Gay Romance Novels: A Writer's Guide to Writing on Gay Relationship & Gay Romance

Gay Romance Novels: A Writer’s Guide to Writing on Gay Relationship & Gay Romance

Gay Romance is one of the biggest genres of fiction and it is easily the most accessible way for Gay Men to satisfy their fantasies on Gay Relationships.

There are many sub-genres within Gay Romance Novels, and for a start, it can be a little tricky finding out where your stories can be categorized into.

Excellent Resources for Writing Gay Romance Novels

These Gay Community Resources are available online, and we’ve consolidated a list of Gay Websites to help you gain traction in your writing and be at the top of your game for writing Gay Romance Novels … Enjoy!

1. A Good Domain to Kickstart Your Writing Career on Gay Romance Novels – Wattpad.com

Whether you’re a budding writer or an industry veteran, you’ll definitely find a sense of belonging on wattpad.com. Wattpad is a platform that connects writers to big names in publishing, and it is also a platform that connects writers and readers together through social storytelling.

As a reader, you’ll have access to a collection of stories from writers all around the world, and you can immerse yourself in the wide category of gay romance.

As a writer, you’ll have the tools and resources to get inspired, allowing you to write short stories and novella. You’ll be able to connect with a community that spans over 70 million readers all around the world.

If you ever feel stuck, you can always leverage on Wattpad’s community to gain ideas and get a feel of what readers want from stories, creating a more intimate bond between the reader and writer.

Readers can even utilize the inline commenting feature to share their thoughts and interact with your story. Wattpad also has an annual event called ‘The Wattys’ to reward authors who are outstanding, and it helps bring exposure to all who take part.

One of the books that won ‘The Heartbreakers’ award in 2018 is the Gay Romance Novel, “Heart of the Sky | Gay Titanic” by Gavin Hetherington. It follows the story of Brando and Daxten and how they overcome their challenges in love. Since winning the award, the story has been rated first in terms of “gayships” and the book continues to climb in readership, with a current standing of 79.9k reads.

Wattpad is thus an indispensable platform as it allows great stories to gain traction, paving the way to getting published and even possibly scoring a film/television deal.

2. Improvement Begins Through Learning – TheRomanceAuthors.com

TheRomanceAuthors.com is an online book club formed by gay romance authors who have banded together to give readers a free copy of a book every month. The books are written by different authors of the group and are specially curated to be released monthly.

This is an invaluable resource for writers because you’ll be able to get a glimpse of what makes a gay romance novel great, and you’ll be able to get inspiration from best-selling authors like Luna David, who is the author of the series “Custo Securities”, and Susi Hawke, who is the author of the series “The Blood Legacy Chronicles”.

The fact that these authors are releasing their own stories for free every month shows that they are doing their part to grow the community even further and encourage more to read gay romance.

3. Interacting With The Industry – GayRomLit Annual Retreat

Gayromlit.com (GRL) is an annual convention and retreat that celebrates not just gay romance, but the LGBT community as a whole. It is organized and sponsored by authors and publishers, and it is mainly reader-focused.

This helps in connecting readers to the authors that they know and love, whilst also exposing them to other authors that have yet to capture their attention. The retreat aims to build a safe, supportive, affordable and fabulous environment for the LGBT community to mingle and interact.

GRL started in 2011 in New Orleans, and ever since then, it has evolved into one of the most successful literature retreats in the US. The 2019 GRL Retreat will be held on the 17th-20th of October, 2019 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and pre-event activities will commence on the 16th.

The GRL retreat is a must-attend event for those who enjoy reading and writing gay romance, and you can either register as an author or reader. This retreat allows authors to reach a wide audience network, thus garnering more attention and readership to their short stories and novella.

There’s even an industry professional fair, where authors can interact one-on-one with leading industry professionals and publishers to discuss deals and licensing, if any.

Furthermore, author spotlight and lounges allow readers to interact and comment on the stories that have either been published or are still in the works. This big event should not be missed, especially if you’re aspiring to be an author specializing in gay romance.

The ideas and inspirations acquired from this retreat will most definitely help in crafting the next big story.

Concluding Insights on Writing Gay Romance Novels

While there are tons of other ways to improve one’s writing, one of the methods that have been proven to work best is through reading stories written by others.

Wattpad, TheRomanceAuthors and GayRomLit are just some of the resources that writers can look into to further develop their skills. Reading stories written by others will allow one to learn the best ways to capture a reader’s attention and bring their stories to life.

After all, the reason why many people read and write gay romance is for them to live out their fantasies. Hence, if you’re someone who has a passion for reading and writing gay romance stories, do check out the websites above!