You are a romance writer who wants to plan and write a romance series, but you don’t know how to start. This blog article will help you plan and write the main characters of your romance series, the setting and worldbuilding and the romance genre conventions, brainstorm possible planning steps and create a writing schedule. 
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Main characters 
Setting and worldbuilding
Romance genre conventions
Planning steps
Writing schedule

Main characters 
An important element of a romance series is the main characters’ overall goal, motivation and internal and external conflict (GMC) across the series. The main characters need to have an important and tangible goal they want to achieve by the end of the series. Think about why this goal is important for them, and what will happen if they don’t achieve their goal (motivation).

Also, brainstorm the internal challenges (internal conflict) and external obstacles (external conflict) that prevent them from achieving their goal. The main characters usually make emotional progress and achieve smaller goals at the end of each book, but they also achieve a larger goal at the end of the series.

Romance series usually feature a large cast of secondary characters such as coworkers, friends or family members, who help the main characters achieve their large goal and emotionally change by the end of the series.

Each book in the series shows the gradual emotional development of the main characters who overcome their internal challenges and external obstacles, achieve their large goal, and live happily together at the end of the series. 

Setting and worldbuilding
Another important element of a romance series is setting and worldbuilding. There are many different kinds of settings that you need to decide on before starting to write your romance series.

For example, you need to consider if your series includes real or fictional settings. If it includes real locations or famous landmarks, do research to get your facts right. If your series is based on fictional or lesser-known locations, you can create a map to note down the locations and the distances between the main places. Write down the main locations of the series and any important rooms or objects that play an important role.

You also need to brainstorm and decide the following kinds of settings:

• Macro and micro setting: Where does your series take place (planet, country, city, apartment)?
• Temporal setting: When does your series take place (time period)?
• Seasonal setting: What seasons does your series take place in?

Once you write down the answers to the above questions, you might want to flesh out the worldbuilding elements of your series.Depending on the kind of story you are writing (contemporary, historical, paranormal or fantasy romance), you will want to focus on specific worldbuilding elements.

Make sure to flesh out the most important and relevant aspects of your worldbuilding, such as the government and politics, supernatural species and people, the history of the world, the education of the people or different species, magic, climate, and arts and entertainment.  

Romance genre conventions
A story is considered to belong in the romance genre when it adheres to the 2 following rules:
1) The development of the romantic relationship between the main characters comprises the central focus of the story. 
2) The romance story has an emotionally satisfying happy ending where the main characters get together at the end of the story.

The romance genre is divided into many romance subgenres. Some examples consist of contemporary romance, YA romance, romantic comedy, historical romance, paranormal romance, romantasy, fantasy romance and science fiction romance. If you want to learn more information, please read this blog post about popular romance subgenres.

Romance tropes
A trope is a plot, character or theme that is often used in romance stories. Tropes provide familiarity, satisfaction and anticipation to the readers about how a specific plot or character progresses throughout the story.

Some examples of the most popular romance tropes are:

• age gap
• alpha hero
• arranged marriage
• best friend’s brother/sister
• billionaire/millionaire trope
• childhood sweethearts
• college romance
• enemies/rivals to lovers
• fake relationship/marriage
• fated mates or rejected mates
• forbidden love
• forced proximity
• friends to lovers
• grumpy vs sunshine
• high school romance
• holiday romance
• insta love/ love at first sight
• marriage of convenience
• mistaken identity
• opposites attract
• second chance romance
• shapeshifters
• single parent
• small town romance
• sports romance
• supernatural romance: fae, vampires, werewolves, witches etc
• surprise/accidental pregnancy
• unrequited love
• vacation romance
• workplace romance, boss/employee

Theme in romance stories
Generally, the theme in romance fiction is that “love conquers all”. The main characters in romance stories overcome their internal challenges (internal conflict) and external obstacles (external conflict) and live happily ever after at the end of the story.

Ask yourself what the  “ all” (internal conflict)  is that the main characters need to overcome in their story. The internal conflict usually comes from the main character’s traumatic childhood or a past traumatic event that defined their personality, such as a manipulative, cheating ex or an abusive/alcoholic family member.

Popular themes in romance stories include forgiveness (forgive themselves or others), responsibility  (take responsibility and fight for justice), duty vs desire (sense of obligation vs want) and love (accept and love themselves and others around them).

Planning steps
Now, it’s time to brainstorm what kind of romance series you want to write and the possible planning steps you need to take.

Possible steps may include:

1. Decide what kind of series you want to write.
2. Write down the major romance beats of your series, and for each book of your series.
3. Write down important information about your main characters (goal, motivation, conflict, emotional development).
4. Write down important elements about the setting of your world (macro, micro, temporal, seasonal) and relevant aspects of worldbuilding.
5. Narrow down the romance subgenres and tropes that you want to include in your series.
6. Create a series bible that includes all the information about your series, such as character profiles, romance story structure beats, locations, rules about your world, research, etc.
7. Create a master timeline that includes all the events across the series.

Writing schedule
Now, it’s time to look at your schedule and find the time of day that suits you best to start writing the first book in your romance series. Look at your various obligations and determine when you have free time to write.

Don’t discourage yourself if you think you don’t have enough time for writing. Even 30 minutes a day is fine. The most important thing is to write every day (or almost every day) to keep the momentum going and create a consistent writing routine.

Write down a word count goal for the first book of your series and decide how much time you will dedicate to writing every day. For example, you want to write 80,000 words for your first book, and you can write 30 minutes a day. Beginner writers can usually write about 1,000 words in one hour, so that leaves us 500 words a day for a 30-minute session.

Divide the expected total word count of your story by the amount of your daily word count to get the number of days it will take you to finish writing the first draft of your first book: 80,000/500= 160 days. 

Please note that this is just an initial estimate, and it can change at any time since you can write more words on a specific day or have an unexpected emergency that keeps you from writing on another day.

​Just keep writing as often as you can (preferably every day), and you will have the finished manuscript in your hands very soon!

Conclusion
This blog article explains how to plan and write the main characters of your romance series, the setting and worldbuilding and the romance genre conventions, brainstorm possible planning steps and create a writing schedule. Good luck writing your romance series!

Additional resources
How to plan and write a romance series (part 1)
How to choose a story idea for your romance novel
What is a romance story, and how to write one
How to write the setting and worldbuilding of your story
How to create a consistent writing routine

You are a romance writer wishing to plan and write a romance series. You have a great idea with a compelling main character and some major plot events figured out, but you don’t know how to plan and outline your romance series.

