I’ve been writing a romance series and published the first novel in my mid 20s, now I am in my late and honestly the story gives me the ick and the woman character reflects exactly how I acted in my early to mid 20s: always working overtime to validate and try to understand toxic men. I don’t personally care for novels where the woman always walks away from a somewhat toxic man, because that’s not life, but no way I am making these characters end game anymore unless he changes - and that’s not realistic either lol!

Alright, so I have these two characters in a scene where character A is admitting their love to character B. This scene is where character A is expressing their love to character B shortly after character B nearly died. These two are childhood friends but have never actually realized their feelings for each other until they nearly lost the other and up until now, have been too afraid to even think of confessing.

I have a lot of dialogue for this moment as it's very emotionally charged and I'm trying to think of small acts of affection that character A could show to break of the dialogue but I'm drawing a blank on what to do.

If anyone has any suggestions on some small acts of affection or tips on what to do that would be greatly appreciated!

Hi all. I'm writing a Christmas Dungeons and Dragons adventure, basically a Christmas Romance movie set at a Bridgerton ball. The players have been hired to chaperone Sora, the tomboy princess, and facilitate conversations between her and her 4 suitors. There's more challenges, but for the purpose of this post that's all.

I'm working on giving each of the suitors 3 green, 3 yellow, and 3 red flag qualities. Any thoughts on the below? They're pretty much in order of good-bad.

Leyetan Kanda

Description: You see a lanky young man standing against the wall, his pale brown hair bobbing above the crowd. His skin is plagued by acne and he watches the Ball with soft, brown, disinterested eyes, shuffling his feet, uncomfortable in the formal clothes and setting. He smells faintly of sulphur, and his fingers flex nervously.

Family: The Kanda family is old, wealthy and respected, though doesn’t have much direct influence. Their fief is at the edge of the kingdom, on the edge of wild forest, where they prioritise education over power, studying nature and building libraries.

Behaviour: Leyetan will stand in the corner of the Ballroom, if possible, and wander around by the walls. He will not initiate conversation, and will need to be convinced to approach Sora.

Green Flag: Soft spoken and gentle

Green Flag: Respects Sora’s autonomy

Green Flag: Loves to share his, and others’, interests

Yellow Flag: Quiet and standoffish, never knows what to say, and says it awkwardly

Yellow Flag:

Yellow Flag:

Red Flag:

Red Flag:

Red Flag:

Paraval Carvas

Description: You see a strong, broad-shouldered man with striking green eyes and carefully coiffed, short brown hair. He seems relaxed standing at attention, and moves with the grace of a cat, even in his black, gilt trimmed armour.

Family: The Carvas family is of moderate wealth, and only middling name. His father raised him with purpose, to ensure that Paraval would be the model vassal for the king, and improve the family’s standing in the kingdom. Their fief is near the capital, in the countryside.

Behaviour: Paraval will join nearby crowds and graciously downplay his own heroics if they are mentioned, while talking up the qualities of those around him. He will not seek Sora out, but he will approach her if he sees her. He always seems to be where he should be, and saying what he should be saying. The picture of chivalry, he is kind, gracious and honourable, ready to defend the kingdom or his lady’s honour with equal fervour.

Green Flag: Openly heroic, unashamed to show kindness and grace while being quick to sacrifice for others

Green Flag: Respects women, as chivalry dictates

Green Flag: Good with kids

Yellow Flag: Stubbornly strict with rules and customs

Yellow Flag: Has no interests outside of ‘what is proper’

Yellow Flag: Dull conversationalist

Red Flag: Responds to insults with duels, rather than discussion

Red Flag:

Red Flag:

Castellan Marius

Description: You see a slim, blonde man watching you with sharp, pale blue eyes. He is sleek, with swept back hair carefully gelled, and dressed in white and gold robes. A holy symbol hangs around his neck, and he stands with a rigid adherence to decorum.

Behaviour: Castellan will passively search for Sora and approach her, if she draws near. He does not approve of her disobedient nature and will try to rein her in. He actively engages in polite conversation, but abstains from drink or dancing.

Family: The Marius family is very wealthy, and provide copius charitable donations to the Church. They live in the capital and are highly influential, due to their wealth and generosity.

