On Writing Romance (15 page)

There are several techniques that will help deal with these potential problems, but all of them have one thing in common: They keep the focus on the hero and heroine, not on the other things that may be going on in the story. Try to:

• Follow the ten-page rule.
  Never let your hero and heroine be physically separated for more than ten pages at a time. Sometimes this is stated as the five-page rule, or even the three-page rule; the point is that your hero and heroine can't interact if they're not in the same location (or at least in contact, perhaps by phone or even e-mail). If you have a scene in which one is on stage alone or with secondary characters, follow it up with a scene in which both are involved.
  

• Tweak the plot to keep the hero and heroine together.
  When one of them is involved in a given situation, how can the other be brought in as well? If the hero is a ranger out to catch poachers, give your heroine a reason to be out in the national forest near the hero, instead of safely at home. Is she painting calendar art of the wildlife? Studying flowers for her botany class? Maybe she's got a deadline, so not only has she disobeyed his request to stay out of the danger zone, she's brought his kid along. (Now there's a potential conflict.)
  

• Keep the hero and heroine alone together whenever possible.
  Keep the focus on your couple and their relationship by sending the kid out to play or having the friend excuse herself. If the hero and heroine are in a crowded room, have them move off to a quiet corner. The dialogue will be better, as well as easier to write, and it will help you keep the relationship at center stage.
  

• Show the hero and heroine in a variety of settings and moods.
  Your romantic couple shouldn't always be at each other's throats. Real people (the ones we want to be around) aren't angry all the time, and your characters shouldn't be either.
  

• Use dialogue between the hero and heroine to insert action or information that is important to the plot but tangential to the romance.
  If the heroine and her friend make an important discovery that seriously affects the plot action, you can show the two women at that moment. But it might be better for the story if, instead, you wrote a scene in which the heroine tells the hero what they've discovered.
  

• Put your hero and heroine in a situation they can't escape.
  Create a situation that requires them to deal with each other, no matter how much they'd like to just walk away.
  

Think about the romance novels you've been studying. How did each hero and heroine feel about each other on first meeting? At what point in the story did you know that the heroine wanted a lifetime relationship with the hero? When did you know that the hero wanted a lifetime relationship with the heroine? At that point in the story, were there still problems that made you wonder whether the two would be able reach a happy ending?

How did the author balance attraction, awareness, and conflict? What steps did the relationship go through between first meeting and happy ending? What evidence did you see of the couple's growing attachment to each other?

1. What character traits does your heroine find attractive in your hero? What character traits does your hero find attractive in your heroine?
   

2. How do they feel about each other when they meet? Why do they feel that way?
   

3. How do their feelings for each other change? What incidents make them see the other person differently?
   

How are you going to resolve the issues you've created between your characters?

How will you find solutions to their difficulties and disagreements?

If you're dealing with characters whose core values — the things they find most important in life — are wildly different, you'd be wise to figure out how they'll reach a compromise
before
you get into the story.

If he's a mink rancher and she's an animal-rights activist — and each has tried to convince the other to think differently all through the book — how are you going to solve that problem in a believable way? There's not much room for compromise in that situation — if one of them gives in, are they going to be happy for long? What does a change of heart tell readers about the strength of the character's original convictions? If his dedication to his beliefs is so shallow that he can simply change them, is he a heroic character? And if she was willing to give up animal-rights activism, or he wasn't all that fond of mink ranching anyway, then why did they wait until the last chapter to reach a compromise? If the issue turns out to be not so important after all, why couldn't they agree earlier?

In a case like that, you'd be better off giving one or both of them a different sort of cause to be passionate about — and realizing that up front, before you've written half the book, will save you a great deal of effort and frustration.

An ending is most satisfying when it requires both the hero and the heroine to give up something for the sake of their love. This establishes a basic equality in the relationship, and it also makes the conflict resolution more believable. If one person giving in would have solved the difficulty, why did it take them so long to reach that point?

A solution is most satisfying when the characters figure it out for themselves, not when someone else comes up with the answer. If this couple would never have gotten together or worked out their problem without the help of the secondary characters, the readers will have doubts about how they'll handle future difficulties. Make sure your hero and heroine sort out their disagreement themselves, together.

1. In the romance novels you've been studying, what was the happy ending for each couple? How did the happy endings come about?
   

2. Did the characters solve their differences through their own actions, or was there interference by other characters?
   

3. How were the main issues of the story resolved — did either the hero or heroine give in, or was there a compromise?
   

4. Did the happy ending startle you, or had you predicted how the couple would solve their problems?
   

1. How will you resolve the short-term problem of each main character?
   

2. How does the resolution of the short-term problems contribute to the resolution of the long-term problems?
   

3. How do your main characters contribute to the solution of their own problems?
   

4. If either your hero or heroine gives in to solve the problem, why couldn't they have made this decision earlier?
   

5. If the hero and heroine have a difference in core values, how will they compromise to achieve a solution that is satisfactory for both of them?
   