This blog article identifies the three types of fiction series, and it analyses the story structure in a romance (dynamic) series to effectively help you plan the romance story structure of your series.
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Types of fiction series
Romance story structure in a dynamic series
Possible romance beat sheet for a trilogy series

Types of fiction series
Static Series
The first type of fiction series is called a static series or a standalone series. The books of a static series often share a common feature, such as taking place in the same location (e.g small town) or the same group of people ( e.g family members, coworkers).

Each book focuses on the development of the romantic relationship between the main characters, and each story ends with a happy ending. While characters from previous books in the series may appear in minor roles, the series can be read in any order without the reader missing important information about the characters and plot.

This type of series is very popular in contemporary romance stories (workplace romance, sports romance, small town).

Anthology series
The second type of fiction series is called an anthology series. An anthology series typically consists of a collection of short stories or novellas by multiple writers, which are connected by a common theme ( e.g holiday romance) or setting (e.g same school, same town), but they don’t share the same storyline.

Each story focuses on the development of the romantic relationship of new characters and has a happy ending. The stories can be read in any order.

Dynamic series
The third type of series is called a dynamic series.  A dynamic series follows the same group of main characters through an overarching storyline that connects all books of the series. 

The focus of the series is the development of the romantic relationship of the main characters while they work together to achieve a major goal throughout the series.

The books of this series need to be read in sequential order. This type of series is very popular in YA (Young Adult) romance, romantasy and fantasy romance books.

Please note that the books that belong in the static or anthology series can be planned and written in a similar manner as standalone books. Please visit my resources library if you are looking for useful blog articles that will help you plan, write and edit a standalone romance book.

This blog article will focus on explaining how to plan and write a dynamic romance series (connecting books in a series).
 
Romance story structure in a dynamic series
You have decided to write a storyline that spans multiple books and want to write a well-structured series with a solid beginning, middle, and end.

The best way to do that is to plan the structure of your romance series and track your story’s romance beats. Start by planning the 5 major romance beats of your romance series’ structure, the emotional arc of your main characters and any significant changes in your world.

These are the 5 major romance beats of a romance series:
1) Meet Cute (10%)
This is the first major romance beat. It is the inciting incident that happens to the main character and introduces them to a new world. It is often called the “meet cute” because the main characters meet for the first time, or they appear on the page for the first time together.

2) No Way 2 (20%)
The second major romance beat occurs at the beginning of Act 2, when the main character decides to leave the status quo and enter a new world.  

In this beat, the main characters repeat their belief (internally or externally) that they will not fall in love with each other. They are reluctant to spend time together and to fall in love because of their internal conflict, but they are thrown into situations where they are stuck together, and they gradually become emotionally and physically closer.

Midpoint of Love (50%)
The third major romance beat occurs in the middle, and it changes the direction of the story.

In this beat, the main characters are no longer denying their feelings for each other. They are willing to internally change and (falsely) believe that they will be able to overcome the internal challenges (internal conflict) and external obstacles (external conflict) that are keeping them apart and have their happily ever after.

Retreat (75%)
The fourth major romance beat occurs at the lowest point of the romance story.

In this romance beat, the main characters choose fear instead of love, and they break up or separate because they believe they will emotionally hurt themselves or the other person. Their doubts and fears make them retreat from what they really want, and they believe that their internal conflict is becoming true.

Catharsis (80%)
The fifth major romance beat occurs at the beginning of Act 3, where the main character chooses love and happiness this time.

​The main character learns the theme of the story and successfully overcomes their internal conflict. They come up with a plan, often with the help of friends and family,  and they are willing to fix things the right way and get back together with their loved one.

Possible romance beat sheet for a trilogy series
Most romance writers who choose to write a dynamic series write a trilogy (three books in a series).

This is a romance beat sheet for a trilogy series:
Book 1 = Series Act 1, Romance beats: Meet Cute
Book 2 = Series Act 2, Romance beats: No Way 2, Midpoint of Love, Retreat
Book 3 = Series Act 3, Romance beats: Catharsis

Feel free to experiment with the five major romance beats and adjust them to fit your series. Use the series structure outlined above as a guideline to help you plan and track the major events of your romance series. Don’t follow rigid guidelines or exact percentages. Do what you see best to create a compelling story. 

Figure out the major romance beats your romance series first, and then plan and outline the 15 romance beats for each book in the series to create a complete and compelling story with a beginning, middle and end.

If you want to learn more information about outlining the romance beats of your story, read How to write a novel using Romancing the Beat. 

Conclusion
This blog article analyses the three types of fiction series: static series, anthology series, and dynamic series and explains the major romance beats for a romance series.

Read How to Plan and Write a Romance Series, Part 2 (coming soon) to learn more information about planning the main characters, the setting and worldbuilding and the romance genre conventions of a romance series and making a writing plan that will successfully help you write your books.

Additional resources
How to write a novel using the 3-act structure
How to write a novel using Romancing the Beat
How to outline the 5 major plot points of your romance story
How to edit the most common big-picture issues in a romance series

Many romance writers prefer writing romance series where they can expand their plot and characters within several books. Planning, writing and editing a romance series is hard work, and romance writers often need to improve a lot of big-picture storytelling issues during the editing stage.

This blog article will help you identify the 4 most common developmental editing issues that romance writers need to edit in their romance series (and you probably need too!) with tips on how to edit them.

Lack of GMC (goal, motivation, conflict)
Lack of romantic tension and pacing
Info-dumping
Unnecessary plot events

Lack of GMC (goal, motivation, conflict)
A common developmental editing issue that romance writers face when editing their romance series is that the main characters often lack a clear and compelling goal, motivation, and (internal and external) conflict.

The writer often has a clear picture of the main characters’ GMC in their mind, but the writer’s intentions are not clearly presented in the manuscript. As a result, the motivation (reasons) the goal is important to the main characters is not clear to the readers, or the conflict might not be important or big enough to sustain the whole story.

Editing tip: After writing the first draft of the manuscript, read the entire story and note down the main characters’ GMC as it actually appears in the story.

Compare your notes with your intentions about the main characters’ GMC during the planning stage (outlines, character profiles).

