This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Romantic fiction is wildly popular. Considering that love is probably the most vital human need (after water, air, food and shelter), this isn’t really a surprise, but what constitutes a romance?
A romantic book is characterised by (at least) two people falling in love with each other. If we’re talking about the romance genre, there is also the expectation that the two people will have a ‘happily ever after’ ending (or, at least, the implication of one). However, a non-genre book could have a tragic or ambiguous ending and the story would still be a romantic one. What matters is the focus on the romantic relationship.
The trick when writing a romance plot is to make it obvious to your reader that these people are perfect for one another (so that it is satisfying when they get together or tragic when they do not) while keeping them apart for the majority of the plot.
They can be ‘on stage’ together; talking, fighting, laughing, kissing, but they mustn’t have reached the ‘we’re totally in love and have agreed to be together’ stage, as that’s the conclusion of their romantic story.
It’s also possible to write a romance that focuses on a marriage or other existing long-term relationship, but the plot will still follow the characters from a position of ‘being apart’ (emotional distance, estrangement, physical distance) to a position of being ‘together’, again.
Or, to put it another way, the story follows the relationship as it moves from being broken to being repaired.
If you are writing a romance book, then the romantic plot should be central. You can, of course, have romantic subplots in a variety of genres and there are several successful sub-genres, which mix story elements together such as romantic suspense and romantic comedy.
Two great examples are Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie and Landline by Rainbow Rowell and both are well worth a read if you’re looking to familiarise yourself with the genre.
One tired cliché concerning romance books is that they are written to a formula which is, of course, no more true of romance than it is of any other genre. All genres have their expectations and conventions. In a mystery novel, for example, there is an expectation that the crime will be solved by the end of the book.
As with all stories, the framework and conventions are of little consequence; the interest and individuality of the story – and the reader’s enjoyment – is all in the execution.
What do you think makes an excellent romance novel? Which books in the genre have been written especially well?