6. In what ways will you make the solution of the characters' problems unexpected for the readers?
   

Figuring out where to start telling your story is one of the bigger challenges you face. Do you show the hero and heroine together, or do you begin with just one of them? Do you start with the heroine at work or at home, or the hero with his family or at his job? Do you show the character talking, acting, or thinking? Should you begin with the characters in normal life or absorbed in the threat or problem that will change the rest of their life?

You have limited time and space — a few pages, at most — to seize your readers' interest. If you start too slowly and include too much of the characters' history, the readers may get tired of waiting for the interesting stuff to start. If you start too fast, with too much action, they may get confused. Either miscalculation may make the readers put the book down and never pick it up again.

Readers will put down your book if you fail to catch their interest right at the beginning. If they lose interest — or never develop any interest — chances are you started telling your story too early.

Starting too early usually means beginning with the background — the roots of the story — rather than with the story itself. If the heroine is returning to her hometown for the first time in years because her father's had a heart attack, then starting page one with her getting the phone call about his illness is probably starting too early, as is starting with her packing her suitcase and rushing to the airport or starting with her biting her nails on the plane. The
story
is what happens once she actually gets home and runs into the hero.

The first chapter of a beginner's manuscript can often be chopped off altogether, because it's all history and the story itself starts unfolding at the beginning of chapter two. Sometimes the author tells all about the heroine's past without sharing information about the problem that is going to change her life. Or she introduces too many characters, confusing the readers about who's who.

There are two reasons why writers tend to start the story too soon. First, it's instinctual to put the background of the story right up front. After all, the readers need to know this stuff in order to understand what's going on — don't they?

Well, yes. Eventually.

The trouble is that if you give the readers all the background before you make them care about the character, the background is wasted and you may lose the readers entirely. But once readers have formed an emotional connection with the character, they'll sit still for all kinds of explanations and backstory.

The second reason why authors tend to start the story too early is that the background is the part of the story they know best. They figured it out in the process of developing their main characters and problems, so it's tempting to get it out of the way before starting to write the difficult stuff.

So what's the solution? Go right ahead and do it. Write down in excruciating detail what brought your main character to this point in her life. Print it out and hang it up beside the computer for future reference — and then start writing the
real
chapter one.

It's also possible to start the story too late, far enough into the action that the readers feel lost and left out and are never quite able to catch up.

Starting too late usually happens when the author, who already knows a great deal about her characters because of all the research and planning she's done, forgets that her readers don't have access to all the information she's created. The readers only know what the writer tells them. So even if the writer knows that these two main characters are lovely people who are just right for each other, if the story starts with the hero and heroine shrieking abuse at one another, the readers may not hang around long enough to see how wonderful they are.

Starting with action is usually good, but if page one starts with a very complex event, the readers will be lost. If they don't know who the main characters are, starting the book with a big group of people will leave the readers feeling unconnected to any of the characters. If they don't have any idea of what the main problem will be, picking up in the middle of a complicated argument will only confuse them.

In all those cases, backing up just a little — introducing the main characters first, and then putting them in the situation that will change their lives — is a better plan.

The readers' introduction to the characters need not be lengthy or complex. Often, even a few paragraphs is enough to establish each character, make a positive impression, and introduce the situation.

Starting too late is a particularly common problem in paranormal romances in which the author sets up a world or society that's very different from reality. The more unusual the setting, background, and characters, the more help the readers need to understand what's going on. Again, a long explanation isn't necessary, but starting with a bit of calm — so the readers can get a glimpse of the characters' very different world before all the trouble breaks loose — is usually a good idea.

Starting too late is also a common difficulty with romantic suspense novels and romantic mysteries, especially if the characters are put in danger before the readers have begun to care what happens to them.

Every story has a number of potential beginning points, but a book can only have one, the moment when chapter one begins and the readers are first introduced to the characters and the situation. The challenge for the author is to find the best place in the story to bring the readers in. At what moment does the curtain go up so the readers can begin to observe?

You should be able to convincingly answer the question,
Why does page one pick up the story at the moment it does?

At what point can you begin telling this story in order to capture the readers' attention most effectively, without boring them with background or confusing them with action they don't yet understand?

The best beginnings show — within the first few pages or even paragraphs — the main character under pressure and facing a challenge, a change in circumstances, or a threat that will significantly alter the rest of her life.

There are no hard-and-fast rules for exactly how to begin your book, but certain starting setups have proven successful over time. When you're deciding where and when to begin, keep the following options in mind:

1. Start with one of your two main characters.
   The readers expect the first character they meet in the story to be either the hero or the heroine (though most often it's the heroine), and they're immediately prepared to care about this person. If you start instead with the heroine's friend or the hero's barber, the readers will be confused.
   