Write down the updated GMC of the main characters in your notebook or your writing software, and make a plan on how you will strengthen the GMC of your main characters.

Make sure that your revisions reflect a clear and compelling GMC, and the main characters’ actions are driven by their GMC.

Lack of romantic tension and pacing
Another common developmental editing issue is the lack of romantic tension and pacing. The lack of romantic tension happens for two reasons.

The first reason is that the main characters fall in love too quickly without sufficient emotional development.

The second reason is that the romantic tension is dragged out (especially in the second act) by subplots that overshadow the central story (the development of the romantic relationship between the main characters).

Both reasons affect the pacing of the story, where the plot events happen too quickly or too slowly.

Editing tip: After writing the first draft of the manuscript, read the entire story and note down scenes where the development of the romantic relationship progresses too quickly or too slowly, and the emphasis is given on the subplots or the minor characters of the story.

Make a plan and revise the necessary scenes to improve development of the romantic relationship, the emotional development of the main characters and the pacing of the story.

Info-dumping
Another common developmental editing issue is info-dumping. Info-dumping occurs when the writer spends too much page time describing unnecessary or irrelevant information to the readers.

For example, the writer spends too much page time describing every little detail about the character’s personality, appearance and backstory events or spends too much page time describing the politics and society of the world, specific locations, and how magic works (especially in fantasy romance and paranormal manuscripts).

Editing tip: After writing the first draft of the manuscript, read the entire story and note down the instances where a specific scene includes unnecessary or irrelevant information.

Have in mind that specific information might be generally important for the readers to know, but it isn’t relevant or important in a specific scene.

Make a plan and revise each scene to include only the most important and relevant information. Let your readers discover the characters and world of your story organically as they read it.

Unnecessary plot events
Another common developmental editing issue is unnecessary plot events. The writer includes unnecessary scenes in the first book to force important plot events (or plot twists) to subsequent books in the series.

The writer believes that this is the best way to keep the readers’ interest, but they often forget that if the readers don’t find the first book in the series interesting, they won’t bother reading the second one.

Editing tip: After writing the first draft of the manuscript, read the entire manuscript and create an outline by writing down the major plot events of the story. Then, create a rough outline for each book of the series by writing down its major plot events.

Make sure to include interesting plot events in each book of your series. Revise the manuscript accordingly and follow your outline to write the next books.

Conlcusion
The four most common storytelling issues that romance writers make when writing and editing a romance series are lack of GMC (goal, motivation, conflict), a lack of romantic tension and pacing, info-dumping and unnecessary plot events.

After finishing writing the first draft of your manuscript, read the whole story again from start to finish and make a plan to identify and improve these common big-picture issues. Happy writing!

Additional resources
How to self-edit the big-picture elements of your romance story
How to self-edit your romance novel from start to finish
How to effectively edit the main characters of your romance novel
How to outline the 5 major plot points of your romance story

Do you find the process of planning a whole novel overwhelming? Do you find it difficult to establish an outlining routine, or are you not sure how to outline the structure of your romance manuscript? 

Instead of outlining all the plot points of your romance story at once, which can be tiring and overwhelming, I recommend outlining first the 5 major plot points of a romance manuscript’s structure: the Catalyst, Break Into 2, Midpoint, All is Lost and Break Into 3.

Catalyst
Break Into 2
Midpoint
All is Lost
Break Into 3
How should I outline my romance story if I have multiple main characters?

Catalyst (10%)
The first major plot point of a romance story is the inciting incident that happens to the main character and introduces them to a new world. In romance stories, it is often called the “meet cute” because the main characters meet for the first time, or they appear on the page for the first time together.

The pov character is physically attracted to the other person and vividly describes their physical appearance. The pov character internally thinks the reasons (internal conflict) they cannot fall in love, and they emotionally reject them.

Break Into 2 (20%)
The second major plot point occurs at the beginning of Act 2, when the main character decides to leave the status quo and enter into a new world. The main character leaves their comfort zone and enters an unknown world or a new way of thinking.

At the beginning of Act 2, the main characters are reluctant to spend time together and to fall in love because of their internal conflict, but they are thrown into situations where they are stuck together, and they come emotionally and physically closer.

Midpoint (50%)
The third major plot point takes place in the middle of the story, and it is the plot point where the main character realises their romantic feelings. The main character is willing to change and falsely believes they will be able to overcome the internal conflict that is keeping them back from emotionally opening themselves and having their happily ever after.

This is the plot point where you raise the stakes and put more obstacles and challenges to the main character to emotionally change.

All is Lost (75%)
The fourth major plot is the lowest point of the romance story. It is the scene where the main character chooses fear instead of love, and they break up because they believe they will emotionally hurt each other because of their internal conflict.

*There are many romance novels that don’t include an actual breakup scene since some romance readers don’t like it. It’s up to you whether you want to include one in your story. You can choose instead to temporarily separate the main characters so that they can see how miserable their life is without each other.     

Break Into 3 (80%)
The fifth major plot point occurs at the beginning of Act 3, where the main character chooses love this time and wants to be happy.

They come up with a plan on the steps they need to take (with the help of family and friends) to reconcile with the other character and to fix the problems they have created the right way. 

How should I outline my romance story if I have multiple main characters?
The first step to outlining your romance story is to decide the number of main characters. In romance novels, the main characters (the main couple) are the pov characters of the story.

Some romance writers choose to have only one main character, while others choose to have two main characters. If the second character has equal page time and character development with the main character, then you probably have two main characters in your story.

If your romance story has one main character, you need to create one outline sheet, starting by writing down the five major plot points of your story.

If your romance story has 2 main characters that experience the majority of the story together, then create one outline sheet for both of them.

If your romance story has 2 main characters that don’t experience the majority of the story together, but still have some shared chapters, create a separate outline sheet for each main character.

Conclusion
The five major plot points will help you outline the basic structure of your romance manuscript in an easy and simple way. Brainstorm and write down the five major plot points first before outlining the rest of them in your outline sheet.

​Take as much time as you need to plan your romance story and write down as many details as you want. Your outline sheet can include brief bullet points or long paragraphs. Have fun and enjoy writing!

