I've been blogging about how to make a piece more literary. One piece of advice almost every writer will give you is to read what you plan to write. Since I am working on clean romances, it makes sense to read a lot of them. And I have, from Austen to Bronte to Stephenie Meyer to an ever-increasing list of modern writers. Some write period romances, some fairy tale adaptations, some fantasy, some modern, and some sci-fi. There are patterns that hold true, no matter the genre.
Step one is to dive into the protagonist's character. If we're talking about a heterosexual couple, several romances give intense focus to the female lead alone. Occasional romance novels only focus on the male. Some authors, such as Stephenie Meyer, write a book from one perspective then book from the other (Twilight back to back with Midnight Sun gives you both). The other perspective is entirely a mystery or, as in Austen and Bronte, we get hints of other perspectives from an omniscient narrator. This is how we get such an intense focus on Lizzy, but we still get to hear Darcy's perspective on her "fine eyes." Later authors will often do a Midnight Sun on a classical work, or recreate Austen's original work through, say, Darcy's perspective or Bronte's through Rochester's eyes.
Many modern romances balance the male and female leads (once again, in heterosexual romances), alternating between the two. Keep in mind that it's possible and always best to introduce the characters through show (show them losing a friend or family member; show them caring about something or someone) rather than endless data dumps. The reader needs an immediate attachment to one or the other, or the reader is gone. The way the main characters relate to each other can come as a shock to the reader: an assassin and his/her target, beings from two different (possibly alien) races or cultures, a peasant and a royal, etc. Many start as strangers like in Jane Eyre or Northanger Abbey or friends as in Mansfield Park. Several start their relationship as enemies before anything romantic begins. It's not a version of Pride and Prejudice nor of Much Ado about Nothing if sparks don't fly one way before they ever do the other.
After that, the dance begins. The couple-to-be meets and has their first impression of each other (or we get a portrait of their existing relationship). There may be some kind of chemistry or interest associated with a description of (usually) attractive looks, but frequently, the initial meeting is one of indifference or a negative response. It appears for a time the characters will remain in separate orbits or in the status quo. This is the hero's journey's equivalent of the normal world.
Then, something happens (often danger, if it's genre, or enforced interaction if it's more literary or mainstream). Some action forces the two out of their regular orbits. This is the call to adventure, and one or the other or both protagonists often refuse at first. They reject that force that brings them together. Frequently, there will be some kind of early touch that excites an initial physical response for good or for ill. Sometimes, any kind of touch waits until the characters realize that they've started to first trust then feel something for the other. As they interact more and more, touches, accidental or otherwise, become more and more frequent until they make a realization of first an instinct to protect, then some level of trust, then romantic feelings. Sometimes, those feelings go unrecognized or misunderstood until the last few pages.
The first touch is often just a brush, a light touch on the arm, a rescue, two bodies running into each other through force of circumstance, etc. As the characters become more and more interested then interactive, the touches start on the outside, an arm, a hand, clothing. Then, the touches tend to focus around the face, a touch of the cheek, foreheads touching, a light kiss somewhere on the head or hair. All of this may crescendo with a light then intense kiss. Some tales end with this. Some result in the two making some kind of commitment like living together, a title like boy/girlfriend, or marriage. If the romance is of the more intense (not classified as clean variety), the crescendo may be sexual in nature. This blog is not about that kind of romance novel, but they're common. The best way to get a feel for any kind of romance novel is, as with any writing, to read the masters and learn from those who know how to write the scenes you want to emulate.
One way or another, your book can't be classified by publishers as a romance if the two characters don't end up together. It may take one book or two or three or several for this happily ever after. The rhythm of the dance and rate of movement from one level of touch and romance to the next will depend on your plans for plotting. Books like Twilight often have the couple together on some level by the end of book one. Everything that happens next just takes them through other adventures with the series ending only after marriage and childbirth. The reader can feel satisified if they just read book one. And sometimes, there's only a standalone, so there is no book two. Meanwhile, Vampire Diaries and several other books may carry on with a love triangle, building suspense over several books. Other books tag team, creating a series of romances all in the same world, interconnected but not the same romance, over several books.
One way or another, if you want to write romance novels and get the feel for their rhythm, find which kind of romance novel you like and immerse yourself in them. Get a feel for how they're structured. Then, you'll be able to write them for yourself.
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