What does it take to join the ranks of romance writers? Do you have to be witty and elegant and be romantic yourself? Or do you just need to yearn for those things in your life? The life of a writer isn't always romantic, whether writing romance or not. If you could see me now, at 5 am, in my robe and socks you wouldn't think of romance at all, I know I'm not. The fact is that romance has nothing to do with writing romance.
With that aside lets discuss how you become a romance writer. Like any genre of writing you must first be familiar with the writing. You must have read romance novels or science fiction novels or mysteries in order to write them. You must be current on what is hot and what is not in the romance industry. If you write a paranormal romance novel only to find out that they just aren't selling, or more importantly being bought, right now you have wasted a good deal of time. Don't throw it away but you will either need to save it until that genre is back in vogue or try to find a publisher that wants to print it. Hard enough for a romance book that is in line with current trends.
Before you even start to write consider joining a writers association or guild. It doesn't specifically have to be for romance writers but it's always nice to be in the company of those that understand your work. There are many resources on the web for finding out about and joining a writers group or organization. Find one that works for you and then join it. Participate, get to know your fellow writers, and share ideas, advice and miseries.
Take a moment and check out our menu choice for How To Write a Romance Novel. This will give you a better understanding of what to do when you actually start writing. Also look into the lives of current and popular writers. Check out the romance writing industry to know what you are getting into.
Of all the writing genres the romance writing category is actually the one doing the most business. When you consider that over half of all fiction paperback book sales are romance books you begin to realize the passion America's 55 million readers have for romance. Over 2,000 romance novels are published each year.
In order to become a successful writer of romance novels you need to marry the skills of a fiction writer with a thorough understanding of the genre. There are writing courses and books galore that can help you work on both of these tasks. When you do shop for books or courses that teach about romance writing be sure to check that the author and instructors actually have written, edited, published or produced romance novels.