I can’t help myself. Every time I meet a happy couple, I need to know how they met. The stories are always so different and so fascinating! You probably have at least one great meet-cute story in your family, circle of friends, or in your community. But why is it a truly terrible idea to take the love story of someone you know and turn that into a romance novel? Can’t I just call my grandma by a different name, change up the facts a little, and write up a romance novel that honors my family’s story?

Well, you shouldn’t. And here’s why.

2) Overcoming the obstacles that stand in the way of love is a critical aspect of the successful romance novel.

No romance novel is complete without both the obstacles and the satisfactory resolution of those obstacles.

I’ll tell you a quick story about a love story that sounded a lot like a romance novel… but it would have failed if I’d tried to write it!

The most magical meet-cute I’ve heard about in a long time happened like most magical things do. It started out as a mundane, routine Saturday night. A girl went to a bar in the city with a group of friends. Let’s call the girl Andi. Andi at one point walked up to the bar to grab some water. Someone sitting alone at the bar struck up a conversation with Andi while she waited for the bartender’s attention. The guy alone at the bar happened to be from the same small town where Andi was raised.

Let’s call the solo man at the bar Robbie. So Robbie chatted Andi up. They knew lots of people in common, shared some history from their small town, and after a few minutes, Robbie invited Andi to a party nearby. Andi told Robbie she was at the bar with people and she couldn’t leave her group. Robbie said, “Everyone can come!” And so within the hour, Andi and her entire group of friends knocked on the door of a stranger’s apartment, expecting to be welcomed in by Robbie. 

When the apartment door opened, the person who answered the door was not Robbie. And Robbie never actually showed up at the party. Andi actually never saw Robbie again!

But, a couple of hours later, Andi was head over heels in love with the guy who lived in that apartment. Let’s call him Jake. But there was a complication. Andi lived in another state! She happened to be visiting friends in the city for just that weekend.

But since this is indeed a magical story of romance and meet-cutes, Andi moved back to her home state to be closer to Jake. And wouldn’t you know—they got their happy ending!

Now this sounds like fodder for a great romance novel, right? Romance, tension, drama, unexpected twists, the “will-they/won’t they” question… But this love story would not in fact make a successful romance novel. Why not?

Because critical aspects of the romance novel are missing: goals, conflict, growth, and character arcs!

If you want to learn more about developing the essential building blocks of your book, knowing how to balance too much/not enough conflict, or how to test whether the plot you’ve crafted is strong enough to support your romance novel, sign up for our newsletter or reach out for a personal consultation. We offer workshops, manuscript evaluations, online courses and education, and individual coaching. Until then, enjoy those love stories… and write them down in a journal or idea board. But before you decide to turn that love story into a romance novel, remember the story of Andi and Jake…because it’s just that: a love story!​