Green Flag: Genuinely believes in charity, sharing wealth to help the poor

Green Flag: Believes in caring for those under his power

Green Flag: Believes discussion solves all quarrels

Yellow Flag:  

Yellow Flag:

Yellow Flag:

Red Flag: Thinks the poor are beneath him, like cattle

Red Flag: Firmly believes in the subjugation of women

Red Flag: Silences dissent with debate and references to religious law.

Bodric Dureze

Description: You see a tall, broad shouldered young man carrying himself with an easy confidence, a lazy smile lingering on his face. His short blonde hair is arranged in a casual messiness, and his dark eyes sparkle mischievously. His clothes are fashionable, formal but seem loosely draped over his muscled form.

Family: The Dureze are an old family, and control much of the Northern Border. As the March Wardens of the kingdom, they control the largest military contribution to the king’s army, prioritising ambition and achievement above all else.

Behaviour: Bodric will actively search out and pursue Sora, interfering with others’ attempts to do so. He will avidly defend his friends and deal violently with his enemies.

Green Flag: Confident and friendly

Green Flag: Handsome and quick to defend his friends

Green Flag:

Yellow Flag: Likes to be in charge, or highly respected by the one in charge

Yellow Flag: Takes what he wants, when he wants

Yellow Flag:

Red Flag: Doesn’t respect women

Red Flag: If your needs conflict with his, you are his enemy and WILL be dealt with

Red Flag: Quick to violence when his needs aren’t met

To preface, I am currently writing an LGBT+ romance story and I'm also an avid romance reader. So I'm both romance reader and romance writer. And I just want to put this out there: Writers do not need to include slurs to show a character is a bigot.

I read MF and LGBT+ romance stories. And while I haven't come across this a lot, there have been some LGBT+ stories with a homophobic character who uses the f-slur and it is so jarring and unnecessary. In most of the books I've read that do have homophobia, the bigotry is demonstrated without the use of any slurs. And it is very clear. This character is a bigot. I'm guessing the intent is for it to be jarring and to show "this is a bad character." But as a Black queer woman, I promise that is unnecessary. And I think using a slur to show how a character is bigoted is harmful. In the same way that I would immediately hesitate to read another story by an author who includes a racial slur to show a character is racist, I feel the same way when an author uses the f-slur to show a character is queerphobic.

There's a queerphobic character in the story I'm writing so I understand how it can be a challenge to show that without using slurs, especially since we all know queerphobic people use slurs irl. And many times we want to write realistic, authentic characters. But I think it just means being more creative in the writing process. So, I just want to put this out there for any writers who have a bigoted character that uses slurs or you're considering it: don't. You can show bigotry without including slurs in your story.

Are there names or last names you're sick of seeing? Any you absolutely love or wish authors used more often?

I've started noticing certain surnames popping up a lot (Vance, I'm looking at you), and it got me wondering if I'm missing other trends.

Are there any unwritten rules when it comes to naming MMCs and FMCs? Or does it really not matter as long as the character is good?

I'd love to hear your favorites, least favorites, and any suggestions! Or just any thoughts at all?

Hello, writer of romance novels here.

I've been working on this 125,000-word novel where the two characters have been eyefucking for a long time.

My friend read the entire thing from start to finish and they complained that 500 pages of my characters eyefucking doesn't really qualify as romance.

I'm genuinely wondering whether I should take their advice, because I think there's some really good tension going on around here.

AI is becoming harder to separate from conversations about writing, publishing, and creative work. Unfortunately.

I'm writing a political romance story where a young prince is taking back a kingdom that has been in stewardship for a few years. Prince George proposes to Mireya, his childhood friend who works in a famous mercenary company the prince fought together with back in the day. Mireya has been very supportive of his claim and has been helping him find a wife - so she's pretty surprised when he asks her!

Instead of an enthusiastic yes, she asks if she can give her answer after a fortnight of her accountants and lawyers looking over how such a decision would change her life.

My five reasons why they don't get together in chapter 1 are:

1) How marrying him will affect her business and family estate, as she is an owning family member in a powerful mercenary company. What will her family be restricted from doing? How will this change everything for them all?

2) Does she want to make her life about being humanitarian and hostess? They challenge each other's expectations on what public service means.

3) The judiciary who supports Prince George's claim to the throne approves of Lady So-and-So as a better match.

