You want to write a romance story. You might have too many ideas in your mind and don’t know what to choose from, or you might have too few ideas and you can’t combine them into a solid story idea. This blog article includes 6 steps that will help you choose a compelling story idea for your next romance story.
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Choose your genre and tropes
Choose your main characters
Choose a setting
Combine them all together
Create a rough outline
Create a detailed outline

Choose your genre and tropes
The first step to choosing a good story idea is to brainstorm the genre and tropes of your romance story.
Ask yourself the following questions:

• What is your favourite romance genre to read?
• What are the subgenres and tropes that you have enjoyed reading or watching lately?

Write down the answers to these questions in a notebook or writing software.
To help you brainstorm your story idea, you can see below some of the most popular romance genres and tropes.
Popular romance genres include:

• contemporary romance
• YA romance
• romantic comedy
• historical romance
• paranormal romance 
• fantasy romance 
• romantasy
• romantic suspense
• science fiction romance

Popular romance tropes include:

• billionaire trope
• enemies to lovers
• friends to lovers
• reformed playboy
• fake relationship/marriage
• marriage of convenience
• second-chance romance
• sports romance
• workplace romance
• forced proximity
• love triangle
• forbidden love
• best friend’s brother/ best friend’s sister
• grumpy/sunshine
• secret/mistaken identity
• alpha hero
• soulmates

Put a timer for 30 minutes and think about your favourite books, tv shows and movies and write down the genres and tropes that you like in them. Consider the ones mentioned above, but feel free to add your own. You will soon notice that common patterns emerge.

Narrow down the list of genres and tropes. Choose 1-2 genres and  4-5  main tropes that can be combined and write them down on a new page. 

Choose your main characters
The second step to choosing a good story idea is to brainstorm your main character(s).
 The main characters of the story need to have: 

•  a tangible goal big enough to sustain the whole story
• a motivation: a reason why the main characters want to achieve their goal, why this goal is important for them and what the consequences are for them if they fail to achieve this goal
• internal conflict/flaw: A  flaw is a misbelief that the main character falsely believes about themselves or the world around them, and prevents them from achieving their goal
• external conflict: An antagonist or villain that prevents the main character from achieving their goal and has led the main character to believe that their flaw about themselves and the world around them is true and cannot be changed

Keep in mind that the main characters need to have equal and opposite goals to create the central conflict of the story and to prevent them from easily achieving their respective goals.

Figuring out the goal, motivation and flaw of the main characters before starting to write the story will tremendously help you during the drafting process.

You can also figure out other aspects of your main characters before starting to write your story, such as their strengths and weaknesses, personality, appearance, and hobbies and interests.

If you have trouble creating consistent and compelling characters, you can create a character profile to help you keep all the information you need about them. Learn why character profiles are important and what to include in them in this blog article.

Choose a setting
The third step to choosing a good story idea is to brainstorm the setting of your romance story.  
Consider the following questions while brainstorming the setting of your story:

• What is the macro setting of your setting (planet, country, city)?
• What is the micro setting of your story (workplace, home)?
• When is the story taking place (time period, season)?

Brainstorm these questions and write down possible locations based on the genre and main characters of your story. If you want to learn more about the worldbuilding and the setting of your story, read this blog article.

Combine them all together
Now, it’s time to combine all the elements of your story. Put a timer of 30 minutes and see how the ideas you have written down about your genre and tropes, main characters and setting can be combined into a single compelling story idea.  

During the 30 minutes, write down on a new page each element about your story idea: genre and tropes, main characters, and setting. Look at your ideas from the previous pages and write down your final story idea for each element.

The process might take some time, but it is important to see the core of your story and determine potential directions it could take before starting the drafting process.

After 30 minutes, it’s time to look into your final story idea and see if you are fine with it or if you would like to make some changes. If you would like to brainstorm further, set a timer for another 30 minutes and make the necessary changes. 

