A fiction story is considered to be a romance when it includes these two characteristics:

• the development of the romantic relationship between the main characters is at the centre of the story
• the story has a happy ending where the main characters stay together.

Main characters
Central conflict
Theme
Point of view
Romance subgenres
Romance tropes
Questions to consider when writing a romance story

Main characters
The main characters in romance stories are the people who experience a romantic journey throughout the story, and the development of their romantic relationship is at the centre of the story.  

The main characters need to have tangible and concrete goals that are big enough to sustain the whole story, and the goal is independent of their romantic relationship.

The main characters need to have equal and opposite goals to create the central conflict of the story and to prevent each other from easily achieving their goals. 

The main characters need to have a clear reason why they want to achieve the particular goal. Think why the specific goal is important for the particular character and what the consequences are if they don’t achieve their goal.

Your main characters are not perfect. They have flaws. Think about the main flaw (misbelief)  your character falsely believes about themselves, other people and the world around them and prevents them from achieving their goal.

Both main characters have internal and external flaws that cover all aspects of their lives, such as their family, work, and friends. The external flaw is the literal bad guys that prevent the main characters from achieving their goals e.g family, friends, coworkers. The internal flaw is the internal beliefs that the main characters need to fight, such as their inability to easily trust other people after their ex cheated on them with their best friend.

Central conflict
The equal and opposite goals of the main characters create the central conflict of the story and prevent them from easily achieving their goals.

The main conflict of the story exists between the main characters and comes from their directly opposed goals. Outside forces, such as overprotective parents or abusive, manipulative exes, can make the lives of the main characters more difficult, but they cannot create conflict that is enough to sustain the whole story.

An example of the central conflict is when the main characters are working at the same company and want to be promoted to the same position, but there is only one spot available, and they have to compete for a specific amount of time to prove to the company who is more competent for the position. The central conflict needs to be believable and needs to be resolved in a successful way that satisfies the reader.
 
Theme
In the most general sense, the theme of all romance stories is that “love conquers all.” Romance readers expect that the main characters will overcome all their flaws and obstacles thrown at them throughout the story because of their love for each other and they will stay together at the end of the story.

If you market your book as a romance story and the main characters don’t stay together at the end of the story, the readers will be greatly disappointed. It’s ok if you don’t want your main characters to have a happy ending at the end of the story.

It’s your story and you can write it however you want, but you need to be careful how you market your book so that the right readers find and enjoy your fiction story.

What is the “all” that love conquers in your story? That is the particular theme that your main characters need to learn by the end of the story, and the flaw that is keeping them from falling in love and living happily ever after. 

For example, the main characters might not easily trust other people because of their manipulative, lying, cheating ex. The main characters are hole-hearted and flawed at the beginning of the story, unable to romantically trust other people and let themselves fall in love. By the end of the story, they emotionally change and realise that the main character is not like their cheating, manipulative ex. Their past flaws and wounds are healed, and they learn to trust and love whole-heartily again.

Point of view
Romance readers particularly enjoy reading romance stories narrated from both the main characters’ point of view. Writers can narrate different scenes or chapters from different POVs to demonstrate the main characters’ thoughts, feelings and emotional arc throughout the story.

In most cases, romance stories, have “one true hero”, one main character who has the most pov chapters and the most compelling character transformation to make.

Most romance stories are written in the first person in the present tense, but there are also romance stories written in the third person in the past tense. Choose your pov characters and tense wisely based on your story’s needs and your audience’s expectations.

Romance subgenres
Contemporary romance
Contemporary romance is one of the largest romance subgenres and involves stories set from the 1950s to the present. Contemporary romance stories include social and cultural issues such as career goals, family conflicts and friendships.

YA romance
Young adult romance demonstrates the lives of young people from 13 to 18 years old. Young adult novels deal with themes of identity, emotional exploration, school, family, adventure and technology.

Romantic suspense
Romantic suspense combines elements of romance, action, thriller, mystery and suspense. Romantic suspense stories have a diverse cast of characters and include themes of murder, kidnapping, drugs, and abuse.

Paranormal romance
Paranormal romance includes otherworldly characters, such as vampires, wolves, witches, demons, angels, zombies, dragons, ghosts or humans with psychic abilities.

Fantasy romance
Fantasy romance stories focus on the fantasy (political, social) aspect of the story rather than the romantic relationship between the main characters. Fantasy romance stories include a diverse cast of characters such as witches, kings, princes, dragons, elves and fairies.

Romantasy
Romantasy is a popular subgenre of the romance genre, and it combines elements from the romance and fantasy genre.

The difference between the fantasy romance and romantasy subgenres is that in the romantasy subgenre, the romance between the main characters takes centre stage of the story, and the fantasy elements (setting, creatures) exist to serve and elevate the romance story.

Historical romance
Historical romance stories are set before the 1950s and highlight the cultural and social issues of the era in which the story takes place. 

Romance tropes
Trope is a plot, character or theme that is often used in fiction stories. Tropes come with specific expectations about how the story progresses. They provide familiarity, satisfaction and anticipation about how a specific plot or character unfolds in new and exciting ways to create a compelling story. 

Romance readers often look at the cover, title and blurb of a romance book to see which tropes the story includes. Romance writers nowadays market the tropes of their romance books on social media to provide the reader with more information about their story and increase the anticipation about the upcoming release of their romance story. 

Popular tropes in romance books:

• billionaire trope
• enemies to lovers
• friends to lovers
• reformed playboy
• fated mates
• fake relationship/ marriage
• second chance romance
• sports romance

•  marriage of convenience
• best friend’s older brother
• boss and employee
•  coworkers
• forbidden love
• forced proximity
• secret identity

Questions to consider when writing a romance story
Ask yourself the following questions when writing a romance story:
1) Is the development of the romantic relationship between the main characters at the centre of the story, and does the story have a happy ending where the main characters stay together?
2) What are the goals and motivations of your main characters?
3) What are the consequences for the main characters if they don’t achieve their goals?
4) What are the external and internal flaws of the main characters?
5) What is the central conflict of the story?
6) Besides “love conquers all,” what is the specific theme of your story?
7)Who is the “one true hero” of your story?
6) What is the point of view and tense of your story?
9) What is the main romance subgenre of your story?
10) What are the main romance tropes of your story?

Conclusion
The romance genre is the most popular genre of fiction. Romance readers love to read interesting stories with compelling characters that overcome their internal flaws and external obstacles, emotionally grow as characters and have their happily ever after.

What romance story are you writing now? Are you planning, writing or editing your story?
Comment below!
Don’t forget to share the blog article on your favorite social media!

Additional resources
How to self-edit your romance novel
How to write a romance novel in 5 steps
How to write a novel using Romancing the Beat
8 great romance subgenres authors can explore
8 popular tropes that readers love to read

Setting is defined as the place and the time a story takes place, and is one of the most important elements of a story. Writers often focus on creating immersive characters and compelling plots, and don’t pay as much attention as they need to creating a realistic setting to immerse readers in their stories. 