Additional resources
How to write a novel using the 3-act structure
How to write a novel using Romancing the Beat
What is a romance story and how to write one
How to write a romance novel in 5 steps

One of the most common issues that romance writers face is writing compelling main characters. The main characters in a romance story are the main couple, and the development of their romantic relationship is the central point of the story.
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The main characters often lack interesting goals and motivations, internal and external conflict, a complete character arc and/or character depth. This blog article will help you to effectively edit the main characters of your romance story and create compelling and active main characters that your readers will love to read.
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Lack of character goal and motivation
Lack of internal and external conflict
Lack of a complete character arc (character development)
Lack of character depth

Lack of character goal and motivation
One of the most common issues that fiction writers encounter when editing their romance stories is the lack of a compelling goal and motivation for their main characters.

When you are editing your romance story, make sure to strengthen the main characters’ goal and motivation. Your main characters’ goal must be important and unique for them and big enough to sustain the whole story. 

The main characters should have a personal or professional goal beyond wanting to get together. (The main couple may not even want to be in the same room at the beginning of the story, but they might be forced to work together to achieve a common outcome.)

Think about the reasons their goals are important for the main characters, and what the consequences are for them or the people they care about if they don’t achieve them. The main characters come up with specific steps they need to take to help them achieve their goals. 

Ask yourself:
1)What are the main characters’ goals?
2) Why do they wish to achieve this particular goal, and what are the consequences for them if they don’t succeed?
3) What steps do they need to take to achieve their goals?
4)Are the goals, motivations and the steps they need to take apparent to the readers throughout the story?

Lack of internal and external conflict
Another issue that romance writers face is the lack of compelling internal and external conflict. The internal conflict is the flaw that the main characters falsely believe about themselves and prevents them from achieving their goal and having a happy romantic relationship.

The external conflict is the antagonist who has their own goals and motivation and wishes to prevent the main characters from achieving their goals. The antagonist can be a family member, a coworker, an annoying ex or anyone else. 

The internal and external conflict covers all aspects of the main characters’ lives, such as their family, work, and friends. 

Ask yourself: 

1. What are the main characters’ internal conflicts?
2. What are the main characters’ external conflicts (antagonist) that prevent them from achieving their goal?
3. What is the antagonist’s goal, and why does he want to prevent the main characters from achieving their goal?
4. What obstacles and complications prevent the main characters (because of their internal and external conflict) from achieving their goal?

Lack of a complete character arc (character development)
Another issue that romance writers encounter is the lack of a complete character arc (character development). When you are editing your story, keep track of your main characters’ emotional changes and how their personality evolves throughout the story.

Make sure that the main characters realise that the internal conflict they falsely believed about themselves is not true by the end of the story.

The main characters successfully overcome their internal struggles and external obstacles (because of their love for each other) and live happily together at the end of the story. 

Ask yourself:

1. How do the main characters emotionally change throughout the story?
2. Do the main characters effectively overcome their internal struggles and external obstacles and live happily together at the end of the story?

Lack of character depth
Another common issue that romance writers face is the lack of character depth. While editing your romance story, make sure to clearly and consistently show important information about your main characters throughout the story, such as their name, age, physical appearance and personality.

Show how they behave with their family, friends, and coworkers. Show how their occupation, education, everyday life and hobbies shape their personalities and how traumatic past events define their way of thinking and their relationship with other characters in the story. 

When you are editing your story, make sure to include any important information about your main and minor characters in their own character profiles to keep track of important information and be consistent throughout the story. 

If you want to learn more information on how to write consistent and meaningful characters using character profiles (+download a free character profile template), click here to read the blog article. 

Ask yourself:

1. Do I describe my main characters’ appearance, personality and behaviour in all aspects of their life?
2. Are my main characters clearly and consistently described throughout the story?

​Conclusion
One of the most common issues that romance writers struggle with is writing compelling main characters. Edit your romance story carefully and consistently to ensure that your main characters have a clear goal and motivation they want to achieve, and that they are fully described in all aspects of their lives. Make sure they overcome their internal struggles and external obstacles (internal and external conflict) and emotionally change throughout the story, and have a happy ending.

Additional resources
How to write consistent and meaningful characters using character profiles
How to self-edit the big-picture elements of your romance story
How to self-edit your romance novel from start to finish

Are you a first-time writer who is unfamiliar with the editing process, and you are not sure what kind of editing services your manuscript needs? Or are you unsure if you want to work with a specific editor for the first time?

A great way to assess if a particular editor is right for you and your manuscript is through a discovery meeting (or a discovery call). 
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What is a discovery meeting?
Who is the discovery meeting for?
3 reasons you need a discovery meeting

What is a discovery meeting?
A discovery meeting is a free, no-obligation, initial meeting between you (the writer) and the editor to discuss how the editor can help you improve your manuscript and to determine if you are a good fit to work together.

The discovery meeting is a great way for you and the editor to get to know each other’s personalities, see if you communicate well and determine whether you feel comfortable working together. A discovery meeting usually lasts about 15-30 minutes.

The writer usually fills in a form (questionnaire) to answer questions about their manuscript and sends a synopsis and the completed manuscript (or the first chapters) to the editor for review before the discovery meeting.

During the discovery meeting, the editor provides comments and suggestions about the manuscript to see if their editing style of feedback aligns with what you are looking for.

The editor might also provide you with an estimated project quote (scope of work, deliverables, timeline, and fee) to determine if you are a good fit to work together.

Who is the discovery meeting for?
A discovery meeting can help new writers who don't have much experience with the editing process and are not sure what kind of service they need to improve their manuscript. Also, they are a great way for writers to meet the editor they are interested in working with for the first time.

Discovery meetings are particularly useful for writers who are interested in developmental editing services. Developmental editing addresses the manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses and provides constructive feedback that covers the big-picture elements, such as theme, plot, characters, point of view, pacing, setting, genre conventions, scene vs narrative summary (show vs tell) and dialogue. 

Developmental editing requires an understanding of the plot and the main characters’ progress over the course of the entire story.

Discussing the big-picture elements that cover the entire manuscript during the discovery meeting will give the editor a better sense of your story’s needs, and they will be able to provide helpful suggestions that are representative of the type of feedback you can expect on your entire manuscript.

3 reasons you need a discovery meeting

Discuss the manuscript 
During the discovery meeting, tell the editor all the important information they need to know about your story, such as the genre, word count, your goals and intentions and the premise of your story.

If you have already provided this information to the editor, you can discuss more in-depth details about the aspects of the manuscript that you like and the aspects that you need help with and how the editor can help you improve them.

