Think about the books that you have felt most connected to as a reader. What are the stories that you think about over and over again? Are there books that you always recommend when someone asks, or stories you can recite over and over and never grow tired of? I’ll tell you a secret, those stories all have something in common– their writers were writing about what they love. Think about it, you’ll hear podcasts from the greatest authors or hear them talk about their stories, and you can hear their love for their characters and their stories in the way they talk about them. I know I feel it with From Friends to Forever. I was so connected to this story, and so in love with my characters that writing their romance didn’t feel like work– it was a real joy and a passion.
Feeling Connected to my Characters
If we want our readers to be connected to our characters, isn’t it first important to connect with our characters ourselves? I’m not saying we have to love all of our characters. I have written characters I am annoyed with or want to shake them to their senses. That comes with writing friends to lovers romances, but even that feeling of annoyance is crucial. There isn’t a formula for the perfect character or an algorithm to the perfect story. The true secret is connection. We can’t expect our readers to fall in love with our characters if we haven’t done so first ourselves. I believe good characters are the foundation of a good story, and I strongly believe you can’t write a good character without feeling connection to them. Just like people, no two characters are the same, and that’s what makes them so special.
Readers are Passionate About What You Love
As a clean romance author, I think this is so important. This applies to any writing, not just romance. You have to write what you love. I love romance– I am a diehard romantic, I love clean romance novels, romantic comedy movies, hearing people’s love stories, and dreaming up romances in my head. So naturally, when I sat down to write From Friends to Forever, I knew it was going to be a romance novel. I knew I wanted to create a romance that my readers would relate to or fantasize about. From Friends to Forever showed my readers what it’s like to love someone for years and years and never know you were perfect for each other all along. I was passionate about writing their love story, and that’s what made my story connect to my readers. It wasn’t something I could guarantee, but I knew my passion for their love story would bridge a connection to my readers to truly make it an epic love story.
Relating to Readers’ Life Experiences
We can’t expect our readers to connect to a story they don’t relate to. Now, there is a balance to this because for me, I read a book to escape into another life, another story. I immerse myself into the story, as if I’m another character, and sometimes it’s fun to be immersed in a story completely different from anything I know in real life. As a romance writer, I think there is a balance that is important. Yes, there has to be a moving, different story in a romance, but there also has to be something that relates to the human experience.
For instance, let’s look at Balancing Love & Work. I was writing a workplace romance in an everyday office setting, about people that have very real life experiences both in the workplace and in their lives outside of work. So, even if there is a romance the reader might not have experienced before, there is a connection to the characters from the setting or their everyday life experiences they go through in the story. Yes, create an inventive and creative story, but don’t get caught up in trying to make it too far-fetched! Some of the best novels are about ordinary people learning to do remarkable things.
Conclusion
We’ve all connected to books that we love, and hopefully as writers, we’ll be able to capture the hearts of our readers, but I don’t think that’s possible if you don’t love what you write! If you are not connected to your story, how can you expect other people to connect to it? It’s a balance of writing something new and inventive, while also capturing hearts with relatable, tangible experiences. Don’t be afraid to draw from your life experiences, or your passions when you’re making your story. That could be what makes your story so special and unique. Clean romance novels are meant to draw the characters together, but also to connect to the readers, and I think that works best when you fall in love with your story first.
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