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I am just wondering, has anything really good come out of the Romance genre? From what I know, which is, admitedlly quite little, Romance storise are just repackaged tag phrases and plots.
(And what happened to the thread where we wrote Romance stories with fellow Forum members? It was so much fun! )
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I don't know what happened to the story writing thread...I saw it but it was over before I started posting here. We should start up a new one.
Anyway, romance. I am somewhat ashamed to admit that I have read stories in the romance genre one and off since I was fifteen. Most pure romance is pornography for woman, but hey, at least I can admit that.
There are a few authors who have tried to take romance to a new level by adding significant subplot or even a co-plot. (Is that a legitimate term?) I have read mysteries-romance and adventure-romance. There's the time travel romance, but that's just an excuse to get an old fashioned man together with a modern woman so you can have friction between the differing attitudes. She inevitably ends up falling in love with him and his time period and they live there together, never worrying about the fact that she will probably die in childbirth. (That's really the least of the historical problems I've seen, but I don't have that much time. )
Did I have a point? Oh yes, romance. If you want to try straight romance, I suggest Catherine Coulter's Sherbrooke series. I found them to be amusing as well as good examples of the genre without burrying you too much in the smelly stuff. Judith McNaught is also popular, but she's quite serious about her romance. I think it's Sandra Brown who does a strong mystery plot in her romances. Those are just a few.
Do not ever pick up a Harlquin romance novel. Ever. When people say that romance writers are literally given scripts to fill in this is what they mean.
Oh, I did have another point. You were wondering if anything really good has come from the romance genre! Well, I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. I've seen a few ok things, a few good things, but nothing monumental. What I'm looking forward to in romance in the future is to bring it into the science fiction and fantasy genre in a serious way. (Probably because scifi and fantasy are the only genres I write in.) I am currently writing a scifi story with a significant romance subplot. (Romance being substantially different from a mere love interest.) Romance by itself can only go so far, I'm hoping the marriage with other genres will give birth to something great.
[This message has been edited by Christine (edited October 10, 2003).]
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I can’t speak to your ideas of "really good," but I’ve gotten hours of enjoyment out of them. I’ve read them on and off, sometimes copiously, for years. I can’t handle the melodramatic ones usually, and some can be quite sad, but a lot of them are very funny, often in a sparing of the sexes, witty repartee sort of way. I find this great fun and these are the ones I usually read. I also love hearing about clothes and customs (I favor historicals), and the sex parts have their appeal as well (And as far as graphicness and quantity, they vary greatly from author to author – some have almost none what-so-ever.)
Basically, if you like a romantic comedy movie, there are probably romance novels out there you would like.
Some are formulaic. I can’t do the series romances, and there are certain lines I stay away from because they are too "purple." The best keep the base of the formula (two people, drawn to each other, but thwarted by obstacles, but find a way to be together in the end more or less happily), but do it with flare, wit, and/or with twists along the way. The genre is highly character driven, so good dialog and character interaction is important.
Julie Garwood’s got a good sequence with Lyon’s Lady, Warrior ?, and The Gift set in the Regency period, although I like almost all her historicals (couldn’t get with her new modern ones). Ann Maxwell/Elizabeth Lowell had a great adventure/romance in The Diamond Tiger, and I was always partial to Jude Deveraux’s Knight in Shining Armor(always makes me cry), and The Duchess (she’s got some other fun ones as well). Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz/Jayne Castle’s got some very funny (if a tad fluffy) historical/romance’s.
Is it fiction that is going to change the world? Probably not. Is it the best fiction I’ve ever read? No. Is it good fiction? Can be. Is it fiction you can have a good time reading? Depending on your interests, yes.
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I personally have not went looking for anything in "romance", but...I do think that the concept of two people in a relationship, falling in love, or some of the normal things that happen all the time in the real world has been missed in many scifi/fantasy stories. I can not say I would like the overt porn dropped in, there are magazines for that, but to add into a good story the feelings that happen to us all can improve a story.
Now the thought of a book that is written with the sole concept is to have a romance...that sounds incredibly boring. My Mother reads the scripted crap all the time. I actually picked one up one day and started reading. Five minutes later the book was dumped back into her stack of ones she had read and I went back to something of value. I know that there are real authors out there writing romance books that might actually be good. But I would prefer that authors use it as a addition to the story they are creating not the basis for it.