4) Insert here a family scandal that affects the public's perception of Mireya's family and company. My stories are all murder mysteries, so I imagine this is where that will come into play.

5) Insert here a lapse in judgement they will have to make up to each other later.

Any feedback would be appreciated. It's entirely from her perspective, since she'll be investigating the murder mystery.

I normally tend to write about non-fiction related topics but recently I've been getting into alot of fiction, especially things romance related but I struggle alot to like my romance related work. I either think it's cringe or I rewrite it over and over again to the point it sounds too robotic and not like the character I'm trying to portray at all. I'm assuming that may be because I've never personally been in a long-lasting relationship, the longest one I've had was for a year when I was in elementary so I have no real experience with it aside from some terrible romance movies I've watched. Are there any tips to make writing romance seem more realistic and not robotic? I love romance books alot but I physically cringe while writing them myself </3

I don't know if I'm allowed to ask questions like this on this subreddit, sorry if I'm not allowed to; still new to this app..

I'm someone who enjoys writing but I often write action and fantasy, I wanted to try writing romance so the idea I had was a romance that the girl wants to avoid something and so to do that she finds a guy to be her "Boyfriend" the just goes along seeing what he's doing as just helping another but I want it to blossom into a proper relationship, going from something fake to something real. I never feel confident writing romance, so I was wondering if you guys had any tips for me to use to make this more believable.

So I happen to be new to writing and have been writing a fantasy story for about 4 months now and I’m currently starting to work on the romance aspect of the story between the two protagonist. So I’m wondering what is some general advice you’d give to someone writing a slow burn romance not really looking for any specific advice just curious on what I should be careful about when writing a slow burn romance.

I’m open to any advice or media recommendations since I have zero experience with writing romance, media recommendations doesn’t have to be fantasy related.

I've recently started to delve into original works, and I find I'm really excited about mixing horror and romance. Are there any other horror romance writers on here that wouldn't mind sharing their experiences? Mostly I want to know how much the horror addition allows you to stray from certain romance conventions. For example, does horror romance still need an HEA? Should I follow the standard romance beats?

So for my story its about a sci fi smuggler realizing that he's sneaking across the border, a princess with magic who's sleeping in a crate.

Now she DOES force him to take her home and thats how the adventure goes crazy and nuts from there.

His background is that he used to be a machinist blacksmith but his home was invaded by an empire called the red sun, so he went into hiding by doing crime jobs and traveling from place to place. He had tk develop street smarts to survive and luckily the skills he grew up doing still work for him.

The princess grew up in a kingdom that was one kf the richest in the galaxy where she learned the game of politics and how to play it well. As well as an academic prodigy and was trained in arts and crafts and martial arts. Plus warfare combat (like navy seal training but sci fi and magic).

She got kidnapped cause her parents siad no to joining the red sun, so they kidnapped her and tried to use her as ransom.

But they never told the smuggler what was in the box.

[I killed a character, snuffed many more darlings, deleted scenes, inserted some sneaky flirtatious texting throughout the MS, and hopefully, with the help I've received here, I can move this project on past heavy rejection stage since I've learned I have the patience rivaling a toddler.'s I'm testing this query and pages to see if it's earned the romance subplot label. I cannot thank all the good people on RomanceWriters enough because I've been lurking and learning a LOT.]

Dear Agent,

I am seeking representation for SPLIT TIMES, a 74K women’s fiction novel with a romantic subplot about a 2008 Olympic Trials drug scandal that ignites a revolution in women’s athletics. Fans of Carrie Soto Is Back and Losing Sight will enjoy a midlife comeback story with a rock-star love interest and a doping dilemma.

At thirty-eight, Karly Locke has spent two decades putting everyone ahead of herself: three kids, a husband who stopped noticing her years ago, and a to-do list with no bottom. Then a song by rock prodigy Fender Archer comes on the radio while she’s stuck in the school pick-up line, and she feels it: she’s running at redline in a race while she’s sitting perfectly still.

Karly resolves to chase the big dream she shelved, an Olympic berth. The Trials are months away, and her training is a disaster. Her coach insists she’s progressing, but she can see the doubt behind his smile. The twenty-two-year-olds she’ll face are faster, fresher, and not running on four hours of sleep.

