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Fiction Writing Made Easy with Savannah Gilbo | How to Write a Novel & Writing Advice
Do you have a story you can't stop thinking about? Maybe it's still just an idea. Maybe it's half a draft you haven't opened in months, or a finished manuscript that doesn't quite work yet. Wherever you are, it can be hard to know what your story needs next.
Fiction Writing Made Easy is a podcast for aspiring fiction authors who want clear, practical guidance on what to do next with their novels. Hosted by developmental editor and book coach Savannah Gilbo, the show breaks down complicated writing concepts into simple, actionable lessons. Savannah explains why storytelling techniques work, how the different elements of a story fit together, and what that means for your own writing—often using examples from familiar books and movies.
Topics include developing your story idea, outlining a novel, creating characters readers care about, writing scenes that move your story forward, and figuring out what to fix when your draft isn't working. You'll also find genre deep dives on romance, fantasy, thrillers, and horror, mindset tips for difficult writing days, and advice on querying agents and self-publishing.
You'll also hear from editors and industry experts, as well as writers Savannah has taught who share how they finished—and often published—their books. With hundreds of episodes and over 3.8 million downloads, there's plenty to explore wherever you are with your book.
Hit follow for new episodes every week—and take the next step toward a novel you're proud of.
Fiction Writing Made Easy with Savannah Gilbo | How to Write a Novel & Writing Advice
#38: Romance Genre Conventions
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In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the conventions of the romance genre. I'm also going to show you how these conventions show up in the movie Twilight. Here's a preview of what's included:
[01:30] What makes the romance genre unique? In romance novels, everything centers around two characters falling in love despite the odds, and despite the risks.
[01:55] Readers choose romance novels because they want to feel all the excitement of falling in love without taking any of the emotional risks. And like all genre fiction, you have to deliver the emotional experience readers are looking for in order for your story to work.
[02:30] Genre conventions are the character roles, settings, and events that are specific to a genre. They’re what help us writers write a story that works AND evoke emotional reactions in our readers.
[04:00] #1 - There is a love triangle between two or more characters.
[05:55] #2 - There are characters who are for the relationship, and those who are against the relationship (aka "helpers" and "harmers").
[07:05] #3 - The protagonist is pursuing a specific goal that drives the story forward (usually, it has nothing to do with romance).
[08:40] #4 - There's a clear sense of masculine and feminine sensibilities (or differences in how each character approaches love).
[09:45] #5 - There's external conflict that occurs outside the protagonist (usually related to whatever goal he or she is chasing).
[11:00] #6 - There's internal conflict that occurs inside of the protagonist (like a character flaw, a fear, an outdated worldview, etc.).
[12:20] #7 - There's at least one secret.
[13:25] #8 - The couple shares intimacy rituals.
[14:25] #9 - There's an internal change in at least one of your main characters. In other words, they overcome whatever's been holding them back from true love.
[16:30] #10 - A happily ever after (HEA) ending.
[18:25] Key points and episode recap.
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Links mentioned in this episode:
- Episode Freebie: Romance Genre Conventions PDF Cheat Sheet
- Romance Obligatory Scenes: The 6 Scenes Every Romance Novel Needs (article)
- Romance Genre Conventions: The 10 Things Every Romance Novel Needs (article)
- Conventions vs. tropes: What's the difference? (podcast and article)
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