situation thanks to boy, realizes she needs to work on herself first and they separate, but now with new confidence boy approaches new girl at end

Chat then voted that we write a romantic short story with this plot: a man and woman have built cabins near each other and begin talking, developing a love, but are kept from each other by a rushing river between the cabins.

Here’s what we came up with:

Andrew was sent by his company to the northern Wyoming wilderness, right along the Python River. He was sent to scout the area as a potential site for a new industrial farm for Wilmington Farm Enterprises. Land was cheap, and resources were plentiful, so it seemed like the perfect place. For Andrew, it was basically a paid vacation. He’d get to spend a month by himself in the wilderness, with twenty-three hours a day to himself. After his one hour of cataloguing was done each day, he was free to hang out in his pop-up cabin, play around with his company drone, and get some good hiking and fishing in. The boss only had warned him about two things in the Python area. One was the river itself. It had a mean undertow that had a nasty reputation of sucking people down to their deaths, so he wasn’t supposed to go in it or on it at any cost. The other warning was that the area had a population of one: a hermit who had been there for a few years, and that the boss was hoping Andrew could help shoo away during his time there. Andrew figured a few scares and honks from his drone would be all it’d take to send the crazy old hermit packing. Until he saw that the hermit was a woman his age. The Python River was about a hundred feet wide, separating Andrew and the hermit’s campsites. She didn’t look like the typical hermit, her brown hair was done up in a bit of a wild braid her tan skin had some dirt smudges on it, but she was wearing jeans, a button-up shirt, and hiking boots. With a proper shower she’d fit fight back into society. She had a small cabin of her own the size of a shed built entirely out of wood, complete with a campfire area in front, animals skins and clothes hanging to dry, and some sort of brick enclosure that looked like it opened into the underground to keep things cool. Andrew waved and yelled a hello to her the first time he saw her, thinking he might as well get to know his new neighbor. But even from a hundred feet away, her scowl could peel the bark off a tree. She ignored him and went about her business. Andrew shrugged and set up his own dwelling. The pop-up cabin was nothing short of magic. All Andrew had to do was lay down the long metallic sheet on the flat ground, plug it into his portable generator, press a button in the corner, and then it folded outward like the top of a convertible. Within a minute, he had a cabin of his own, twice as big as the hermit’s and twice as sturdy. He glanced over the river at her with a big, toothy grin, hoping that maybe she’d be watching and look impressed. Of course, she wasn’t there. Andrew unpacked the rest of his supplies, filling up the cabin with the gas stove, sleeping bag, blankets, and of course, a hundred cans of Spam, a hundred boxes of Velveeta shells, and a few Snickers and twinkies for desserts. Plenty to see him through the month. With his first day’s chores out of the way, Andrew decided to try out his new toy: the Wilmington Farm drone. With a few flips and switches, Lovecraft—as Andrew decided to call it—was up in the air, zooming around the trees along with the birds. Feeling a little feisty, Andrew brought it down on the other side of the river, close to the hermit’s cabin. The wind from its rotors blew up dirt and dust all over, making the hermit’s skins and clothes flap from the breeze. But only for a moment. The next, an arrow came searing through the air, right above Lovecraft, shooting deep into the forest. The hermit came around from the back of her cabin, bow loaded with a fresh arrow, aiming right at Andrew himself. He quickly pulled the drone back to his side of the shore, and the hermit lowered her bow, disappearing into her cabin. As Lovecraft landed next to him and he shut it off, Andrew breathed a sigh of relief that the river between him and the hermit was uncrossable. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about waking up in the middle of the night to a stone dagger held to his neck. Over the next week, Andrew went about his duties cataloguing the area. All he had to do was provide surveying specs for the boss, along with flora and fauna sightings. It didn’t even take him the hour he’d expected, and with the rest of the day open to him, he decided to do some exploring. The first item on his list was fishing. The deadliness of the Python river made it even more alluring, and Andrew was looking forward to his first real encounter with it. Carrying his fishing rod and tackle box, he walked up to the edge of the rocky bank, sat down, and peered into the blackness. Up close, the Python didn’t look as terrifying as he’d expected. It just looked like a regular deep river. But Andrew had been warned about its deceiving looks. The entire thing had a killer undertow that had sucked down dozens of people over the years. In fact, no one even knew how deep the river was, since it was too dangerous to check. The only ones who knew were the dead bodies at the bottom. Careful to keep at least five feet between him and the edge of the water, Andrew cast out his line, sat down, and enjoyed the clear, sunny air. Meanwhile, across the river, Miss Hermit was doing fishing of her own. She had a long wooden spear with a sharp tip. He chuckled when he saw her with it, wondering if she was expecting the fish to jump out of the water so she could pierce them. Instead, she crawled right up to the edge of the rocks, leaned an inch away from the inky water, then thrust the spear down. Andrew nearly cried out when he saw her do it, terrified that she’d fall in and drown. But before he could even sit up in shock, she was already on her feet, safely away from the water, with a wriggling fish stuck through the tip of her spear. She glanced at Andrew only briefly, gave him a smirk, then walked away. Andrew didn’t catch any fish that day. Or the next week either. After two weeks of living in the wilderness, he was getting a little sick of Velveeta and Spam every day. Fresh fish, rabbit, bird, anything was sounding like a delicacy at this point. But he had two more weeks to go, he had to tough it out. That’s what he told himself as he lay snuggled in his sleeping bag, munching on a Snicker’s bar, as a storm beat down outside. It had rained a bit before, but this was the first real storm Andrew had been through in Python. Water beat down from above like waterfalls were gushing from the clouds. Thunder cracked so loud it sounded like explosions were happening right outside the cabin. Thankfully it was completely sealed from the elements, so Andrew and Lovecraft didn’t have to worry about anything. Except Miss Hermit. As Andrew lay there, he hoped that she was doing okay. She seemed pretty adept at living on her own, but this storm was something else. Although even if she was in trouble, it’s not like there was much he could do about it anyway. The river between them was more of a barrier than any wall could ever be. But when another crack of lightning came so close it rumbled the ground, Andrew couldn’t wait around any longer. He had to know she was okay. He threw on his raincoat, grabbed a flashlight, opened the metal door, and stepped outside. It was like walking into a pitch-black swimming pool. The only light came from the moon and the emergency light on top of Andrew’s cabin. It was enough for him to flick on the flashlight and shine it across the river. The rain was so thick it was hard to see anything, but one thing was clear: Miss Hermit’s cabin was in trouble. The brick pit was gone, the campfire area was flooded by the river, and the roof of the cabin had caved in. Andrew could see flashes of Miss Hermit as she dashed around outside, seemingly desperate to patch up her home. Without spending another moment thinking about it, Andrew ran into his cabin and put together an emergency pack for her: his spare raincoat, his spare waterproof sleeping bag, and two bottles of water. He wrapped them in a tarp, tied it up with twine, and attached it to Lovecraft. The maximum weight for it to carry was forty pounds, but that was in good weather. Andrew would need to pray to the elder gods that it would find its way across. He brought it outside into the torrent of rain, and turned it on. Surprisingly, it rose into the air, but could only get up a few feet from being pelted so hard. Andrew begged it to try its hardest, and as if Lovecraft could hear him, the drone began to chug across the river, mere feet from falling into its eternal depths. Andrew had never focused so hard on anything as piloting that drone. Every small movement it took wobbling closer to the surface of the water, his heart would stop, and only begin beating again once it rose a little higher. He didn’t blink or breathe the entire time, silently yelling at it to just keep going a little further. Just as Lovecraft reached the other side, it collapsed to the rocky bank, no longer responding to Andrew’s controls. He yelled out as loud as he could to the other side, shining the flashlight as wildly as he could between bursts of thunder and lightning, trying to get Miss Hermit’s attention. He only saw her for a moment. She came down to the drone, picked it up, then dashed away with it in her arms. Andrew scanned the other side of the river with his light for any sign of her, but he couldn’t find anything. He felt relieved that at least the package had been delivered, and he went back into his now-slightly-moist cabin for the night. The next morning, the storm was gone. Andrew went out to survey the damage. The outside of his cabin was fine, the emergency light still on and shining, but the ground was a mess. Fallen trees, leaves everywhere, dead fish sprawled around stinking. But he didn’t care about any of that, he only looked to the other side of the river, to see how Miss Hermit was doing. He didn’t see her, but he saw something just as good: the tarp he’d sent her was secured over the roof of her cabin with the twine, and the raincoat he’d sent her was hanging out to dry nearby. Not feeling especially hopeful, Andrew turned on the drone’s remote and tried to pilot it, to see if it still worked. To his shock, as soon as he pressed the control, a whirring sound came from across the river. Little Lovecraft hovered in the air out of the cabin and toward Andrew over the river. But there was something different about it; something hanging from beneath it. When Andrew piloted the drone back over to him, he saw what it was: dry animal hide. He must’ve accidentally snagged it on the way out. He could probably send it back over to her later. When he landed the drone and reached down to remove the skin, he saw that there was something on it. Flipping it over, there was a message carved into the back of the leathery skin, filled in with charcoal. It read: Thanks! <3 Andrew peered up from the skin. Across the river, Miss Hermit was there, standing up in the waterproof sleeping bag and drinking one of the water bottles. “My name’s Tiffany!” she yelled from across the river. “I’m Andrew!” he yelled back. And that was the start of a beautiful relationship. For the next two weeks, Andrew and Tiffany exchanged gifts with each other using Lovecraft as their go-between. Andrew sent Tiffany hot and cheesy bowls of Velveeta, with a Snicker’s bar for dessert, and she sent him freshly-caught fish and plucked birds, which she instructed him how to cook by yelling across the river. Both of them wanted to actually meet the other, but they both knew the dangers of the abyssal river between them. Neither of them had a boat, and even if they did, it wouldn’t be worth the risk. One small tip is all it would take to send them to the exclusive club of people who know how deep the Python River is. So instead, they came up with a plan. On Andrew’s last day, they would both follow the river going the same way, until they found a way to meet up with each other. As long as they kept the same pace, they’d have to meet up at some point. With his bags considerably lighter than when he’d first arrived, Andrew was ready to go. Across the river, Tiffany was the same. She had her own backpack, made with the tarp that he had sent her, loaded with enough food to last a few days. Hopefully it wouldn’t take that long. The two of them marched in tandem on opposite sides of the river, yelling back and forth to each other to make sure they were still together. The river expanded and collapsed: sometimes they were so far away from each other they could barely hear the others’ echoes, sometimes they were so close that Andrew could see the deep green of Tiffany’s eyes that he’d never noticed before. It was tempting to jump across at those points, but reason prevailed. Until they came to the fork in the river. It spread out in two different directions, Tiffany’s side going one way, and Andrew’s side going the other. According to the map on Andrew’s phone, eventually the river came back together further down, so they’d be fine. They’d just have to spend a day apart, at most. As they started off in their separate directions, they kept calling back and forth to each other, until their voices disappeared, absorbed by the bubbling river and trees. Loneliness hit Andrew hard, but they’d meet up again soon. But as he kept walking, the river meandered in ways he hadn’t expected. Upon further inspection of the map on his phone, his side of the fork was longer than Tiffany’s, and both of them weaved in and out in weird ways. Panicked, Andrew ran as hard as he could, hoping that he’d get to the meeting point before Tiffany got there and wondered where he was. The trip that should have taken him ten hours only took five. Andrew arrived at the merging point out of breath, and collapsed on the ground. Once he regained himself, he sat up and prepared to wait. He waited a day. Then two. Then three. But there was no sign of Tiffany. Desperately checking his phone map again, Andrew realized with horror that Tiffany’s side split off into other, smaller tributaries. She must’ve followed a different one, and now could be in any of a hundred different places. With no phone number, no email address, no trained carrier pigeons, it would be impossible to find her. He was already going to be three days late back to work, he couldn’t spend any more time out here. Dejected, Andrew began the long trek back to his car, waiting for him where he’d set up camp days ago. He looked across the river one more time at Tiffany’s cabin. It was empty. The first day back at work was rough. Everyone at Wilmington Farms wanted to hear what it’d been like for Andrew hanging out at Python for a month by himself. He would’ve loved to gush about it, but every memory was painfully tinged by Tiffany’s absence. He plastered on a smile, and did the one thing that he felt would be at least honoring her in the only way he could: he changed his report to say that the area was unsuitable for the industrial farm, and they should search elsewhere. At least now the spot that Tiffany loved would remain the way it was. At the end of the day, Andrew walked through the lobby, ready to head home. There was a nice woman at the front desk with brown hair and green eyes who kind of reminded him of Tiffany if she’d cut her hair and taken about eighty showers. He thought for a moment about striking up a conversation with her, but then decided against it. He needed some healing time before he tried that again. “Excuse me,” the woman said to the receptionist. “Does a man named Andrew work here?”

