This is new to me. Well, almost.
I have written two Romance novellas before (see images below), which were guided by a couple of years of binging Sex and the City. There were mixed reviews, making it clear the Romance purists weren’t impressed. But at least those who loved them, really loved them.
This time I have a deadline which I initially thought would be problematic, but at this early stage it seems the first draft is coming together quite fast. They’ll be plenty of time to revise several times over before it’s handed in.
Part of this process was learning the style.
I’ve read Gwen Hayes’ guide, Romancing the Beat, and highlighted the important bits on various screenshots from this book. Then I created my own cheat sheet to plot with. I’ve outlined the vital scenes on this sheet, yet I seem to be panstering more than adhering to the plan.
This is because I’m used to starting with a blueprint of every scene. But it’s okay. I’m finding my instincts useful as I’ve been writing for a long time. Thus, I’m treating this first draft as part of its early development, rather than a proper first draft.
After all, the initial draft is where you get your ideas down.
I hit my first obstacle today.
According to Hayes’ guide, the first of this four act structure should be the first quarter of your book. These are still the scenes where we are meeting our characters and getting to know why they have an aversion to love. I was about to start the romance scenes prematurely.
But the scenes to fill this gap came easily, and they’re not fillers. I know the characters and understand the reader’s expectations. I’ve revised my sketchy outline to reflect these new ‘to be written’ scenes.
This is not the complex project I thought it would be.
I’m finding passion in this project about passion. I was keen to get back to another work in progress instead of this one, but a deadline is a deadline. And thankfully, I’m learning something new about my craft.
UPDATE: While I was all gung-ho about this project, it’s been put on the back burner for the moment. But I’m glad I found out a little more about Romance writing in the meantime.
kevin klehr 