Then a new drug lands on her radar: a not-yet-legal, female-specific performance enhancer that could close the gap for her and finally fill the disparity in women’s athletics. Karly insists to the plastic Jesus she carries everywhere that it’s not cheating. She also knows she’s run out of time to be noble.

Then Fender Archer, the voice that’s fueled her miles, accidentally injures her while she’s running on a treadmill in his fancy hotel gym. In twenty minutes, he shows her more care than her husband has in five years. Gorgeous, wrecked, and nothing like the man in her earbuds, Fender is quietly struggling with pills of his own, until watching Karly run convinces him to quit. The irony is brutal: as he finds the nerve to get clean because of her, she’s deciding whether to get dirty.

Karly must decide between the shortcut with the potential to rock the running world and the finish line she can honestly cross, with a plastic Jesus riding along to watch, while two men, one who ignores her and one who sees her too well, pull her in opposite directions.

[Bio] 

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

First Pages (long enough to get to the romance):

Chapter 1 - I Never Wear White

Karly - 2008

The only thing I was sure of is this tiny plastic Jesus.

Tomorrow is my first elite race in sixteen years. If I hesitate at the start, if I drop back, I will crawl over the finish line and pretend I never came to Baltimore. 

The slim possibility of a win exists, but breaking the tape plays on repeat in my brain. Tiny Jesus agrees with his small plastic smile.

Lying here with my former college teammates in this no-frills hotel room, listening to their soft snoring, I wished I was in the regular 5K with the three of them. You know,  the race for normal runners and not for aspiring Olympians like myself. My drive to be extraordinary exasperates me; I could have stayed out with them last night as they lined up shots and drank to our friendship until the bars closed. 

I needed to sneak in a workout before they woke up. They’re unaware of my insane goal to qualify in the Trials. I don’t want them to know because they will try to talk me out of training. 

Is it embarrassing that at 38 years old, I believe a spot on the Olympic team is well within my reach? My husband certainly thinks so.

I heard a groan.

“Karly?” Jess said through a yawn. “What are you doing up this early? Is it race day?”

“No. It’s tomorrow. Go back to sleep,” I whispered. 

“OK,” she mumbled and her eyes shut before she hit the pillow.

My phone buzzed. I flipped it open to my husband CJ’s text: WHERE IS THE ORANGE JUICE

I sighed and texted him back: BEHIND THE MILK and my fingers hovered over the keys, and I wanted to but I did not add where it always is because the slightest bit of guilt churned in my stomach. I hadn't asked CJ if he was OK with me going to Baltimore, I'd told him, which wasn't like me.

CJ: FOUND IT. I GET YOU WANTING TO RACE, BUT COULDN’T YOU HAVE ALL RUN IN THE TWILIGHT TROT HERE THIS WEEKEND?

NO

I WANT TO MOW THIS AFTERNOON AND IF YOU WERE HERE, I COULD 

LET DAVID RUN THE MOWER. JASON AND ELI LIKE TO USE THE AIR TANK TO CLEAN OFF. BRIBE THEM WITH ICE CREAM

THEY CAN’T HANDLE THAT

I wanted to scream at him: Yes, they can. Quit underestimating their abilities. My phone buzzed again and I sighed.

THIS OLYMPIC TRIALS, THAT’S SERIOUS. AREN’T YOU WAY OVER YOUR HEAD? AND BY THE WAY, I’M DOING YOU A HUGE FAVOR HOLDING DOWN THE FORT THIS WEEKEND

A favor? I rolled onto my stomach and beat down my pillow with my fist before casting a quick look at Jess, my closest friend curled up close. Now there was a friend who loathed my husband. Maybe even more than I did, but come on, a favor? When the hell had it become my sole job as sherpa to the family? These days I did everything: kids, house, even the books at CJ’s mill.

CJ wasn’t finished: YOU AREN’T AS YOUNG AS YOU USED TO BE. HOPEFULLY THIS WEEKEND WILL GET IT OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM

I turned off my phone and thought about going back to bed. I could skip my run this morning and wake up with my friends. Discuss a breakfast spot. Enjoy another coffee. Just hang out and laugh our asses off at shared jokes about our time at Harrington U and updating our lives with one another. 

Instead, I pushed back the covers and cringed as my bare feet landed on the cheap carpet. After dressing in the dark, I threw my phone and my trusty iPod in a flimsy string pack and shrugged it on over my shoulders. I crept out quietly, squeezing through the door to the bright hallway so I wouldn’t wake anyone. 