Discuss the service 
During the discovery meeting, discuss what kind of editing service you are interested in and what kind of feedback you are looking for.

The editor (who is already familiar with your manuscript) will advise you about the kind of editing service your manuscript needs next. Discuss with the editor and respectfully share your opinions until you come to an agreement. 

You can talk in more detail about what the service includes, such as the deliverables (edited manuscript document, editorial report, evaluation report), the estimated timeline, an estimated fee and the payment plan. 

Ask any related questions you have and make your expectations or concerns clear. The editor might request more time to provide a more accurate project quote or a contract based on your discussion.

Build a successful professional relationship
Clear and honest communication, respect and kindness are the keys to a successful professional relationship between you and the editor.

Don’t make assumptions about how the editor works. The discovery meeting is a great way to ask any questions or clarifications you have about their services,  editing process, or the project quote and get specific and clear answers.

You can also ask them how (medium), and how often they will communicate to share the progress of the editing project (especially for long projects that take weeks to complete) and be upfront about any specific arrangements you would like the editor to make.

The editor will provide you with a contract (after the discovery meeting) that will be agreed upon by you and the editor and be respected during the editorial process. 

Are you interested in working with me?
Do you wish to work with a reliable and supportive developmental editor and beta reader who can help you improve the big-picture elements of your manuscript, such as theme, plot, characters, point of view, pacing, setting and genre conventions?   

Book a free discovery meeting to discuss how I can help you improve your story and to determine if we are a good fit to work together.

Fill in this form to learn more information about your manuscript, express your interest in booking a discovery meeting and send me the synopsis and the first 15-20 pages of your manuscript (2-3 chapters). 

I will email you to arrange the date of the discovery meeting (depending on the availability of my schedule).

One of the most common questions that romance writers ask is how long their romance novel should be. Romance writers often wonder if their novel is long enough to match the expectations of the romance genre, and they are often uncertain why word count matters for their romance novels.

Word count estimate for the romance genre
Why word count matters
What should I do if my novel is too long?
What should I do if my novel is too short?
I need help to edit my book

Word count estimates for the romance genre
Romance is a very broad category and can be divided into many subgenres.  A novel is considered to be in the romance genre when the development of the romantic relationship between the main characters is at the centre of the story, and the main characters live happily together at the end. If your story doesn’t have a happy ending, then it is not a romance. 

Some of the most popular romance subgenres are contemporary romance, fantasy romance, romantasy, paranormal romance, historical romance, romantic suspense and YA (Young Adult) romance.

Generally, the word count for romance novels is between 70,000 and 100,000 words. Romance novels under 70,000 words might be considered too short, and romance novels above 100,000 words might be considered too long. 

There are exceptions to these guidelines with fantasy romance, romantasy, paranormal romance and historical romance novels, which have slightly longer word count because of worldbuilding and setting requirements.

For example, fantasy romance and romantasy novels are typically between 90,000 and 120,000 words. Fantasy romance novels with emphasis on the romance elements are typically between 90,000 and 100,000 words, whereas fantasy romance novels with emphasis on the fantasy elements are typically between 100,000 and 120,000 words. 

Paranormal romance and historical romance novels are typically between 80,000 and 100,000 words to allow writers more room to setup and expand the worldbuilding of the story. 

Why word count matters
Production costs
Longer books are typically more expensive because they cost more to print, ship and store, and publishers generally don’t want to take risks with longer novels, especially by new writers.

On the contrary, shorter novels are cheaper to produce and easier to sell because of the production cost and because readers prefer to read shorter books. Readers prefer to commit to shorter books (300 pages long) because they feel confident they have the time to finish reading them.

Publisher expectations
Publishers have expectations for how long a romance novel should be. Writing a novel that is “too short” or “too long”  makes it impossible to market and sell, no matter how great the writing might be.

Established writers might be “forgiven” and allowed more flexibility with the word count of their story, but it’s best for new writers to follow the industry standard of their genre and write a novel within the publisher’s expectations.

Reader expectations
Avid romance readers have their own expectations about how long a romance novel should be. Typically, romance readers expect that a romance novel should be around 70,000-100,000 words (depending on the subgenre), so writers need to have a really good reason for writing a shorter or longer romance novel and defying these expectations.

It is best for writers to write a book within the “expected” word count so that it’s easier for them to market and sell it to romance readers.

What should I do if my novel is too long?
If your novel is too long, I recommend editing it and cutting down unnecessary words:

• Revise or delete scenes that drag down the pacing of the story and don’t move the plot of your story forward
• Delete subplots that are not related to the main plot of the story
• Revise or delete minor characters that are not important to the story

While I understand that you might have spent weeks or months writing and editing your romance novel, deleting unnecessary parts of your story will strengthen your plot and your characters, and you will make a more compelling story for the readers.

What should I do if my novel is too short?
If your novel is too short, consider adding more words to the story. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Are my main characters’ goals and motivations clear?
• Is my plot structure clear, or can it be tightened?
• What is the central conflict of the story, and how can I strengthen it?
• Can I add more subplots to make the story more interesting?
• Can I add more obstacles or challenges to the main characters to tighten the tension and make the plot more compelling?

I need help to edit my book
If you are looking for a reliable and supportive developmental editor to help you edit the big-picture elements of your romance novel to your desired word count, check out my developmental editing services and fill in this form to discuss the needs of your manuscript. 

Conclusion
Word count is an important factor to take into consideration when writing your romance novel. Before starting to write and edit your novel, it is best to check the industry standard word count for your subgenre.

​Have in mind that different agents and publishing companies have different word count requirements, so make sure to check them before submitting your manuscript to them. Good luck!

Disclaimer: The content mentioned above is only meant to serve as a guideline. Do what feels right for your story and romance subgenre, since word count guidelines and expectations are constantly changing. 

Additional resources
How to self-edit the big-picture elements of your story
How to become more productive and write your story faster
What is writer’s block, and how to overcome it

It’s the beginning of a new year and the perfect time for a fresh start. It’s the best time of the year to reflect on the accomplishments you have achieved in the past year and the areas you might need to improve in the new year as a writer.

The best way to do that is to make an annual review to reflect on the writing goals you have achieved in the past year and set your writing goals and projects for this year.