When you are done brainstorming your story idea, see how you feel about it. Make sure you choose a story idea that:

• makes you feel excited, inspired and creative
• you are most familiar and comfortable to write 
• has the most potential to develop into an interesting story for the readers

Create a rough outline
After finalising your story idea (genre, tropes, main characters, setting), it’s time to create a rough outline. A rough outline consists of a small paragraph (5-6 sentences) about the premise of the story, the main characters and their goals and the central conflict of the story. By writing this rough outline, you confirm the core of your story and possible directions it could take.

While writing the rough outline, you might come up with possible chapter ideas that you want to include in your story. Write them down on a new page in your notebook or writing software.

Create a detailed outline
The last step to choosing your story idea is to create a detailed outline. Take the rough outline you have created in the previous step and expand it into a detailed outline to include the beginning, middle and end of your romance story. You can write the outline in bullet points or in paragraphs.

If you need help to create a detailed outline for your romance story, you can read this blog article about how to plot and structure a romance story using Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes.

You can outline as much as you want. You can create a detailed outline with a chapter-by-chapter summary and extensive character profiles, or just write a one-page summary of the story events.

You don’t need to outline your entire story in advance if that’s your writing process or that’s how your brain works. For now, you can outline the major plot points of your story and figure out the rest of the chapters while you write your story.

If you are a beginner writer and you don’t have a solid writing process yet, you might find useful reading this blog article about writer types to figure out which type of writer you are.

Conclusion
Congratulations. You have chosen your story idea and you are ready to write your romance story.  All you need to do now is follow through with your plan and actually finish your story.

You might feel doubts or be uncertain about your story idea as you write your story. Remember why you chose this story idea in the first place, why you feel excited about it and why this story idea matters to you so much. I believe in you. Good luck!

Additional resources
What is a romance story, and how to write one
How to create a consistent writing routine
Why do you need character profiles, and why create one
How to write the setting and worldbuilding of your story
3 types of writer goals you can set in 2025
How to write a novel using Romancing the Beat
Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes

Discovery drafts are the first drafts or partial drafts of a manuscript that the writer uses to explore the story they are writing. First drafts typically include directions that the story could take but didn’t, characters that appear or disappear and overly produced or non-existent settings. 
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​The discovery draft evaluation service helps writers figure out what their story is about and discover interesting connections between their ideas. In discovery drafts (first or partial drafts), the writer already knows that their story has issues and is not asking the editor to address them. Instead, the editor determines the most promising elements of the story and identifies possible directions the manuscript could take.

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The discovery draft evaluation process
Why choose the discovery draft evaluation
Difference between discovery draft evaluation and other services

The discovery draft evaluation process
In the discovery draft evaluation, the editor reads your manuscript and provides constructive and honest feedback about the big-picture storytelling elements such as theme, characters, plot, setting, point of view, pacing and genre conventions.

The editor provides an evaluation report about things that are working well in the story, compelling elements that can be used to make the story more powerful, things that aren’t working well in the story, perspective concerns and conventions of the story’s genre. The discovery draft evaluation takes about 1-2 weeks, depending on the manuscript’s length.

Why choose the discovery draft evaluation
Writers can choose the discovery draft evaluation service when they have:

• A draft with a plethora of characters, a complex plot, multiple settings, and more viewpoint characters than their story probably needs. Developmental editors can help writers figure out the core of their story and remove the unnecessary plot points and characters.
• More of a map or outline of a story (than an actual story) with basic characters and plot. Developmental editors can provide potential directions the manuscript could take and help writers expand their plot and characters.
• A draft with a boring plot, predictable characters and a lack of central conflict. Developmental editors can help writers create relatable and realistic characters with a compelling plot.
• An incomplete draft with a few unwritten scenes. Developmental editors can help writers see the potential directions their story can go and flesh out their plot and characters.
• A partial manuscript with many missing storytelling elements. Developmental editors can help writers figure out the missing components of their story and see what happens next.

Difference between discovery draft evaluation and other services
Developmental editing vs discovery draft evaluation
Developmental editing is the first step in the editing process, and it is the first kind of editing writers should look for after they have finished self-editing their story. 

The developmental editor addresses the manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses and provides constructive and detailed feedback on the big-picture storytelling elements such as theme, plot, character development, point of view, pacing, setting, genre conventions and dialogue.