Be sure to check out the video for more comments, explanations, and great ideas from chat!

If you want to join us and help write a story by trolling in chat, or share your own writing for feedback, then we’d love to have you join us on Twitch .

And you missed the stream, you can still watch them on the  YouTube channel  or  watch the full stream reruns .

Hope to see you next time, friend!

Helping Writers Become Authors

Write your best story. Change your life. Astound the world.

• Start Here!
• Story Structure Database
• Outlining Your Novel
• Story Structure
• Character Arcs
• Archetypal Characters
• Scene Structure
• Common Writing Mistakes
• Storytelling According to Marvel
• K.M. Weiland Site

Genre Tips: How to Write Romance

At its core, romance is nothing more or less than two people coming together and falling in love. Most romances are HEA (or Happily Ever After), but, of course, tragedy has been popular ever since Romeo & Juliet graced the stage. The genre is sometimes maligned for its stereotypes and often contested by readers who have varying “steam-level” preferences, but it remains perennially popular—and for obvious reasons. Genre itself represents an archetype, and there is perhaps no genre more archetypal than romance, representing as it does the heartbeat of all life.

Romance is a highly specialized genre with a demanding audience that wants exactly what it wants. This is true to the point that many romance descriptions now tell readers exactly what to expect, so they can find what they’re looking for and steer clear of what they’re not (e.g., Reverse Grumpy-Sunshine, Second Chance With a Baby, or Enemies-to-Lovers), as well as indicating what sort of “rating” love scenes might warrant (since going too far in either direction can turn off specific audiences).

Although romance novels in their strictest sense are simply about the drama and excitement of two people navigating a new relationship, the genre can feature many subgenres (such as paranormal romance or romantic thriller) or be featured as a subplot in stories that fall into other genres (such as fantasy, historical, etc.).

4 Tips for How to Write Romance

Sooner or later, most writers will tackle romance on the page to one degree or another. It’s difficult, after all, to write authentically about life without including so integral an experience. I am not a romance writer myself and in no way consider myself particularly qualified to teach on the finer points of the actual genre, but I have always featured a romantic element in all of my novels and I enjoy reading well-written romance stories. So today, as the second installment in this five-part “ Genre Tips ” series, I am offering some of my own thoughts and observations on how to write romance.

Beginnings in Romance: Hook Into the Romance Fast

This is true for any genre: give readers an early taste of what they can expect. In a fantasy, this will be something fantastical. In a mystery, this will be something mysterious. In a straight-up romance, we want romance, and generally speaking we want it now. Like any self-respecting picky romance reader, I have my own set of pet peeves that make it less likely I will read the book. The first rule is simple: I want to get to the good stuff as soon as possible.

The most important element in a romance is the interaction between the leads. I don’t like to wait more than a chapter before I get to see these characters together and experience their chemistry . More than any other type of story, I like to see romances breaking out of the gate fast. Although it is important to set up each of the characters and their respective lives and problems, much of this development can be carefully distributed as the story progresses.

For Example: An example that has stuck with me for many years is Dee Henderon’s  True Devotion , which opens with a Navy SEAL rescuing his best friend’s widow, a lifeguard, from a dangerous situation in the ocean. The story introduces the romance immediately , when the woman, in a near-death state, shocks her longtime friend with the declaration: “I love you.” Obviously, not all romances will be able to open with characters whose relationship is already in medias res , but this is a good example of how you can cut to the chase and hook readers into the meat of your story’s relationship right away.

True Devotion by Dee Henderson (affiliate link)

Characters in Romance: Don’t Get Confused About the Antagonistic Force

Who is the antagonist in a romance? Although some stories, such as those in the romantic thriller subgenre, will feature a villain who is endangering one or both of the leads, this villain character is  not the antagonist within the actual romance.

First, a quick refresher. “Antagonist” is a morally neutral term. It does not imply a character is a villain. Rather, it indicates which character is creating obstacles to the protagonist’s goal . In a romance, the climactic goal is to make the relationship work. Therefore, the primary conflict comes from within the relationship. Both characters must work through all the outer obstacles and inner resistances to their being together. This means each of the romantic leads can be seen to be each other’s antagonist.

This is important to understand when plotting the story and particularly when planning the Climax . Too many romance novels fall off the rails in the Third Act if the author feels it necessary to bring in non-integral elements of danger or heightened external stakes in order to ramp up the tension. Although there is nothing wrong with including a suspense subplot or something similar, the book will be better off for observing two guidelines:

1. The Subplot Antagonist Must Be Foreshadowed  and Integral. In other words, the subplot must be set up early in the story and make sense all the way through , rather than being tacked on for thrills in the end. More than that, it should be thematically important to the success of the romance.

2. The Climax Must Be Focused on the Romantic C0nclusion. Even if something super-dramatic happens with a subplot villain (such as one character getting kidnapped), the  structural Climax must focus on the culmination of the romance. Whatever happens in a story’s Climactic Moment “proves” what a story is about . A romance is, of course, about the romance. If the Climactic Moment fails to back that up, the whole story will feel off and unsatisfying.

For Example: In Ellen O’Connell’s western romance Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold (which is soooo much better than either its title or its cover lets on), an important throughline is the female lead’s psychotic father’s resistance to her relationship with a biracial rancher. [SPOILER] This subplot culminates in a tense sequence in which the husband must rescue his wife from her deranged father. But this is not the Climax. The Climax naturally emerges from this threat when the taciturn rancher finally speaks his love for to his traumatized wife, which is both a necessary step away from the danger they both just endured and the awaited culmination of their relationship within the story. [/END SPOILER]

Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by Ellen O’Connell (affiliate link)

Characters in Romance: One or Both Characters Will Arc

Creating Character Arcs (Amazon affiliate link)

Character arcs in a romance are usually Positive Change Arcs , in which one or both characters must overcome a Lie that is holding them back from personal wholeness and therefore the ability to functionally relate to one another. They inspire each other to arc into a new and more positive thematic Truth . These Lies/Truths can be as varied as the stories themselves, but a prominent theme in many romances is that of healing.

When written with authenticity and skill, romance stories often offer deep insight into human nature and development. However, more than perhaps in any other genre, romance demands authors dig deep and write with utmost honesty . The power of the genre lies in its ability to access archetype ; but archetype is always one short step away from stereotype. The romance genre is full of stereotypes and overdone tropes, and if an author relies too much on these, rather than exploring deep and authentic change for the characters, the stories can become some of the most cringe-worthy in the entire catalog of literature.

Understanding the beats and progression of character arc can be extremely helpful in writing a powerful and fresh romance.

For Example: L.J. Shen often writes grittily about characters suffering the effects of trauma. In Playing With Fire , both leads arc dramatically via their relationships with each other—one overcoming the shame of terrible scarring from a house fire and the other consumed with guilt for irresponsibly hurting a family member. Each character has a Truth the other needs in order to heal and grow past their fears and hang-ups.

Playing With Fire by L.J. Shen (affiliate link)

Story Structure in Romance: Beats to Set Up Pacing

Structuring Your Novel (Amazon affiliate link)

The basic Three-Act story structure (with its eight turning points) will create the same skeleton for a romance story as for any other. However, the beats of romance stories are often highly specific. Although there is always wiggle room for exploration, most readers expect and want to discover a familiar pattern. Many books and blogs specialize in exploring these specific beats for the romance in more depth, but here are some quick hits from own observations in reading the genre.

Hook : The first chapter will either introduce one character’s problems (i.e., what is currently causing the problem in the person’s relational skills) or promptly throws the two leads together in some sort of “cute meet”—usually with their defenses coming to the fore and creating obstacles to their attraction and chemistry.

Inciting Event : In stories with a slower start, this may be where the characters meet for the first time, but in a tighter structure, this will be where the characters irretrievably engage for the first time. Either they are forced into proximity or they make a move toward expressing interest in one another.

First Plot Point : This is where the First Act ends and the relationship really kicks off. Something happens here that cements the characters’ connection. This could be a first date or a first kiss, but it could also be something external that happens to permanently keep them in contact with each other (e.g., they become partners on the police force).

First Pinch Point : Pinch points always emphasize the antagonistic force’s threat and what is at stake for the main characters. In a romance, these stakes are all relational. By this point in the story, the romance should be well under way (whether the characters are fully willing to admit it or not), and this First Pinch Point offers the first significant obstacle—something that makes one or both leads question whether the other person is really who they thought or whether they are willing to stay open to the relationship. Usually, it leads to some expression of vulnerability or to one or both people learning something surprising about the other which deepens their intimacy.

Midpoint : The Midpoint turns the plot from the “reaction” phase of the first half (in which the characters aren’t quite sure  what they want from each other) to the “action” phase of the second half (in which the characters become more and more consciously committed to their relationship). It should also bring the all-important Moment of the Truth . From the perspective of plot, this might be the result of the characters finally committing to their relationship in a big way. From the perspective of the character arcs, this new “crisis of commitment” within the relationship will be the result of one or both characters admitting, if only to themselves, that they are willing to start transitioning out of their old “Lie-based” mindset so they can be more available to the relationship.

Second Pinch Point : This Second Pinch Point is often much more serious than the first one. Now both characters have much more at stake. Whether they’re ready to admit it or not, they are in love with each other. Losing each other, therefore, would be a huge blow at this point. Pinch Points in a relational story are usually relatively low-key. What happens here may be as simple as a reminder of all the characters have to lose and how much, on an internal level, their fears are messing with them.

Third Plot Point : This the “Low Moment” in the story, when everything seems as if it is falling apart. In a romance, this moment may not be as dramatic as what follows in the Climax, but as the story now makes the turn into the Third Act, something happens that puts the relationship on the line. Although the threat here may external if other antagonistic characters are in play, this is usually where the characters learn something about each other that shakes their trust. Lies and secrets come out, and consequences must be faced.

Climax : A romance with an action-oriented plot may see the two leads fighting side by side against an external antagonist in the Climax. More often, this is simply where the heat really gets turned up on relationship. The characters must face everything they fear about each other and about themselves. They must complete their respective character arcs and discover if they can heal themselves or their perspectives enough to make the relationship work. Often, the Climax will separate the leads in order to allow them to “find themselves” outside the relationship, so they can then return to each other as “two wholes.” However, it is important that the characters not be separated for too long. Just as readers don’t want to wait too long in a story’s beginning for the leads to come together, they also don’t want to wait too long for the leads to get back together in the end.

Resolution : Romances like their epilogues. Readers often enjoy seeing how the relationship turned out by fast-forwarding a bit into the future to be reassured the characters will be able to make it together longterm.

For Example: To see structural breakdowns of various romance stories, check out the Romance Books and Romance Movies sections in the Story Structure Database .