Write down the tasks
Prepare your materials
Reflect on the past year
Content creation
Finances
Marketing
Professional development
Time
Plan your goals for this year
Vision
Declutter your brain
Time
Goals 
Projects
Quarterly focus
Monthly focus
Weekly focus
Quarterly review

Write down the tasks
My first step in making an annual review is to plan the tasks I need to complete to review the accomplishments I have achieved in my freelance editing business in the past year and set my business goals for this year.

At the beginning of each December, I schedule some time to write down the tasks I need to complete in my digital to-do list. This year, I have written down 15 tasks. Some of them are big tasks that might take multiple days to complete, and others are small tasks that can be combined and take only a few hours.

The tasks in my to-do list are not final. They can and probably will be adjusted when I start making my annual review to better reflect the actual process I need to take. The written tasks, though, give me a sense of direction and an estimate of how many hours it will take me to complete the annual review. 

Since I followed a similar process last year, I can estimate that my annual review will take about 30 hours this year, but I always leave room for more time. I make the annual review during the Christmas holidays every year.

Over to you:
What tasks do you need to complete to make an annual review of your writing goals? Write them down.
How much time do you think it will take you to complete the annual review? Write down a rough estimate and schedule the time in your calendar.

Prepare your materials
The next step I take is to prepare the materials I will need. Everything I need is already organised and gathered in my computer and office desk, so I don’t need to buy anything or make any other extra preparations. 

I use the following materials:

• computer (digital to-do list, calendar, documents)
• a plain lined notebook
•  the Erin Condren Weekly Life Planner (dashboard layout)
• colourful pens (I like to colour-code)
• black or blue pens

Over to you:
What tools and software do you use to make an annual review of your writing goals? Write down a list of materials and prepare them in advance.

Reflect on the past year
I start making my annual review by reflecting on the goals and the projects of the year that passed. I go back to the goals I set for my freelance editing business at the beginning of the year to see which of them I achieved, which ones I didn’t achieve and how and why my focus changed throughout the year.

I ask myself the following questions:

• What goals did I achieve in the past year? What was my biggest accomplishment?
• What didn’t go well? What was my biggest disappointment? 
• What obstacles or challenges did I face, and what can I do differently this year to overcome them?
• Did I successfully implement work-life balance and allow enough time to rest or for my hobbies?
• What lessons did I learn over the past year that I want to implement this year?

I spend some time brainstorming and writing down the answers to these questions in my notebook as I go through my goals and projects. (The whole process is valuable to me as the answers to these questions will help me set my editing business goals for the next year.)

When I am done, I ask myself more questions about specific areas of my freelance editing business. I write down the answers to these questions in my notebook. I ask myself questions about the following areas of my editing business:

Content creation

• What kind of content got the best response from writers throughout the year (views, comments, likes)?
• What kind of content/topics do I want to create next year that will be most helpful to romance writers?

I do research and update my list of possible topics that writers will be interested in to write about this year (blog articles, social media posts).

Finances

• How much money did I make? 
• What can I do to sustain/increase my yearly income?
• How much money did I spend on supporting my business (tools, software, subscriptions, professional development, other expenses)?

I review and adjust my recurring expenses and plan my budget for next year. I am fairly organised and keep track of my financial data in Excel spreadsheets throughout the year, so this is a straightforward process for me.

Marketing

• Am I satisfied with my marketing efforts? 
• How can romance writers find me? What can I do to get more romance writers to find me? 
• How can I increase my social media presence and grow my newsletter list?

Professional development

• Am I satisfied with the progress I made as an editor and business owner throughout the past year?
• How would I like to improve myself as a developmental editor and business owner this year? 

I update the list of craft books, webinars and courses I would like to take.

Time

•  How much time did I invest in billable and not-billable projects (finding work, editing projects, branding, marketing, content creation, professional development, admin tasks, other projects)?  
• How much time did I take off (sickness, holidays)? 

I have summarised monthly data of the hours I spend on each project on my planner, so at the end of each year, I sum up this data to draw conclusions and make adjustments/changes for this year.

Over to you: 
Write down specific areas of your writing life that you want to reflect on and set writing goals for this year, such as writing projects, finances, marketing and professional development.
​Write down the answers to the questions above to effectively reflect on your writing life for the past year (you may need to adjust the questions to suit your writing needs).

Plan your goals for this year
Vision
I start making plans for this year by asking myself general questions about my editing business and the goals I would like to achieve this year.

• What are my values as an editor?
• What are my long-term and short-term goals?
• What are my priorities for this year (editing projects, finances, marketing, professional development, content creation)?
• How does success look for me in the new year, and what can I do to support this?

Over to you:
What does success look like to you for this year, and what writing goal are you most excited to achieve? Write down specific steps you need to take.

Declutter your brain
The next step I take to set my editing business goals for this year is to write down all my business goals in one long list. I write down everything that comes to mind with no particular order.
Business goals can be about the following areas:

• finding work
• finances
• branding
• marketing
• social media
• newsletter
• admin
• content creation (blog articles, posts)
• professional development (craft books, webinars, courses)
• work/life balance

After I make sure I write down everything that comes to mind, I prioritise the goals in my list using coloured pens. I assign a number to a colour, and I go through my goals ranking them from top priority to it’s not so important and can be done later. For example, 1=blue, top priority  2=purple, long-term priority  3=green, unimportant
You can choose whatever colour combinations you like or have available at the moment and create a colour-code system that makes sense to you. 

Over to you:
Write down a list of all the writing goals you want to achieve this year and prioritise them.

Time
The next step I take when setting my goals for this year is to figure out how much time I have available. I like to take a typical week and see how much available time I have. Once I take out any recurring tasks, appointments or obligations, I write down the available hours I have left in a typical week for my editing business.

I don’t assign any specific goals or projects yet. In this step, I just estimate how many hours I have in a typical week so that I can realistically plan my goals (in a later step).

Over to you: 
Estimate how much available time you have in a typical week for your writing goals.

Goals
The next step I take is to decide the goals for my editing business for this year. I look at the list of goals I wrote in a previous step, and I choose 3-5 long-term goals to focus on this year. Under each goal, I write down the projects I need to take to achieve them and an estimate of how many hours it will take me to complete them.

Over to you: 
Decide and write down 3 goals (and the projects you need to achieve each goal). For example, a writing goal includes writing a romance novel. Possible projects include:

• plan the story
• outline the story
• write the story
• edit the story
• publish the story

Projects
The final step I take is to write down the tasks I need to take to complete each project for my editing business. I write down the tasks I need to take under each project, and I estimate how many hours it will take me to complete each task.

