A good plot for a romance/drama/thriller novel?
Hi, I've been thinking for days of a good plot for a romance/drama story but I just can't think of any. I think I've got writer's block. I was wondering if anyone could help me come up with a good plot, a unique and different one. I want it to be fairly sad (i.e a sad ending) and quite romantic with a hint of thriller in. I don't want it to be super natural or anything like Twilight which I hate. I was thinking somewhere along the lines of The Lovely Bones or My Sister's Keeper something similar to that but more romance. Please don't say like "You shouldn't copy other people's books" because I'm not I just simply enjoyed reading those two books and would like to write something similar, not the same, similar. Also please don't say "It's your story, find you own plot" I am not asking you to tell me what i should write about, just a few ideas so I can pick a few out and combine them together if you know what I mean. Thanks in advance and help if you can. P.S I am a 15 year old girl by the way.
Why don't I like romance novels?
You would have to ask yourself "why". Some people just don't. I'm older - and even as a young person - I did not like romance novels. I did not like the cliched plots and words. I did not like the predictability. I did not like the "no point" to it. I did not like the "one is just like another". Like reading the same thing over and over and over - with different names and hair colors. Back then I didn't get through the first one without tossing it and never picking up another one. I preferred - even as a young reader a book or story with some substance. Why don't you try Betty Smith - she wrote "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" and "Maggie-Now" and "Tomorrow will be Better" and "Joy in the Morning". These are old books so you might have to go through Amazon used book section. Again, these are old books - so will be dated - won't have computers and cell phones, sex and such in them. But they are about young women and growing up and are very, very good. Books don't have to be written "last year" to be good and relevant. "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott is also older but very good. "Boys Life" by Robert McCammon is also very good. I would say there really aren't any "unique/romance" novels for young girls. I would say there is nothing "unique" about romance novels at all. They all follow the same formulaic pattern. Why don't you expand your horizons beyond the boundaries of "teenage girl"? Read "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck. "The Godfather" by Mario Puzo. "Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell. "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. Keep in mind the settings and people will be dated as I said above. Won't have all the modern stuff in them. But expand your mind - not only are they very good books - but it does show how life was before all the stuff that has come up in the last few years - and how people lived and dealt with things. These books could even give young people the idea that being glued to cell phones and texting wasn't always a way of life. That people could - and did - get along without these things.
Is there an romance anime that is unique?
lately I've been interested in romance anime and have begun to notice a pattern to all of them. I am searching for a romance anime that DOESN'T follow this criteria: The anime doesn't conclude characters relationships, the love interest has a dark secret/fiancee`/ect., the guy is oblivious to girls feelings, more than two girls like him (not priority). Basically I'm looking for an anime where boy meets girl and maybe a love triangle happens that leads to comical puns and situations. some action maybe or some drama, and most of all, the anime doesn't end on a cliffhanger leaving me feeling empty inside, I want to know that the main character at least picked somebody. Also and this is little, the animation needs to be good. Likable genres: Actions, Comedy, fantasy, Magic, Vampire/Demon (I've seen Highs chool DxD) please if you know an romance anime that is remotely close to this, (I'm losing my mind) let me know
Does this sound like an intriguing book?
Your fault with this query is two-fold. 1) it comes across as a run of the mill romance. You need to show how this is different than most other romance novels. If this isn't romance, then you have lots of problems with this query. You shouldn't say "this is not like Twilight" you have to show how it's not like other novels in this genre. What makes this unique? I read a lot of romance and I don't see anything remotely interesting or unique about your novel and if I were an agent, I would send you a rejection. Secondly, where is the conflict? Your novel needs a conflict/plot and I'm not getting one from this query. What does your protag have to overcome and how does she over come it? You have told me absolutely nothing about your novel. All I know is that this self-centered girl moves to a new city with her dad and meets a boy and falls in love. You need to expand on the lies, secretes, and death, especially if they are intricate to the plot. What happens that puts their relationship in jeopardy? What was the mistake that made her leave town? You need specifics. This isn't the blurb on the back of a book that's about to be published, this is a query letter to get someone to request a partial or full, so you need to be specific while keeping their interest. One thing you have to understand with writing a query is that how you write it is most likely indicative of how you've written your novel. If your query is badly written then your manuscript probably is too, and that's grounds for rejection (without reviewing the manuscript). I agree that your punctuation can be improved, but this is something you, the writer, needs to know how to do, else you're going to find it hard to get published if your grammar is not above average. There's nothing that's very glaringly bad about it and I have seen worse. You need to try again. Search the Internet for sample queries to see how they're written. You also need a paragraph that gives the specification of your novel (title, word count, genre, info about the author).
Need some good romance plot lines/story lines?
Well, I know that this is not the answer you're looking for, but please read on. I won't tell you my ideas, because they are mine, and I'm sorry, but I'm no charity when it comes to "giving ideas". I like to help, but I won't give mines to any other people. Because if you don't have them on your own, how would you write your next book? And the one after that one? You'd always be dependant on other people and that is no good, believe me. No writers work like that. You have to write a book on your own, to be able to say "it's my story". So, I suggest you find inspiration from your own life. I think you probably asked this question because you don't have some great ideas at the moment, but you'd love to have. This is something really cool, so don't give up easily! =) In my opinion you should learn to ask the right questions that make stories. So for example imagine your best friend having a strange encounter with a world-class thief who is have just stolen a worthy diamond, but his partner betrayed him and he will get caught if your best friend won't help him? What would he do if he'd realize that this thief is actually a person he/she knows for a long time and he/she have always liked him before? Would he/she help him or leave him to the justice? But maybe you think this isn't enough creative. Well, it's great, because it seems you already know what to change in this, so you actually have ideas on your own at the moment too, so just let them flow, and transform them the way you like them. Feel free to combine things. Write about things you already know or about things that you don't know, but they interest you. Ask "What-if...?"-questions. Imagine strange situations, do anything that suits you. =) So, I hope you'll find your way how to write a good story completely on your own. Good luck! ;)
Any drama/romance story ideas?