I jogged lightly down the stairwell to the lobby, looking forward to running in a new location, but one glance outside at the downpour confirmed it would be a dreaded treadmill day. The shitty gym featured one solitary machine facing a blank gray wall, the belt threadbare. It was plugged in, but no amount of jostling made it move…it was dead.

No. Absolutely not.

The manager at the desk apologized profusely and with a conspiratorial wink he handed me a pass and pointed me a block away to TallShips Hotel, "...which has an incredible gym. My uncle owes me a favor.” 

His eyes ate me alive. 

“The all-black look suits you,” he continued and he brushed back his hair. I found myself oddly fascinated with his smile; there were two chips on the same tooth. I loped away towards the entrance. “Hey darlin’, we were talkin’,” he called behind me.

It was raining sideways under the covered drive but I bolted out the door. I tightened the string pack only to gasp as I blasted into the icy assault, fully knowing I was doing this for one block to avoid the whole storm.

Between the downtown mid-rise buildings, lightning cracked across the sky, brighter than fireworks. Door numbers blurred since I had to squint. TallShips Hotel was tucked back on its own cliff overlooking the harbor but the waterfall pouring down from the sky formed a curtain concealing most of the imposing entrance. 

A thick boardwalk ushered me to the doorway, held open by a man in a suit. Inside, polished wood floors gleamed beneath a soaring atrium. A grand marble staircase ascended through leafy greenery. I had to remember to close my mouth after my eyes couldn’t drink in enough detail. The flower arrangements. The maritime paintings. It smelled of cedar and a sweet woody aroma. Holy shit.

Another suit aimed for me and snapped up the dripping pass I held up. He glared at the expanding puddle underneath my feet and pointed down to a wide, shallow spiral staircase. I nodded once to show I understood. Go now. 

There was a glass-walled fitness suite overlooking the storm-lashed harbor with two Woodway treadmills just beyond the automatic door, glowing and ready, rows of machines and weights, and stacks of thick fluffy towels with a lavender scent. Wow. I grinned. Someone consulted with a team of serious athletes when they built this.

After I did a quick towel dry, I reached into my pack for my iPod, then stared in horror at the blank screen and jagged split down the middle of the pack. Dammit. 

I always ran with music, even when I raced. 

I saved my absolute favorite band, Orion, for my hardest training sessions and treadmill runs. Orion’s lead singer, Fender Archer, pulled me through the worst of it until the pain went quiet. 

Maybe it was his voice, raspy at the edges, with power shot through the middle. And the lyrics matched the mood. "Half of Neither" felt like he'd known how upset I was every time a stranger spoke to me in Spanish. I look Latina. I most likely am, but my adoptive parents are white. I shook my head as I put the towels I used in a bin and warmed up on the treadmill while I watched the rain pound the glass. 

Tiny Jesus watched me run as he stood on the console. He smiled through the ridiculous hope I’ve placed in him. He has helped to center me, in my impossible running goals, and also to finish this too-long workout. 

Trials were fifteen weeks out. Third place or better, or I didn't go. Not fourth, not "so close," not any of the soft words people say when they want to be kind about falling short by half a second. 

The automatic door behind me whooshed and cold air swept in against my sweat. Someone entered but I ignored them and pushed myself harder while I wiped my brow.

Weights clanged, a low breath hissed. Male. He mumbled about the remote not working, and stepped closer to the TV, pushing the buttons furiously. I took out the batteries before he got here. I hated a blaring TV during my workout.

I maintained speed for the 30 second pick-ups, just to keep the legs ready to blast off tomorrow. Since I already committed to it, I should, at the very least, pump myself up for my first professional race. Ever. A surge of adrenaline kicked through me, tomorrow would be my time to shine.

BAM! I jumped, losing my concentration.

Another BANG! This one louder. Sounded like a weight being dropped.

Something slammed into my treadmill, causing it to jolt to the side. 

Stumbling, I grabbed the rail for balance and sent a sideways glare towards the idiot. Dammit, what’s he doing? Got right back to my cadence. 

What the hell!

I glanced down for a moment and spotted a weight lying next to my treadmill. Was he lifting too heavy and a weight slid off? Was he that clumsy?

