At its best, it can transport a reader to a fantasy place
where happy endings are guaranteed, where there are
always resolutions to problems and the girl inevitably
gets her perfect man.
Is that
your understanding? Perhaps.
From an
objective (some might say cynical) point of view, romance
fiction is an exercise in marketing. Publishers like
Harlequin and Silhouette have identified a need, which
they set out to fulfill. From a romance publishers’
point of view, the writers actually get in the way of
this process. Don’t be naive about this. If they
could get computers to write romances, I believe they
would!
To them,
it’s all about product. If a MS doesn’t do what
it’s supposed to, it’s of no use to them.
That’s why they reject about 99% of all books
submitted.
It’s
not personal. They just want you, the writer, to get it
right. But, unlike many other publishers, they will
usually try and aid you by making helpful suggestions.
If they
think you have potential, they will go out of their way
to tell you exactly what they think is wrong! In this
context, criticism is good. It shows you’re on the
right track!
But why
would you want to compete in this market?
Well,
because it can be a very good career move for a writer.
It’s steady work with good advances and fair
royalties. At 2000 words a day, you can write a good
romance in about a month, and have it on the bookstore
shelves within three to six. It's that fast!
And once
readers like your books, they remember your name. Which
means, in effect, you’ve got them for life. Many
respectable novelists start out writing genre fiction.
It’s a clear and well-worn path to success.
But what
brings writers to romance in particular? There are
probably as many reasons to write romance fiction as
there are romance writers. Ask a roomful of them (as I
recently did!) and all of them seem to have their own
personal slant, they’re own individual reason for
doing it. But there are some pertinent similarities.
What’s clear immediately is that only very rarely
are successful romance writers motivated by money.
Yes, they
may enjoy paying their bills with book royalties but
that’s not why they sat down to write in the first
place. Like all of us, they want to express themselves,
tell stories and be liked – and paid - for that
talent.
But unlike
the struggling, bitter artist who wants to rage against
the world in his writing, the romance writer wants to
improve things.
She wants
to add meaning to the world and show that there can be a
better way. She wants you, the reader, to know that there
is hope, and that there can be wonder.
Romance
writers (and many other artists) believe it is their duty
to show that the human spirit is noble and can triumph
against adversity.
But is
writing about romance important? It depends. If your
purpose in life is to enrich other people’s lives
then yes. If you have other agendas, it might be
frustrating.
What do I
mean by this?
Well,
almost as soon as a writer reads back her own work or
receives some positive feedback, she is aware she is in
command of a powerful medium. One she might use to
advantage. She realizes she might be able to persuade a
reader into accepting her point of view.
Isn’t
that the reason why YOU tell stories? Don’t you
write to persuade people to believe and concur with your
version of reality – even if only for a while? It's
a powerful gift and it's good, but there is down side.
As adults,
we have issues with politics, injustice and various other
concerns like poverty, the environment and crime. We
might sometimes use our writing to address them, even if
only in our fiction. This is all well and good. But it is
not always appropriate for genre writing.
Romance
writing in particular is not a platform for discussing
issues you might have about the world. It is not a
soapbox. Whilst reading your romance, readers are not
interested in social reform or your views on anything but
love, courtship and relationships. This doesn’t
necessarily mean that real life can’t intrude on the
romance genre. It can, does and should.
But, if you
want to succeed in the Romance genre, you must not write
with your personal baggage uppermost in your mind. You
must write solely for your readers, with the respect and
honesty they deserve.
Romance
writing is also about being mature, objective and
clear-headed.
Also, to
write good romance, you should probably consider yourself
a storyteller first and a 'writer' second.
Think about
your philosophy on life. Ideally, for the Romance writer,
it should be positive, compassionate and most of all,
optimistic.
And, if you
engender this positive spirit in yourself - or have it
naturally - you are in a prime position to make very good
money writing Romance.
