Your guide to writing romance: An introduction

All of us have a story tell, or two. Or maybe a lot. Sometimes you feel like your brain is going to explode of all the things that want to be written and shared so bad. I'm like that, like, all the time. I was in high school when I started to write stories, and the characters were mostly me and my friends, with our celebrity fantasies (oh yes, mine's Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys). Today's generation is lucky enough to have Wattpad. Me? I wrote my stories at the back of my math notebook because it's the most unused notebook I have.

Why do you want to write?

Your reasons for doing this are important, as they are going to be your fuel when the nights are slowly becoming long and sleepless and agonizing. There'd be moments when you'd ask yourself why you're doing what you're doing. Why are you still awake in front of your laptop at two in the morning when everyone else in the side of your world is sleeping. Trust me, I've been there. Still, here I am six (or seven) books after, working on another story for the workshop I luckily got in. It's hard. It's mind-reeling most of the time. But because I know my reasons for doing this, I keep on going.

So what could be your reasons for writing, or wanting to write if you haven't yet?

You have something to say. I'm not sure if writers are born or made. Maybe both. One thing that I know is, like I said, we all have a story to tell. It doesn't matter if it's our story or it's other people's stories, if it happened in the past and in real life or if it's a made-up story your brain can't seem to stop conjuring (e.g. the things you want to happen between you and your crush). You have something to say, and that counts.

You want to make money off writing. I haven't made money from my romance books enough to feed myself. There, I said it. It's a long and winding road to become a bestseller and earn royalties enough for you to leave your 9-5 job. But I've earned enough from my technical writing gigs. Though for now, I'd like to talk about fiction writing, specifically romance, and I'd love to help you start that story in your head.

You want to find out if writing is for you. This might be a little bit tricky, but the doors are wide open for you as well. Who knows, you could be the next Lang Leave or J.K. Rowling. All you need is that little push to get you started.

You just want to have fun. Aren't we all? :)

So, where and how do you start?

I don't claim to be the best author, but I believe I have enough experience to share to those who are just about to start in this journey. I will be posting a series of blog posts every weekend that talks about my journey as a romance author. How to translate that idea in my head into words, put them on paper and share it to the world. It's going to be a step by step guide, from writing from scratch to publication and marketing, a process that I've learned from workshops, other people's experiences, and from my own experiences and bad decisions.

You can ask me questions along the way via the comments section. You may also want to follow me on my social media pages @bethgstories (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) so you'd get updates on my next post. The only preparation that you need to do is read romance books (by any author but if you want to read my books just go to this page) in order to understand the technical aspects of writing.

Are you excited? I am too!