The amount of preparation and research writers need to make for the setting of their story depends on whether the setting is based in a real or fictional place and what kind of story they are writing (contemporary, historical, paranormal, fantasy, romantasy).
​

Different kinds of setting
Real setting
Fictional setting
Setting vs info-dumping
Linking setting to characters
Setting questionnaire
Worldbuilding questionnaire

Different kinds of setting
There are many different kinds of settings that a writer needs to include to craft a realistic story for their readers.

Macro setting: It refers to the general area of your story, such as a planet, country, or city. 

Micro setting: It refers to a specific location where the story takes place, such as an apartment or school.

Temporal setting: It refers to the period during which the story takes place, such as the 1950s or 2005.

Seasonal setting: It refers to the season(s) the story takes place in, such as winter or summer.

Real setting
If your story includes real settings, make sure to research the particular locations you want to include in your story and get your facts right, even if you are familiar with the locations because you live in the general area or you have visited those places in the past. Use trusted resources, such as published books, journals and educational websites.

Fictional setting
If you are creating a fictional setting that is based on a real setting, you can fictionalize a real setting that not many readers are familiar with.  You can fictionalize a local place or a location that is not well-known.

In this way, you will have more flexibility to add, delete or move details and descriptions in your fictional world without being concerned that many readers would find the world unrealistic. 

You can also create your own fictional setting. If you decide to create a fictional setting, create a map and take down notes about the main places on your map.

You don’t need to create anything complicated. Just a sketch with the main towns and buildings of your story so that you always know where they are and how far they are from each other. Accuracy and consistency are key to creating a realistic and believable story.

Setting vs info-dumping
Info-dumping occurs when writers provide a large amount of background information or exposition to the story that is unnecessary or irrelevant to the specific chapter.

Often, writers try to incorporate large descriptions of the setting in their attempt to create a realistic and believable setting for the reader.

As a result, they end up providing paragraphs of unnecessary details of the story’s setting that bore the reader and drag the pacing of the story.

To make sure you are writing a compelling story for the readers, keep only the most important and relevant information about the setting in a specific chapter.

Linking setting to characters
Instead of just mentioning various details of the setting, the pov character of your story can describe the setting from their perspective. The way the pov character notices, experiences, describes and interacts with their setting in a particular chapter shows their personality.

​When describing the setting in a particular chapter, it is important to ask yourself what elements of the setting your pov character would be observing based on his personality and the plot of the chapter.

Setting questionnaire
Here are some questions about the setting to help you brainstorm your fiction story.

1. Where does your story take place ( country, city, apartment)?
2. When does your story take place (time period, season)?
3. Is the setting realistic, believable and plausible?
4. Is the setting real or fictional? If the setting is based on real locations, have you done research to accurately describe it?
5. Do you integrate the details of setting into the plot of the story?

Worldbuilding questionnaire
Once you find the answers to the above questions, you might want to flesh out the worldbuilding elements of your story. Depending on the kind of story you are writing (contemporary, historical, paranormal, fantasy, romantasy), you will want to focus on specific world-building elements.

Below is a list of categories and questions to help you brainstorm the world of your story. This is by no means an exhaustive list of questions. This is just a guide to get you started. 
Government

• What is the structure of the government, and who is the leader?
• How many political parties are there, and do they interact with each other?
• How does your main character feel about the government and the laws of the world? 
• Do different species, races and social classes have different opinions about the laws?

People

•  Are there any intelligent or supernatural species, such as aliens, werewolves, vampires or witches, besides humans, and how do they get along with each other?
•  How is your world divided into countries, towns, nations, or societies, and how do they get along with each other?

Languages

• What language(s) do people speak in your world?
•  Do different countries, races or species speak different languages, and how easily do they communicate with each other?

History

• What are the origins of your civilisation?
• What are the major historical events or legends that shaped your civilisation?

Education

• What are the levels of education in your world (kindergarten, middle school, high school, university)?
• How accessible is education for all citizens of your world (public vs private education)?

Employment

• What types of professions exist in your world? Does your world have any unusual or rare types of professions? 
•  Are there any professions that are more reputable than others, and why? 
• Are there any professions different across species and races based on their magic powers or social status?

Arts and entertainment

• What are the most important or famous arts, sports and forms of entertainment, and how do they shape your world?
• What kind of infrastructure is there for these activities, such as theatres, museums, and concert halls?

Magic

• Is there magic in your world?
• Who controls the magic, and what are their roles and status of these people in your world?
• What are the rules, limitations and risks of magic?

Climate

• What is the climate in your world like?
• Are there seasons in your world?

Terrain

• What is the terrain of your world like (sea, forests, desert, rivers)?
• What are the major cities or towns in your world? 

Now you have everything you need to know to create a real and believable setting for your romance story. You are one step closer to writing a compelling story and achieving your writing goals.

If you need more guidance in brainstorming your story, check the further resources section on how to brainstorm the main characters and outline the structure of your manuscript. Good luck!

Additional resources
How to write a romance novel in 5 steps
How to write a romance novel: genre and main characters
How to write a romance novel using the 3-act structure
How to write a novel using Romancing the Beat

​A beta reader is an avid reader of your book’s genre. A beta reader is familiar with the rules and tropes of a particular genre and can provide honest and constructive feedback from the perspective of the intended reader about the big-picture storytelling elements of a story, such as theme, plot and structure, character development, setting, pacing, point of view, genre conventions, and dialogue.

Beta readers are the first people to read a completed manuscript and provide constructive feedback. Writers should seek beta readers after self-editing their manuscript but before giving it to professional developmental editors.

​
How many beta readers?
Beta readers vs critique partners
Beta readers vs editors
Why do you need beta readers
Where can you find reliable beta readers
What kind of feedback to expect from a beta reader?

How many beta readers?
An ideal number of reliable and objective beta readers for your manuscript is 3-5. This number provides a balance of feedback without overwhelming you with too many opinions. Too many beta readers can lead to conflicting feedback and make it difficult for you to decide what feedback to implement in your manuscript. You should limit your input to a few trusted beta readers. 

Beta readers vs critique partners
A beta reader is not a critique partner. A critique partner is another writer with whom you exchange your manuscripts and provide feedback about the big-picture storytelling elements of your stories. You don’t exchange manuscripts with beta readers.

Beta readers vs editors
Beta readers are not editors. Beta readers do not edit manuscripts. They don’t explain why anything is going wrong or give potential solutions. They don’t edit the big-picture elements or sentence-level errors of a story. 

Beta readers provide their opinion as readers. Writers who seek to understand how readers will experience their manuscript often seek out beta readers. 