The editor provides a marked-up manuscript with suggestions and an editorial report to further guide the writer. Developmental editing takes about 4-6 weeks, depending on the length and complexity of the manuscript.

On the contrary, in the discovery draft evaluation, the editor is not trying to identify potential storytelling issues. The writer already knows that their story has issues. Instead, the editor determines the most promising elements of the manuscript and identifies possible directions the writer can focus on when revising their next draft.
 
Manuscript critique vs discovery draft evaluation
The manuscript critique is a less intensive version of developmental editing. Writers should look for this service after they have done their best self-editing their story.

The manuscript critique addresses the manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses and provides constructive and honest feedback on the same storytelling elements of the developmental editing service.

The editor provides an extensive editorial report, and the manuscript critique takes about 3-5 weeks, depending on the length and complexity of the manuscript.

On the contrary, in the discovery draft evaluation, the editor’s work is not to identify potential storytelling problems but to figure out the core of the story and potential areas that the story can be further developed.
 
Beta reading vs discovery draft evaluation
​A beta read is a reader’s reaction to the story, where avid readers of a particular genre read the story and provide constructive feedback from the reader’s point of view about the big-picture storytelling elements of a manuscript, such as plot, character development, point of view, pacing and genre conventions.

The editor provides a reader’s report to show the writer how readers will experience their story.  Beta reading takes about 1-2 weeks, depending on the length of the manuscript.

On the contrary, the discovery draft evaluation isn’t about evaluating the effectiveness of a story. Discovery draft evaluation is about figuring out the core of the story and evaluating the potential directions the story could take.

I am ready to discuss my book and the editing service I need. How do i do that? 
Check out my editing services and fill in this form to provide more information about your manuscript. I will respond to you as soon as possible to discuss your story and provide you with a no-obligation customised quote!

Additional resources
What is developmental editing?
What is a manuscript critique?
What is beta reading?
How to find the right editor for your fiction story?
Why it’s important to hire a developmental editor for your story
How can writers avoid editing scams and find trusted editors

Many writers nowadays fall for editing scams. Many people are pretending to be editors, claiming they will make your book the next bestseller. They make false promises claiming that they have “insider knowledge” and only their service or product will instantly provide you with bestseller status, thousands of sales and positive reviews.

The scammers often depend on the desperation, frustration and inexperience of writers who are exhausted by the writing process and are looking for shortcuts or don’t know how the publishing process works. The scammers usually send generic messages praising the writer’s manuscript and making guarantees about the success of their book.

Does it sound too good to be true? Because it is. No editor or publishing professional can ever guarantee that their editing service will make a writer’s book a bestseller with thousands of readers and sales. Editors can only promise that they will do their best work and help writers improve their manuscripts.

This blog article explains 9 steps that writers can take to help them avoid editing scams and find fiction editors they trust to help them improve their manuscripts and achieve their writing goals.

Portfolio
Education, fiction training and experience 
Memberships
Social media
Recommendations
Professional organizations
Sample edits
Communication with the editor
Terms and conditions

Portfolio
The first step to take to avoid editing scams is to check the editor’s website. Browse the editor’s website and pay particular attention to the writer testimonials. Editors usually include testimonials on various webpages, so make sure to visit at least 2-3 webpages and carefully read them.

Also, make sure to check the “Portfolio” webpage or the webpage where the editor lists their previous editing projects to see if they have experience in editing projects similar to yours.

Education, fiction training and experience 
Another step to take to find trusted editors is to look at the “About” webpage of the editor’s website. Most editors have a dedicated “About” webpage where they include relevant information about their education, fiction training and experience and explain the services they offer and the genres they edit. Read carefully the editor’s “About” webpage to make sure you find a trusted editor for your fiction story.

Memberships
Another step to take to avoid editing scams is to check if the editor is a member to professional organizations. Is the editor you are considering a member of a professional organization like the EFA, CIEP, ALLi or ClubEdfreelancers? Most editors include in their “About” page their memberships to these organizations and have badges that demonstrate their membership at the footer of their website.

ALLi’s editing and publishing professionals are vetted and verified before becoming ALLi partner members, so if you come across an editor who is an ALLi partner member,  you can most likely trust that they are a real person.