Learn how to write romance stories by studying popular books and movies in the genre.

In my own subjective opinion as a reader of the genre, romances can be either some of the most powerful and memorable of stories or the most miserable and annoying! Although personal subjectivity will always play a role in how a reader reacts to a romance story (again, perhaps more than in any other genre), learning how to write romance well is a matter of demonstrating both strong technique and the courage to show up and write about one of the vulnerable and intimate parts of life with honesty and insight.

Stay Tuned: Next week, we’ll talk about how to write historical fiction !

Previous Posts in This Series:

• How to Write Fantasy

Wordplayers, tell me your opinions! Have you ever written romance—or a romantic subplot? What are your thoughts on how to write romance? Tell me in the comments!

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K.M. Weiland is the award-winning and internationally-published author of the acclaimed writing guides Outlining Your Novel , Structuring Your Novel , and Creating Character Arcs . A native of western Nebraska, she writes historical and fantasy novels and mentors authors on her award-winning website Helping Writers Become Authors.

What an appropriate post- just in time for Valentine’s day. 🙂

Hah! I didn’t even plan it that way. 😉

I’m not a romance writer or reader (though my wife and I do like romantic comedy movies), but I really like the reminder that the climax shows what the story is really about and that all story beats must lead to the climax. That’s a great way to keep a story on track. Happy early Valentine’s Day!

Yes, if there’s one thing to know about story structure, I think that it’s. Everything else grows out of that understanding.

Another great analysis, and a lot to think about — even for how whole different genres can zero in on their own focus as well.

There’s a principle in some romance circles called “First Girl Wins,” the idea that when there are multiple romantic options for a character, the first one there is always the right one. Some people wonder if that includes how far back the characters knew each other before the story, but it doesn’t. It’s about positioning the real couple so they interact right near the start *of the story,* whatever else happens. If the reader has to guess who to root for or wait long to realize it, the story isn’t simply a romance anymore.

Which is really just good foreshadowing!

Another common trope is “Last Girl Wins,” since it makes sense that once the protagonists meet the ‘right’ girls, they’ll no longer need to meet more.

Middle girls almost never win though.

We have entered ship war territory – I love it here. Team Foster Keefe forever.

TEAM FOSTER KEEFE FOREVER

I absolutely love that you brought up the antagonist element. I’ve taken many plotting and screenplay writing courses on how to lay out story and character and it’s extremely rare for them to touch on the most unique part of romance – co-protagonist/co-antagonist. Why is this person the best one for the hero/ine and why is the person the worst one for the hero/ine. So thanks for bringing that up.

Yes, I think misunderstanding this can often cause romance authors to unnecessarily fragment their plots by bringing in external antagonists who don’t really add much to the core story.

This post might have been good for publication tomorrow – on Valentine’s Day! 😉

I didn’t even realize how appropriate this was for this week until Grace (above) pointed it out!

Well shoot K.M., after thinking about it some… your reply makes me kinda sad. 🙁

I don’t pay too much attention to commercial holidays.

One theory is that Romance can be divided into two genres Tragedy (the love story) Romantic comedy/ Happy ending romance (comedy of manners) Some people will resist ideas that a romcom isn’t really a love story- but you really can’t take the love to the limit unless it ends in tragedy or death (sorry Jane Austen is comedy of manners) One thing i have noticed about Korean Drama whether it has a sad or happy ending, it always has some deep trauma at the midpoint. That raises the romantic stakes considerably in a Rom Com and makes it more satisfying from a Romantic point of view.

I like theories like that, although I do think the divisions can be too simplistic, especially for romance novels, which are often quite dark and traumatic even when they end happily.

I’ve seen something similar re: the romance distinctions. Basically, if at least one half of the couple dies, you have a love story. If they live happily ever after (HEA) or happily for now (HFN) it’s a romance. And this is strictly for marketing purposes, according to what you slot your story into on Amazon and the like. So if you wanted to have a love story, don’t put it in the romance category unless you’re willing to have bad reviews by readers justifiably angry that you tricked them.

For this reason, I understand Danielle Steele is NOT considered romance. She’s in the glitz & glamour category, like the late Sidney Sheldon.*** The first book of Steele’s I ever read featured a man who fell in love with a single mom, married her, they had a child, the wife dies halfway through the story, and he has to pick up the pieces. He falls in love again at the end and it’s HFN with the second woman.

Glitz & Glamour = protagonist living amongst the jet set. Romance is an important element, but not the sole element. In the olden days the protagonists in this genre would be anyone who could plausibly appear on “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous.” Now it’s whatever equivalent exists for those who have champagne wishes and caviar dreams.

*** I don’t think I’ve read anything in this genre since Sheldon died, so I have no contemporary examples, sorry.

Should the arc of a romance subplot climax at the same time as the main plot’s climax? I my WIP revelations in the main plot’s climax have repercussions in the romance and bring it to a head later during the resolution of the main plot.

A subplot certainly *can* be resolved at the same time as the main conflict, but it can also either have its conclusion build into the necessary events for the Climax or have its conclusion become possible as a result of what happens in the Climax. What’s important is that it’s all cohesive–dominoes knocking into one another.

I never expected to be a romance novelist, but so far I have written seven. I was really looking forward to this instalment and, as it turns out, rightly so. Thank you for sharing it! (I confess with some reluctance that I violate your first tip far more often than not….) :\

If your readers like a slower opening, then I definitely wouldn’t worry about it!

I am working on a Jane Eyre-esque romance right now, and one thing that helps me in not getting lost and tangled in trying to make a sensible story is that both parties in the relationship have something to learn that only that other person can teach, whether either of them are conscious of it or not. It makes writing so much simpler, and the ups and downs of the relationship fall in place quite easily.

That sounds like a great rule of thumb to me. Also, Jane Eyre is the best. 🙂

Thank you for this. I don’t write Romance with a capital R, but as you say, romantic subplots tend to pop up like mushrooms in all subgenres.

Note from reader: ALWAYS set up your third plot points. Too many romances base their thirds on the absolute stupidest of misunderstandings, and it’s outright painful to read. If your lovers fall out, have it stem from issues they had all along that finally came to a head.

Totally agree. This is perhaps the worst contrivance in romance–when the conflict isn’t earned and makes no sense. It only makes the characters look like dopes.

I didn’t expect much from this, and shame on me! I write fantasy, and there are sometimes romance subplots which should definitely use strengthening (not necessarily to be confused with spicing up). I tend to follow the strong woman standing behind the man who is better than he thinks he is trope – that’s a trope – right? At times, I wonder if I’m writing in the right genre, so I’m looking forward to this complete series. Bless you for sharing this with us.

Fantasy is such an umbrella genre. So much is included within it and it still counts as fantasy.

I’m writing my sixth romcom and was glad to see this post today. I follow a normal plot structure for romance, as in alternate POVs between the hero and heroine, and taking the first two chapters to show their “normal” lives before the meet cute in chapter three which disputes everything. But in my WIP I was worried because I have them meeting in the first chapter. I’m having to sprinkle in their normal lives (and what’s wrong) in the following chapters so I’m happy you said to get to the romance fast. PS. I like the spontaneity of the couple meeting as soon as possible.

Every book is different. What is ideal varies from book to book–and, honestly, from reader to reader.

This is a great post. It’s true “romance stories often offer deep insight into human nature and development.” One that caught me off guard recently was Normal People on Hulu. It’s the most authentically modern romance I’ve seen. Two people fall in love, have deep impacts on the direction of each other’s lives, and, in the end, still can’t seem to stay together. I thought it was an amazing critique on how ordinary romances have huge impacts on us. And how, despite this, they often end in disillusionment – as if we believe there’s something better to be found.

I’ll have to check it out!

The absolute best book for learning to write romance is On Writing Romance by Leigh Michaels. It covers everything you need to know. I’m a longtime romance reader and a multipublished romance author. It’s not an exaggeration in the slightest when you hear we know exactly what we want. You get exactly one chance to deliver it. Fail on any point and you’re toast. In many ways it’s a brutal genre and in just as many it’s intensely rewarding.

Anyone who wants to write romance, read it voraciously. If you don’t read it, don’t even think about trying to write it. We can tell and we won’t be kind about it on the internet. Romance readers can be the most supportive section of the internet or we can be the most vicious. Choose your path wisely for there is no middle road.

Also, don’t try to go down the road of “it’s debated what the definition of a romance is.” Especially if you’re thinking about trying to write it. It’s not debated anywhere except by those who refuse to acknowledge it’s the backbone of the book world. Romance ALWAYS has a happy ending. Always, always, always. It’s nonnegotiable. If one of them dies at the end or they don’t end up as a couple, it’s not romance. Period. Hollywood likes to play loose with this definition and people try to use it as justification to apply to romance novels. It’s a great way to get yourself embarrassed and blacklisted inside Romancelandia.

Romance readers and authors are some of the smartest people you’ll ever meet. Many authors are former lawyers, scientists, pilots, and doctors. There’s one who clerked at the Supreme Court. Don’t discount our intelligence unless you want a potential career in romance to go up in a nuclear explosion. We’re also voracious and many go through three or four romances a week, of all lengths from category (Harlequin) to trade length of 80K to 100K.

Romeo and Juilet and Gone With The Wind get pulled up a lot as examples of romance. Neither is a romance because neither has a happy ending. Both are tragedies more properly slotted as a love story, as someone said in another comment. If you want the full experience of how horrible Amazon reviews can make you feel as an author, write something where one of the couple dies and slot it in romance. You will never be forgiven and you’ll never get another chance with readers.

I’m all for more people writing romance. But take the time to understand who and what we are as a genre and as devoted readers. If you don’t, your career is over before it begins.

Yes, romance readers are so passionate about their genre.

Having worked in the past in pulp publish romance as a “Copy Writer” at Mills and Boon, Black Lace, and a couple of others, (lol- June Rutherford) I swore when I decided to plow my own furrow (oh dear, no pun intended) that I would never write another romance. Of course, many of my subsequent books have contained elements of romance and sex but only once did I break my promise to myself. I wrote a contemporary romance back in the early noughties called “Twisted Sisters” It had few of the traditional romance themes and a dialogue-based format but still it is my bestselling novel. (Oh, but don’t read it, a novel of its time, it is dated now) So, you are right KM Weiland, Romance is a magical thing when done correctly.

Sounds like you’re the one who should be writing the post!

Lol- I know, you would think so, but the opposite is true. I exhausted myself with the genre. Lol- never again. Ah, but the good thing is you know what is required when it is needed.

I love writing a series where subsequent books further explore the growing relationship of the couple. In my last book, the second in a series, I had one of the pair needing something from the other character that he wasn’t getting, while the other character needed to let go of the thing that was preventing him from giving his lover what he needed.

I like writing romantic thrillers where the lovers discover something personal about themselves as they fight the villain in the Climax. It’s where they discover the Truth that allows them to grow closer. All while they’re chasing the villain, they’re uncovering bits and pieces of the things they need to improve their relationship.

The only drawback with writing a romance series with the same couple is that it doesn’t fit neatly into typical romance beats. I usually figure it out by following your books and cobbling them together with typical romance beats. This post makes me wonder if I’m doing something wrong with my WIP.

Basically, Thomas and Hadrian are a couple. They solve crimes together and must solve a new one. Thomas has clubfoot and is insecure about his deformity—part of his Ghost. At the First Plot Point, I have the arrival of a fit, gay Pinkerton wedging them apart instead of bringing them together. No one cheats in the book, but Thomas’s insecurity and jealousy threatens his relationship with Hadrian.

Doesn’t that sound right? It’s not cementing the couple, but it feels right. I always have trouble trusting my feelings.