Why do you need beta readers
 You are on a limited budget
The beta reading service is a cheaper alternative to developmental editing. However, beta readers do not replace developmental editors. Beta readers can provide constructive, surface-level feedback about the big-picture elements of your manuscript so that the developmental editor can focus on the more in-depth issues of your story.

The actual cost of beta readers depends on your manuscript’s word count and genre, your desired turnaround time, and the scope of work.

You are a new writer, and you need to learn more about the writing craft
Beta readers will provide you with an overview of the big-picture storytelling issues of your story and help you improve your manuscript without overwhelming you with detailed page edits.

You have no idea how to further improve your manuscript
You are struck. You have edited your story multiple times to the best of your abilities, and you don’t know how to further improve it. If you have finished self-editing your story, then the next step is to find a reliable beta reader who helps you identify and improve the big-picture issues of your manuscript.

Where can you find reliable beta readers
Firstly, you can find reliable beta readers by looking at the people around you. You can ask friends and family to read your story and provide feedback.

However, be aware that friends and family might be biased and they are not usually trained (if they are not writers or editors), so they might not provide you with constructive and objective feedback.

You can also look at free online writing communities. If you are already a member of a writing community, you can ask your writer friends to read your manuscript and provide you with constructive feedback.

There are a lot of free online writing communities where writers can exchange stories, make other writer friends and get advice about writing, editing and publishing their stories, such as the Critique circle, She writes and Writer’s cafe.

You can also find writers’ groups on social media. There are a lot of writer groups on Facebook and Substack that are dedicated to helping writers and providing them with writing, editing and publishing advice. You can ask other writers there to beta-read your story.

You can also check the EFA (Editorial Freelancers’ Association) to find professional and reliable beta readers. You can take a look at the member directory or post a job at the EFA to find reliable beta readers. 

Make sure to include the kind of service you need, the genre, the word count of your story, your estimated budget and your desired deadline when you post a job.

Finally, you can search online at the websites of different beta readers to see what kind of beta reader services they offer.

Every beta reader defines their service differently, so make sure to check what the beta reading service entails, the process, the cost, and the deadline to find the right beta reader for you and your manuscript.

What kind of feedback to expect from a beta reader?
Beta readers provide feedback about the big-picture elements of their story. You shouldn’t expect feedback about sentence-level errors, such as word choice, grammar, spelling, and punctuation, unless there was a prior agreement with the beta reader to correct those mistakes. Feedback can be provided through a reader’s report, margin comments in the manuscript document or both.

You can provide a questionnaire with specific questions to send to all your beta readers so that you can see how different beta readers respond to the same questions.

The questionnaire should include questions about the big-picture elements of a story, such as plot and structure, character development, point of view, pacing, genre conventions, setting, theme and dialogue. 

Beta readers might also have their own questionnaire and provide constructive feedback based on the questions of the questionnaire.

For example, I have a beta reader questionnaire that is divided into 6 categories (plot and structure, character development, point of view, pacing, genre conventions and overall impression).

​Each category includes 3-4 questions. You can see my beta reader questionnaire to get an idea of what kind of questions to ask your beta readers.

Additional resources
What is the beta reading service?
Example of a beta reader questionnaire
What is the developmental editing service?
What is the manuscript critique service?
How to find the right editor for your book?

Romancing the Beat is a story structure guide for romance writers written by Gwen Hayes. It is intended to help romance writers structure and outline their romance books.

The story beats of the Romancing the Beat help romance writers craft the romance arc of their story and keep the readers interested in reading a story with a satisfying ending.
​
The book is ideal for romance writers with all kinds of writing processes, such as pantsers, plotters and plantsers, who wish to write and improve the romantic elements of their story. The story structure guide is divided in 4 phases, and each phase takes about 25% of the story.


Romancing the beat structure
Phase 1:Setup
The first phase takes about 20-25% of the story, and it introduces the main characters and the world.

Introduce Your Main Characters

• Introduce the main character(s) to the readers in a way that makes them interesting and compelling. 
• Show how your character’s normal life looks like, but throw a hint of trouble to make the story more interesting.
• Introduce your main character’s external goal (it can be something they want or something they think they want).
• Introduce or hint at your main character’s internal flaw.

Meet Cute

• The main characters meet for the first time, or they are on the page for the first time together. Their meeting can be the inciting incident of the story (not always).
• The pov character has internal thoughts and is physically attracted to the other character. The description of the attractiveness will depend on the genre and the heat level of your story.
• The meet-cute will demonstrate how the external goals and internal flaws introduced in the previous beat are in opposition. Although the pov character is physically attracted to the other character, they emotionally reject them.

No Way 1

• This beat demonstrates the argument the main character(s) makes against falling in love out loud or to their friend, coworkers or family or in internal thoughts.
• The main character(s) states that they will never fall in love and especially with the particular character they met in the previous beat.
• Provide the reader more information (e.g backstory) as to why the main character(s) does not want to fall in love.

Adhesion Plot Thrust

• This is the final beat before Act 2.
•  Introduce additional external goals or tropes that provide opportunities for the main characters to be together even if they don’t want to e.g secluded in  rain with no electricity, pretend relationships, forced to cooperate for a common goal, marriage of convenience. 
• The main characters are miserable together and cannot walk away from each other now.

Phase 2: Falling in Love
This is the second phase of the story and takes about 25% of the book. In phase 2, show that your main characters are meant to be together, even if they can’t see it yet.

The main characters are going back and forth, getting one step closer and then backing away. Show that they are a better person by being with the other character.

No Way 2

• The main character(s) have stated in No Way 1 that they will not fall in love with the particular character. In this beat, restate the character’s belief that they are right about love and the reasons for not falling into it.
• Include more backstory to make readers understand the main character’s internal flaw and the reasons they deny love.
• The main characters are stuck together for some reason (see Adhesion  Plot Thrust). Although they want to avoid temptation,  show them that the other character is perfect for them.

Inkling This Could Work

• Focus on attacking your main character’s internal flaw that they stated in No Way 1 and No Way 2.
• Increase your attacks, give them something to start having doubts about their statement in No Way 1 and No Way 2.
• Make the characters come emotionally closer to each other. You can do this by including an intimate moment, sharing secrets or truths or witnessing the character do something that goes against the picture the main character drew about them in their head.

Deepening Desire

• Your characters are falling in love with each other and no longer deny that they are physically attracted to each other.
• Show internal thoughts that it is hard for them to fight their feelings for the other character. 
• Depending on the heat level of your story, decide how the characters will act upon their feelings in a physical way. You can include lingering gazes and sweet moments.

 
Maybe This Will Work 

• You are nearing the halfway point of your story.
• Depending on the heat level of your story, decide how intimate you want your main characters to be.
• Your characters need to be more emotionally vulnerable by the end of this beat.

Midpoint of Love

• You are at the 50% mark of your story. This beat is a false high where the main character (s) thinks that they can get what they want.
• The main character(s) might reveal their true thoughts and feelings to a friend or internally think about how right it feels to be with the other character.

