Top ten necessities for a successful romance novel

Top ten necessities for a successful romance novel:

1.      Typically, there is a cute meet (or meet cute).
2.      Ascending conflict (raising the stakes), internal and external
3.      Everybody needs direction.
4.      There needs to be an approximate equality between the couple.
5.      They need to show respect, if not up front then as the journey progresses.
6.      The journey should be both external and internal.
7.      Characters need goals, motivations, and conflicts, otherwise you’ll create stick figures.
8.      Often they must make a choice. They give up something to get something.
9.      The emotional attraction and fulfillment takes precedence over physical attraction.
10.  A story and the characters must have a purpose that should change.

Definitions and explanations:

A cute meet (or meet cute). This is most often the first time the hero and heroine meet. It could be an awkward situation or funny. They may need to team up because of it. Note: How can they fall in love if they are not forced together for much of the story? This togetherness is often labeled a romance trope, although connected quite often to the cute meet, it stands separate as a technique. According to Romance Writers of America, the top ten most popular romance tropes are:

·         Friends to Lovers.
·         Soul Mate/Fate.

·         Second Chance at Love.

·         Secret Romance.

·         First Love.

·         Strong Hero/Heroine.

·         Reunited Lovers.

·         Love Triangle.

·         Sexy Billionaire/Millionaire.

·         Sassy Heroine.

A trope in general is a word or expression used in a figurative sense, such as a figure of speech. A romance trope is broader to include plot elements, as listed above.

Ascending conflict: Often after the cute meet there is tension between the two. They might not like each other, but they had better have a good reason for dislike. Or they’re intrigued but there are so many things wrong with the idea of them as a couple or for one or both of them to change their lifestyle. Often there is an external force threatening them. This can be manifested in the form of a literal villain, friends with other ideas, ex’s, or any number of problems in their environment.

Everybody needs direction. On any journey, there are mentors, or at least close friends or family that give advice or support and sometimes bad advice. Of course, if the story is paranormal or mystical/religious, unexplained phenomena can happen. Very charming stories incorporate guardians (often strangers and much like mentors) along the way. Although these guardians are most often human, they can feel like signs or guide posts.

Approximate equality. She could be President of the United States and he a flower shop guy, but they both need to bring something of more or less equal value to the table.

They need to show respect, if not up front, then as the journey progresses. Note: Respect in the age of me-too, women’s rights, and the quest for equality is unfortunately a fairly recent must if writing romance.