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I don't mind admitting having read romance, but it seems to have been at certain times in my life, and has not been a primary genre of choice. 20ish years ago my father had bought me two bags of books at a yard sale - 7 happened to be Harlequin books. I was actually surprised to like them. I even remember the plot of the first one - quite good tension, twists, suspense, and a good cathartic release. However, I read some more recent ones a few years ago - they were not as good.
After my mom passed and we traveled home, I was desperate for something to read. She had been reading some Nora Roberts, so I hunted down every copy she had in the house - just to feel close to her. I was disappointed in the straight romances - too predictable and the tension was not strong, so the release was also weak, but the ones combined with mystery (like Montana Sky) I found to be worth reading and enjoyable.
Anne McCaffrey, a sf/f writer, has also written a few romances - such as The Lady. I liked it, and plan to track down the others (mostly because I am attempting to own every book she has written, but also, obviously, because I like most of what she's written!).
Romance writing I think is very much "escape" reading, which has also been a description attributed to sf/f. I'm sure there is good stuff out there, along with the bad, as in any genre. I guess it all depends on your expectations, and what you want to get out of it - some fun, some enjoyment, some escape?
Oh yeah, most of what I read was not the "porn" type - lovemaking with inoffensive descriptions- maybe rated R!
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GZ reminded me of my favorite romance novel...it's another Jude Devereaux but one not mentioned, called Wishes. I thought it was very creative for a romance novel.
Posts: 3567 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
Ah, Wishes. I always really liked that one too. Fairy godmothering gone wrong, but it all works out in the end. Jude Deveraux is one of the romance writers that can consistantly pull off her fantasy elements.
Posts: 652 | Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
Ah, a post I positively couldn't pass by without adding my two cents! Has anything good come out of the romance genre? Absolutely and without a doubt, I say!
First, I want to share some statistics. These are gleaned from the Web site of Romance Writers of America and are the latest stats as of 8/26/02. They were compiled by RWA from Book Industry Study Group and American Bookseller Association reports, and from tallies in Ingram¡¦s catalogue of all book releases. - Romance generated $1.52 billion in sales in 2001. - There were 2,143 romance titles released in 2001. - Romance fiction comprises 18% of all books sold (not including children¡¦s books). - Romance fiction comprises 54.5% of all popular paperback fiction sold in North America. - Romance fiction comprises 35.8% of all popular fiction sold. (Different from above, this figure includes not just paperbacks, but hardcovers and trade-sized paperbacks as well as well.)
To compare: - Mystery/Detective/Suspense is 26.6% of popular fiction sales - General Fiction is 17% of popular fiction sales - Science Fiction/Fantasy is 6.6% of popular fiction sales - Religious, occult, westerns, male adventure, general history, adult and movie tie-ins was 14.% of popular fiction sales
OK, those are some facts and figures. Bottom line, I think, is that romance sells. Readers look for it, buy it and--a biggie!--come back for more. I disagree with the thought that romances are just "repackaged tag lines and plots." Admittedly, some are, but mostly, they aren't. In my opinion, this genre has grown and expanded and holds some excellent writers in its stables--writers who push the envelope, who take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. Sure, it can be the "McDonald's of publishing," at times and pigeon hole its authors. When you walk into a fast-food place, you know what you want, and when you order it, you get exactly that. When a reader buys a Silhouette Intrigue or a Harlequin Historical, they know what they want and they get it. Nothing wrong with that, I say. It's what the best of the best romance writers bring to their stories that really makes this genre special.
Same with all genres, I believe. A writer starts out with the basic elements, and then adds to that. A reader gets the "two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, etc." plus an added zing. It's the *zing* that makes many of the best romances stand apart.
From the mid-list pile of romance have come some great authors. I think Janet Evanovich really hit the ground running when she broke out of mid-list romance into mainstream women's fiction with her Stephanie Plum books. (Whoa and double whoa to the hero she created in the form of good-cop Joe, and the sinfully sexy and way mysterious Ranger!). Jayne Ann Krentz is another intelligent and fabulous writer who has crossed genre lines. She's spectacular when it comes to building a character, and her dialogue is terrific. Anne Stuart creates suspense like you wouldn't believe, and Carla Neggers is going full steam ahead with all her wonderful books. All of these writers were "lifted" from the romance genre, and now their books are considered mainstream. They give great reads...and I think they honed their skills while writing romance. So what has romance brought us? Some really terrific writers now being noticed outside of the romance box.
