Columns – A Romance Writer's World
Alissa Baxter shares her thoughts about writing romance and real-life relationships
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A Romance Writer's World
Shaking Up A Story
In a romance novel, the sparks between the hero and heroine often fly from the very first page. It’s important to realise, however, that men and women are different when it comes to romantic relationships. Women can go on a few dates, realise they like a man, start feeling deep emotions, and believe they’re in a relationship. A man can go on a few dates with a woman, think, “She’s hot! I like spending time with her.” And that’s it! He likes the woman, but his emotions are not involved yet.
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A Romance Writer's World
“This Is Not A Love Story…”
I recently watched the movie, 500 Days Of Summer, and found it refreshingly different from the average romantic comedy, not least because the narrator starts off the movie by saying, “This is a story of boy meets girl. The boy, Tom Hansen, grew up believing that he’d never truly be happy until the day he met the one. The girl, Summer Finn, did not share this belief. You should know up front this is not a love story.”
A Romance Writer's World
The Principles Involved In Old-Fashioned Courtship
Regency romances usually feature dashing gentlemen and beautiful ladies. A well-worn plot theme is the worldly-wise Man About Town, who meets a virtuous young lady, who then proceeds to tame him. The courtship is the part of the relationship that is focused on in a Regency romance, as this is the time when the heroine carefully assesses a man’s character to determine whether he is good husband material.
A Romance Writer's World
Heroes and Heroines Who Need Therapy
Creating a strong connection between the hero and heroine in a romance novel is vital for the story to be compelling and gripping. In order to create this connection, the hero and heroine often have to fight for their love. However, if they are constantly fighting each other, I start to wonder if they’re really suited to each other at all.
A Romance Writer's World
Lessons For Romance Writers From Mr Darcy
In a number of romance novels, the hero seems to have two opposing sides to his character. When one first encounters him in the initial chapters, he appears to be the total opposite of what he becomes later in the book. Does this suggest an inconsistency in characterisation on the part of authors in order to create conflict and drama in a story? Is it possible for a man to stop exhibiting bad behaviour simply because he falls in love?
A Romance Writer's World
Taking Off The Rose-Tinted Glasses
Romance novels often consist of young, romantic girls and chivalrous men who save them from foibles and mishaps. However, in real life, men can often be the foibles and mishaps that make young women stumble!
A Romance Writer's World
How Dialogue Can Shape A Novel
When I started writing my first novel, The Dashing Debutante, I didn’t start at Chapter One. Rather the story grew around a piece of dialogue that popped into my head, and which I then wrote down. The characters came to life in this piece of dialogue, and the story I ended up creating revolved around it.
A Romance Writer's World
Feminine Mystique
When you create a female character it’s important to remember that she must have some form of feminine mystique. Men love mystery, and when they can’t figure out a woman completely, they become intrigued by her.
A Romance Writer's World
Bad Boys of Romance
Bad Boys often feature as heroes in romance novels, but with an important caveat… by the end of the book, the love of a good woman inevitably changes them into Goodish Guys. However, I must admit that I wonder about this… Do men really change simply because they fall in love? And if a man does put aside his “bad ways”, isn’t it usually because he sees something beneficial in changing his lifestyle (ie. wanting to start a family), rather than changing simply to please a woman?
A Romance Writer's World
Realistic Romance
Is there such a thing as a realistic romance novel? People usually perceive romance novels as flights of fancy. However there are a number of authors who explore real life issues within the context of a romance novel, and do it very well. One such author is Iris Bromige. She wrote numerous novels from the 1940s to the 1990s and I’ve read as many of her novels as I could find in various libraries. (Unfortunately, her books are out of print and are only available in libraries, so I don’t own my own copies).
