In my blog, I am going to be offering up a series of modules that delve into my process for writing Romantic Gay Fiction and also lend from formulas used by other writers and writing sites to help them create great stories.
The first in the series looks at your Big Idea. I will talk more about individual components of this overview (e.g. Genres/Sub Genres, Romance Tropes, Theme) in other parts of the series
Whether you are someone who IMPROVISES (writes as you go, letting the story in your head guide you) or ORGANISES (carefully structures the story before writing), you will need to make some fundamental decisions about your story before you begin writing.
This statement about a book idea is provided by www.reedsy.com.
My fictional story is a [GENRE/SUB GENRE] novel about [THEME] based along the lines of the [TROPE] romance trope. It follows [PROTAGONIST], who wants [GOAL] because [MOTIVATION]. But [CONFLICT] doesn’t make that easy, putting [STAKE] at risk.
The main GENRE here is going to be Romance, but the SUB GENRE could be contemporary, erotica, inspirational, historical, regency, suspense, mystery, thriller, LGBTQ, etc.
The THEME of a story is the heartbeat, the essence of the story. These are concepts that pervade and recur throughout a piece of writing. In ROMANCE, this usually involves finding love, but could be represented as never being too old to find love, learning to love someone the lead character had fallen out of love with, or the protagonist trusting themself to love anew, etc.
A TROPE in romantic fiction is a plot convention, a very general tried-and-trusted storyline that writers have used in the past. Think how Romeo and Juliet is reworked in West Side Story.
PROTAGONIST is the main character (or main characters if you are writing from multiple PoVs) driving your story forward.
GOAL represents what the main character wants during the story. Sometimes, the short-term goal may not be the final one. Goals often change.
MOTIVATION is the reason they pursue this goal.
CONFLICT relates to the force or forces getting in the way of your main character achieving his or her goal/goals.
STAKE relates to what the main character stands to gain from achieving his or her goal/goals.
HERE IS MY BIG IDEA for COMPANION REQUIRED
My fictional story is a CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE about FINDING LOVE IN AN UNEXPECTED PLACE based along the lines of the FAKE RELATIONSHIP trope. It follows KENNEDY GREY who wants A PAID COMPANION TO ACCOMPANY HIM ON HIS HOLIDAY because HE IS INEPT IN SOCIAL SITUATIONS. But HIS EX-PARTNER TURNING UP ON THE CRUISE doesn't make that easy, putting HIS GROWING FONDNESS OF THE NEW COMPANION at risk.
Why not give this a try yourself with your own idea for a story?
Creating a catchy Big Idea will not only let you know that you are on the right track and keep you motivated but will also give you a talking point when telling friends about the story you are working on.

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