"Nice save," he said in a low pitched and deep voice that was startlingly familiar. Whoa. No. Could it be?

I stared straight ahead at the storm-streaked window instead of turning to verify. In the reflection I caught his wild chestnut hair curling around his face from sweat or the rain. His build was lanky, and he confidently lifted a 50 pound kettlebell with a straight arm, only to lose his balance a bit and wobble. I frowned. My eyes roved to his narrow waist with a peek of his hip bone jutting out as a kraken slithered up his side. He turned slightly and I snapped my eyes back to the window.

No.

He was tying his shoes, then stepped onto the treadmill next to mine, tapping the console as he fired up his workout. Tattoos snaked down his muscular arms. 

Holy shit. I took a deep breath. It was Fender Archer. In the flesh. The world’s most notorious rock star. My notorious rock star.

He began a slow jog and I stared ahead while every nerve in my body was screaming to look at him. Fender Archer was my workout. I had his songs, entire albums, on playlists arranged by workout intensity. If I had a shit day and needed a long easy run, there was a playlist. If I needed to push myself, he was the playlist.

His hand slammed on his console. He paused his workout and began fidgeting with the buttons. They beeped loudly as he tried to find the right setting. He exhaled through his mouth dramatically like he’d run ten flights of stairs. I didn’t care if it was Fender Archer, he was annoying the shit out of me. I didn’t need any distractions. But still, I couldn’t wait to tell the girls.

We were those stupid fans. If I was rich, I would go to every single concert he performed all over the country.

I heard the hollow crackle of his plastic bottle as he took a swig.

I tamped down my annoyance. Focus, Karly. I glanced at my console to see how much longer I had to go but a second later I forced my eyes back to the window.

It was strange to think Fender Archer would be doing something as mundane as working out. I’d always imagined him in a hot tub full of groupies when he was off-stage.

And here in this gym, watching his slow clumsy jog, his famous hip grinds and dance moves popped into my head. I couldn’t even pretend not to look, and when our eyes met in the window’s reflection, I didn’t tear my eyes away and neither did he. A quick flush of heat that had nothing to do with my workout flooded through my veins.

I couldn’t look away fast enough.

Hello! My name is Coco, and I'm looking for a few volunteer beta readers for my completed memoir, The Man Behind the Voice.

My story begins with a wrong-number telephone call and follows an unexpected relationship through years of conversations, romance, challenges, and building a life together.

I'm looking for honest feedback from people who don't know me personally. I'd especially appreciate your thoughts on whether the story holds your interest, whether the timeline is clear, which parts you enjoyed most, and whether anything feels confusing or repetitive.

I'm hoping to find readers willing to read the entire manuscript for free and share constructive feedback. Ideally, I'd love to hear back within 2–3 weeks.

If you're interested, please leave a comment or send me a private message. Thank you for considering reading my story!

Coco

Before you knew their entire backstory, romantic arc, deepest fear, and inevitable third-act emotional crisis, tell us all what was the first thing you really knew about your character?

Now weekly!

Blurbs can be the bane of an author's existence - both for self-published authors, who have to come up with an enticing hook all by themselves, as well as for authors seeking traditional publishing, as they are usually included in queries.

We want to help! Post your blurb draft and let the community help shape it into the perfect snippet of info.

To participate, please comment on this thread with the following info:

• The title or working title of your WIP
• The romance subgenre of said WIP
• The draft of your blurb you've got so far
• Any content warnings and additional info you deem necessary!

Anyone who wants to help can then reply to your comment to workshop your blurb.

Happy crafting!

Hi everyone!

I'm writing a why choose dark romance, set on a college campus, with light secret society vibes. I'm looking for some brainstorming ideas for this one aspect that I can't quite pin down by myself.

The context: The FMC gets attacked and ripped from her life, placed in this house on campus under the guise of being "hidden", but it's clear from the very first interaction that the guys living there don't want her there.

Each year, there's a game on campus that can get dark and dangerous very quickly, and these guys are determined to win this game, and they feel like her presence in their house will just be a distraction.

The guys confront their alumni leader, who is super shady but they don't know it yet, and he tells them her being there is actually a contract and they'll be paid handsomly to fulfill it. Funds raised during the academic year is part of the game, so this basically ties their hands. They don't want her in their space, but they need the money the contract will bring them if they have any chace of winning.

