r/RomanceWriters

*sorry, I don't see flairs? Only tags? And this isn't NSFW or anything so I'm confused*

Okay, hear me out. I read romance almost exclusively. I'm not really into other genres. Most of the contemporary romance I come across lately is first-person, and this is fine when it's only from one of the love interest's perspectives. Sometimes, though, if the book does head hopping, I noticed I won't realize who is narrating because the author has struggled to give each character a distinct voice. Head hopping is usually best solved by keeping it third-person, so a distinct voice isn't as relevant.

Now, my trouble...

I'm trying to finally finish writing a romance I've been scribbling about for like fifteen years, and I want to do first-person for the FMC, and occasionally swap to the MMC's POV but it would be like...once every five chapters, and I don't want to put his in first-person because I don't want to have all of his thoughts and opinions out in the open for the reader to know.

The structural format is also going to be similar to the book [am I allowed to say the title?], wherein they've been friends for like 10 years so there are flashback sections or chapters, instead of the story being told linearly. This is how I want to do it too, but my concern is I don't think I've seen this done with first POV, usually only third.

Basically what I'm asking is would ya'll instantly DNF a book where the head hopping is only partly 1st POV?

And, if I should just keep everything from the FMC's POV, would it be better to put the flashbacks in 3rd at that point to more easily distinguish the flashback?

Sorry if this was the wrong place to ask; I don't have enough subreddit specific Karma to ask romance readers what they prefer. I figured, usually us romance writers are also romance readers, so, thanks for any insight you can offer from both the reader and writer perspectives!

I'm still very actively in the writing stages of my first book, so I'm very curious what the publishing landscape looks like right now. Are you trad or self published? What's your romance genre? Have you published more since then? And, most importantly, how are things going?

I really want to start writing, likely some kinda of romance based story. I am feeling so stuck!
The only writing I’ve done since school has been academic assignments.

Please help me brain storm some writing tropes/prompts/character inspirations to get me started

Do people have any programs it guides they recommend for an absolute beginner?

Hey, y'all, I had some ideas that I think might be really good for a romance drama, and I was wondering if there's any good resources for researching the romance genre as a whole, like where it started, where it's been, and where it's going.

I'm pretty close to needing some beta readers. Outside of the r/BetaReaders thread, which I plan to use, does anyone have any specific Facebook groups, Discords or other resources where you have posted for betas?

I have found through searching several different Facebook groups, but if people have suggestions, would prefer to start there.

It's an 80K word low-angst, dual POV, open door, adult contemporary romance.

Feel free to DM with direct suggestions rather than comment if needed to keep links out of the hands of bots.

What to expect: 

As a small town journalist, Sammy Waller is a staple in Copper Canyon, Arizona. Her predictable life is upended when her first love, Lucas Stanton, returns to help keep the family bookstore afloat after a car accident involving his father. When forced to work together on a town event, they have to confront feelings that have never truly gone away. Sammy must overcome past feelings and learn to live in the moment, while Lucas must decide whether he is ready to return permanently to small town life. 

This story includes: 

• Dual POV 
• Second Chance Romance
• Closed Door Romance
• Quirky Small Town Characters and Events
• Found Family
• Complicated Family Dynamics

Similar To:

• Dream Harbor series
• Townsend Harbor series
• Calamity, Montana series

What I’m looking for: 
I’m looking for interested beta readers to give big-picture feedback focused on plot and character development. I’m not looking for proofreading or line editing at this point. I am open to sending the first 10k words with a feedback form to ensure that this is the right fit for you. I’m also open to sending a full manuscript and final feedback form to those who want to read Sammy and Lucas’s whole story. 

I hope this kind of post is okay!

Ive been writing seriously for over a year now. Im working on a slice of life anthropomorphic romance and im having so much fun!

I literally get butterflies when I imagine this story in my head.

I was just curious if anyone wanted to talk and get to know each other? Im a 33 yo woman and married. My life has been pretty stressful lately, and I have some chronic conditions that make life a pain in the butt sometimes ><

I have a bit of a spending problem at the moment where im buying too many candles. So thats fun.

Id love to talk about each other's stories and just find someone who has interest in the romance genre like me <3

Writer here, also currently going through cancer treatment.

While I think it’s good to have stories around tragedies of all kinds, including cancers, I’m just asking my fellow writers to be cautious in using this as a backstory tragedy too often without any consideration of actual survivors. And if you include it, consider a trigger warning.

Often when cancer is used as a plot device it ends in tragedy despite a number of people who get cancer surviving only to die of old age.

Personally I feel so traumatized by my treatment and facing the fears around my own mortality that I’m likely to skip books that have this as a tragic backstory in the future. I’ve also seen fellow cancer patients and survivors say the same. 1 in 8 women get breast cancer. That’s a significantly higher number than people realize. And while it’s used as a tragedy in writing and movies/shows, it’s rarely used as a story of hope and survivorship.

