- 1). Visit a bookstore and research the kinds of short romance stories being sold. These books usually contain several short stories written by different authors.
- 2). Develop your story idea and write it down. Include a short plot with a character list and setting. Because your short story only has between 1,000 and 7,500 words, you have to keep your list of characters short.
- 3). Develop your characters. Bring these people to life, giving them good and bad points, personalities, strengths, weaknesses and flaws. Show who they are and include short physical descriptions of each character. Establish a setting for your story ---- make this a place you are familiar with. Include place descriptions and local businesses, real and imaginary. Show what the setting is like, including weather and how the community looks when it is raining, snowing and as the sun rises and sets.
- 4). Create an outline from your story idea, character list and setting. Using the research you carried out at the bookstore, develop your outline, putting every element you found in the short stories you saw at the bookstore. These elements include hero, heroine, other characters who drive the story, sexual tension and conflict.
Your outline should include how the main characters meet, get to know each other and fall in love. Don't forget to add conflict and relationship complications, as well as a happy resolution. - 5). Write your short story. On the first draft, don't worry about editing as you write ---- you will have plenty of time for this after you finish writing. Just get words onto paper or your computer, following your outline and character list.
- 6). Put your short story away for several days after you finish writing it. Give yourself time to rest before you take your story and begin proofreading and editing. This is the time when you look for and mark errors, plot weakness and thin characterization. Look for areas where character and plot don't match and where the story might stray away from your outline. Ask trusted friends or a critique group to read your story and critique it for you.
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