Social media
Another step to take to find a trusted editor is to check the editor’s social media profiles. Most editors include links to their social media accounts on their websites so you can easily check their social media account profiles.

Check when their account was created and see how many followers they have, what kind of posts they publish and generally their interactions online. Real editors interact with writers and other editors over time and publish their own original posts. 

Recommendations
Another step to take to avoid editing scams is to ask other writers for editor recommendations. Do you belong to a writer’s group, a writer’s organization or have writer friends who have already professionally edited their manuscripts? Ask them for accommodations. If you and your writer friends write books in similar genres, you might be able to hire the same editor.

Alternatively, you can ask writer groups on Facebook for editor recommendations, but be careful when you take into consideration recommendations from people you don’t know. 

Professional organizations
Another step to take to find trusted fiction editors is through professional organizations like the EFA (Editorial Freelancers Association) and ALLi  (Alliance of Independent Authors).

The EFA includes the Member Directory, where writers can find the editorial freelancer they want by checking off the categories that apply to them and contacting the editor of their choice.

The EFA also includes a Job List where writers can post editing jobs. When posting for an editing job, make sure to include the kind of editing service you need, the genre and word count of your story, your estimated budget and your desired deadline to find the right editor for your story.

Also, if you are an Alli member, you can search the Approved Services Search to find vetted and trusted partner members (editorial professionals) to help you edit and publish your manuscript.

Sample edits
Another step to take to avoid editing scams is to request sample edits. Most editors provide free sample edits of about 1000-2000 words to assess the writer’s style, identify the strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript, and ensure that their style of feedback aligns with the author’s expectations.

Editors will happily provide you with a sample edit (free or paid), so make sure to ask them for one before booking an editing service with them.

Communication with the editor
Another step to take to find trusted editors is to communicate with them. Do not pay for a service or product without communicating with the editor first and ensuring that a real person is behind it. Communication can be achieved by email or video chat.

You can ask questions about a particular service you are interested in ( scope of work, deliverables, fees, deadlines). You can also provide more information about your manuscript, your timeline and estimated budget. You can also ask editors more questions about their education, fiction training, experience and how they helped writers in the past.

Editors are always happy to answer questions about themselves or their services to help writers determine if they are the right fit for their story.

Terms and conditions
A final step to ensure you avoid editing scams is to consider the editor’s terms and conditions. Trusted editors are transparent about their editing services.

Check the editor’s services’ pages and their Terms and Conditions page and carefully read how they handle editing projects, sample edits, quotations and fees, cancellations, confidentiality and copyright issues. Read their Privacy Policy page to see how they collect, use and store your personal information.

Also, a legitimate editor always offers a clear contract that outlines the editing project’s scope of work, deliverables, deadlines and fees. Most editors ask for a booking fee or a deposit upfront to book a spot in their schedule, which is standard practice. Just make sure not to pay the whole amount for an editing project upfront, especially to editors that you don’t know and trust yet. Always use secure platforms when making a payment to protect yourself from scams.

Conclusion
Writers often fall for editing scams from people who pretend to be editors and promise them that their service or product will turn their manuscript into an instant bestseller and make them rich.

​Writers should be extremely cautious and always make research (portfolio, education and training, memberships, social media), ask for recommendations from other writers and sample edits before trusting an editor and hiring them.

And remember... if a service or a product is too good to be true...it probably is. No editor can guarantee success and fame. They can only promise to deliver their best work and help you improve your manuscript.

Additional resources
How to find the right editor for your fiction story
9 important questions editors ask authors before working with them
What are the different types of editing services

Fiction writers often don’t know the difference between the different types of editing services and cannot recognise what type of editing service their manuscript really needs. 

In this blog article, we will go through the different types of editing services (beta reading, developmental editing, manuscript critique, line editing, copyediting, proofreading) to help writers distinguish them and make informed decisions about the type of editing service their story really needs at a particular stage of the writing process.
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Beta reading 
Developmental editing
Manuscript critique
Line editing
Copyediting
Proofreading
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Beta reading 
Beta reading is a reader’s reaction to the story. Writers should seek beta readers after self-editing their manuscript but before giving it to professional editors. Beta readers are avid readers and are familiar with the rules and tropes of a particular genre, and they tell writers how a future reader might understand their story. 