Instead we get the mom gets cancer, she dies, it destroys her kids lives. And while it’s important to have representation of this reality in writing, I am literally living through this fear as we speak. And I’m begging my fellow writers to make it more nuanced than that.

There can be stories where a parent gets cancers and the characters lives are in complete upheaval and it leaves deep wounds, despite the parent surviving.

A main character can get cancer and go through ups and downs and fears of death and still survive and work through their trauma to go on and live a full life.

So please, if you are struggling to come up with a tragic backstory, don’t just immediately go to cancer. And if it’s going to leave wounds on your main character, please know that doesn’t always mean their person’s life had to be tragically cut short. If it’s a sub plot or part of the main plot, obviously that’s a different story.

Theres a huge lack of representation of cancer survivors in main characters back stories vs. them being the tragedy and reason for their wounds.

I’m not saying don’t do it. I’m saying consider all options (there’s are many other under represented diseases in the world that people may not know of to choose from besides just cancer). And just know there are parents reading your books that these may be fears they live with daily. Proceed with care.

What was the original idea that made you want to write your most recent romance story?

Was it a trope you wanted to play with, a relationship dynamic, a setting, a song, another book, a dream, a random scene that appeared in your head, or a very specific what if?

Please share with us the idea that got it all started

Hello everybody!

I’m currently working with an amazing author and human on a 12 book contemporary romance series. The people, places, and plots have been bouncing around in her head and her heart for fifteen years. I’m thrilled to be a part of her journey.

At the same time, I am being dev edited myself on a romcom and a novella as part of a four book series.

I found five romance dev editors on reedsy and tried them out on samples of my work. I share my experiences anonymously with you so you can see the range of responses I got ON EXACTLY THE SAME PAGES.

No AI used by me or them. Not judging, just saying.

DE #1 - Self-published author. Lots of five star reviews. Great person. Loved my writing and plot. Was big into counting how many notes they gave per page. Thought I’d found my person! I was wrong. Very wrong. Over a thousand dollars wrong. It still hurts. They: inserted jokes which were inappropriate, inserted dialogue which changed a character’s personality, lectured me on grammar DESPITE NOT FINDING ONE GRAMMAR MISTAKE. As an editor myself, if there are grammar mistakes in my writing, they are 98% of the time due to typos. 1% of the time because my other language sneaks in. Would only recommend to people who want the editor to be more of a co-author.

DE#2 - Not an author. A seasoned editor. Told me to “lose” half of my book. But loved the other half. Wanted more like that. Does not like reading more than one, two max, POVs. Disapproved of an irreverent and profane character’s existence. This was all helpful. They wanted the book I started to write. And which I may end up writing if my current book doesn’t resonate with other editors. So, they were well worth the money. They could have been more polite but it didn’t bother me. I do not tell writers to “lose” anything. I would recommend this editor to people who have medium to thick skins.

DE#3 - JACKPOT! Charged me the least. Has reviewed thousands of manuscripts over their career. Immediately got me and my book. Gave me notes which were extremely helpful. Wanted more of what #2 wanted to cut out. Hope to work with them forever.

DE#4 - Sigh. This person fired me. First, they corrected my grammar and syntax in two spots. But they were wrong. I do not make the grammar rules. I am not in charge of defining words or deciding what constitutes an idiom. So I just sent back neutral comments. “This is proper subject verb agreement. The subject is X, a collective noun, which requires a singular verb in this case.” & “This is an idiom which is standard and common.” No response. No worries. They were in the camp of DE#2. So I said, “From your comments, it feels like this book, or at least half of it, is not your kind of book. Which is fine because I often learn more from people in that position.” They became very defensive. Felt I was critiquing their critique? Said not able to work with me. It’s a shame. I would recommend them to people whose writing I thought was a match. Maybe. I worry about thin skinned editors.

Have a happy Saturday!

Happy Saturday! Anybody writing romcom + women’s fiction hybrids? What the heck do I mean? I write romcoms which have all the romance beats and storyline plus a HEA or HFN. I also include a full women’s fiction plot. For example, a woman may be dealing with a chronic health issue. Her LI is part of her journey but it’s not about the LI’s part.

I want to open the floor to discussing the "Behind the Scenes" of romance writing.

So, let’s talk characters today.

What was the inspiration for your latest MC?

Was it a song? Someone you observed? A trope you wanted to explore? A character type you wished you saw more often? Or was it a completely random idea that dropped into your head one day?

I’ve been writing this contemporary romance for a few months now (enemies to lovers, college setting, both main characters are 19-20). The emotional stuff and banter I can do fine, the plot is mostly there, but every time I get to the intimate scenes I either freeze or it comes out sounding clinical and weird.

I read a lot of romance (mostly the spicier contemporary and some dark romance) so I know what I like as a reader, but writing it myself feels completely different. Like I know what should be happening but the words just feel forced or too graphic in a bad way, or sometimes not graphic enough and it falls flat.