I’d look at the Climax. If the Climactic Moment is romantic, then I’d structure it like a romance. If the Climactic Moment is suspenseful or action-oriented, I’d structure it like that.

Sorry. I don’t think I worded that well. It’s definitely romance. I’m writing a trilogy about the same couple. I’m on the third book and noticed in this post that you said the First Plot Point should bring the characters closer. In this third book, my protags are already together. They are a couple and a detective team. At my planned First Plot Point, I’m introducing a new character, a rival who will cause one of the protags to be jealous. I’m not cementing them; I’m wedging them apart. Since this is a continuation of their story, does that make sense to have that as the First Plot Point rather than the traditional one for a first book?

Ah, yes, series are different. What I’ve shared here is the structure for a first book when the couple first cute-meets and commits. Sequels are necessarily an expansion from there.

I’m writing a sci-fi/fantasy with two leads who get thrown together right in chapter 1 and have to work together to fight the villain. But I’m not sure if my two pinch points match up with these beats for romance, since they’re more plot-focused. Especially the first pinch point, since the two characters have hardly even thought of each other in a romantic light yet – not until the midpoint. But there’s also a reminder of the love triangle around the timing of each pinch point – where there are feelings of jealousy regarding the “other guy”. Do you think that counts as a sort of pinch point for the romantic subplot?

If the plot is oriented around a more external conflict, then the pinch points will very likely emphasize that. However, if the story is truly a romance (and not another primary genre with a romantic subplot), then the relationship stakes should also be affected.

I’m writing a M/M romance / adventure trilogy. First book ends with a one year separation of my protagonists. Book 2 ends with the death of one of them. The third one will be “Hope” with the reconstruction of survivor and his falling in love with another man. I know that romances should have “happy ends”. Is it a problem that it only happens in tome 3 of the serie. Thank a lot for your comment.

This is a major, major problem if you plan to put it in a romance category. As in it’s a career ruining choice if you want to be a romance writer. No one will read past the second book and your reviews will tank. Readers are invested in that initial couple and one of them dying isn’t allowed in romance. You’re planning a bait and switch and it’s guaranteed to make romance readers angry. To plan this and call it a romance unfortunately means you haven’t quite grasped what the genre is. Which is a dangerous path to be on if it’s the direction you want to go.

Thank you, Rachel. I write M/M romance and was trying to think of some way to say that. @Daniele (sorry, I don’t know how to make the accent on my phone) Just wanted to add that HFN (happily for now) endings are acceptable in books 1 and 2 of a trilogy. Killing one of the protags is not. Personally, as reader, I wouldn’t even like the separation and would stop reading the series there. Love in the real world is often difficult and full of heartache. People read romance for the magic of that HEA. Some reality is fine (to me) but I want to feel joy at the end of the book. You could market this as something else. I don’t know if there’s a category for gay adventure, but there’s probably a niche it will fit somewhere. I have a friend who writes M/M scifi with romantic subplots, for instance. There’s a whole world of LGBTQ books right now. Just don’t market this as M/M romance or readers will hate you forever.

I have been reading your blog for years now and enjoy learning about what goes into writing a story.

I do have a question concerning Romance. You seem to imply that tragedies can be a part of Romance and brought up Romeo and Juliet. However I have seen arthurs and websites going into the genre insisting that Romance stories are required to have happy endings, and that tragedies such as Romeo and Juliet do not count as being Romance stories. I do see where they are getting at as it comes down to that when people read or watch a Romance stories they are expecting to see two characters get in relationship with each other, and so a story that ends with the two breaking up or one or both of them being killed off goes against those expectations the audience has. I certainly know that if I was in a mood to read a story about characters falling in love and pick up a story that seems to promise that only for it to not deliver I would be disappointed as well.

So the question is what is your stance on this? Would you say arthurs are being strict about this requirement or no?

Speaking as a romance author and reader, there’s no stance to take. The genre has a hard definition, just like every other genre out there. No one ever argues that you can have a murder mystery without a murder. It’s absurd. The same thing applies to romance. You can’t have a genre romance without a happy ending. It’s nonnegotiable.

Romance readers are the ones who hold the definition of romance. We’re more invested in our genre than any other reader group. It doesn’t matter what anyone says who doesn’t write it or read it. We deal with that all the time and it gets old real fast. If there’s no happy ending, it’s not a romance. It’s not up for debate. Except the entire world outside romance insists it is.

I understand. I have dealt with people like this before in which I would explain to them about a particular genre but they want to push back on my explanation. For me this happens when discussing Slice-of-Life and Isekai stories. I think the reason for this is because they feel these descriptions are limiting when in actuality that is not the case.

Yes, there’s good discussion in the comments above, from Rachel and others, about the differences between “romance” which ends happily, and other types of love stories, which allow for more variety.

So I have read. Thank you.

I’ve been reading and talking to you for years but this really hits home. As mine is primarily a romance as well as coming of age this piece was much easier for me to see the applicability to what I’ve written. Thanks!

This was so helpful, thank you! I’ve been struggling to outline my romance novella, but this has helped a lot.

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The Best YouTube Channels to Follow for All Things Romance

• March 19, 2021

YouTube is a vast, sprawling, social media smorgasbord. For me, it’s what I watch while I’m cleaning a room; it’s what I listen to while I’m making dinner. It’s also what I use to find cool listicles on weird or unusual facts, or search for new tips and tricks while writing a book. 

Like other avid readers, I also use YouTube to keep up on all things romance. Sometimes I look for trope recommendations. Other times I’m on the hunt for media analyses. 

If you’re looking for some light entertainment, here’s a quick list of romance-related YouTube channels that you can check out, too.

Subject: Fashion, Film, & Culture

Mina Le might not seem like an obvious choice for a YouTube channel devoted to all things romance. After all, the channel’s primary focus is costuming in TV shows, movies, and fashion subcultures. There’s an emphasis on historical costuming, too.

That said, historical romance is big in Romancelandia. In fact, we’d bet good money that some of our readers write romance in that subgenre, too. If this scenario describes you—or you just like learning more about what your favorite characters are wearing—then Mina Le is a great resource.

With humor, wit, and precision, Mina’s videos follow an easy-going structure, where each video is devoted to a piece of media or a fashion trend. Once the focus is established, Mina breaks down the fashion looks and explains what works about the costumes, along with what was interesting about their construction. 

The channel is blunt when these costumes fail, but never truly mean. The recent video on why Bridgerton costumes don’t work is one of my more recent favorites.

2. Peace Love Books

Subject: Book Recommendations & Reviews

Peace Love Books is a YouTube booktube channel devoted to all things romance. I love it for its massive catalogue of recommendations, and how it’s basically a one-stop shop for video listicles featuring very specific tropes.

Run by Jessica—who delivers the videos in a quick, no nonsense style—Peace Love Books caught my attention because of its sheer scope of coverage. Have a pen and paper ready, though (or at least the Notes app open and ready). Peace Love Books tends to go through the recommendations fairly fast.

3. ModernGurlz

Like Mina Le, this channel isn’t a one-for-one when it comes to romance recommendations. It’s also not talking directly about books. 

If you’re a contemporary romance fan, however, or you loved the rom com trend that dominated the early 2000s, then you absolutely have to check out ModernGurlz. It’s a channel devoted to all things pop culture from the early aughts, and is perfect when it comes to romance-adjacent YouTube channels. Once I started watching, I was hooked.

Talking about everything from the costume choices in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen , to the quality of the romantic arcs in the Barbie films , ModernGurlz just fits with romance readers who grew up during this era. It breaks down and dissects old shows that aged badly, but never in a way that talks down about the genre. It celebrates the 2000s without romanticizing it. The laid-back approach of the channel makes you feel like you’re sitting down with old friends. 

Basically: Follow this channel if you’re looking for thoughtful commentary on the media that shaped romance readers. Definitely watch the whole back catalogue for this channel, too. It’s worth the time investment.

4. LaceyBooklovers

LaceyBooklovers is another one of my favorite booktube channels. I love it because it’s devoted to all things romance, and because of its approachable coverage style.

A fan of enemies-to-lovers, bodyguard romances, and other notable tropes, Lacey is best for romance book reviews. For each video, a topic or time frame is picked (such as the month of December). Once that’s done, Lacey breaks down what worked for each book that was read in a casual, laid-back manner. 

I like how this channel doesn’t rush through the reviews; how it is always keen to explain the plot of each book in detail. What makes it even better is that when explaining what worked and didn’t, the channel tries to do so without spoilers. If there are spoilers, Lacey is always careful to preface it. The channel is also not afraid to recommend older romance novels, which I enjoy, too.

Overall, it’s a great channel for book lovers.

5. iWriterly

Subject: Publishing

iWriterly is a good channel for romance readers if they plan to write their own novels. Although it doesn’t focus exclusively on romance, it does talk about it as a genre. It also talks about what you need to do to be successful in the field at large.

Run by Meg LaTorre—an indie author who used to work at a literary agency—iWriterly is all about the business of publishing. From constructing characters, to spacing out plot beats, to marketing your book to your intended audience, iWriterly has it all.

This video on self-publishing mistakes to avoid is one of my recent favorites.

Binge-Watch a YouTube Romance Channel

Booktube and its adjacent field of media commentary is absolutely huge, with hours upon hours of content. Obviously there’s more amazing channels out there, so if you’re looking for additional recommendations, here’s a list of Black romance booktubers to follow .

Do you have a different channel you want to recommend that’s not featured on either list? Tell us about it in the comment section.

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The top 21 YouTube channels for writers of fiction

What are the most popular YouTube Channels for writers? It’s paradoxical to think that advice about writing can best be consumed, not by reading, but by watching. 

But it turns out that one of the easiest ways to understand all the different concepts that come together to make a great novel is to watch videos of people who actually know what’s up, explaining the craft. And some of those who do it well, are getting millions of views for their efforts.

A few months ago, we started working on a project to share the best YouTube channels for writers. This took us deep into Authortube ; the part of YouTube that consists of authors, editors and other book industry experts giving advice on how to write better, build author platforms, get published, and market your book successfully.

That project, New Writers TV, is not yet launched, but you can take a sneak preview here. Working on it opened our eyes to the galaxy of opinions, advice, and disses that make up Authortube. 

Some AuthorTube A-ha! Moments

We realized that if a writer wanted to learn how to write better just using YouTube, they could do amazing things. There is a lot of good advice out there. We also realized that it’s hard to find diverse authortubers and this is definitely an area of growth for the writing industry. 

Another thing we found is that there are some fantastic writing teachers out there who have great material on their blogs and in their newsletters, but somehow don’t manage to get the same traction on YouTube. An example is the amazing Jane Friedman, who is one of the leading publishing industry experts in the United States and has some of the most insightful insider advice about the industry. Yet, her YouTube channel does not perform nearly as well as any of the channels listed here. We are of course rooting for Jane and hope this changes.

We would also really love to find authortubers from other countries talking about writing and publishing there. We know they are out there; we’ve found a few and are still on the hunt. If you are one of those people or know any, we’d love to hear about it. What we think would be really insightful is to compare notes across borders and see what we can learn from each other.

Here it is, our list of the most popular and most useful YouTube channels for writers of fiction…

Terrible Writing Advice 

By J.P. Beaubien (413K Subscribers) Visit Terrible Writing Advice

Sometimes the best way to learn is to be told the wrong thing and to know you are being told the wrong thing. Beaubien gives awful writing advice laced with lots of sarcasm. Mostly these videos are just an excuse for him to complain about tropes he doesn’t like and cliches he keeps seeing in certain genres – which is great if you’re a new writer thinking you have original ideas. They are probably not. Beaubien will quickly disabuse you of those notions His bad advice is so good, it had made this the most entertaining YouTube channel for writers.