Usually, I do this process in my digital-to-doist app. It is easier, faster and more convenient for me to write, move, delete and add tasks as needed in a specific project and assign them to specific dates or organise them into specific sections.

Over to you:
Write down the tasks you need to complete for each project and estimate how many hours they will take.
Example project: Plan my romance story
Possible tasks can include:

• Figure out the subgenres and tropes of the story
• Decide the theme of the story
• Create character profiles for the main characters 
• Decide point of view and tense
• Decide the setting of the story (place, time period)

Quarterly focus
When I finish my annual review and set my editing goals and projects for this year, I focus on the editing goals I want to complete in the first quarter of the year. 

I estimate the available time that I have for the quarter (based on the typical week estimates I did in a previous step) and choose the most important or urgent goals at the time.

Over to you:
Estimate how much available time you have in a quarter and choose the most important goals that fit your schedule.

Monthly focus
The next step I take is to set up the first month of the year (January) in my Erin Condren Weekly Life Planner (dashboard layout). On the calendar page, I write down any appointments, tasks or deadlines that need to happen or be completed by a certain date.

On the next 2 pages, I write down the monthly goals, projects and tasks. Also, I create a table that includes the projects of the month and the estimated time it will take me to complete them. I leave a blank space to write down the actual hours I will spend on each project at the end of the month. 

Over to you: 
Write down the writing goals, projects and tasks for the first month of the year.

Weekly focus
The next step I take is to set up the first week of January in my Erin Condren planner. On the left page of the planner, I write down any appointments or obligations that need to happen on a specific day of the week.

On the right page, I write down the weekly projects and tasks. In the notes section, I create a table and write down the weekly projects and the amount of time they will take. I write down every day how much time I devote to each project, and I sum up the total hours at the end of the week.

Over to you: 
Write down your weekly projects and tasks.

Quarterly review
Every quarter, I schedule some time for a quarterly review in my calendar.  Quarterly reviews help me check the progress I made on my long-term editing goals and effectively set goals for the next quarter.

I follow a similar procedure for my quarterly review. If possible, I make my quarterly review a few days before the next quarter begins.

Over to you:
Schedule time every quarter to check the progress you’ve made on your writing goals.

Conclusion
That’s it. That’s how I make my annual review and set my editing goals for my freelance editing business every year. I hope this process helps you reflect on the accomplishments you achieved in the past year and effectively set your writing goals for this year.
Happy planning!

Additional resources
3 types of writer goals you can set for the next year
My experience using the HB90 method for writers
How to write a novel in 90 days (writing challenge)
 Erin Condren Weekly Life Planners

It’s this time of the year again. It’s December, the last month of the year, which means it’s time to reflect on the year that has passed and set writing goals for the next year.
 
If you want to make a living from writing books, it is important to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year and the areas that need improvement the next year. The best way to do that is to make an annual review to reflect on the past year and plan your goals and projects for next year.

Find the time 
Find the space and gather your materials
Reflect on this year
Plan your goals for next year
Plan the time
Quarterly review

Find the time 
Calculate how much time you will need for this year’s annual review. If you have done an annual review before, then you have an idea of how much time it will take you this year. Schedule the same amount of time for this year in your calendar.

If this is your first time making an annual review for your writing goals, calculate an estimated timeframe and schedule specific days and hours in your calendar which will be dedicated to the annual review.

Find the space and gather your materials
Find a clean, quiet space for the annual review. Your office desk or another space where you know you will not be interrupted and no one else uses can be the perfect space for you. 

Will you make your annual review in a digital software or a physical planner? Decide in advance and gather the necessary materials (software, tools, notebooks, planners) in your designated space.

Materials can include your laptop, digital to-do list, writing software, physical notebook, digital or physical planner, calendar and lots of pens and pencils. Buy in advance any materials to make sure you have everything you might need for the annual review.  

Reflect on this year
Now, it’s time to reflect on the writing goals and projects of the year that passed. Check your calendar, planner or to-do lists and see which goals and projects you have achieved this year.

Ask yourself the following questions and write down answers in a notebook. The answers to these questions will help you make more informed, realistic decisions for the new year.

•  What was your biggest success this year e.g publishing a book?
• What goals and projects have you achieved this year?
• Have your goals changed throughout the year, and why? Write down the reason your focus changed throughout the year.
• What was your biggest challenge for this year e.g self-editing your story?
• What things didn’t go well? What obstacles and challenges did you have this year? Write them down and note down ways in which you can overcome them next year. For example, if your biggest challenge was how to write down compelling, relatable characters for your romance story, then you might need to read more craft books about characters or take a related webinar.

Plan the time
Brainstorm and write down your writing goals for next year. Write down short-term and long-term goals. Make sure to write down specific, measurable, actionable, realistic and time-sensitive (SMART) goals so that it is easier for you to keep track of them and evaluate your progress throughout the year.

You can divide your goals into different areas of your writing life:
Writing projects 

• What writing projects do you want to write/edit/publish this year?
• What steps do you need to take to achieve this goal?

 
Finances

• How much money do you want to make as a writer the next year?
• What steps will you take to sustain/increase your monthly and yearly income?

Work/life balance

• Do you have enough time in a day to rest or devote to your hobbies?
• How can you improve your mental and physical health in the next year?

Professional development

• What would you like to do next year to improve yourself as a writer? Write down conferences you would like to attend, professional organisations you would like to join, courses and webinars you would like to take and craft books you would like to read.

Branding and marketing

• Are you satisfied with your branding and marketing efforts?
• Do you need to update your website or social media presence? Note down ways you can increase your followers in social media, the frequency of posts, possible topics to write about and how you can connect with other writers and readers (comments, shares, likes).

Plan the time
Decide how many hours a month you will devote to your writing goals and projects. See how much time you have available each month and decide what tasks or projects you plan to do.

Estimate how much time each task or project will take. For example, you might plan to write for 30 minutes each day,  read a craft book each week or take a course each month. Once you decide the amount of time each task or project will take, schedule them in your calendar.

Be realistic about the goals you can achieve and the time you have for each goal and project. Don’t try to do all the things at the same time, as it might eventually lead to burnout. Instead, for example, focus on one writing project or take one course at a time to improve yourself in a topic you feel you struggle with the most. 

