10 Top Writing Prompts Romance for Writers

Are you interested in the top writing prompts romance? If so, take a look at a few romance writing prompts you can use for your next romance story.

Who doesn’t love a great love story? Some people fall in love with their high school sweetheart, but other people might fall in love with one of their best friends. Everyone dreams of finding their soulmate, regardless of whether this is online, through a blind date, or one of their co-workers. You might even be thinking about writing a great romance novel or short story yourself.

Every bestseller has to start from somewhere, and there are countless examples of romance novels involving fiction writing. If you are interested in creative writing prompts, take a look at a few romance story ideas you might be able to use for your next publication!

1. Enemies Become Friends

Top writing prompts romance

There is nothing wrong with reusing a classic romance prompt. Enemies becoming friends is one of the all-time classic romance prompts used throughout literature. Even historical fiction and historical romance tend to draw on this plot.

The story is relatively straightforward. It begins with two characters who are on opposite sides. They might not necessarily hate each other, but the people they hang out with don’t like each other. For example, Romeo and Juliet tells the story of two teenagers whose families are enemies.

Eventually, the two characters start spending time with one another and realize they have more in common than they think. Eventually, they fall in love and get married. Sometimes, the story ends in tragedy. In other cases, the story has a happy ending.

Even though this story has been told before, there are plenty of ways to make it interesting. It is up to you to put your twist on the story to turn it into a best-selling novel. Consider writing a romance story using this prompt!

2. Best Friends Try To Get Out of the Friend Zone

If you have ever been stuck in the friend zone, you know how it feels. If you want to ask someone out, you need to do it before they see you as a friend. Getting out can be a challenge once you fall into the friend zone. 

Therefore, this can make a great romance writing prompt as well. There are multiple directions you can take the story. For example, one person might be interested in someone else, but the other person has already put that individual in the friend zone. Or, you might want to tell the story differently. For example, perhaps both people put each other in the friend zone, and then they are stuck together before realizing there is some chemistry between the two.

This is a fairly open prompt. You can select characters of just about any age, and there is a lot of freedom in the story. Maybe you want to give the story a happy ending. Or, perhaps you want to show the world that this is a terrible idea. It is entirely up to you! You might be interested in exploring metaphor examples for kids. Check out our guide.

3. The Person on Vacation

Writing prompts romance
You may want to use involves someone who goes on vacation as a romance writing prompt

Another romance writing prompt you may want to use involves someone who goes on vacation. Have you ever left the country? It can be a lot of fun to experience another culture. You never know who you will meet, and you might fall in love. This is the foundation of this romance writing prompt. 

Imagine someone who leaves their own country to explore one of the greatest cities in the world. This could be Asia, South America, Australia, Europe, or somewhere else. They might be sitting in a coffee shop one day, and someone catches their eye. Maybe it is the person behind the counter. Perhaps it is someone else working at one of the tables.

The main character decides to take a risk and talk to the other person. Eventually, they realize that there is something between the two of them. This is how the relationship begins. It is up to you to take the story from here. You might even turn it into a best-selling novel. 

4. The Arranged Marriage

If you want to tell an exciting story, consider weaving a tale about an arranged marriage. Everyone has heard about what it is like to be from a super conservative country with arranged marriages. Some of them have a happy ending. But, in other cases, the two people might not be compatible with each other at all. Because there are so many directions you can take the story, this is a fantastic writing prompt.

Do you want to show people that an arranged marriage is not a good idea? Or, do you want to show people that you can fall in love with someone in an arranged marriage? Because there is a lot of creative license with this prompt, you can turn this into a bestseller as well. You may even want to talk to someone who has been in an arranged marriage before. That way, you have some ideas with which to work. 

5. The Relationship Built on Lies

Not every lie is the same. Some lies can be horrible and destroy someone’s life. Other lies might be white lies, told to keep people blissfully unaware. Some people have even said that a happy relationship is built on lies. But is this necessarily the case? It is up to you to tell the rest of the story.

This story can be told in a lot of ways. Perhaps there is a significant lie that brings two people together. Maybe someone falls in love because they believe something about the other person that is not true. What direction do you want to take the story? There are plenty of ways to put this story together, so get the creative juices flowing and see what you can come up with. 

