On Writing Romance – by Roberta Capizzi
In a time when vampires, werewolves, action, mystery and hot, steamy sex
stories turn writers into billionaires, why should anyone bother reading plain romance?
And why should an author bother writing about romance if nobody is interested
in it anymore?
Well, as a person who’s always swum against the tide, I’ve wanted to use
this attitude in my writing career as well, and yes, I’m guilty: I chose
romance. In a recent post in my blog, I listed the five reasons why I will
never be a best-selling author and to summarize them all in one the main reason
is because I want to be true to myself. I believe in romance and happy endings.
Is that a crime?
Let me ask you a question: Have you ever been so engrossed in a book
that, when you reached the end and returned to reality, you felt totally lost,
as if you’d just lost a friend? Have you ever finished a book and kept thinking
about that world even after days had passed? Well, that’s what happens to me
after I read a good romance book, and I’m telling you, it’s not easy to find
books that can stir such strong emotions in the reader – at least in me. But
romance books do it.
Now, tell me: can that happen to you if you read a paranormal or a
mystery or a fantasy book? Hmm…I doubt it. I mean, I absolutely loved Twilight,
although I’ve never been a fan of vampires, but when I finished it, I didn’t go
around fantasizing about bumping into my personal Edward Cullen because it was just a story!
Well, after reading good romance books (let me give you a couple of
examples: Rosamunde Pilcher and Nicholas Sparks) I realized that those stories
could as well be true, that they could actually happen to me, too. Sure, why
not? The heroine was an ordinary girl, went on a holiday to visit some relatives,
met Mr. Gorgeous, and they fell in love. Happy Ending. What’s so impossible
with that?
Well, in case you’re wondering: no, the meet-cute hasn’t happened to me
yet, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not likely to happen like in a book. Am I
a dreamer? Yes. But I’m also a romance writer.
Which brings me back to the theme of this post: writing romance. So, why
would I bother writing romance when I know it’s not so trendy anymore? Because,
well, in a world where happy endings rarely happen, and Prince Charming became
extinct some time during Ice Age, all we’ve got left are dreams and good books
that can take us on an emotional journey, a journey that will touch our hearts,
make us smile, bring tears to our eyes and, if we’re lucky enough, change our
lives for the better. I believe a good romance book can do that, unlike other
genres; when I’m finished reading (or writing), I feel hope building inside of
me that, even if only in our dreams, there’s still hope for a happily ever
after.
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