I’ve tried looking at how other authors do it and rewriting the same scene like five different ways but nothing feels natural yet. Part of me wonders if I’m overthinking because I’m still pretty new to writing this kind of content, or if there’s just a technique I’m missing.

Has anyone else struggled with this when they first started writing heat? How did you get more comfortable with it without making it feel awkward or like you’re just listing body parts? Any tips on balancing the emotional connection with the physical stuff so it doesn’t feel disconnected from the rest of the story?

I’m not looking for full critiques of my writing or anything, just general advice from people who’ve been through this. Thanks.

Now weekly!

Blurbs can be the bane of an author's existence - both for self-published authors, who have to come up with an enticing hook all by themselves, as well as for authors seeking traditional publishing, as they are usually included in queries.

We want to help! Post your blurb draft and let the community help shape it into the perfect snippet of info.

To participate, please comment on this thread with the following info:

• The title or working title of your WIP
• The romance subgenre of said WIP
• The draft of your blurb you've got so far
• Any content warnings and additional info you deem necessary!

Anyone who wants to help can then reply to your comment to workshop your blurb.

Happy crafting!

I've just discovered a trope: "both v****ns." And it so happens that the story I'm just starting to work on fits that trope. I've been puzzling over how to make the spicy scenes I have planned... spicy, because of this. In the past my characters, male and female, are always experienced. My MMCs are often the initiators, too, with varying levels of assertiveness. For this story, though, I wanted the romance to really kind of sneak up on both characters. It's a forbidden romance, and their both being completely inexperienced is a big part of the reason why they don't see their attraction coming. Anyway, has anyone ever written this trope? Or read it, and thought it was done really well? I'd love some insight.

I edited and reposted this since my original post triggered Reddit's censors.

Hello! Anyone else planning to apply to the SmoochPit mentorship program next month? I (34F) have a rom-com I’m planning to submit and I’m currently finalizing my application package (query letter, two-page synopsis, and first ten pages). Would any fellow aspiring mentees be interested in doing a feedback swap on submission materials?

hi, im 19 and ive been writing romance for a couple years mostly just for myself but lately ive been trying to take it more seriously. my stories always end up with a lot of kink in them, like power exchange and stuff that goes beyond just regular spicy scenes. i love writing it and it feels natural to me but sometimes when i read back over the draft it feels like the emotional connection between the characters gets a bit lost once the more intense scenes start happening.
i try to make sure theres consent and aftercare and all that but i still worry it comes across as the kink just being there for shock value instead of actually serving the relationship. does anyone have tips on how to keep the emotional beats strong even when the scenes get heavier? like ways to weave the character growth into those moments so it doesnt feel separate from the romance?
would really appreciate any advice from people who write similar stuff. thanks :)

I wrote an m/m upmarket historical fiction novel with high-heat romance and was wondering if there are other writers on here who write queer romance.

Here’s an overview of my book, which is called Not Yet Does Not Mean No:

In 1962, no one batted an eye at an Amherst professor dating a Mount Holyoke or Smith girl. 

No such luxury for Lin Miller, Amherst’s youngest professor. His armor is thick, borne from growing up as a brilliant, quiet boy in Brooklyn; being the scholarship kid at Andover; and living as a man whose very way of loving is a felony in the state of Massachusetts. 

Until Theo Hawkins walks into Lin’s English seminar. Lin is immediately drawn to the bright, charming, and sensitive heir to a Boston Brahmin fortune. Theo is enthralled by Lin, determined to win his attention. But one wrong move could hang them both –– or perhaps just Lin, as Boston Brahmin protect their own.  

One hundred and fifty miles south, in Greenwich Village, Julian Lark fights to keep faith, 14 months after the love of his life, James Dressner, left him. Julian tells his oldest friend, Lin: “I’m not grieving, and I won’t pack up James’ mug or his jeans. You grieve people who are dead. James isn’t dead. He’s just in Connecticut married to a woman named Betsy. One day he will come back, and when he does, he needs to know I haven’t moved his things.”

From the bucolic hills of Amherst College to the brownstones of Greenwich Village, Not Yet Does Not Mean No asks: How much will people risk to live a life where they are alive and not merely existing?

I have a question for you wonderful people. I’ve got a fantasy piece I’m splitting in two. This has allowed me to go back and fill holes that developed because of having to share so much time between points of views.

One of the books has a romance that develops between two acquaintances that are essentially on a work trip. After returning back and the inevitable conflict of a war happens, the pair have a nasty falling out as one of the partners develop differently in fundamental ways. Now that I can be more thorough I’m finding that I, in fact, am not great at writing romance like this at all due to lack of experience in writing it.

So, do you have any advice for a whirlwind romance that goes downhill in a fast way? I’d be very interested in your thoughts from the point of view of a woman and men in a situation like this. I’ve been doing some reading in this world to help me out, but would love your opinions or thoughts

Thank you!