Phase 3: Retreating from Love  
This is the third phase and takes about 25% of the story. Although the main character(s) realises that they can fall in love, they are stubborn and don’t want to change and overcome their internal flaw.

Challenge your main character(s), push them and attack their soft spots. Exploit their internal flaw mentioned in the No Way beats. Provide them with reasons to doubt their decision in the previous beats to give love a chance.

Inkling of Doubt 

• Things feel great for your main character(s= because they just had their false high moment and they are starting to contemplate the idea that they can fall in love with someone else.
• In this beat, you are going to make them doubt their decision to open their heart to someone else and remind them of their internal flaw. Make it harder and harder for them to completely let themselves fall in love, and attack them using their internal flaw. 

Deepening Doubt 

• The intimacy between the main characters is increased, but they are doubting their relationship because of the doubts you planted in the previous beat.
•  Make your main character(s) have an internal dilemma about their relationship, even though they might not admit it to each other.

Retreat

• Your main character(s) has been making 2 steps back and one step forward. Attack them with their doubts and make them believe that their worst nightmare (internal flaw) is becoming true.
• In this beat, the main character(s) internally or externally realise that what they fear becomes true and choose to retreat to protect themselves from getting hurt.

 
Shields up

•  The main character (s) believes that their internal flaw becomes true (internal flaw foretold in the No Way beats).

Break Up

• The main character(s) broke up in the previous scene, and this is the reaction scene from the other character or they break up in this scene. 
• They choose fear instead of love.
• Your main character(s) chooses to hold onto their internal flaws instead of opening their hearts and completely falling in love.

​
Phase 4:Fighting for Love
This is the fourth phase and takes about 25% of the story. This is the last phase of the romance arc. The main characters realise that they are perfect for each other and want to get back together.

Dark Night of the Soul 

• This is the lowest point of the story where the main character(s) hit rock bottom. The main characters have just broken up, and they feel terrible about it, although they thought this was the right decision and that they would feel good about it.
• Everything reminds them of the other character, and their friends tell them that they made a stupid decision. 
• This is the beat where the main character(s) mourn their choice to breakup.

Catharsis

• The main character(s) has realized that they have chosen fear, and to be miserable so far.
•  They have had advice from their friends and they have realised that they need to overcome their internal flaw and choose love this time.
•  This is the beat where they have their aha moment. They have overcome their internal flaw and realise that they are willing to win their love back.

Grand Gesture

• The main character(s) performs a grand gesture to show their love.
• One or both main characters might need to perform a grand gesture.
•  For the grand gesture to work, there needs to be some risk involved for the main character(s). They need to be brave and willing to risk losing the one thing they need to become whole-hearted. It’s all or nothing. It’s life or (literal or metaphorical) death for the main character.
• This is the beat where the main characters get their happy ending.

What Whole Hearted Looks Like 

• The closing image serves as a mirror image and a contrast that shows where the main character(s) was at the beginning of the story and where they are now. 
• The readers see that the main characters have kissed and made up, and how their whole-hearted life looks like.

Epilogue

• An epilogue is optional, but most romance stories include one.
• Show a glimpse into the future of your main character’s life.

Final Thoughts 
Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes is a story structure guide that helps romance writers write compelling love stories.
Have you used this guide to structure your romance stories? Comment below!

Additional resources
How to write a romance novel in 5 simple steps
How to write a novel using the 3-act structure
How to self-edit your romance novel
Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes

Romance is one of the most popular fiction genres, and it has many subgenres such as contemporary romance, historical romance, paranormal romance, romantic suspense and YA (Young Adult) romance.

There are two important rules that romance novels should have: the romantic relationship between the main characters should be at the center of the story, and romance stories have a happy ending where the main characters end up together at the end of the story.
Let your novel rest
Read through your manuscript
Don’t implement all the changes at the same time
Questions to ask yourself
Repeat: read the manuscript for sentence-level errors
Next steps 

Let your novel rest
Congratulations on finishing the first draft of your novel. That’s already a great achievement. The first step of self-editing your novel is to leave it rest for a few weeks. I ideally recommend letting your novel rest for at least one month.

This will allow you to put distance between you and your story and “forget” your novel. You will be able to see your manuscript as a reader rather than a writer and be able to approach it with critical and objective eyes during the editing stage. 

You probably want to start editing your novel as soon as you finish writing the first draft but....wait. If you don’t have a hard deadline imposed by an agent or publisher, wait at least one month before starting to edit your manuscript.

What to do in the meantime? While waiting for the time to pass, you can take up a new hobby or fill your time  with other things you love, such as:

• reading  romance books 
• reading craft books
• watch your favourite TV show
•  go for a walk
• spend some time with friends and family
• start writing another book

Read through your manuscript 
 A month has passed, and you are now ready to start editing your romance novel. Follow the steps below while reading your story:

• Print your manuscript. Printing your story at the editing stage will allow you to look at your story from a different perspective, slow down your reading pace and improve your ability to look for structural issues.
• Read your manuscript within 2-3 days. At the first read through, you are looking to improve the big-picture elements of your story, such as theme, character development, plot and structure, setting, point of view, pacing, genre conventions and dialogue. Use various pens and highlighters to create a colour-coding system  (where each big-picture element represents a different colour) to write down effective notes within the manuscript document.
• While reading, you can also make an outline of your story (if you don’t have one) in an Excel spreadsheet and include important information about each scene: word count, pov character, characters present, setting, main story events, notes/reactions/things to improve.
• Note down everything you want to remember about your characters, plot and setting. Create character profiles, setting sheets, and note down the major plot points of your story if that helps you stay organised and take effective notes.

Don’t implement all the changes at the same time
You have noted down the changes you wish to make about the big-picture elements of your story. 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. You will be doing multiple rounds of editing, and you will look at different big-picture elements of your story each time.

Make a plan on which big-picture elements you will address in each round of editing. Start by looking at the big-picture elements of your story that can be grouped and addressed in the same round of editing.

For example, many new writers drag or rush some events of their story and the pacing is affected. Fixing the structure and putting the events where they should be also fixes the pacing of the story. If you want to learn more about the structure of a romance novel, read how to write a romance novel using the 3-act structure. 

Questions to ask yourself
Below you can see some questions about the big-picture elements of your story that will help you brainstorm and revise your manuscript. Look at the questions and note down the answers in your writing software or a notebook to make sure that you have a compelling romance story with a solid plot and well-rounded characters.  

Theme 

• What is the message that you want your romance story to convey to the readers?
• Is the theme linked to the main character and the plot of the story?
• Do the main characters emotionally change at the end of the story as a result of their love? 

Characters

• Does your main character(s) have clear goals and believable motivations throughout the story? What is the internal and external conflict of the main character(s)? What are the consequences if the character(s) don’t reach their goals?
• Do the minor characters and villains serve a purpose? 
• Who are the pov characters of the story? Are all the pov characters necessary for the story?
• Is the switch between the multiple points of view clear with no confusing head-hopping?