Most viewed videos on the channel

• Mary Sue (2.1M views) 
• Chosen Ones (1.5M views) 
• Fantasy Races (1.5M views )

Brandon Sanderson

By Brandon Sanderson (395K Subscribers) Visit Brandon’s channel

Brandon Sanderson is one of those authortubers who did not set out to be an authortuber in the commonly understood sense of the term. He is an author of fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers and a university lecturer. He started posting videos of his lectures and they were so popular, that he became a YouTube star. Even he didn’t understand just how big of a literary influencer he was until maybe earlier this year when he set up a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to raise US$1Million in 30 days for a project he called ‘Surprise! Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson.’ It took 35 minutes to smash that target. By the time the campaign ended, Sanderson had raised almost $42Million ($41,754,153 to be exact), setting a new Kickstarter record for project funding.

• It’s Time to Come Clean (1.5M views)
• Lecture #1: Introduction — Brandon Sanderson on Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy (1.3M views)
• Lecture #2: Plot Part 1 — Brandon Sanderson on Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy (1M views)

Merphy Napier

By Merphy Napier (371K Subscribers) Visit Merphy’s channel  

Merphy, author of Perfection and Elf Mastery , made her name as a booktuber. We added her hear because her ‘Dear Authors’ series has great recommendations and insights for writers. So while this is not primarily a YouTube channel for writers, once you use that as a landing pad, all her other videos are also really useful for authors as they teach you what readers really think about different aspects of writing – and all the things they wish authors didn’t do.

• Beginner to Advanced Fantasy Books Sorted (All our favorites!) ft Daniel Greene (1M views)
• Plotholes in Harry Potter! (825K views)
• Top 10 Books You Should Read In Your Lifetime (619K views)

Writing with Jenna Moreci

By Jenna Moreci (271K Subscribers) Visit Writing with Jenna Moreci

Jenna Moreci is a #1 bestselling author of dark fantasy and takes time to share some of the advice that has made her so successful through her popular YouTube channel. The Savior’s Champion , her first novel in The Savior’s Series , was voted one of the Best Books of All Time by Book Depository. Her direct, no holds barred approach to giving advice riles up some viewers making her comments section just as fun as her videos.

• 10 Worst Female Character Peeves (792K views)
• Top 10 Pets Pevees in Fictional Romances (573K views)
• 10 Worst Male Character Pet Peeves (556K Views)

Abbie Emmons

By Abbie Emmons (232K Subscribers) Visit Abbie’s Channel

Abbie’s spiel is “I teach writers how to make their stories matter by harnessing the power and psychology of storytelling, transforming their ideas into a masterpiece, and creating a lifestyle that makes their author dreams come true.” Abbie shows a deep understanding of the mechanics of story and the chemistry of character. She also talks about her own journey; how she plans, how she sets goals, and the tools she uses for her writing. Check out her website here .

• Your Hero Is Falling In Love With A Villain (Dark Romance) (1.9M Views)
• How to Write a Strong Female Character… (Who Isn’t Toxic and Annoying) (1.9M Views)
• Why Everyone Loves Mr. Darcy (1.1M Views) 

Alexa Donne

By Alexa Donne (141K Subscribers) Visit Alexa’s Channel

Alexa Donne is the author of Brightly Burning and The Stars We Steal , YA sci-fi romance retellings of classics set in space. On her channel, she shares advice on the writing craft, the publishing industry, and writing for a YA audience. She also features interviews with other authors.

• Harsh Writing Advice (998K views)
• The Worst Amateur Writing Mistakes (468K views)
• Bad Fanfic Writing you need to break (360K views)

Ellen Brock

By Ellen Brock (121K Subscribers) Visit Ellen’s Channel

Ellen is a writing coach and editor who helps authors finish their novels and get them publishing-ready. She started editing full-time in 2011 and for about twenty years has worked with over 100 writers each year as an editor, writing coach, and plot consultant. She’s an expert in plotting novels, outlining, and creating great characters. She can also help writers who feel lost find their voice. Her channel is an extension of the work that she does with writers. She uses it to help a wider audience of authors with their questions about writing a great novel.

• 25 Mistakes that peg you as an amateur writer (940K views)
• The Top 5 Mistakes Amateur Writers Make (361K views)
• How to plot your Novel fast (272K views)

By Meg LaTorre (97.3K Subscribers)  Visit iWriterly

Meg LaTorre writes steamy science fiction and fantasy . She has worked as a Literary Agent, in magazine publishing, medical/technical writing, and journalism. iWriterly is a writing and book publishing resource for genre fiction with videos about writing and editing novels, traditional and self-publishing, with a focus on romance, fantasy, and science fiction.

• 10 Overdone Fantasy Tropes (23K views)
• Why Literary Agents and Editors Reject a Book After the first Page: 7 Red Flags   (22K views)
• Common New Writer Mistakes (10K views)

Kindlepreneur

By Dave Chesson (73.2K Subscribers) Visit Kindlepreneur

Dave teaches writers and publishing companies how to sell more books. That’s his biggest strength, understanding how to move books to readers. His company even designs software  (affiliate link) to help players in the industry keep track of book sales and optimize their own books to sell better on Amazon. He also teaches various skills to help writers publish great books.

• Masterclass Review – Is It Worth the Money? (605K views)
• Grammarly Review: Is it worth it, and what you NEED to know! (424K views) 
• How to Write a Children’s Book: 8 EASY STEPS! (205K views)

Bonus Video

How to Start a Publishing Company (136K views) 

Heart Breathings

By Sarra Cannon (54.3K Subscribers) Visit Heart Breathings

If you’ve been looking to publish your books, but you’ve been feeling overwhelmed or just can’t figure out where to focus your time and energy, this YouTube channel for writers has the advice and tools for you. Sarra has been self-publishing her fiction for over ten years, and she promises that “if you focus on the right things and block out the rest of the noise, you can create a writing career you love.” But blocking out the noise- that is the big challenge…

• My 2019 Planner Line Up (200K views)
• How I sold Half a Million books self-publishing (163K views)
• How to organize my Washi Tape (128K views)

Writing Revolt by Jorden Makelle

by Jorden Makelle (50.4K Subscribers) Visit Writing Revolt by Jorden Makelle

In an industry where few people focus on the money (or acknowledge any focus on the money), Jorden brings it home with a solid look on how to bring the dollars home. She has a ton of tips on her website and YouTube channel on how to make sure you put food on the table with your writing. We absolutely love her for this. She covers topics such as freelance writing, creative writing, entrepreneurship,  books and reading, creativity, and that all-important area, self-development.

• 7 Freelance writing Jobs online for beginners ($100+!) (300K views)
• Freelance writing: How to get started Fast (203K views)
• Make Money Blogging  (170K views)

The Creative Penn

By Joanna Penn (47.6K Subscribers) Visit The Creative Penn

Joanna Penn has to be the queen of teaching creative writing as a business . She writes prolifically about the business of writing, marketing, and building author platforms. Through her YouTube channel and her website , she shares inspiration about writing fiction and non-fiction, self-publishing, book marketing, and making a living with your writing. 

• How  to use Grammarly to improve your writing (133K views)
• Writing fiction – Improve your dialogue with James Scott Bell (70K views)
• Writing tips for fiction and nonfiction with Scrivener (70K views)

Kate Cavanaugh Writes

By Kate Cavanaugh (45.1K Subscribers) Visit Kate Cavanaugh Writes

Kate describes herself as “a freelance writer, Youtuber, bubble tea enthusiast, San Antonio Spurs superfan, aspiring hybrid author, Disney World fanatic, and all-around dabbler.” Her videos include daily NaNoWriMo vlogs, writing experiments, and her famous ‘I tried writing like…’  videos.

• I tried writing like Stephen King for a day (302K views)
• I tried writing like Neil Gaiman for a day (117K views)
• I tried writing like Nora Roberts for a day (116K views)

Author Level Up

By Michael La Ronn (40.2K Subscribers) Visit Author Level Up

After a near-death experience in 2021, Michael La Ronn decided he wasn’t going to waste any more time and was going to take up his writing passion seriously. He writes science fiction & fantasy. He is prolific and has written over 70 books and counting while working a full-time job, raising a family, and attending law school classes in the evenings.

• Learn Scrivener in 20 Minutes (228K views)
• How to Outline a Novel in 10 Different Ways (115K views)
• Grammarly vs ProWritingAid APP BATTLE!🎤😆🏆 (83K views)

By Chris Fox (39.9K Subscribers) Visit Chris’ Channel

Chris is the best-selling author of 5,000 Words Per Hour , Write to Market , and numerous science fiction, fantasy, and thriller novels. He regularly releases videos for authors discussing marketing, craft, and the business of publishing.

• How to Make Names That Don’t Suck (312K Views)
• How Does Your Magic System Work? (103K Views)
• How to Plot Your Novel Using Dan Harmon’s Story Circle (102K Views)

Bethany Atazadeh

By Bethany Atazadeh (34.2K Subscribers) Visit Bethany’s Channel

Some of our favorite Bethany Atazadeh videos go deep into the world of self-publishing and how to make money as a writer. She is best known for her young adult fantasy novels, The Stolen Kingdom Series , which won the Best YA Author 2020 Minnesota Author Project award. She says she is obsessed with stories, chocolate, and her corgi puppy, Penny. She is also a writing coach dedicated to helping other authors publish great novels.

• How to Upload Your Book To KDP (106K Views)
• How Much Does It Cost to Self-Publish?  (80K Views)
• How to Write Your Story Idea for Your Children’s Book (70K Views)

Natalia Leigh

By Natalia Leigh (26.8K Subscribers) Visit Natalia’s Channel

Natalia Leigh is a full-time author, editor, and content creator . She’s the founder of Enchanted Ink Publishing . Her videos include tips on becoming more productive as a writer, building an author platform, and she also takes us behind the scenes and talks about what she’s doing as an editor and a writer.

• How to format a book in Word (217K views)
• How much does it cost to self-publish a book  (53K views)
• Writing Romance (38K views)

By Mandi Lynn (20.4K Subscribers) Visit Mandi’s Channel

Mandi Lynn’s channel recently hit 20,000 subscribers and she live-streamed a video of her celebration. She filmed it in her basement where she packs books for shipping. That statement alone should tell you all you need to know about how hands-on Mandi is in the book business. Her videos include a lot of advice from her own process as a writer. She talks about the business of being an author, making an income as a creative entrepreneur, and the various tools writers can use. Mandi published her first novel when she was seventeen. Her books include Essence , I am Mercy and She’s Not Here .

• How to make a book trailer (142K views)
• How to write a children’s book in 8 basic steps (73K views)
• How to format a Novel in Microsoft word – Self-publishing (44K views)

Author Brittany Wang

By Brittany Wang (12.4K Subscribers) Visit Author Brittany Wang

Brittany is a YA Fantasy author, web developer, and the founder of Author Website Boot Camp , a self-study course where writers learn how to build their own author websites. Her books include the On Wings Of Ash and Dust series. Her recent videos include one on building an author presence on TikTok, another one on how to create an audiobook, and one on plotting her second book. 

• How To Listen To Your Novel with the Kindle App (126K views)
• How I Became a Full-Time Writer in ONE YEAR! (47K Views)
• Free Online Novel Writing Course (43K views)

The Courtney Project

By Courtney Young (9.68K Subscribers) Visit The Courtney Project

Courtney writes and self-publishes romance novels prolifically under the pen name Lyra Parish . She is also one half of the USA Today bestselling writing duo (with co-author Brooke Cumberland. Brooke) that publishes books under the name Kennedy Fox . In 2020, she left her full-time corporate job to become a full-time author after having self-published her first book in 2014. In her own words, “I started this channel to help give real advice based on my own experience self-publishing. When I was new, I wish I had someone who had ‘been there and done that’ who was sharing legitimate information.”

