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A very successful genre is Romantic Suspense. If your’e a romance writer looking to transition to the mainstream, romantic suspense is a great place to start. The following are elements to consider when writing a romantic suspense.
One of my favorite romantic suspense series is the Mossy Bog series by Maggie Toussaint. She balances a lot the elements that are needed for this genre writing. Here are some things to consider:
1. The story must balance romantic and suspenseful elements evenly. Without the balance you have “a suspense with romantic elements” (mainly the story is suspenseful) or “a romance with suspenseful elements” (mainly the story is a romance).
2. The hero and heroine must also be balanced, specifically when considering strengths and weaknesses. This is where you create reader empathy and concerns for your characters. Example: perhaps your hero hates snakes (like Indiana Jones) but the heroine is comfortable around them having had exotic pets all her life.
3. Consider your conflict carefully. With romantic suspense, most of the conflict for the hero and heroine involves outside conflict (due to the suspense, but this also provides instant romantic tension) . This involves having a villain.
The villain must be worthy of hero/heroine and their equal to their skills to make the suspense believable. His motivation must be authentic.
4. PLOT: The plot must have escalating tension and grow the suspense. Consider using/building on high action sequences. (examples: fights near cliffs, car chases, danger in airplanes.)
5. THEMES: Consider the following theme when plotting your story. They work well in romantic suspense:
Revenge
Women in jeopardy
Espionage
Family
Military/Law Enforcement
6. When writing the ending, there must be a hint of hope for the couple, and some type of closure regarding the conflict.
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Quick-Quill
I'm trying to write a romance between two people who have lost their spouses. They meet and life issues on a cruise for 7 days. Can on fall in love during that time? What does it take to get them ready for that to happen? What makes them fight the interference of others and possible go against childrens fears for their parent? Or outside forces trying to move between them? What would make them not give up? I don't see weakness in either? Where do I put it?
I like the plot of the story. Moments make it happen. Moments to bond. Maybe he likes her sense of humor. Maybe they like to dance. Maybe they both like to cook. Maybe he comes to her rescue while on a day trip on an island? What makes them fight the interference of the others? Perhaps it’s the actual chance at a 2nd chance or perhaps they want to grow old together. That would mean more to them than anything. What would make them not give up? The have no fun without the other. They don’t smile unless the other is around. My thoughts only. Hope it helps. This would make a great character driven romance.
Monty
Some fine clues given in your News Letter. Good clues for any write.
Thank you.
StephBee is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. Her latest novel is "A Princess is Always Right," Book 4 in the Windsor Diaries steampunk romance series. 5 Stars, Joy Amazon Reviewer: What makes this story so captivating is the combination of excellent character depictions, creative twists and turns of the plot, and the challenges and incidents thrown in the protagonist's way.
ASIN: B083RZ37SZ
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Romance/Love: February 03, 2016 Issue [#7452]