 Plot and structure

•  Can you identify the plot points of the 3-act structure in your story?
• What is the central conflict of the story?
• Does the plot move forward in each chapter (cause and effect)?
• Do the subplots serve the main story (romance story between the main characters)? 
• Does the story resolve in a way that communicates the theme and provides a satisfying resolution to the readers?

Setting

• Where does your story take place (country, city, apartment, workplace)?
• When does your story take place (time period, season)?
• Is the setting of the story believable or plausible? 
• Is the world of the story immersive and consistent?
• Do you integrate the details of setting into the story action? Do you provide the reason a particular setting element matters to the main character and the story?

Romance conventions

• Is the development of the romance relationship between the main characters at the center stage of the story?
•   Does the story have a happy ending where the main characters get together at the end of the story?
•  Are the tropes combined in unexpected and fresh ways to make the story interesting and engaging? 
• Do the tropes contribute to increasing the emotional or physical intimacy between the main characters? Do they challenge the main characters to grow emotionally? Do they drive the story forward and increase the conflict of the story? 
• Is the physical attraction between the two main characters apparent? Do the sex scenes serve to further the development of the love relationship, increase the tension and drive the plot forward?​​​

Repeat: read the manuscript for sentence-level errors
Once you finish implementing the big-picture elements of your story, it is time to repeat the process for the sentence-level errors.  Follow the steps below while reading your story:

• Let your story rest for at least 2 weeks.
• Print the new draft of your manuscript, read it from beginning to end in a few days, and take notes in each scene about the sentence-level changes you wish to make. Use multiple pens and highlighters to create a colour-coding system.
• Group similar sentence-level errors in one round of editing and make a plan on how to fix them (how many rounds of editing you will need, how much time it will take you).

Possible sentence-level errors include:

• info-duping
• show vs tell
• word choice (consistent style, redundancies, confusing or unnecessary words)
• sentence structure and flow
• spelling
• grammar
•  syntax 
•  punctuation

Next steps 
After you have been through multiple rounds of editing and improved the big-picture storytelling elements and sentence-level errors of your manuscript, it’s time to get feedback from other people.

​Give your manuscript to beta readers and developmental editors to get honest and constructive feedback about your story. If you want to learn more about hiring beta readers and developmental editors, read how to find the right editor for your story.

Who is a beta reader?
A beta reader is an avid reader who is familiar with the rules and tropes of a particular genre. They provide honest and constructive feedback in a reader’s report about the big-picture elements of a story, such as plot and structure, character development, pacing, point of view and genre conventions. 

Beta readers are the first people to read a completed manuscript. Writers should seek beta readers after finishing self-editing their manuscript, but before giving it to professional developmental editors. If you want to learn more, read about beta reading.

Who is a developmental editor?
A developmental editor is the first editor writers should look for after implementing the feedback they get from beta readers. 

The developmental editor addresses the manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses and provides honest and constructive feedback about the story structure, character development, point of view, pacing, setting, genre conventions, scene vs narrative summary (show vs tell)  and dialogue of the story.

The developmental editor provides margin comments in the manuscript document and an editorial report to further guide the author. If you want to learn more, read about developmental editing.

Additional resources
How to write a romance novel in 5 steps
How to write in the romance genre and the main characters 
How to write a romance novel using the 3-act structure
What is the beta reading service?
What is the developmental editing service?
How to find the right editor for your story

Writing a romance novel is hard. It takes a lot of time, energy, determination, discipline and patience. Sometimes writers (especially new writers) get overwhelmed by the number of tasks that they need to do, or get lost in their story without knowing how to approach their story idea or what steps to take to finish their story.

This blog article is intended to help all romance writers develop a straightforward process to successfully outline and write their romance novel in 5 simple steps.

Step 1: Subgenre and tropes
Step 2: Main character(s) and create character profiles
Step 3: Story structure and chapter outlines
Step 4: Setting and main locations
Step 5:  Start writing

Step 1: Subgenre and tropes
Before you decide your romance subgenre and tropes, it’s important to define what a romance story is.

Romance is a very broad category and one of the most popular genres in fiction.  A story is considered to belong to the romance genre when the romantic relationship between the main characters takes the centre of the story, and the story has a happy ending. If the story doesn’t have these 2 requirements, then it is not a romance story.

The romance genre can be divided into many subgenres. Some of the most popular genres are contemporary romance, YA romance, historical romance, paranormal romance, romantasy, romantic suspense, LGBTQ+ romance, romantic comedy, and regency romance.

If you are not sure which subgenre your story is or how to write a book in a specific subgenre, read books in that subgenre. The best way to learn more about how to write romance books is to read romance books.

When you decide your romance sungenre, it’s time to choose the tropes of your romance story. A trope is a plot device that is used to create stories familiar to readers. Combine 2-3 main tropes in fresh ways to create an engaging story with compelling characters.

 Some of the most popular tropes for romance stories are:

• sports romance
• workplace romance
•  billionaires
• enemies to lovers
• friends to lovers
•  marriage of convenience
• pretend relationship/marriage
• forced proximity
• second chance romance
• fated mates
• shapeshifter romance
• grumpy vs sunshine
• forbidden romance
• love triangle
• small town romance

Now, it’s time to decide the theme of your story. The theme is the message of your story. It is the lesson that the main character(s) learns at the end of the story that changes their perspective about themselves or the world around them. The theme must be universal, so that people regardless of age, gender, location and culture can relate to it. 

​The main theme of romance stories is “love conquers all”, where the main characters must overcome their internal flaws and external obstacles to be happily together by the end of the story. 

​What does “love conquer” in your story? Romance stories usually have specific themes related to the specific flaw the main character needs to overcome and learn by the end of the story. For example, does the main character need to forgive themselves for a traumatic past event, trust that others won’t betray them or fight against an injustice? The possibilities are endless, and it’s up to you to decide the specific theme of your story.

Step 2: Main character(s) and create character profiles
How many main characters does your story have? How many pov characters does your story have? The pov characters in romance stories are usually one or both of the main characters (love interests) of the story. Make sure to decide your main characters and pov characters before starting to write your story.

Once you decide on your main characters, write down some important information about your characters.  Create character profiles and include all the necessary information about all the characters of the story.

Include your characters’ 3 most important elements:

• goal, motivation and flaw. The main character(s) needs to have an important and tangible goal that they want to achieve by the end of the story. Think about why this goal is important for them, what will happen if they don’t achieve their goal(motivation) and what are the internal flaws and external obstacles that prevent them from achieving their goal.

In your character profiles, you can also include their:

• name and age
• occupation
• nationality
• location
• personality
• physical appearance
• important past events
• relationship with other characters

 Character profiles are a great way to help you write consistent, meaningful and fleshed-out characters. If you want to learn more about them, read why authors need character profiles.  