• 5 Tips on how to choose a pen name (14K views)
• LLCs for Authors (9K views)
• Tips for Wr i ting Romance Novels that Sell! (9K Views)

David Gaughran

By David Gaughran (6.86K Subscribers) Visit David’s Channel

David is a staunch advocate for indie publishing. He is one of the few YouTubers whose sole focus is helping writers sell books: Now that you’ve published your book, how do you push those numbers up? How do you get your book flying off the bookshelf? Talk to Dave—or rather, listen to Dave. You can also read Dave. He has great insights for writers on his blog . Or you can try one of his useful books on self-publishing and book marketing.

• BookBub Ads Tutorial: how to reach up to TEN MILLION readers (11.3K Views)
• How To Market A Book – a guide for authors (10.8K views)
• Book promotion which works: Promo Stacking and building your marketing plan (7.1K views)

Research by Stuart Moyo & Fungai Tichawangana

Want to keep up with the best YouTube channels for writers and the latest updates from the world of publishing? Check out New Writers TV

Author: Team VoW

Valley of Writers provides resources, tools, ideas and training for new writers. We work with a writers and contributors based around the world. Our primary focus is to equip new writers with skills to help them reach new audiences and achieve their goals.

This may also be useful:

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Romance Novel Beat Sheet: Your Guide to Hitting All the Right Notes

If you’re writing a romance novel, remember they play by their own set of rules. A romance novel not only has a plot arc, it also has the romance arc itself (which is usually more important than the plot), and the arcs of any and all characters involved directly in said romance. 

Today we’re going to look at story beats to help craft your romance novel. Beats are specific points of significance that occur in stories that a) help keep the tension up and b) help drive the story forward. They can also be extremely useful in helping you map out your story before you dive into your first draft. 

Plotters and Pantsers

If you’re a plotter, this probably sounds like music to your ears and you’re already drafting that five-figure word outline in your head. You aren’t my people, but I’m happy for you. 

If you’re a pantser, you might be tempted to close this page, but wait a moment! Hear me out! As a self-proclaimed pantser myself, I’m here to tell you that, while you might not be interested in this prior to your first draft, what you can do is go ahead and write that wild manuscript then go back and use these beats when you’re done to ensure your story is meeting them. Some people call this reverse outlining, and it can be extremely effective. 

So let’s get into it. 

Romance Novel Beats and The Hating Game

We’re going to use The Hating Game by Sally Thorne for this one because it’s my all-time favorite romance novel (and happens to also be a movie, so I can very handily borrow some photos from it). It can be yours too if you haven’t read it yet. Just trust me. 

Introduce H(ero)1

This is where we meet your main character. Even if you’re writing a dual-POV novel, you’re going to have one character that has that “main character energy.” If you’re writing a traditional M/F (male/female) romance, this is often the female character. But it doesn’t have to be and obviously it’s different if you’re writing an M/M (male/male) or F/F (female/female) romance. If you’re writing a poly relationship that features three or more people, you’ll still likely have that one person around whom the romance circles.

Start by establishing this H1 character in their ‘normal.’ What does their everyday life look like? Of course, within that normal, there is going to be something missing from their lives. Something that is off. Something that drives your plot forward, whether it’s a lack of romance, a professional goal, or a general ennui. 

In The Hating Game, we meet Lucy Hale, who works for a publishing company in New York. Recently, they’ve merged with another publisher whose approach to books is fundamentally different. The two companies clash, the two teams don’t get along, and basically her professional life is in the pits. Oh, and her only friend, who lost her job in the merger, blames Lucy for it, leaving this single woman spending her evenings alone in her apartment, video chatting with her parents and collecting Smurf miniatures to fill the void in her life. 

Introduce H(ero)2

Now we meet the love interest. Who is this person and what do they want? If you’re writing a single POV novel from the H1’s POV, this character’s development might not get as much attention, however don’t forget that this character needs an arc, too. If you’re writing dual POV, the love interest’s arc is often even more in-depth. 

Picking up where we left off in The Hating Game, the merger with the other publisher brings Josh Templeman into Lucy’s life. They share an office. Their desks face each other. And they can’t stand each other. Josh is regarded as a cold, unfeeling bastard by much of the staff and he has trouble with relationships. His most recent relationship went down in flames and now he thinks he’s undateable. (Note that much of his internal struggle isn’t revealed until much later in the story. At the outset, all we see is a guy who doesn’t really seem to care what anyone thinks of him.) 

The ‘meet cute’ is a common term you’ll hear in romance writing which refers to the moment that your love interests meet, often in an awkward or humorous circumstance. If you’re writing a story where they already know one another, then the meet cute is that moment when things in the relationship start to shift. 

It can be a big moment, like they’re suddenly forced to work on a project together or they end up having to share a hotel room and there’s only one bed , or it can be more subtle when the parties in question start to wake up to their repressed or not-so-repressed feelings. 

In The Hating Game, the meet cute is a more subtle transition for our two lovebirds. They already spend every day together, but the tone of the banter changes. Told from Lucy’s point of view, her thoughts acknowledge that she doesn’t find Josh bad looking, while their conversation starts devolving into talk of flirting and dating. We also discover she’s mildly obsessed with him, noting the exact color of shirt he wears every day of the week. She also starts having dreams about him of the less-than-PG variety. The tension is building (and oh, what good tension it is). Then an errant kiss in an elevator is the catalyst that changes everything for these two. 

For a romance arc to really hit, there has to be a very good reason these two people cannot be together (at least in their minds). This might be a difference of personalities, something physical like living on other sides of the world, or could even be your good, old-fashioned forbidden love. 

In The Hating Game, we’ve got one of the most popular romance tropes at play: enemies to lovers. They can’t stand each other. They argue. They bicker. They even play little pranks on each other. She thinks he’s uptight and stuffy, and he thinks she’s flighty and doesn’t take her seriously. (Of course, we all know that deep down it’s because they’re actually meant to be, but they don’t know that yet.) 

They’re going to fight this ‘thing’ they’re both feeling with everything they have. At least outwardly. Eventually, we find out that Josh has also been pining for Lucy all along and the ‘he loved her the whole time’ is another trope that just grabs you by the heart and stomps on it. Amirite? 

The Turning Point

This typically closes out Act 1 or the Set Up. This is a moment that raises the stakes of the game, defining your character’s motivations with more clarity and propelling your narrative forward. 

In The Hating Game, this comes in the form of a new job opening at the company where Josh and Lucy work. Both of them are qualified, and whoever gets the job will then be ranked above them at the publisher and become the other one’s boss. Oooooh. Of course, this becomes a fight to the death (or at least the corner office). 

The Midpoint/Raising the Stakes

At this point, things are starting to heat up, both metaphorically and physically. During this point, something happens that brings your lovebirds together. Something that says: okay, so maybe this person is more than just my enemy/friend/whatever. There might also be a raising of the sexual tension. 

Returning to our example, this point comes when Josh and Lucy end up on the same team during a staff paintball day, which is supposed to be a corporate bonding exercise between the two opposing workforces. Here we see Josh being extra protective of Lucy, especially when she starts to get sick and vomits all over him. Seriously, what's more romantic than that? Josh takes Lucy to her apartment and tends to her until she’s feeling better. Now, do people who hate each other do that kind of thing? 

The Really No Way

Of course, no matter how much they seem destined for one another, they’re going to keep on fighting it. Or something is going to keep standing in their way. After all, nothing in this life worth having is easy, is it? 

After Josh nurses Lucy back to health, she thinks their relationship is changing, and it’s getting harder to deny what she feels for him. But then she overhears him talking to their boss about how he plans to beat her out for the promotion they’re both competing for. She believes he’s just been playing her. What was she thinking? This could never work between them, so she pulls back. 

The Second Turning Point

Once again, something happens to turn up the stakes even higher, making it seem like your lovebirds are just never going to get a break. 

In our example, Lucy agrees to attend Josh’s brother’s wedding, putting them in close quarters (and yes, they have to share a hotel room where there’s only one bed). 

The Dark Night of the Soul/The Crisis

You’ll hear this low point referred to in a lot of different ways. Basically, it’s the lowest point for your protagonist when everything seems lost and love is impossible. 

During the wedding, Lucy discovers that his brother’s fiancée is Josh’s ex-girlfriend, the only long-term relationship he’s ever had until she left him for his brother. Ouch. Lucy is angry he kept this fact from her. Couple all this with the fact that the interviews for the promotion are just days away and Lucy realizes she either has to get the promotion or she’ll have to quit. She can’t work with Josh as her boss.

Final Resolution and Happy (or Happily) Ever After

This is it. They’ve overcome all obstacles and your happy lovers have finally figured it all out. Cue fireworks (and maybe some wedding bells). You might see the acronyms HEA or HFN bandied about and these stand for, happily ever after or happy for now. 

After Josh apologizes for keeping the truth about his ex from her, they admit their feelings for one another and realize what they’ve known all along. To make matters even better, Josh has been looking for another job and has already handed in his resignation, meaning Lucy gets the promotion and they don’t have to worry about their professional lives interfering with their personal one. Kiss, kiss. Hallelujah! 

Make no mistake, your romance novel MUST have a happy ending. There is no wiggle room here. If it doesn’t, then it’s not a romance novel. It’s some other genre of book that happens to have a romance subplot. You aren’t being clever or subverting anything by giving them a sad ending. Don’t do it. All you’re going to do is ensure yourself a bunch of one-star reviews from angry romance readers. 

A word on polyamory romances

While many people associate romance books with two people, the world is a big and exciting place and there are legions of authors out there writing and reading romances that feature three, four, five, or more people who are involved in a relationship. 

The method for plotting these is similar in that you’re still going to introduce your H1 and H2, but then also potentially your H3, H4 etc. They still need a meet cute somehow. They still need to have a ‘no way’ moment. They still experience turning points, the highs and lows, and the crisis mode. The added challenge comes in giving each of these lovers their own arcs. 

To plot for this, you can create multiple beat sheets for each character and include their main points, noting where they converge with each other and where they diverge. Adding more people to the mix definitely adds a challenge, but it also gives you lots of opportunity to explore different dynamics between different characters and their personalities. If you’re interested in trying this, I always recommend reading numerous books that use these tropes to get a feel for how the writer handles them. 

Romance Novel Beat Sheet

After all my rambling, here’s what you probably came here looking for. Use the template below to get started on plotting your romance novel. If you want some more tips on writing romance, you can take a look at this article , as well. 

You can also download a PDF version of the sheet above.

Copy and Past Romance Beat Sheet for Dabble Notes

And while you’re at it, Dabble makes it super easy to keep track of all those amazing ideas through the use of their Plotting Tool. You can recreate your beat sheet right inside the program and then use it when you start writing your novel. It’ll make sticking to those beats extra easy, ensuring you’ve got a tension-filled romance that will leave your readers swooning. You can even just copy and paste what I've given you below.

Introduce H1

Who is your protagonist?

Introduce H2

Who is their love interest?

How do they meet or how does their relationship shift into a potentially romantic one?

What's going to keep these lovebirds apart?

Turning Point

What's the point where there's no turning back from this?

Raising the Stakes

How are you going to make them sweat? What can you do to increase the tension?

Really No Way

How are they going to continue to fight this?

Turning Point II

Let's raise the stakes one more time.

Everything is lost. Your lovebirds just couldn't be sadder right now.

HEA or HFN

They've figured it out and everyone lives happily ever after (or for now)!

Want to try it for yourself? Dabble is free for your first 14 days. Sign up today and start creating that magic. 