My dilemma: I don't know what the contract should be, exactly. I toyed with a simple babysitting idea, like "keep an eye on her, keep her safe, and the money is yours" but the guys don't know she was attacked before she moved in and that threat is states away (for the time being), so it doesn't really hold up. The house leader also has nefarious intentions that are revealed later down the line, so keeping her safe doesn't suit his character.

Essentially, I need this contract to keep her in this house, despite nobody liking the situation. She's desperate to get a job and find a room for rent ANYWHERE else because the guys are a-holes. They despise her being under their roof and in their way. But this contract, which she isn't aware of, has them all stuck.

I'm hoping you guys can just help me fine tune this before I write myself into a plot hole, pretty please!

Hi everyone! I’m just starting to write my first romance stories (full of great chemistry, drama, and the spicy scenes we all love), but I’m feeling a bit stuck with character names, how they meet, and how to start the plot.

​Writing has become a wonderful refuge and therapy for me, and I'm really loving the process. If you guys could share some tips, your favorite tropes (like enemies to lovers, fake dating, etc.), or ideas on how to build that perfect tension, I would be so grateful! Where do you usually start when creating a new couple?"

So a little background: I've been deep in editing my finished manuscript for a while & let me just say this is absolutely the worst part of writing (for me) lmao. Anyways I've got the idea next book written down and I WANT to write it but I can't seem to get back to the point where I feel motivated to actually write/begin. Ultimately what I'm trying to ask is what helps you get that motivation/set the scene for you to write? Honestly I'll take any advice at this point!

Update: I've started using some of the tips you guys suggested and I wrote 700 words today! It's not my best but I'm writing again and that's a win for me! Thank you everyone!

I'm working on a few stories with romantic subplots. I'm just wondering how best to describe the female characters without being posted on "men writing women".

For example, one is a tall and muscular battlemaid. She has rather large breasts (I know, I have a type) and I want to describe but not objectify, especially during combat.

I’m finally starting to write a fantasy book based on an idea I’ve had for a VERY long time, and I’ve reached the point where I need to decide which character should be the main POV.

I have two characters I absolutely love, and I originally thought about writing separate books for both of them within the same universe. But I think I’d rather tell the story through one character’s POV while making the other a major supporting character.
The problem is… I genuinely cannot decide which one is more interesting.

Character 1 - The Princess
She’s the firstborn daughter of the current ruler, but she isn’t the heir. Her family has been on the throne for generations, and she has a lot of siblings.
Personality-wise, think Manon Blackbeak/Crochan from Throne of Glass mixed with Cardan Greenbriar from The Cruel Prince — powerful, sarcastic, somewhat chaotic, but also surprisingly laid-back and willing to go with the flow.
She struggles with the expectations placed on her by her family and with the complicated relationships between her siblings.

Character 2 - The Bastard
She’s the bastard daughter of the kingdom’s powerful general. Her mother is complicated. Think Cersei Lannister + Lilith Sorrengail.
Her biological father is from another realm and is absent from the story.
She has two half-siblings, and her mother is determined to see one of them inherit the throne.
She was born from an affair.

Which character would you rather read a fantasy series from?
The powerful princess caught between keeping her family whole and her own freedom. A “powerful royal who is not the heir” tension, sibling rivalry, political intrigue, dark magic, and morally questionable choices.
The bastard daughter struggling shame, her purpose, and duty. “I’m a bastard and therefore an outsider.”
And honestly, which one sounds like they have more potential for a multi book character arc?
I’m trying to decide which character should be the main POV and which one should become the major supporting character.

I’m working through some feedback on my novel and would love some advice from other writers. Background info: I had my mmc go through a pretty big shift in behavior (suddenly). It coming suddenly felt like a good decision since I wanted the reader to experience some of the confusion/betrayal that the fmc does. I want to make the sudden shift work in my story but based on some of the feedback I’ve gotten the shift might have felt a little TOO sudden/confusing. I’m trying to find the balance I need to make this shift be surprising for the reader while still seeming believable. I laid small eggs for the reader to get the feeling of suspicion but evidently, it wasn’t quite enough lol. For those of you who have written a character who has a sudden change in behavior, how did you handle that? (Sorry for any typos lol!)