Step 3: Story structure and chapter outlines
Once you find who your main characters are, create a separate document and start brainstorming the structure of your romance story.

I highly recommend using Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes while you are outlining your romance story.  Romancing the Beat is a popular story-structure guide that shows writers how to structure their romance story in 15 beats using the three-act structure.

If you want to learn more about how to outline your romance story using Romancing the Beat, read the blog article on how to write a romance novel using the three-act structure.

After you write down the story structure of your story, you can further outline your story by creating chapter outlines. Your chapter outlines can be as short or long as you want. For example, your chapter outlines can include only the main events of each chapter in bullet points, or each chapter can include long paragraphs with detailed descriptions and story events. Do what is more comfortable and helpful to you.

Step 4: Setting and main locations
Decide on the general setting of your story and write as many details as possible. Does your story take place in a big city, a small town or another planet? Is it a real or a fictional place? The choice of your setting depends on the subgenre of your story. 

After you decide the general setting of your story, you also need to decide specific locations. For example, some story events may happen in the main characters’ houses and their workplaces, or in cafes, restaurants and shops, depending on what kind of romance story you are writing. Make sure to note down any important elements of your setting and locations so that you can consistently describe them throughout your story.

Step 5:  Start writing
Once you have decided your genre and tropes, main characters, story structure and setting of your writing project, it’s time to start writing your story. 

Find the best time of day for you to sit down and write your story. Note down on a calendar your work hours, obligations and appointments and look at the available time you have left each day. Note the available time in your calendar as your writing time.  

Try to write for at least 1 hour a day, but don’t discourage yourself if unexpected obligations keep you away from your allotted writing time. 

You can also create a timeline by writing down all the writing, editing and publishing tasks of your writing project and estimating how much time each task will take.

​Schedule monthly and weekly tasks and regularly check your writing progress to stay on track. If you want to learn more information, read how to create a consistent writing routine and finish writing your story. 

Conclusion
Finishing writing and publishing a book can take months or even years. Don’t discourage yourself and don’t give up. Writing is a skill that takes practice and time to improve. Experiment and find your writing style. Be flexible and build habits that work for you. Write every day. Keep the momentum going and make your writing goals come true! Happy writing!

Additional resources
Why authors need character profiles
How to write a romance novel using the 3-act structure
How to create a consistent writing routine
Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes

Writing a novel is hard. It takes a lot of time and energy. Often, writers don’t know where to start or how to write their story.

This blog article explains how writers can choose their writing project, schedule their time, set realistic writing goals and create a productive space that will inspire them to write their best story yet.

Choose your writing project
Schedule your time
Set realistic and flexible goals
Create a productive space

Choose your writing project
You have a lot of different story ideas that you want to write and publish, but you don’t know which one to start next. You might want to write all of them at the same time, but there are only 24 hours in a day, and there is a limit to what one can do.

You have to prioritise your story ideas and decide which one to start first. One way to decide which story idea to develop first is to look at your notes (main characters, plot points, setting) and see which story idea makes you feel more excited and inspired.

I recommend writing one story at a time, especially if you are a new writer. Dealing with multiple projects might get you excited in the beginning, but you might get frustrated and overwhelmed about the number of tasks you need to complete. 

If you are a seasoned writer, you might be more comfortable working with multiple writing projects at the same time, especially if you have a clear picture in mind about the tasks you need to complete.

Schedule your time
Find the best time of day for you to sit down and write your story. Note down on a calendar or a todoist application your work hours, obligations and appointments and look at the available time you have left each day.Note the available time in your calendar as your writing time. 

Write every single day. Write while you are waiting to pick up your kid from an activity or while you are waiting for an appointment using your phone or a notebook. Even 10-15 minutes can make a difference. The time and the words will eventually add up.

Set realistic and flexible goals
Are you a pantser? Do you prefer to sit down and write the story as it comes to you with minimal or no notes at all? To let your imagination and creativity lead you as you write the story? 
OR
Are you a plotter? Do you prefer to know everything about your story beforehand? To create detailed story and character arcs, character sketches and beat sheets with subplots and write down chapter-by-chapter summaries? Or maybe you are somewhere in between? 

Brainstorm and write down the tasks you need to complete to finish your story. Write all the outlining, writing, editing and publishing tasks that come into your mind in a notebook or a todoist application.

Write down all the tasks you know you will do for now. You can always come back later to add, change or delete tasks.  You can put your tasks into categories (outlining, writing, editing, publishing) and be as specific or detailed as you want.
Possible tasks may include:

• Do research about the setting of the story
• Write down the character profiles of the main characters
• Write 1,000 words every day
• Edit a scene per day
• Send query letters to publishers

Once you write down all the tasks you need to do to finish your story, you can estimate how much time each task will take and come up with a rough deadline. Since finishing your story will take a lot of time (possibly months or years), be flexible in your estimates and keep in mind that your deadline might change.

Also, I recommend breaking down your story into milestones and rewarding yourself for each milestone to keep yourself inspired and motivated. Possible milestones include:

• Finish outlining your story (research, character profiles, chapter summaries)
• Write the first draft of the story 
• Edit the first draft of the story
• Publishing your story

Possible rewards include going on a day trip with friends and family, visiting your favourite bookstore or going to a restaurant with friends to celebrate your success.

Create a productive space
Find a quiet and clean writing space. It can be your office desk, the kitchen table, the garden table or anywhere else you want. This will be your designated writing space. Set it up beforehand so that it is ready for you to write every day. Gather all the things you need in your writing space before you sit down to write, such as water, snacks or notes. 

Make sure that no one interrupts you while you are writing your story. Tell your friends and family that that the particular chunk of time is dedicated to your writing and not to disturb you at that time (unless absolutely necessary).

Shut down all other electronic devices that might distract you from writing, and tidy up your desk.  Move your mobile phone to another room and have only the computer that you are working on your story with you.

You can also light a candle and wear noise-cancelling headphones to avoid outside noise and distractions. Turn on your favorite music or a playlist that suits the vibe and genre of your story to inspire your writing sessions and keep you focused.

Conclusion
Writing is a skill that takes practice and time to improve. Try different outlining, writing and editing approaches and see what makes you more excited, productive, and creative to finish your story. Be flexible and build habits that work for you. 

​Write every single day. Inspiration may get you to start your novel, but discipline will help you finish it. Keep the momentum going and make your writing goals come true! Happy writing!

Further reading
What type of writer are you: pantser vs plotter vs plantser
How to create a consistent writing routine
3 types of writer goals to set in 2025

Fall marks the time of the year when many authors focus on their writing projects. NaNoWriMo provided a good opportunity for writers to gather together and write the first draft of their novel or revise their story. However, NaNoWriMo is no longer an option and writers are looking for other challenges to help them write the first draft of their novel. I suggest you take the 90-day novel writing challenge created by yours truly.