They provide honest and constructive feedback from the perspective of the intended reader about the potential big-picture storytelling elements of a manuscript, such as character development, plot and structure, point of view, pacing, and genre conventions, in a reader’s report.

(Although beta reading is strictly not an editing service, it is included here because it is  a part of the editing process and helps writers improve their stories.)

Developmental editing
Developmental editing is the first type of editing authors should look for after they have self-edited their story. The developmental editor addresses the manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses and provides constructive feedback on the following big-picture storytelling elements:

• theme
• story structure
• character development
• point of view
• pacing
• setting 
• genre conventions
•  scene vs narrative summary (show vs tell) 
• dialogue

Most editors (especially line editors, copy editors and proofreaders) offer free sample edits. However, it is difficult for developmental editors to offer free sample edits because the big-picture issues of a manuscript can cover several pages or chapters. 

Some developmental editors provide free sample edits to assess the author’s writing style, identify potential big-picture storytelling issues and ensure that their editing style aligns with what the author is looking for.

Developmental editors provide a marked-up manuscript with margin suggestions (comments) and an editorial report full of constructive and honest feedback to further guide the author.

Manuscript critique
Manuscript critique (also known as manuscript evaluation) is a less intensive version of the developmental editing service. The developmental editor reads the manuscript and provides constructive and honest feedback on the same big-picture storytelling elements as the developmental editing service. 

The main difference between the two services is that in the manuscript critique service, the developmental editor provides feedback only in an editorial report.

Line editing
While developmental editing focuses on the big-picture storytelling elements of a manuscript,  line editing focuses on the sentence-level errors.

Line editors carefully read the manuscript and go through it line-by-line to ensure that the language remains sharp and clear throughout the story. Line editors provide a marked-up manuscript with margin suggestions.

A line editor is concerned about the:

• logical flow of scenes and the sentences
•  tone/mood of the manuscript
• overall pacing of the story
• word choice
• redundancies and repetitions
• inconsistencies and continuity errors
• fact-checking
• point of view
• head-hopping
• dialogue

Copyediting
While line editing focuses on sentence-level errors, copy editing focuses more on individual words rather than whole sentences or paragraphs.

Copy editors provide a marked-up manuscript and a style guide to ensure consistency within the manuscript e.g the names of characters and locations are spelt consistently.

A copy editor is concerned about:

• grammar
• punctuation
• spelling
• capitalization
• headings
• fact-checking
• consistency
•  readability
• repeated words
• continuity errors

Proofreading
Proofreading comes after the other rounds of editing (beta reading, developmental editing, line editing, copyediting) and typesetting and is the final step of the editing process. 

Proofreaders analyse the manuscript and catch any errors that slipped through the previous editing rounds to ensure that the manuscript is error-free and looks professional. Proofreaders provide a marked-up manuscript with margin suggestions. 

A proofreader is concerned about:

• grammar
•  spelling
• punctuation
• syntax
• formatting
• consistency
• readability

Conclusion
Editors help writers improve their manuscripts and achieve their writing goals through the various types of editing services: beta reading, developmental editing, manuscript critique, line editing, copy editing and proofreading.

Professional editing services are necessary for writers who wish to publish their stories. Writers should be familiar with the different types of editing services and be able to recognise the right type of editing service their manuscript needs at a particular stage of the writing process.

Additional resources
What is the beta reading service?
What is the developmental editing service?
What is the manuscript critique service?
Why do you need a developmental editor for your fiction story
How to find the right editor for your story
9 questions editors ask authors before working with them

According to the Cambridge dictionary, “writer’s block is the condition of being unable to create a piece of written work because something in your mind prevents you from doing it”. 

Writers are often afraid that they are not good enough and that readers and publishers won’t like their books. Writer’s block can last from a few days to a few weeks or even months.


