The Heartbeat of the Romance Genre

When I was growing up, the romance genre was full of "princess meets prince, is rescued, and they live happily ever after."

Well not these days! Half the time, it's the "princess" rescuing the "prince". And the other half, she's still getting herself out of scrapes with far more spunk than any romantic girl of yesteryear dared have.

So what exactly makes a romance a romance these days, then?


A Thorn By Any Other Name

One of the first things I've noticed when I pick up modern romances is that the "rose" heroine is more of a "thorn", nowadays. Not only does the female lead need to be more independent and intelligent, she often works at a high-powered job, or even runs the company.

And that's just in the straight-and-narrow "only" romance genre. When you look closer, you'll see this genre's gone from pure romance to anything goes.

We have historical romances (not so unusual), adventure romances, thriller romances, fantasy romances. Even science fiction and horror get into the mix.

In short, just because you write in the romance genre doesn't mean you aren't crossing the line into other fiction genres at the same time.


Once Upon A Time...

Fairy tales have played a huge role in shaping early romances. Happy ending, man rescues woman...

But as women and society changed in the last few decades, the romance genre had to change, too. Sure, you can still find knight-rescues-princess stories, but as often as not, the princess helps in the rescue, or turns around and rescues the knight next.

And happily ever after doesn't always mean marriage. At least not immediately.

The thing that most clearly defines a romance novel is that it's about a man and woman meeting, falling in love, perhaps falling back out of love (the necessary conflict), then falling back into love.

Most romances are told from the woman's point of view (though I'd love to see a well-done one written from the man's viewpoint!). They can be "sweet" or they can be "steamy". Nearly all include sex scenes, though writing these can be quite the task. Suggesting without being graphic or ridiculously euphemistic takes skill and thought.

The main conflict is between the man and woman. Their personalities clash, or their lifestyles don't mesh... or there's someone else in the way. The tension is thick, tempers fray - and if you don't write this well, it all sounds stupid.

So don't think writing romance novels is easy. Because it takes skill to hook the modern reader and keep her (or him) glued to the book until the end.


Happily Ever After Still Counts

Some things haven't changed about the romance genre.

For one thing, it's got one of the largest audiences of readers of any genre fiction (can you say "dollar signs"?). So if romance tickles your fancy, dig in. If you write well, you can't lose.

What else hasn't changed?

These books are still about a love story. Still about how men and women don't always "get" each other right away. But, even when they're clueless, eventually, they understand they're meant for each other. And in the end, they're with each other.

So you need to make your endings optimistic, even if you don't tie the two in marriage.


Have You Read the Latest...

Just like any other genre, if you want to write well in the romance genre, you should study it. Read authors like Nora Roberts, who writes both series romances and single titles. (If you like a futuristic twist to it, check her out writing as J.D. Robb, too!) That way, you won't be repeating things that have been done too often. And you can be inspired by those who've written before you.

Ask your librarian to suggest authors to you, or check out the New York Times Best Seller lists for romance authors.

I no longer read as much in the genre as I did when I was a young, romantic-minded author. But I do still enjoy a good romance. It's rare I write a book without some romance in it. The world is just too full of love and people misunderstanding each other to write otherwise.

So, even if you don't plan on writing strictly romance genre novels, I recommend you read a few, to learn tricks you can use in your novels.