The blog article includes:
What is the 90-day novel writing challenge?
The goals of the 90-day novel writing challenge
Choose the writing software
Brainstorm your novel
Find the time and day that suits you best
Track your writing process
What happens after the writing challenge?
Conclusion
Further reading

What is the 90-day novel writing challenge?
The 90-day novel writing challenge is a writing challenge where authors aim to write a completed first draft of their novel in 90 days.

Writing 50,000 words in a month can be stressful and overwhelming for many authors. The 90-day novel writing challenge is a more realistic and flexible challenge where authors can finish the first draft of their novel in a more relaxed and consistent way.

The 90-day novel writing challenge will help you create a consistent writing routine that you can maintain after the challenge ends. You can ask your writer friends to participate in this challenge with you so that you can share your writing progress, motivate each other and talk about your stories. You will also improve your writing and editing skills.

The goals of the 90-day novel writing challenge
Main goal: Finish writing the first draft of your novel in 90 days.
 The average word count for writing a novel is 80,000 words so for the purposes of this challenge you need to write 80,000 words to finish the first draft of your novel.

Your novel might end up being fewer or more words. The purpose of this writing challenge is to finish writing the first draft of your novel, no matter how many words your novel is. The 80,000-word count goal is just an estimate based on the average word count of novels for most genres.
 
Write 1,000 words every day. 
If you write 1,000 words per day, you will finish the first draft of your novel in 80 days. You can use the remaining 10 days of the challenge's 90 days to plan your novel. Remember that this is just an initial plan and it can change any time. For example, you might finish your novel at 85,000 words or have an emergency that keeps you from writing every day. Stay flexible. Adjust your schedule and deadline as needed. Don’t get discouraged. Keep writing every day or as often as you can.

Smaller goals: Divide the 80,000 words into 4 smaller goals of 20,000 words.
Subgoal 1: 20,000 words
Subgoal 2: 40,000 words
Subgoal 3 : 60,000 words
Completed manuscript: 80,000 words

Divide your story into smaller goals to boost your confidence and motivate yourself to keep writing your story. Every time you hit the 20,000-word subgoal reward yourself. 

The rewards for the smaller goals can be as simple as going out to your favourite restaurant with your friends, going to the cinema or having a day off for yourself.

Make sure to reward yourself with something “bigger” when you finish writing the first draft of your manuscript. The reward can be going on a short trip, upgrading your writing software or going back to your favourite hobby e,g drawing, playing a musical instrument, or reading a book.

Choose the writing software
Choose writing software that is easy and comfortable for you to use. There are many available free and paid writing software on the market.

If you are a new writer on a budget, you can try Microsoft Word or Google Docs but you can also check Scrivener or Campfire if you are interested in writing software with more outlining and editing features.

Do your research and choose one that best suits your budget and needs, if you don’t already have one.

Brainstorm your novel
1) Think about your story idea, genre and tropes. What is your story about? Is it a contemporary romance story, a murder mystery or a paranormal thriller novel?  What tropes will you include in your story?Write down in your writing software as much information as you can about your story idea and tropes.

You can learn more information about how to brainstorm your story’s genre, tropes and main characters in this blog article.

2) Think about the main character(s) of your story and write down as much information as you can about their goals, motivations and flaws in a character profile. You can also write some information about their physical appearance and personality.

You can learn more information about creating character profiles and compelling characters in this blog article.

3) Outline your novel using the 3-act structure and the 15 beats analysed in Save the Cat Writes a  Young Adult Novel by Jessica Brody. Write as much information as you need in every beat. You can also write detailed chapter-by-chapter summaries if you want to know exactly what happens in every chapter of your story. The amount of preparation you can do is up to you.

You can find more information about how to write a romance novel using the 3-act structure in this blog article.

Find the time and day that suits you best
Find the time of the day that suits you best to write 1,000 words per day. There is no ideal time to write. Write when it is best for your schedule and lifestyle. Try to write every day in order to keep the momentum going and create a consistent writing routine.

Beginner writers will need at least 1 hour to write 1,000 words but experienced authors will need less time. Take as much time as you need to write 1,000 words a day. You can learn more tips about how to create a consistent writing routine and write every day in this blog article.

Track your writing process
Keep a planner where you add your daily word count and how much time you write every day. You can also create a word count tracker in an Excel spreadsheet where you add the date, scene/chapter, sprint duration, words per sprint and daily word count every day.

This is a writing challenge so focus on writing. Do not edit. Move forward. Write your story. Don’t think about how to improve scenes that you have already written. Leave them for the editing stage. Your goal now is to finish writing the first draft of your novel.

What happens after the writing challenge?
After the 90-day novel writing challenge ends, put your story away. Get back to your manuscript after a month and start reading it. While reading your manuscript, make notes on what changes you wish to make.

Look at the big-picture storytelling elements of your story such as story structure, characters (goal, motivation, flaw, conflict), pacing, setting, show vs tell, dialogue and genre conventions.

Make notes about the issues of every chapter in the manuscript and note down issues that cover the entire manuscript in a separate document. Then, look at the issues you have noted, create an editing plan and start editing your manuscript.  

Conclusion
This blog article encourages authors to participate in the 90-day novel writing challenge. It is high time for authors to look beyond NaNoWriMo and participate in flexible writing challenges that promote their creativity, inspiration, and motivation and allow them to set realistic writing goals. 

Comment below and let me know if you are participating in the 90-day novel writing challenge this year!
Don’t forget to share the blog article on your social media!

Further reading
How to brainstorm your novel’s genre and main characters
How character profiles can help you write consistent and compelling characters
How to write a romance novel using the 3-act structure
How to create a consistent writing routine
Save the Cat Writes a Young Adult Novel

You wish to write a novel but you don’t have the time or the energy. You often wonder how writers manage to finish writing their manuscripts. What is their secret?

The secret to a finished manuscript is committing yourself to a consistent writing routine. Having a writing routine sounds challenging but if you are determined to write a book, you need to have the discipline to write every day and turn your writing process into an everyday habit.

​Having a consistent writing routine can help you avoid procrastination, find motivation and inspiration, complete your novel on time and improve your writing skills. This blog article explains the 7 steps for successfully creating a consistent writing routine.


​This blog article includes the 7 steps for creating a consistent writing routine:
Find the time and day that works best for you
Write down your writing goals
Find a writing space
Create a playlist
Avoid distractions
Use the Pomodoro method
Join a writer’s group
Conclusion
Further reading

Find the time and day that works best for you
Think carefully about your everyday schedule and your commitments. When is the best time for you to write? Early in the morning, late at night or somewhere in between? 

Check your calendar and see when you have free time to write. You may have other obligations such as studies, parenting or full-time job and think it is impossible to find time to sit down and write. Don’t discourage yourself.  Even 30 minutes or 1 hour a day can be enough time. The most important thing is to write every day (or almost every day) to keep the momentum going and create a regular writing habit.