Quarterly review
Now that you have set your writing goals and completed your annual review, schedule some time for quarterly reviews in your calendar. Quarterly reviews will help you check on the progress you make on your goals and make sure you stay on track with your projects throughout the year.

Remember that your writing goals might change, and you might need to let go of some of the projects that are no longer important or relevant to you, which is totally fine. You can always adjust your plan and focus on the next steps in achieving your writing goals.

Additional resources
3 types of writer goals you can set for the next year
My experience using the HB90 method for writers
How to write a novel in 90 days (writing challenge)

​November marks the month of the year when many writers sit down in front of their computers and attempt to write 50,000 words in 30 days.

​Although this tradition started with NaNoWriMo, many writers have participated in a similar writing challenge this year. They either created their own writing challenge with writer friends or participated in a writing challenge by other writers, and found themselves a welcoming and supportive writing community.

November is over, and now you have the first draft of your novel completed or the 50,000 words of it. The next step you need to take after writing the first draft is to self-edit the big-picture elements of your story.

Take a break
Read your manuscript and take notes
Main characters
Plot and structure
Setting and worldbuilding
Follow through with your plan
Next steps

Take a break
The first step of self-editing your novel is to leave it rest for at least one month. Taking a break from your story is necessary to put distance between yourself and your story and be able to see your manuscript from a reader’s perspective during the editing process.

Read your manuscript and take notes
The second step in self-editing your story is to read through your manuscript. Schedule 2-3 days of uninterrupted time to read your manuscript from start to finish and take notes about the big-picture elements of your story.

As you are reading your story, take notes in the margins of the manuscript document or in a separate notebook and write down any ideas you have on how to improve the main characters, plot and structure, and setting and worldbuilding of your story.

Main characters
One of the most important big-picture elements of your story is your main characters. The main characters in romance stories are the love interests of the story.

​The most important things you have to establish about your main characters are their goal, motivation, and internal and external conflicts. Create a character profile about each main character (if you haven’t already), and identify the following elements:

•  Goal: a clear, tangible goal that can sustain the whole story. Note if/how the goal changes throughout the story and why.
•  Motivation: the reason the main character wants to achieve this goal, what will happen if they do achieve it, and what the consequences will be if they don’t achieve it
• Internal conflict: an internal flaw that your character falsely believes about themselves or the world around them, and prevents them from achieving their goal
• External conflict: an antagonist or villain that puts obstacles and challenges to the main characters and actively prevents them from achieving their goal

Plot and structure
Another important big-picture element of your story is your plot and structure. If you are a plotter, then you probably already have an outline of your story or even a chapter-by-chapter summary. If you haven’t updated your outline while writing your story, this is a good time to do it.

While you are reading your story, open an Excel spreadsheet and write down important information about each chapter of your story to help you see the “forest”, the overall plot of your story. The Excel spreadsheet can include the:

• word count of each chapter
•  pov character
• characters present
• location
• main story events
• notes/reactions/things to improve

You can also write down margin comments in your manuscript document about specific issues that you want to improve in a particular scene. Check if your plot follows the 3-act structure and if each chapter moves forward the plot of the story.

Setting and worldbuilding
Another important big-picture element (often neglected by writers) is the setting and worldbuilding of the story. While reading your manuscript, write down the following information about the setting of your story:

• The macro setting of your story. Note down the planet, country and the city your story takes place in.
• The micro setting of your story. Note down the particular locations your story takes place, such as a house, a cafe, an apartment, a school, or an office. Write down a clear description of each location in your notes. Note any discrepancies in descriptions in the manuscript to fix them later.
• The period your story takes place in. Does it take place in the present or a particular historical period? Do any necessary research about the language, customs, culture and habits of the people in that particular historical period.

If you are writing a paranormal romance or fantasy romance story that takes place in a fictional setting,  you might also want to pay attention to the worldbuilding of your story.  Some worldbuilding elements might greatly influence the plot and the characters of your story, so you might need to note down:

• the government, political figures, and laws that appear in your story
• the different species (humans, werewolves, vampires, fae, witches) and how they interact with  each other
• the magic system with its rules, limitations and risks
• the history of the world and any important historical events that shape the civilisation and culture of the species today
• the types of professions and the opportunities for employment that each species has based on their race, powers and social status
• the levels of education and how accessible education is for all citizens of your world

Follow through with your plan
Congratulations. You have finished reading through your manuscript, and now you have made various notes about the characters, plot and structure and setting and worldbuilding of your story. You have made notes in character profiles, Excel spreadsheets and in the manuscript document, and you have plenty of ideas on what aspects of your manuscript to improve. 

Now, it’s time to make a plan on how to implement these changes. Don’t try to fix all the big-picture elements of your story at the same time, since it will be overwhelming and you will soon feel lost trying to juggle multiple tasks at the same time.

​Instead, do multiple rounds of editing for the big-picture elements of your story:

• Decide which big-picture elements of your story you will focus on in which round. For example, you might want to make one round of editing to fix the structure of your novel.
• Write down the particular tasks you need to go through for each round of editing. For example, you might want to rewrite the meet-cute of your main characters (the first time your characters meet on the page).
• Write down the available time you have each week for editing your novel, your estimated weekly progress and the estimated deadline of each round of editing. You can go back at the end of each week and note down the actual time you sat down to edit your novel, the progress you made and if you are on track to meet your deadline. You can repeat this process for every round of editing until you finish editing the big-picture elements of your story.

Next steps
After self-editing the big-picture elements of your story, it’s time to hire a professional developmental editor. A developmental editor is the first editor writers look for after self-editing their novel. 

The developmental editor addresses the manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses and provides honest and constructive feedback about the story’s plot and structure, character development, point of view, pacing, setting, genre conventions, scene vs narrative summary (show vs tell) and dialogue. The developmental editor provides margin comments in the manuscript document and an editorial report to further guide the author.

If you are looking for a reliable and supportive developmental editor or beta reader for your romance story, then I might be a great fit for your manuscript!

​I can provide honest and constructive feedback to help you improve the big-picture elements of your story and achieve your writing goals.  Check out my editing services: developmental editing, manuscript critique, discovery draft evaluation, beta reading and contact me to discuss your story.

Additional resources
Why you need to create character profiles for your story
How to write a romance story using the 3 structure
How to write the setting and worldbuilding of your story
What are the different types of editing services
How to find the right editor for your fiction book