Well, any good story needs some conflict, so why don't you choose a couple that already comes with their own drama? Write about something taboo, or something out of the norm. A teacher/student relationship? Make the student underage. Make the teacher overweight. Write about the leader of a radical Islamic sect who becomes romantically obsessed with a Western movie star. Make her promiscuous! Write about a psychiatrist who falls for a mentally ill patient. Use folie à deux! There are lots of idea out there. Just watch the news, that's a great place to come up with ideas. Come up with a backstory for the next robbery you hear about. When you hear about a murder, wonder why. Good luck!
Why are most romantic novels written by female authors?
People here seem to be interpreting this question as “why are all romance novels written by women”, rather than why are most written by women. Pointing out Shakespeare (Romeo & Juliet is more of a tragedy than a romance anyway) or Nicolas Sparks doesn’t mean anything, as they aren’t the majority of romance writers (published or not). A better question might be “why are there more female romance writers than male ones”, which to me is what’s really being asked here.All the silly feminist/gender analyses of the comments here aside, I think the answer is pretty simple. Writers tend to write what they know, and what they’re interested in, and women are generally more interested in romantic relationships and romantic fantasies than men. Not that we don’t like it at all, but, in my experience anyway, most guys aren’t interested in experiencing romance through our entertainment.Also, when men do write romance, it’s usually more as part of a larger plot than as the main conflict - so, I’d say most romantic stories written by men simply aren’t labeled under the genre “romance novel”. Similarly, when women write non-romance novels, there’s still often a heavy romantic element involved with the MC. So, not only do women authors tend to dominate the romance genre, they also write about it a lot in others too (i.e. Twilight isn’t classified as romance novels, even though it obviously is) lolTL;DR - We write what we like, and generally speaking men are less interested in romantic fiction than women are, so they write about it less.
What is the best love/drama novel you have ever read?
Thanks for the A2A.Though I'm a bibliophile and like to read from diverse genre, romantic novels are not really my cup of tea! Yes, I've had my share of the nicholas spark's and eric segal's, but to tag a book as the best I've ever read, It has to blow my mind. Moreover, when it comes to romantic reading, I'm more of a poetry person and would rather dig my copy of Essential Rumi.Anyway, I'd list some which are not purely Romantic novels, but are great books in the manner they explore the intricacies of human relationships. One is Gone with the wind by Margaret Mitchell. A very hefty civil war epic. But despite her ways, I fell in love with the character of Scarlet O'hara, specially for her love of life.And Rhett butler, how I wish you were real!Then there is wuthering heights by Emily Brontë. What Catherine says about Heathcliff when she is heartbroken, "... He is more myself than I am. ", is one of my favourite quote from the book.And how can you forget Anna Karenina by Leo tolstoy. To quote-"Love. The reason I dislike that word is that it means too much for me, far more than you can understand."Now that I've sit to list them, I feel I might go on and on. Maybe I'll write a list of 'books you need to read before you die'. Just not today. PS: The last romantic novel I read was The fault in our stars by John Green and totally loved it. And though Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz doesnt qualify as a romantic drama, the Odd-Stormy love story made me root for a fictional character's well being so bad after really long!
What are good plot twists for teen romance stories?
As an author of various genres, plots can be similar regardless of the age. I've recently done a great deal of research in the YA genre and I've found that teens seem to really respond to plots that involve danger between the hero and the heroine. By that I mean the hero and the heroine are a danger to each other. If it is romance then a plot where the hero will die if he is with the heroine, or vice versa seems to be very popular. If you are writing romance you want to have an obstacle that keeps coming between your two lovers. Just when you think they are going to make it something else happens. I've also found in my research that teens really seem to respond well to books written in first person. I have some writing tips on my website that you might find helpful. Hope this helps. Kelly Abell Author- Blood Harvest Moon www.kellyabellbooks.com
What are some good plot ideas? I've been wanting to write a story, but I'm not sure what to make it about.
Every plot has one thing in common: the protagonist wants something. If he's a detective, he wants to solve a crime. If she’s single and lonely, she wants a partner. If he's a master theif, he wants the one priceless object he's been chasing for years.Your three main decisions: who your protagonist is, what he/she wants, and whether or not you want him/her to get it.Your secondary decision: who is the antagonist (the person thwarting the protagonist’s efforts)?I can't give you a plot, I can only point you toward finding one. There are excellent books out there about crafting effective plots. Here are two that I recommend:The Story Equation: How to Plot and Write a Brilliant Story with One Powerful Question (Brilliant Writer Series): Susan May Warren: 9781943935116: Amazon.com: BooksMastering Suspense, Structure, and Plot: How to Write Gripping Stories That Keep Readers on the Edge of Their Seats: Jane K. Cleland, Hallie Ephron: 0035313664700: Amazon.com: BooksGood luck.