​Check your calendar and mark 1 hour every day for writing. Preferably, the same hour every day. Write down in your calendar that this hour is designed for writing to remind yourself of your writing goal.

Write down your writing goals
Set a writing goal. The goal can be a timed-based or a word count goal. Preferably, write down a word count goal. How will you do that?  Let’s say that you are planning to write a 80,000 novel and you can sit down to write 1 hour a day. Beginner writers can usually write about 1,000 words in one hour. Let’s say that you are a new author and you set a daily word count goal of 1,000 words per day. Divide the total word count of your story with the amount of your daily word count: 80,000/1000= 80 days. You can finish writing your manuscript in 80 days.

Mark down in your calendar the expected deadline and write down your daily word count and the amount of words you have left every day. Remember that this is your initial plan and it can change at any time. For example, you might finish your novel at 70,000 words or have an unexpected emergency that keeps you from writing every day and actually finish your story in 4 months.

Don’t get discouraged. Keep pushing forward! Keep writing every day or as often as you can and you will soon have the finished manuscript in your hands! 

Find a writing space
Find a quiet and clean writing space. It can be your office desk, the kitchen table, the garden table or anywhere else you want. This will be your designated writing space. Set it up beforehand so that it is ready for you to write every day. Get all the things you need in your writing space before you sit down to write such as water, snacks, notes and anything else you might need. Make sure that all your writing notes are already organised so that you can start writing as soon as you sit down.

Create a playlist
You can also find or create a playlist with songs that match the mood, tone and genre of your story to help you find inspiration and avoid writer’s block. Create this playlist beforehand so that it is ready when you sit down and write. You can use noise-cancelling headphones to help you focus on your writing and remove outside noise.

Avoid distractions
You have only 1 hour to write. Turn off your phone, or move it to another room to avoid the temptation to check your messages or emails. Don’t check your social media during your writing time. Tell the members of your family how important writing your novel is for you. Inform them that this hour is solely dedicated to writing and no one can disrupt you unless it is urgent. 

Use the Pomodoro method
The Pomodoro method is a time management method that helps you perform focused work during 25-minute intervals (pomodoros) and then take a five-minute break. You can use the Pomodoro method to help you avoid distractions and improve your focus. For example, you plan to write for 1 hour. You can set a timer to write for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break to read what you wrote or note down some notes. Then, set your timer again for another 25-minute session and then take five minutes to update your character profiles, outline or any other notes you may have,

Join a writer’s group
Connecting with other writers or having an accountability partner can tremendously help you finish the first draft of your novel. You can find motivation with other writers, share your daily word count goals, brainstorm through any issues that you encounter as you write your story and make writer friends.

Remember that you’re not alone. There are dozens of writers trying to finish their manuscript. You can find other writers by joining your local writer’s group, by attending writing workshops, classes and seminars or by joining writer’s groups on Facebook.

Conclusion
This blog article explains the 7 steps to create a consistent writing routine. I believe the seven steps mentioned in this blog article will help you create and maintain a successfully consistent writing routine and turn your writing process into a regular habit. Keep writing!
​
Do you like this blog article? Comment below and tell me your writing routine!
 Don’t forget to share the article on your social media!

Further reading
Are you still in the outlining stage? No problem. Check out these resources to learn how to outline your story:
How to brainstorm the genre and the main characters of your story
​How character profiles can help you write consistent and compelling characters
How to write a novel using the three-act structure

What type of writer are you? Do you prefer to outline everything in advance, make up your story as you go or somewhere in between? Knowing what type of writer you are can help you establish your ideal writing and editing process and successfully write your book. This blog article analyses the three types of writers: pantsers, plotters and plantsers and their main features.

This blog article includes:
Pantsers
Plotters
Plantsers
What type of writer are you?
Conclusion
Further reading

Pantsers
A pantser is a writer who writes “by the seat of their pants”. They have an idea, a theme, a character or some story events in their mind and start writing their story immediately without any written notes. They are called discovery writers since they like to let their imagination and creativity lead them as they write their story and like to have the freedom and flexibility to write whatever they want without being restricted by an outline.

 Pantsers can create notes while they are writing their story. A pantser can write the most important information of each scene such as the number of the scene, word count, pov character, present characters, setting, the main story event and any other comments in an Excel spreadsheet or their preferred writing software to help them keep track of the important elements of their story and make their lives easier during the editing process.

Plotters
A plotter is someone who plots their story in advance. Plotters like to know everything about their story beforehand and outlining in advance saves them a lot of time during the editing stage.

Plotters like to trace story arcs and character arcs, create detailed character sketches, plot detailed beat sheets with subplots and write down chapter-by-chapter summaries to guide them when they start writing their story. They can use character, beat sheet and worldbuilding templates they find online and they fill them with detailed information. 

Plotters like to know everything about their story before they start writing it because they can write the first draft of their story more quickly and have a clear picture of every aspect of their story.

Plotters avoid writer’s block because they know what will happen next in their story but they are more confined to their outline, meaning that if they want to make major changes halfway to their story, they might need to rewrite their entire outline.
​
Plantsers
A plantser is a combination of the pantser and the plotter’s styles. Plantsers can use characters, beat sheet or worldbuilding templates but they don’t fill them with detailed information. Instead, they briefly write down the most important information of their story in bullet points.
Planters like to have a sense of direction. They like to know where their story is going but they still want to discover new aspects about the characters and the story events.

What type of writer are you?
Are you a pantser, a plotter or a plantser? Knowing what a type of writer you are can tremendously help you during the writing and editing stage of your story.

If you are a seasoned writer, you might have already established a writing process and know exactly how much preparation you need to do before you start writing your story.

If you are a new author, experiment and see what is best for you. Try to write one chapter of your story as you go without any notes and another chapter with detailed notes. See what method you like the best.

Don’t worry if you don’t know what type of writer you are yet. It took me a few years to find mine. I started as a heavy plotter but I quickly realized that outlining the story in great detail takes out the fun and the creativity from my writing process. I also noticed that heavy outlining is a waste of time for me because a lot of things change in my story as I write it and I had to revise my outline several times. 

I am a plantser. I prefer to write some important information about my story’s genre, tropes, main character and the 15 beats in bullet points to help me guide my story. The whole process takes about 2-3 hours. Then, I create a separate beat sheet, character profile and timeline template which I fill in as I write my story. (I write my fiction stories using the 15 beats in Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel by Jessica Brody and  Campfire.)

Conclusion
This blog article explained the three types of writers and the different outlining process that each type of writer has.
What type of writer are you? Comment below and tell me about your writing process!

Further reading
 If you want to learn more information about how to outline your novel, check the following links:
Learn how to brainstorm your novel’s genre and main characters
Learn why authors need character profiles to write consistent and compelling characters (+ free character profile template)
Learn how to outline your novel using the 3-act structure