Fewer romance readers are content with just a romance any more—I know I’m not. I need something more. It can be fantasy with magic in my Regency setting, or a mystery. Others might want a dark romance mixed with paranormal, or an historical romcom. Whatever it is, blended genres are in.
But what does that mean for authors?
More work. A more complicated story to plot and write.
To write a mystery-Regency romance—as I’m doing now—I am having to juggle not just a romance plot and the character growth plots of the two protagonists, but also a mystery plot with suspects, red herrings, and all that goes into writing a mystery. And I need to keep all of these plots balanced and moving throughout the book. I can’t stop writing about the mystery to focus on the romance—or, at least, not for long—and the character growth needs to be woven through everything as well. Every scene needs to move forward (or back, as the case may be) at least two plot lines.
To ensure that they do this, no piece of software can handle this. Many will allow you to track each plot line like the x-axis in Plottr, and then each scene card can be colored to represent a second plot line, but what if there’s a third? I’m out of luck.
I have been forced to go back to a simple table where I can either mark off or briefly describe how each scene moves each plot line forward. From that I can track each plot individually as well as see where I need to add to my scene to ensure it touches upon a second plot.
So, now, as I edit my newly completed first draft, I am filling in two tables—one that tracks my writing craft: does every scene contain conflict, description, and serve a purpose, and a plot table where I note down how each scene touches upon or progresses each plot line.
Who was it who said writing a novel was easy? Oh, right, no one who’s ever attempted to do so.