4 reasons writers have writer’s block
5 ways to overcome writer’s block
Take a break and do something else
Change your writing environment
Outline each chapter before you write 
Join a writer’s group
Set clear goals and create a consistent writing routine 

4 reasons writers have writer’s block
Writers often experience writer’s block because of the 4 reasons mentioned below:
1) Writers are anxious and afraid that their story is not good enough and they keep revising the same chapter over and over again to make it “perfect”, and don’t make any progress in their fiction story. 

2) Writers are struck with writing-related tasks, but they are not actually writing their story, like creating character profiles, writing chapter outlines and doing research. They are convinced that they must know every single detail of their characters, plot and world before they start writing the first scene of their story, while in reality, they are anxious about their story idea and spend countless hours procrastinating and doubting themselves and their story.

3) Writers get easily excited and inspired with new story ideas, especially when they are stuck in their current manuscript, and the new story idea seems easier and better to them. As a result, they abandon their current fiction story and never finish writing their fiction story.

4) Lastly, writers often wait for inspiration before they start writing their story. Writers often don’t realise that writing is not only about inspiration, but it’s also about discipline, hard work, dedication and showing up every single day to make progress in their story.

5 ways to overcome writer’s block

Take a break and do something else
You are struck, and you don’t know how to continue your story. You have revised the chapter so many times, but something feels wrong to you. Take a break from your fiction story and do something else to relax. Your subconscious mind will keep working on how to fix the specific issue in your fiction story, and you will eventually figure out the solution.

What to do instead:

• watch movies or read books in a similar genre to your writing project to get inspiration
• listen to your favorite songs
• exercise
• go out with friends
• try a new hobby such as drawing, crocheting, cooking, or playing video games 

Change your writing environment
A visual change might help you with writer’s block. If you are usually writing in your home office, try writing in another room of your house or in your favorite cafe. Get your laptop and your notes with you, and go to a cafe for a couple of hours to write the next chapters of your manuscript.

Don’t forget to bring noise-cancelling headphones with you to listen to your favorite music for inspiration. Treat yourself to a cup of coffee and dessert, and make a great writing day for yourself.

Outline each chapter before you write 
Another way to overcome writer’s block is to outline each scene. Take a few minutes at the start of each writing session to outline the scene you are writing next. Take a few minutes to read the previous scene (without editing anything), look at your notes and write in bullet points the 2-3 most important events that need to happen in the particular scene.

The whole process of outlining your scene shouldn’t take more than 5-10 minutes, and your outline should act as a guide for you to write your scene. You can repeat this process for every scene of your fiction story.

Join a writer’s group
Search online for a writing partner or a writer’s group to overcome writer’s block. You can find other writers by joining your local writer’s group, by attending writing workshops and classes or by joining writer’s groups on social media. 

Connecting with other writers will help you stay accountable, and you can brainstorm and solve potential issues about each other’s stories, make writer friends and find the motivation you need to finally finish your manuscript.

Set clear goals and create a consistent writing routine 
One of the most important ways to overcome writer’s block is to set clear writing goals and create a consistent writing routine.
Your writing goal can be:

• task-based (define how much progress to make by the end of the writing session)
• timed-based (define how many hours a day to dedicate to a writing session)
• word count based (define how many words a day to write in a writing session)

Define and write down your writing goal. Then, check your calendar and see when you have free time to write.

Don’t discourage yourself if you can’t find long hours to write. Even 30 minutes a day is fine. The most important thing is to write every day to keep the momentum going and create a consistent writing routine.

​Calculate how many days it will take you to finish the current draft of your manuscript and mark the deadline in your calendar.

Conclusion   
Writer’s block is a common condition that many writers have. Writers are afraid and anxious that their manuscript will never be good enough, and they are waiting for the inspiration or the “perfect” idea to come, and never manage to finish their story.

You’re not alone. There are dozens of writers who experience the same issue as you. Writing is a skill that takes practice and time to improve. Try the different ways mentioned above to overcome writer’s block and see what makes you more excited, productive, and inspired to finish your story. Happy writing!

Additional resources
3 types of writer goals to set in 2025
How to create a consistent writing routine
How to become more productive and write stories faster
What type of writer are you: pantser vs plotter vs plantser

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