   In this opening paragraph from her historical novella
   The Rake's Bride
   , Nicola Cornick not only introduces her hero but gives us a thumbnail sketch of his history:
   

   The April sunlight was as blinding as a flash of gunpowder and the rattle of the bed curtains sounded like distant artillery fire. For a moment Jack, Marquis of Merlin, wondered if he had gone to hell and ended back in the Peninsula War.
   

   After two brief sentences, we know how the hero fits into society, what his history has been, and what time of year it is — but most importantly, we know exactly who the hero of this story is going to be, and we have a pretty good idea why we'll be rooting for this war veteran to find love: as a reward for the hell he's been through.
   

   In the opening paragraphs of her historic novella
   The Virtuous Widow
   , Anne Gracie establishes her heroine and the basic situation she faces:
   

   “Is my wishing candle still burning, Mama?”
   

   Ellie kissed her small daughter tenderly. “Yes, darling. It hasn't gone out. Now stop your worrying and go to sleep. The candle is downstairs in the window where you put it.”
   

   “Shining out into the darkness so Papa will see it and know where we are.”
   

   Ellie hesitated. Her voice was husky as she replied, “Yes, my darling. Papa will know that we are here, safe and warm.”
   

   Amy snuggled down under the threadbare blankets and the faded patchwork quilt that covered them. “And in the morning he will be with us for breakfast.”
   

   A lump caught in Ellie's throat. “No, darling. Papa will not be there. You know that.”
   

   Notice that even though a secondary character speaks the first line, the first
   name
   used is that of the heroine, and that name focuses our attention on her. It isn't until the fifth paragraph, after we've gotten a quick glimpse of the heroine's emotions as she soothes her daughter, that Gracie gives us the name of the secondary character.
   

   The single exception to starting the story with either the hero or the heroine is in a brief prologue before the main story begins. You can focus that bit of the narrative on an important secondary character — like the villain — because it's clear that a prologue is a preview and not the story itself. Chapter one should still start with either the hero or the heroine (or both).
   

2. Start with action.
   Often a good option is to show the main character at the point when that character's life is disrupted by some kind of danger or threat. The danger doesn't have to be life-threatening, and it's better if it isn't complex and doesn't require lengthy explanation.
   

   Starting with action is particularly effective when the situation is easily understood or the peril is something the readers can relate to — as in this example from Liz Fielding's sweet traditional
   The Billionaire Takes a Bride
   :
   

   This was a mistake. … Every cell in Ginny's body was slamming on the brakes, digging in its heels, trying to claw its way back behind the safety of the rain-soaked hedge that divided her roof top terrace from the raked perfection of Richard Mallory's Japanese garden. …
   

   Her boots had left deep impressions in the damp gravel. So much for stealth.
   

   She was not cut out for burglary.
   

   Fielding makes it clear that her heroine is no ordinary criminal, so the readers are intrigued into reading more to find out what's really going on.
   

3. Start with the character's normal routine.
   Give readers a glimpse of the character's life in the moments before the conflict starts. If you very briefly describe your character's accustomed lifestyle, her normal personality traits, and her usual existence, readers will feel sympathy for her when this pattern is abruptly interrupted.
   

   In her single title
   Girls Night
   , Stef Ann Holm shows her heroine trying to take a relaxing bath. Who can't relate to a mother who just wants a few minutes of peace?
   

   All Jillene McDermott wanted was a little breathing room and the only place she could find it was in the bathtub.
   

   Even though she wouldn't be lucky enough to have the tub all to herself before the bubbles went flat and the water cooled, she'd take every minute she could get.
   

   But we also know that Jillene's peaceful bath isn't going to last long, and by telling us that even Jillene realizes that, Holm hints that there are bigger changes coming soon.
   

4. Start with an attention-getting statement.
   When the readers are presented with something they don't expect, as in Maureen Child's single title
   Some Kind of Wonderful
   , they will read on to find out what the heck's happening:
   

   Baby Jesus moved.
   

   Carol Baker blinked and shook her head. “Okay, Carol. When you start seeing statues move, it's either a miracle or you've got problems.” She stared hard at the brightly lit, life-sized Nativity scene that filled one corner of the town square.
   

   … “Okay, Baby Jesus is definitely moving.”
   

   Within a few paragraphs, we find out that “Baby Jesus” is actually an abandoned infant, and the heroine finds her life taking a dramatic turn.
   

Just as there are some good ideas for starting your first page, there are some not-so-good ones, too:

1. Do not start with a flashback or include one in the first chapter.
   Flashbacks are confusing when the readers haven't yet established a connection with the characters and the story.
   

2. Do not start with a dream or with a character waking up.
   A dream sequence is usually confusing and hard to explain. Starting with a character waking up is almost always a variation on starting too soon. Instead, begin with the character's first important action.
   

3. Do not start with a long descriptive passage.
   Beginning with a sentence or two of description to provide context is often useful, but readers want to get acquainted with the characters, and they're usually interested in the background and the scenery only as it affects the characters.