Advice for new (SFW) romance writers

[DokiDokiTsuna]

Hello~. I'm in the middle of writing a sequel novel that looks like it's going to focus on a developing romance between two principal characters.

I've never really done this before...of course, I've written 'romance' as something that exists as a concept in a story, and I've even written 'budding romance', when two characters start learning to like each other.
This, however, is more like a 'flowering romance', where two characters who clearly already like each other start to realize just how much...and it's scary

I've already pushed past the biggest hurdle, which was learning to write mushy dialogue and 'stage directions' without getting embarrassed and hesitating indefinitely...if any other ace writers out there are interested, I will be happy to explain my 'stop cringing and WRITE' methodology. ^^

Now I feel I should take the next step and start thinking about how to write romance stylistically...I guess, beyond just having the relevant partners allow themselves to fall in love by overcoming their personal shortcomings (yes, I'm using character development as a crutch...and no one will ever know~)

Like, what is formulaic in this genre of writing, and what isn't? What do romance readers expect, and what do they want?
And most importantly, h-how do you end a story like this? ^^;; With a confession, with a kiss?? If you did neither of those things, would it still be satisfactory?? I'm very undecided on how I should try to 'confirm' this relationship...

[DarkChibiShadow]

Hey! I'm an erotic romance writer (and I happen to be demisexual but that isn't really relevant here since I do still love and draw horny stuff, lol) but as a romance writer for a long long time, I think what's most satisfying in romance is what's most satisfying for you, the writer, more than anything.

Romance is at it's best when it's indulgent, when you're really just writing because you love two characters and you love seeing them in love. What's satisfying for you in a romance? Is it seeing a kiss? Is it seeing them become a couple, and getting a house together? What does it take for you to feel like a romance is satisfying and confirmed when reading a romance?

That's the kind of stuff I think you should be asking yourself, and not worrying too much over what others think romance is or isn't-- because it can easily become a very catered thing, which often doesn't feel too great when reading romance. You want romance to feel as organic as possible.
It's very, very easy to tell when a romance story is forced or when the author is just doing it because they think it should be there or they think it'll make money. So, as long as you're staying true to yourself, and staying indulgent, folks will pick up on that and enjoy. Don't sweat the small stuff, go with your heart.

If you're curious about some ace stories with romance, here's some games I like and recommend:

her tears were my light by Nami

First Kiss at a Spooky Soiree by Nami

Disaster Log C by Sofdelux Studio

And, here's a Youtube video on the subject:

Good luck!

[thedude3445]

Last year I made a guide to writing cute romance, and it may help you out a little bit. It won't answer your questions about what's formulaic or not, but it's at least a detailed look into how I go about creating romance stories and romantic subplots. It also has a lot of written passages from my own work and a fake story I made up for the article, but you can skip those if you don't want to spend 30 minutes reading lol.

[artamazon]

This is a really cool and helpful guide! Thanks for taking the time to make it, cuz I'm definitely going to refer back to it.

[Kaydreamer]

When I write romance, I'm usually going from personal experience, to an extent. I know what 'having the butterflies' (infatuation) feels like, so it's very easy for me to write that into a character. I know what "I love you so much, my world would end without you," feels like, so it's easy to project that fear onto a character where needed. I know the settled, heart-full and comfortable warmth of a long-term relationship. And so-on. I love shipping in fiction, because it gives me a fresh taste of those relationship stages. Especially butterflies.

If you haven't experienced those things, your best bet is to seek out pieces of fiction which explore them very well, and really put your emotive imagination and empathy to work in imagining what it must feel like. Then, you can channel that for your own characters. You may not hit the nail exactly right, but at least you'll be feeling with your characters, and that connection will flow through to the reader.

[thedude3445]

You are very welcome. Thank you for reading it.

[vapidink]

I'm also ace and romance is a pain to write, lol. But you kinda just gotta push through it, even if it has you cringing. It gets easier with practice and reading romance also helps. It kind of helps you get used to it.

Personally, I use action, humor, and conflict as an excuse to not have too much romance.

[jkb4753]

This is so interesting, I never thought about the romance writing experience from the perspective of a different sexuality. I don't think there's anything wrong with adding more action, humor, and conflict because that's the stuff people love. I'm sure you have some stories to tell.
Not sure if its relevant, but I cringe all the time writing romance anyway. Some stuff is just cringey.