Make A Living Writing Romance

By Mariana Wilson

Writing a kissing scene in a romance novel isn’t the easiest thing to do and a lot of novice romance writers seem to get intimidated by the thought of it, as the great number of online searches point out. If you are looking for a magic formula or a recipe for perfection, you’re not going to find it in this article. Writing a book involves hard work and there’s no magic formula that can do it all for you. However, there are ways to make it easier. Here are a few aspects each romance writer should consider before attempting to write a good kissing scene.

1. Each romance novel is different. It has its own unique fragrance and yours has a bit of you in it. Did I say “a bit”? I rephrase: a lot of you in it. So that’s where you’ve got to start: in you, with you. You can seek inspiration from other writers but never try to copy what they have done. Start from your personal experience (and that includes your “kissing” experience). You must have felt or experienced something no one else has. Look for that little spark of uniqueness and try to put it into words. Preliminary Exercise: before you start writing the kissing scene for your romance novel, take some time to describe in detail your own best kissing experience.

 
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By Samantha Kay

Romance novels have long been associated with a guilty pleasure – covertly enjoyed by women who hide behind their sunglasses on the beach or under the covers on a lazy weekend afternoon. Novels such as these glorify the fantasy of falling in love – elevating the “knight in shining armor” to a level of grandeur never to be experienced by mortal men; bulging biceps, mysterious eyes, and desirable lips – the men of the romance novel are entrusted to sweep the heroine of the book off of her proverbial feet; and in so doing, sweep the masses of women who cling to every word in an attempt to escape reality – off of their feet as well. The romance novel is just that – an escape; and no one provides a portal for better escape than the Harlequin romance novel.

 
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Time: 30-45 minutes

How do you choose books in the bookstore?  For many they’re first attracted by the cover art.  They then flip the book over to read the back blurb.  These two or three paragraphs can be critical to selling a book not just to your customers but also to potential agents and editors.  It pays to know how to write a catchy and compelling elevator pitch.  

Action Step #1 – Grab a half dozen books from your bookshelf, preferably books that are in the same romance genre you write in.  Read the back cover blurbs.  Count the words.  Take a look at the format for each of them.  What is similar?  What do they do well?  What, if anything, could they approve on?  
Action Step #2 – Now pull out your current work in progress – the romance manuscript you’re presently working on.  Or grab one you’ve completed.  Emulating the back cover blurbs on your sample romance novels, write three versions of a back cover blurb for your book.

Action Step #3 – Choose the one that feels the strongest and fine tune it until it’s polished and ready to sell your book.

Perfecting this skill accomplishes two things.  It helps you become comfortable with selling yourself, a critical element if you want to make a living writing romance.  It also helps you perfect the query and synopsis aspects of getting published.  You must be able to convince agents and editors your story is worth their time and effort and you must be able to do it quickly and compellingly.  Crafting your back cover blurb is a great start!

What Makes Great Romance Writing?

Make a Living Writing Romance – Writing Courses 

Romance Publishing