6. The Second Time Around

Have you ever felt the urge to get back together with someone you have broken up with? If so, it could be the perfect foundation of a romance story. This story is relatively straightforward. Two people are in a relationship. One person decides to end the relationship. Then, something big happens. The two of them decide to get back together. Is it going to go better the second time around? Or, is it going to end in heartbreak? That is for you to decide.

A broken heart can be incredibly painful. Sometimes, people still want to get back together even though it hurts so badly when it ended the first time. You can give the story a happy ending or have the story end in tragedy once again. This is an easy story for people to relate to, so it can be a fantastic writing prompt. 

7. The Relationship Rocked by a Crime

If you love suspense and thriller novels, you may want to consider working that future into your romance writing prompt. With this premise, two people have gotten together, they could be in a long-term relationship, or perhaps they are already married. Then, all of a sudden, something happens that rocks the relationship. One of them is the suspect in a major crime.

So, did the person actually do it or, are they innocent? There are plenty of directions you can take this story. Obviously, the ending of the story will be completely different depending on whether the person is guilty or not. The trick is to keep the reader guessing up until the very end. 

8. Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover

There is a saying that there is never a second chance to make a first impression. On the other hand, the first impression is not always accurate. For example, you may want to tell a story about someone who has been misjudged. Maybe the person initially came out as incredibly awkward. Perhaps the other person didn’t think they were compatible.

Of course, perseverance and everything. You may want to have the main character continue to pursue the other person. You don’t want to make the main character too aggressive, but you want to show that the main character is working hard to get the other person to give them a chance. All it takes is one opportunity. Then, after that opportunity, the main character might win the other character’s heart. This could make for a great romance story. 

9. The Plane Flight

Have you ever been on a long plane flight? If so, you probably know what it means to feel like Jell-O when you step off the plane. All you want to do is get on the plane and go to sleep. Few people on a plane actually talk to the people around them unless they knew them before getting on the plane. On the other hand, you never know what will happen if you start talking to the person sitting next to you.

In this story, the person sitting next to the main character decides to try to get to know them. Even though the main character wants to put on their headphones and shut out the world, they can’t get away from the other person. There is a captive audience. Eventually, the two people realize they like each other. Do they decide to get married? Do they fall in love with each other? That is the plot of your romance novel. If you liked this round-up of romance prompts, you might also like our guide to the best romance books by Penny Jordan.

10. The Childhood Friends Who Circle Back

Did you have a best friend in your neighborhood growing up? If so, you might envision that person as the “girl next door.” It is unusual for childhood best friends to fall in love with each other, but you may run into someone you used to know. Maybe it has been ten years since you two saw each other. You both have done a lot of growing up during the past decade.

That is the plot of your romance novel. Childhood friends who haven’t seen each other in many years meet and fall in love. Does the relationship have a happy ending? You get to write on the blank pages. 

Final Word on Writing Prompts Romance

These are a few of the many romance writing prompts you might want to use for your next novel. There are plenty of directions you can take your story, and you have plenty of creative license. You can write romance novels about people of all ages. Maybe it involves love at first sight on a road trip in real life.

Perhaps it is a sci-fi adventure that involves time travel or a fantasy romance. You can even include some historical figures if you would like. Because everyone loves a good love story, you may want to have your friends and family members read your story before you publish it. They might have some feedback you would like to incorporate within your pages. 

FAQs About Romance Writing Prompts

Does a romance novel always have to have a happy ending?

No, not every romance novel has a happy ending. Sometimes, they end in heartbreak. Most people have experienced heartbreak before, so there is nothing wrong with giving your romance novel a sad ending. Some of the top romance writers tell stories of matchmaking that end badly.

Are romance novels always about teenagers?

Many people fall in love for the first time during their teenage years. That is why a lot of romance novels focus on teenagers. However, even though you can certainly write a romance novel about high school or college, there is nothing wrong with falling in love at a later age.

Are there any romance novels that focus on the LGBTQ community?

Yes, there are a lot of stories that focus on romance in the LGBTQ community. For a long time, this topic was seen as off-limits. However, as the world has become more open-minded, more of these stories have been published.

Author

  • Bryan Collins is the owner of Become a Writer Today. He's an author from Ireland who helps writers build authority and earn a living from their creative work. He's also a former Forbes columnist and his work has appeared in publications like Lifehacker and Fast Company.

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