Writing A Hot And Steamy Romance Novel

Jump to Last Post 1-5 of 5 discussions (8 posts)
  1. LSKing profile image61
    LSKingposted 14 years ago

    I've been typing away for a few weeks now. Putting all my dirty thoughts into a steamy romance novel. I'm having a hard time with the formatting (When to end and begin a new chapter? How many words should be on each page?)... and so on. Can any of you direct me to a resource or advise me from experience? Thanks!

    1. AdeleCosgroveBray profile image88
      AdeleCosgroveBrayposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Advice on formatting an MS can be found in many 'How To' books on writing, such as the Artists' & Writers' Yearbook. 

      While some agents and publishers have their own particular format, the standard one is for the font to be Courier New, 12 point, double-line spacing on one side of an A4 sheet.  The first line of each paragraph should be indented, and there should be no line gap between paragraphs.  All pages should be numbered. 

      If you're unsure how to structure a chapter, I strongly suggest you take a creative writing class or join a writers' circle local to you.  You'll find these invaluable for feedback.

      Research the market you're aiming for by reading as much as possible.

      Also, try reading Stephen King's "On Writing" as this offers a huge amount of useful advice on technique and on how to develop a writing career.

      1. LSKing profile image61
        LSKingposted 14 years agoin reply to this

        Thank you for your advice. I will look into this.

        1. Sunny Robinson profile image72
          Sunny Robinsonposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          I second the advice above.  Particularly on Stephen King's "On Writing".  He also provides examples from his own manuscripts before they were published.  I was advised to check out Sol Stein's "On Writing", as well.  I haven't read it yet but it may help you.

          A couple of tips off the top of my head:
          - Chapters generally can be between 5 to 10 pages. 
          - I'm tentative on the whole 'how many words' thing because sometimes authors will try to throw in fillers to beef up chapters.  But I would go with possibly 2500 to 4500 words per chapter at bare minimum, depending on how long your novel will be.
          - Keep the doors closed on your first draft, meaning don't let anyone read it.  Open the doors on your second draft if you really want peer reviews and feedback.
          - Take a peek at some of the books from your favorite and most successful erotica or romance authors and pay attention to their formatting.

  2. Cagsil profile image70
    Cagsilposted 14 years ago

    I just don't advise putting on HubPages. lol

  3. couturepopcafe profile image60
    couturepopcafeposted 14 years ago

    A chapter can be any length.  You have to 'feel' when something has shifted in the story.

    You can go to InstantPublisher.com to download a free cover and page template for any size book you want.  You open a blank page in the new format and copy your ms into it.  You'll need to save the file as a pdf if your sending it to someone else.

    Also check blurb.com - they may have a template to download.

  4. psycheskinner profile image77
    psycheskinnerposted 14 years ago

    The only formatting you need as you write is inch margins, a standard font and put paragraphs and chapter breaks where it seems best.

  5. Cheeky Girl profile image67
    Cheeky Girlposted 14 years ago

    I wrote some hubs based on true life experiences and they were in danger of becoming hot and steamy, so I re-edited them and toned down the content for Hub Pages (The Encounters stories). In a book, the rules are different, so you can be as hot and steamy as you like.

    What kind of other books do you like - and have you looked at other writers who write similar? Check them out or get a few free from a library and check them out. Present your typescript well. Make sure that it's double-spaced with numbered pages, printed on good quality A4 paper on one side only, with generous margins. Check and indicate your word count. The 2 links I give below will provide answers to all your questions and more, the websites are free to join - I joined them a year ago and they are a great help.

    How big chapters should be depends on what happens in the chapter. If not much happens, it will be a small chapter, if big or great things happen in another part of it all happens, that chapter will be longer. You can add filler or what they call "padding" to chapters to fluff them up a bit, like more detail. You can slow things down so it takes longer to tell the events. Try not to force the chapters to be all the same size or quantity, but a few thousand words at least ought to do.

    Steamy stories about relationships can be just great fodder for books. Adding suspense or conflict can turn a book on its head, but that's not related to your question. I suggest getting hold of "The Artists and Writers Yearbook" - here's the link:

    http://www.writersandartists.co.uk/

    ...there are now several varieties of such a book about, and they all give advice of formatting for this genre of book. Check this link as it is a website and should answer your questions better. I use it myself and its a huge writers resource:

    http://www.writermag.com/

    By the way, if you email any publisher and tell them you are writing a book and ask them for advice on formatting they will happily tell you. Best of luck in your writing.

    Cassy

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)