I hope you had a great Memorial Day Weekend. My weekend was busy. I had a child graduate from high school (I still can’t quite get a grip on that reality) and another finish up her freshman year. It was a weekend of memories and future plans. Speaking of future plans…
Summer is officially here and that means it’s time to take a look at your summer writing schedule. For many the summer means that routines need to be changed. The days are longer and often busier. It’s important to make time every day to write and work on your romance novel. The following quick tips will help you get your summer off to a great start.
#1 Find Fun Tools
Have you ever started a workout program and the first thing you do is go out and buy a pair of shoes and some workout clothing? Sometimes you need the equipment to get you started and to set the tone. You can do the same thing with your writing. My favorite writing tool is my Rustico Leather journal. I slip a composition notebook inside my leather binder and take it wherever I go. It may sound silly but I also have a favorite pen. I snagged it from the Stanley Hotel on a ghost hunting adventure. I love writing with this pen because it reminds me of all the spookiness we experienced there.
#2 Make Time!
Sure the days are longer so you have more time to write, right? If you’re like me, the days get away from you quickly. I actually get up early in the morning, journal for a few minutes, down a pot of coffee and start writing before the rest of the household wakes up. Prioritize your writing time and make sure it happens.
#3 Read a Great Summer Book
Summer is the time for reading. New thrillers and romance novels fill the shelves at the local bookstores. Go grab one, or two, or three. My Nook is packed with great summer reading material. It helps you remember why you’re writing and reading always stimulates the imagination.
If you’re stumped for story ideas, don ‘t forget to check out the free story starters that are published every weekend. Just head to MakeaLivingWritingRomance and click on “Romance Story Starters.”
And if you’re in the midst of a new story then last week’s blog posts about heroes, heroines, choosing your writing voice, and plotting may help you start strong.
What Type of Hero is He? Okay, you can’t have a romance novel without a hero or a love interest. And for any good romance story there has to be a conflict. How the conflict is managed and the foundation for how the characters find their way to one another is in part based on their personalities.
What Type of Heroine Are You Writing? Believe it or not, heroines can also be archetypes or as we discussed, they can be Alpha, Beta, and perhaps even gamma heroines. It’s important to understand your characters so that you can make sure they work together. For example, if you have an alpha male and an alpha female then you ultimately know that the conflict will be a struggle for power.
The Pros and Cons of Writing Your Romance in the First Person In general, romance novels are written in either first person or third person. That means that the heroine is either speaking to the reader – “I love him so much.” Or the writer is speaking to the reader, “She loves him so much.” Much of the decision to write in first person is based on your writing voice and how you process the story in your imagination.
5 Things to Do When Your Romance Plot Hits a Bump Whether you’re a pantster or a plotter, sometimes things just don’t go the way you expected. Sometimes you’re writing and you come to a point where you don’t know what to do next.
Happy writing!
Annette