LOVE IS IN THE AIR
Last week I wrote about creating a personal Motivation Diary. One primary purpose for a writer to do this is to keep grounded and focused on the real reason for writing what we write. In the process, many of us discover that our resolve centers on the desire to pass forward the best of who we are to those we love.
Some genres naturally lend themselves to writing for those we care about. Children’s books, from toddler to young adult, are mostly written to encourage and inspire young minds as they grow. Nature books, magazines and blogs are written to share the beauty that surrounds us and draw others into “loving” nature. Comedy, in stage and screenplays, novels and short stories, allows both writer and reader to see the humor in “love relationships” that have their ups and downs and sideways moments. The epic Family Sagas create a timeline that demonstrates how “love conquers many things.” However, the mainstay of sharing concepts of love is still the Romance novel, which includes Historical Fiction, Western/Pioneer Fiction, Science Fiction/Fantasy Romance and Inspirational Romance.
The successful Romance writers I know develop the backbone of their plot on true stories—actually a collection of true stories that they can “clip” from depending on what is needed in their current “love scenario.” The list below is what they look for in research material.
- Hero/Protagonist (male) types who 1) holds women in high esteem/respect;” 2) doesn’t hesitate to chase the purse thief; 3) almost always speaks with a positive attitude; 4) isn’t afraid to take a risk in relationships and looking for a lifetime commitment.
- Hero/Protagonist (female) types who share the same characteristic as those listed above with the additional elements of: 1) needs evidence that her hero is actually who he presents himself to be; 2) speaks her mind freely; 3) has developed a strong set of values that she plans to stick to and/or develop further in her FOREVER relationship and in her children.
- Main Antagonist (male) types who 1) disrespect women; 2) enjoy “using” a woman’s position or intelligence for their own benefit; 3) always points out the impossibility of a situation; 4) has a string of broken relationships, always blaming the woman for the breakup.
- Main Antagonist (female) types who again demonstrate many of the above antagonist characteristics with the additional elements of: 1) greater levels of deception to obtain selfish goals; 2) speaks before thinking—often causing harm to others; 3) demonstrates the definitions of “ego” and selfishness.
SO HOW (you ask) do the successful Romance writers blend such opposite characters into novels that fly off the bookstore shelves? They AIM for happy endings—or if not totally happy then realistically happy endings. Romance Readers—more than in any other genre—picture themselves IN the scenarios they read about. No one wants to find themselves in hopeless and/or helpless circumstances. In fact, they want to learn how to GET OUT of those kinds of situations. They pick up a Romance Novel and see the hero/heroine conquer “life” (all the messy stuff) and build healthy relationships—all based on LOVE.
Yes, love is a great motivator for both readers and writers. It is also the stimulus that moves writers to their computers, completes the novels and gets those novels PUBLISHED!
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ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene Doyle is a Ghostwriter with Outskirts Press, bringing more than 35 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their writing projects. She has worked with both experienced and fledgling writers helping complete projects in multiple genres. When a writer brings the passion they have for their work and combines it with Royalene’s passion to see the finished project in print, books are published and the writer’s legacy is passed forward. |
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