Nisha J Tuli is a YA and adult fantasy and romance author who specializes in glitter-strewn settings and angst-filled kissing scenes. Give her a feisty heroine, a windswept castle, and a dash of true love and she’ll be lost in the pages forever. When Nisha isn’t writing, it’s probably because one of her two kids needs something (but she loves them anyway). After they’re finally asleep, she can be found curled up with her Kobo or knitting sweaters and scarves, perfect for surviving a Canadian winter.

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How to Turn Up the Heat in Your Romance

Taught by: Kelly Palmer

Many writers are curious to try turning up the heat in their romance, but hold themselves back for fear of awkwardness. It's hard to know how far to go, how many details to include, or when a sex scene is warranted. Trust us, you would not be the first writer to squirm away from the task of naming body parts! Erotic writing is a craft to hone. Creating sexual tension or sexual scenes that are natural, convincing, and serve a purpose in terms of your book's plot is no small feat.

And that's why we're here! This free course takes you through the essentials of hot writing: planning and framing sex scenes, as well as actually writing the sexual act itself.

NOTE: This course is for adults only

What you'll learn in this course:

• How to create sexual tension
• The best ways to write conflict with erotic potential
• How to develop lovable characters whose personalities add to the sexual tension
• What the conventions in erotic writing are
• How to write realistic sex scenes, and establish a cringe-free vocabulary for body parts

Brought to you by:

Kelly Palmer is a bestselling romance, erotica and suspense author who began her career writing for romance giant Harlequin. She is a sought-after ghostwriter and creative writing tutor. Visit Kelly's Reedsy profile to learn more .

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Romance Beat Sheet for Swoonworthy Emotional Stories

How hard can writing a romance be? Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy wins girl back.

As it turns out, writing a GOOD romance isn’t so easy. First of all, the leads aren’t always a boy and girl. Sometimes they’re not human.

Second, the meeting, losing, and winning don’t just happen. There is an emotional roller coaster ride readers expect to go on.

Writing a romance that readers enjoy involves:

• Characters readers can root for
• Conflicts and stakes readers can believe
• A plot that takes readers on an emotional ride.

So how does a writer achieve that? It starts by expanding the meet-lose-love idea into plot points, sometimes referred to as beats. These beats make up the structure of the story…essentially, they’re the steps to writing a romance novel.

Text version continues below the video:

I can hear all the pantsters out there saying, “But Jenna, I don’t plot. I want the adventure of not knowing where the story will take me.” That’s fine. Even as a pantster though, your story must hit certain beats to fit within the romance genre.

There are great romance beat sheets on the Internet, including Jamie Gold ‘s and Gwen Hayes ‘. Billy Mernit in his book Writing the Romantic Comedy , offers an eight-beat outline. While each of these beat sheets has a different number of plot points, often called different names, they’re all referring to the same thing. You need to find the story structure sheet that makes the most sense to you and helps you develop your story.

Not to be outdone, I’ve created my own romance beat sheet that takes what resonates with me from above. This beat sheet, including a fillable worksheet, is in The Romance Author’s Novel Organizer available in print or PDF for download.

Note that this beat sheet is for a regular romance. If you write a romantic suspense or mystery, or romantic fantasy, you may need to include other beats. For example, in a mystery, you need beats that involve finding clues or being in danger. If you write fantasy, you may prefer the Hero’s Journey plot outline, but if it’s a romance, you also need to make sure you have the romantic beats included.

Before Plotting

Which comes first? Plot or character? There’s no right or wrong answer to this. Sometimes a plot idea is the inspiration and other times it’s a character. What is important that before you plot you need to have basic understandings about your characters. Primarily: their goals and conflicts. Knowing their personalities and motivations helps as well.

Plotting Using the Write with Harte Romance Beat Sheet

Below are the beats I use when plotting a basic romance. These have been adapted from three-act structure, Romancing the Beat, and other beat sheets. You’ll notice that most sheets have similar beats but with different names. Mine is no different where I’ve changed the names to some beats to make more sense to me on the purpose they serve.

ACT 1: Set Up

This is where we meet our protagonists. Often, the opening is the start of a normal day that is about to be turned upside down. You should include a few bits about the protagonist(s) that set up goals and hints at inner conflicts.

Inciting Event (Meet Cute) (Catalyst)

This is where our two love birds meet or are brought together on the page at the same time to set off the story. In a rom com, a meet cute sometimes involves humor or a screwball situation, but it doesn’t have to be that. It could be intense or scary.

This meeting is the event that sets our characters off in the direction of falling in love, even if they hate each other at this point. If the characters already know each other, there is something different in this meeting than in all their previous meetings. For example, in The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, Lucy and Josh have been hating each other from their desks for some time (opening), however the inciting event is when their bosses tell them about a new position that only one of them can get.

Note about the inciting event…in my plot sheet, this really happens in the Stuck Together beat because this beat is the catalyst to the rest of the story. A romance can introduce our couple on the same page, but there can be a status quo where nothing is changing. With that said, the meeting, resistance, and stuck together can happen in a single chapter, even in a single scene.

The first response to the inciting event is nearly always resistance or a butting of heads between the love interest.

“The idea of a fake engagement is a terrible idea.”

“We can’t be in the same room together. How will we be able to share the only car left to rent to get to the conference?”

However, the resistance isn’t always from dislike. In a friends-to-lovers situation, often the resistance is trying to avoid revealing their true feelings. Sometimes, the meet-cute is friendly and there is an attraction between the lovebirds, yet there is still resistance. This response is rooted in their goals and/or inner conflicts. Sometimes there is an attempt to avoid each other which brings us to the next beat…

Stuck together (New Path/Inciting Event)

Act one ends with our lovebirds without a choice or reluctantly agreeing to a situation that puts them together. Snow storms and stuck elevators would be a situation in which they’re stuck without a choice. Working in the same company or living in the same building would also fit this. A fake relationship or temporary partnership would involve a reluctant agreement.

This beat is important because our lovebirds need to be together in order to fall in love. In Red, White and Royal Blue , by Casey McQuiston, Alex’s mother, POTUS, coerces him to spend time with Henry to fix an embarrassing situation he created at Henry’s brother, the Prince of England, wedding. Without this, Alex and Henry don’t spend time together because they live an ocean apart and don’t like each other.

If it isn’t presented earlier, this scene identifies the external conflict as well; the thing outside them that is preventing them from reaching their goal.

ACT 2: Falling In then Out of Love

Fighting Attraction

The lovebirds enter their stuck-together phase fully intending to keep their walls up. They’re focused on their goals and not letting the other person get in their way. If they don’t get along, there is usually banter and arguing. If they do get along, there is usually inner dialogue about how they can’t fall for the other.

Waning Resistance

As the lovebirds spend time together, their initial impressions start to change. This is especially true in an enemies-to-lovers story. But even when they get along (friends to lovers), time together shifts their feelings or heightens them (in the case of unrequited love).

In this section, they begin to entertain the possibility of a relationship, physically and/or emotionally. Note that kissing and even sex may have already occurred (in the case of a non-sweet book), but this is where the wall of resistance wanes.

Resistance is futile as desire leads them to consider giving into a relationship. Note this doesn’t have to be sensual desire. In sweet romance, this is simply moving away from resistance to considering a relationship.

Ut Oh (Pinch Point 1)

I don’t know where the term pinch point came from, but I much prefer Ut-Oh. This is a situation in which an antagonist or conflict appears to remind the lovebirds what’s at stake. In my writing, I like to make this first one one mini-sized. It’s like a tap on the shoulder reminding one (or they both can have an ut-oh) what can happen.

Imagining HEA (Midpoint)

Despite the ut-oh, the characters are drawing ever closer. They’re rethinking goals and concerns. They believe they can overcome the conflicts, but selfishly. They want their cake and to eat it too. But they haven’t grown yet, so they’re susceptible to their inner demons (conflict) and the antagonist.

HEA within Reach

This is a honeymoon moment, but the characters still haven’t delt with the conflicts that threaten their love.

Personal fears and conflicts are creating doubt in their feelings for the other, and how the other feels about them. Fears and inner conflicts cause the characters to slow down.

This ut-oh is a bigger one than the last. It’s a whack on the head, reminding them of everything they could lose by abandoning their goal. For example, a CEO falling for his admin might get a talking to from a board member about the possibility of being forced out for having a relationship with an insubordinate and putting the company at risk for a lawsuit. The first ut-oh caused hesitation, but this one makes them stop in their tracks and rethink the situation, and what they’re willing to risk. Remember, they haven’t grown so, their thinking tends to be based in their fears.

After the big ut-oh, one character or both pulls away. They don’t want to risk their heart and their goal, and they decide to choose the goal instead. The other character may notice this distance and pull away as well.

Black moment

This is where the $h!t hits the fan. Everything that could go wrong goes wrong. Done well, your readers are weeping or worried (in the case of a suspense). If motivations aren’t strong or if the stakes are weak, a black moment can feel predicable or worse, it can annoy readers.

One thing I like to do just before this scene is have one or both characters make the decision to confess their love (move HEA within Reach here). They’re about to put it all on the line for love, then whammy, the black moment. The lie or deception is revealed. A choice is made that the other can’t live with. This little gimmick doesn’t work on it’s own though. The black moment must feel believable and make sense. Something as little as a miscommunication isn’t enough for a black moment. This moment needs to feel like the end of the road for our budding couple.

A recent wish of some romance readers is a softer black moment. They lament the angsty breakup. It is possible to write a black moment that isn’t full of anger and heartache. Lauren Blakely books often have a soft black moment where the couple is parting amicably. Or the black moment can involve danger, so the risk of loss has to do with getting killed, not breaking up.

ACT 3 Fighting for Love

Aftermath/Misery

This is the aftermath of the black moment. Initially, one or both, convinced they’re right, goes off in an attempt to regain their past normal life.  The problem is that they can’t go back. The more they try, the more miserable they feel. I like to live in this moment a little bit. Too often, writers rush to relieve the agony of the black moment, but I like to bring home how much they’ve lost by not choosing to change, by not choosing love.

I want to point out here that characters don’t have to give up their goal for love. The characters still win even if they don’t get their original goal. For example, in the Hating Game (slight spoiler), one person is offered the job, but the other person ends up at a different company and is much happier about it.

Epiphany (Ah-Ha)

This is when one or both characters realize their fears and inner conflicts getting in their way, and accept that they love the other person. This is where growth takes place. In order for the past problems (conflicts and ut-ohs) not to cause problems in the future, the characters need to grow into new people.

Grand Gesture

This is when one character reaches out, putting all on the line for the other person. It’s different from earlier attempts that played it safe. Here, they’re vulnerable.

The happily ever after scene is when the other person also is vulnerable and they come together with new understanding and a commitment to each other.

Life After HEA (Epilogue – optional)

This scene is optional, and shows the couple living in their new happiness not just with each other, but with their goals as well.

Some plot sheets have fewer points. Others have more. For me, this hits all the major points needed in a romance. In a romantic suspense or fantasy, you may need a few others beats, but for the relationship part of the story, these beats hit them all.

Plotting Resources

If you like to check out my beat sheet or others, you can get them here:

Download the Write with Harte Romance Beat Sheet here (no email or membership required!)

Jamie Gold’s Romance Beat sheet

Romance Plotting Books

Take your romance novel from idea to published and selling with The Romance Author’s Novel Organizer. Flesh out your idea, plan your writing and publishing schedule and routine, organize your thoughts, store research, plot, publish and sell with these checklists, worksheets, tips, and more.

The Romance Novel Organizer in print

The Romance Novel Organizer PDF for Download

Other Romance Plotting Books

Romancing The Beat by Gwen Hayes

Writing the Romantic Comedy

Do you have questions about plotting a romance? Maybe you have tips. Let me know in the comments below.