For the best in historical romance, I suggest Stephanie Laurens (she's got the Regency era down pat), plus Lisa Kelypas, who is just blooming in her work as far as I¡¦m concerned. I've read her earlier works, but absolutely love her latest stuff. I think she's a writer who has found a great editor and has listened to that editor. Kudos to her. Susan Carroll just mesmerizes as far as I'm concerned. She started out doing small Regencies, but a wise editor told her to think bigger, and boy, has she! She's just letting flow all of her creative juices, and her heroines ring true and her heroes really are full-bodied in that they have hopes, dreams, failures, etc., and every word they speak and every action they take moves the story forward. Jane Feather is another extraordinary writer of historical romance. THE WIDOW'S KISS is great. Another writer I recommend is Jean Ross Ewing. An old but gold work of hers is ILLUSION. Very adult in its approach to telling a romance, and very clever in her way of presenting the story.
I could go on and on... Below are voices that offer further thought about romance.
On Feminism & Romance, by Catherine Asaro (at All About Romance) Love's Quivering Rose: In Defense of Romance Novels, by Augusta Wynne (from Whole Earth Review) Get Your Bodice-Ripping Hands of My Genre! by Tracy Jones Forbidden Pleasures: The Popular Romance Past & Present, by Amanda Kinard, Vanderbilt University
[This message has been edited by lindsay (edited October 11, 2003).]
[This message has been edited by lindsay (edited October 11, 2003).]
posted
I'd say it would be a mistake to thumb your nose at a whole genre. There are some seriously bad romance novels out there. And, there are sci-fi and fantasy stories to rival them.
Ask someone that reads romance novels what the best ones are. Then *gasp* read them.
I've read a few. I can't say romance is my favorite thing to read, but there's always something in ANY story that will help you improve your writing.
How can you expect to write a love story between a Tolkienesqe Dwarf Cosmonaut and a Tri-tentacled Lovethrall from Alpha Centauri if you've never read one about two modern day human beings?
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A little late I know, but I wanted to add my thoughts -
I Love Romance. I write romance book reviews, I work with romance authors, I want to write romance novels.
Funny that I'm here right? - I was in OSC's 2003 Boot Camp, and there is one thing that I know: a good story is a good story is a good story.
Very simple. My list of favorite books span the genres (and there are even a few literary novels in there) - but they all have one thing in common. They are good stories.
Not to say that there aren't some really *bad* romance novels out there - ugh. I've torn my hair out over a few. Chucked some out of my third story window onto the street below... done horrible things to the binding of others. But, I absolutely can't *stand* Satanic Verses or the Grapes of Wrath, either. Perhaps its all objective.
Anyway, I got opened up to OSC because my husband handed me Enchantment and said, "You'd like this - it's a romance" (and it could be, and I wish it was packaged that way) and he was such a great WRITER - that, well I was hooked.
If you're writing to a genre, you'll always be writing to a genre. If you want to write a good story, hopefully people who are predisposed to disliking your "genre" will still find a doorway to reading it and falling in love with the story.
If you'd like some really great romance titles that fit in with your favorite types of fantasy/sci fi... let me know.
quote:How can you expect to write a love story between a Tolkienesqe Dwarf Cosmonaut and a Tri-tentacled Lovethrall from Alpha Centauri if you've never read one about two modern day human beings?
Just turn that question around for a moment and see how ridiculous it is...
Okay, the underlying premise here is that the love story you want to write is supposed to be based on modern stories about modern day humans...but that brings up the question, "why is it about a Dwarvish Cosmonaut and a Lovethrall in that case?"
It really isn't all that silly, if you just want to write a romance thinly disguised as a SFF novel. And there is nothing fundamentally wrong with writing just that, those kinds of stories can be a lot of fun.
Realistically, I'm not in the audience for romance novels. I find romantic comedy acceptable because your supposed to just laugh, but I have a hard time with romance novels where you're supposed to take the characters seriously.
So do a lot of us non-'modern day human beings', come to think of it.
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