I want to be a romance novelist

I want to be a romance novelist. I am currently a different type of writer. I write weird literary fiction with a dash of magical realism. And that’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just… I want to be a romance novelist. I want to write the kind of romantic comedies that have bright, candy-coloured covers. I want a fat paperback with my name on it. How do I do this? How do I divert from another type of writing, to romance writing?

There are plenty of online courses, services and methods that promise to help you write your novel, but I am dubious of those. It seems like making money off someone, just for having a dream. No, I must take matters into my own hands.

I must immerse myself in the world of romance. Romance novels, romantic movies, romantic music. I must fantasise about the ideal partner, the perfect love affair, the highest stakes. It is time to open my mind (and my heart) and let romantic ideas come to me. I must let them find me, wherever I am.

Now, I am going to tell you something personal about myself. I’m ace. Not just that I’m excellent, the best, top. I’m asexual. I have worried that this fact will make writing romance more difficult for me. It strikes me now that this is an opportunity to write some excellent asexual representation.

I must write a romance that appeals to me – in all the ways that I am unique and interesting – I must not try to write the kind of romance I imagine would appeal to other people, that leaves me cold. The key is to take my uniqueness and turn it into characters and a plot. I can do this with a paper, a pen and a sleepless night:

I’ll take a piece of paper and tear it up into strips. On each strip, I’ll write something that I know about (e.g. asexuality) or something that I’m passionate about (tennis?). I’ll swirl the papers up and put them together in different combinations, until I find a fresh romance novel idea. Hey, if I put some effort in, maybe the muse will bless me too.