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Personally, I find this as an excellent way to outline a book! Thank you. Very helpful! Although I feel it’ll be more helpful if you could place what percentage each beats are at in the novel.

Hi Sheyn, Thank you for checking the beat sheet. I’m glad you find it helpful. Funny that you ask for percentage of beats as that was always the element that thru me. I worried “what if I’m at the wrong percentage or word count”. I like to keep them a bit loose because they can slide around a bit. I have my meeting and inciting event happen really fast, earlier than many beat sheets would indicate. With that said, you can get a general sense of percentages; Act 1 would be 0-25%, Act 2a 26-50%, Act 2b 51-75%, and Act 3 75-100%. For 80k words, each act (with act 2 having 2) would be 20k each. Thank you again!!! Happy writing!

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Moby Teams With Mark Webber for ‘Tecie,’ Indie Romance Set Among Gen-Z Animal Rights Activists (EXCLUSIVE)

By Jack Dunn

• Moby Teams With Mark Webber for ‘Tecie,’ Indie Romance Set Among Gen-Z Animal Rights Activists (EXCLUSIVE) 59 mins ago
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Little Walnut Productions is expanding into narrative features with original movie “ Tecie ,” a Gen-Z romance set in the Los Angeles animal rights and activism scene. Mark Webber serves as director with a screenplay from Moby , who will also compose an original score.

“Moby and Lindsay [Hicks] have built a company on a foundation of principles that are sadly lacking within the entertainment industry,” said Webber. “It’s an incredible feeling to be working alongside fellow artists wanting to make significant cultural change and Little Walnut is committed to being at the forefront of that change.”

Popular on Variety

“For years I’ve witnessed first-hand the bravery and beauty of those at the forefront of the animal rights movement, and during the pandemic, Lindsay and I decided to write and produce ‘Tecie,'” Moby added. “As a fellow animal rights activist, Mark was the perfect collaborator for the first of many narrative features we plan to make at the intersection of art and activism.”

Moby, Hicks, Webber and Teresa Palmer serve as producers. Production is expected to begin this summer.

Moby’s Little Walnut has produced documentaries including “Rowdy Girl,” “The Future,” “Milked,” “Slay” and “Ratify.”

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The Decades-Long Romance of Las Vegas and Hawaii

By Hannah Goldfield

Late one recent evening at the California Hotel and Casino, in downtown Las Vegas, a few miles north of the Strip, I tried my luck at a slot machine for the very first time. Fifteen minutes later, I was down by twenty bucks or so—thirty if you count the exorbitant A.T.M. fee I’d been determined to win back—and feeling defeated. No matter; it was time for a vastly surer bet, the real reason I was here. Every night, from 11  P.M. to 6 A.M. , the hotel’s twenty-four-hour restaurant, the Market Street Café, serves one of Vegas’s most iconic dishes. Minutes after I’d been seated at the counter, next to an eighty-seven-year-old woman in oversized sunglasses, a server presented me with a large bowl of Hawaii-style oxtail soup, a glistening, fragrant broth brimming with carrots, celery, and hunks of oxtail bone, from which supple shreds of purple meat loosened easily. It came with a scoop of rice and a hefty pinch of pounded ginger and fresh cilantro. Had I been sick—with a head cold or a longing for Hawaii, or both—I imagine it would have cured me.

If an oxtail soup from Hawaii seems an unlikely thing to eat in Las Vegas, you have a lot to learn about both places, as I did, and still do. Census data from 2020 showed that Clark County, Nevada, which includes Las Vegas, was the U.S. county with the largest population of native Hawaiians outside of Hawaii, a statistic that tells only part of the story. The word “Hawaiian” typically applies to the islands’ Indigenous population, descendants of the Polynesians who first settled Hawaii, between 1000 and 1200 A.D., and who were nearly eradicated by the arrival of Europeans, in the late eighteenth century. Other people born and raised on the islands—many of them the descendants of migrant laborers from Japan, Korea, China, the Philippines, Portugal, and Puerto Rico, who came to work on sugarcane and pineapple plantations—are known as kamaaina (residents), “Hawaii people,” or “locals.” The last of these terms applies even in Vegas, where there are so many Hawaii people that they’ve given the city an affectionate nickname: the Ninth Island.

The California Hotel—the Cal, to regulars—has played a central role in the Hawaii-to-Vegas pipeline. Opened in 1975 by Sam Boyd, an Oklahoma-born entrepreneur, it was the first property in what would become Boyd Gaming, one of the largest casino-management corporations in the country. According to William Boyd, Sam’s son, who wrote the foreword for a book about the hotel from 2008, the Cal was named for its original intended audience, gamblers from California. But, a year in, “we were struggling,” William wrote. “One day [my dad] said to me, ‘You know, we’re going to need a niche market here and that’s going to be Hawai‘i.’ ”

After living and working in Honolulu for several years, Sam Boyd had developed an affinity for the islands and their people, whom he found to be “industrious” and who seemed to love gambling, which has always been illegal there. The Cal lured guests from Hawaii with promotions that included discounted airfare, free rooms, and credits for meals at a restaurant called Aloha Specialties, which is still part of the hotel today. The answer to where you vacation when you live in paradise was, apparently, Las Vegas. Gamblers from Hawaii were “unlike anything the Vegas market had experienced,” according to one of the 2008 book’s authors, Dennis M. Ogawa, a professor emeritus of American studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Not only did they spend much more money per day than the average tourist, Ogawa writes, but they’d also “arrive in groups, laden with luggage they had filled with gifts for the staff: fresh pineapples, Maui onions, Kona coffee, and boxes of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts.”

When I arrived at the Cal on a sunny Monday afternoon, a down-on-his-luck man, slumped in a tree bed on the sidewalk outside, looked up at me with a grin and said, “Aloha.” The Cal, and downtown Vegas more broadly, has seen more glamorous days, but, inside, a wholesome sense of nostalgia hung in the air, along with the scent of cigarette smoke. The carpeted floor of the casino was patterned with enormous hibiscus flowers; outside the Ohana conference room, I met a man wearing a midnight-blue T-shirt printed with the word “ SPAM ” in the brand’s signature yellow font—a show of support, he explained, for Spam’s parent company, Hormel Foods, which had helped to rehabilitate Maui after the devastating wildfires in 2023. “I thought maybe you were a Spam fanatic,” I said. The man, whose name was Gene, laughed and said, “Well, isn’t everyone from Hawaii a Spam fanatic?”

Gene was at the Cal for the sort of event that has become commonplace there over the years: a reunion for a high school in Hawaii, in this case Hilo High, class of 1955. (The Maui High class of ’53 was meeting on the same dates.) Spam was introduced to the islands when Gene was a child. Originally served to G.I.s stationed there during the Second World War, it became a staple of the local diet, incorporated into everything from musubi—Hawaii’s version of onigiri—to saimin, a dashi-based noodle soup. In general, the Cal’s clientele seemed to skew elderly; at check-in, the young woman behind the front desk greeted guests in line ahead of me as Auntie and Uncle.

Beyond the hotel, I found a vibrant, multigenerational world of Hawaii people. In the decades after the casino opened, the appeal of Vegas grew as not only a place to vacation but also a place to live. In 1992, the Hawaii-born playwright Edward Sakamoto published a play called “Aloha Las Vegas,” about a widower named Wally who is weighing a move from Honolulu. An old friend named Harry, who has already relocated, urges him to do the same. “Aeh, it’s a mass exodus to Vegas,” Harry says, in Hawaii pidgin. “Lodda people in Hawai‘i house-rich and cash-poor.” Thirty years later, the line holds up. When I asked Jennifer Vergara, a forty-two-year-old transplant from Honolulu, why so many Hawaii people of her generation had left home, she replied matter-of-factly: “Gentrification. Developers. Inflation.” In Honolulu, most of her friends—schoolteachers, policemen—were struggling, and in many cases living with their parents, even after having kids of their own. Better jobs and plentiful real estate beckoned, oasis-like, from the Mojave; in Vegas, Vergara and her husband, who have two kids, are employed as nurses and own a three-bedroom home.

Perhaps nothing so clearly reflects this ongoing exodus as the city’s landscape of restaurants. It would be easy to define the food in Vegas by the offerings at its lavish casinos and hotels, many of them pandering to the tastes of high-rolling tourists, all caviar and king crab and Wagyu. But, off the Strip, there are hundreds of humbler, family-run, counter-service establishments, a strip-mall ecosystem reminiscent of greater Los Angeles. From the airport, I drove to a restaurant called 2 Scoops of Aloha, which shares a shopping plaza with two insurance offices, an acne clinic, and an iPhone repair store. There, I ordered what’s known in Hawaii as a plate lunch. Born of the hearty appetites of plantation laborers, a plate lunch usually includes two scoops of rice and one of macaroni salad, plus meat or fish. I opted for fried chicken two ways—one portion smothered in a garlicky gravy, the other slicked in a sweet-spicy Korean-style glaze—and a side of poi, a Polynesian dish of boiled taro, pounded into a viscous paste.

The meal illustrated the fusion inherent in the islands’ cuisine, a collision of cultures that don’t cohere so much as happily coexist. Johnathan Wright, a restaurant reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal who was raised in Honolulu, defined the cuisine as “whatever I grew up eating”: galbi (Korean short ribs), Cantonese roast duck, manapuas (Hawaii’s take on baos), Spam. Jeremy Cho, a Korean American professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who was born in Hawaii, told me that he’d been surprised by the city’s abundance of Hawaii-style Korean food, distinct from the Korean food you’d encounter in L.A. or Fort Lee, New Jersey. In Vegas, as in his home state, it was easy to find a plate lunch featuring what’s known in Hawaii as meat jun, a pancake made of egg-battered beef.

More than one kamaaina described food as closing the gap between the tropics and the desert. “Poke Express, that tastes like home,” Vergara said, of a takeout place she frequents. Alysa Andrade, an organizer of Pure Aloha, one of Vegas’s Hawaii-themed festivals, founded in 2004, described a boom in restaurants serving “island food,” as well as other businesses targeting locals: pool detailing, tribal-tattoo artists, Hawaiian-language classes. “When I go back home, I want to come back here,” Andrade told me over a slice of guava cake and chunks of pineapple sprinkled in powdered li hing mui (pickled and dried plum), at Straight Up Cafe, whose menu promises “killah grinds,” pidgin for great food. “I like Vegas. I feel like everyone’s doing the same thing back home. They’re just still in the same place where I left them twenty years ago.”

Some people visit Las Vegas in order to feel as though they’re somewhere else entirely: Venice, Paris, a post-apocalyptic Earth imagined by Darren Aronofsky. Eating poke in a strip mall, I couldn’t help but think about how much better it would taste if I were near the ocean, a salty breeze blowing off the waters where the fish had been caught. But eating poke at ‘Ai Pono Cafe, in the high-gloss food court of a brand-new casino called Durango, is transportive, an experience that delivers on the city’s promise. Gene Villiatora, ‘Ai Pono’s chef and owner, moved to Vegas from Hawaii in 1993, “the same night as the grand opening of the MGM Grand,” he told me, and worked as a dishwasher at Aloha Specialties, in the Cal, before bouncing around some of the Strip’s toniest kitchens and then competing on “Top Chef,” in 2008. At Durango, ‘Ai Pono’s storefront mimics a cartoonish beach shack. Inside, Villiatora serves what he calls “Hawaii street food”: a refined spin on a Korean-inspired plate lunch, featuring a strip of tender galbi and a meat jun, griddled golden and crisp; a spectacular fried chicken thigh shellacked in a chili-pepper-guava glaze that tastes strikingly of the juicy fruit. A dozen yards away, on the casino floor, animated bison stampede across the screens of digital slot machines, a game called Buffalo Ascension promising gold. ♦

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