Love is a Many Splendoured Thing - Romance
Over the years I have known several writers who thought they could break into print by selling a romance novel. My good friend Tina completed a manuscript because, with a baby on the way, she thought this would be a good way to supplement her husband's income. Tina is middle-class, well-educated with two university degrees. She is well travelled and has had numerous interesting jobs. Her favourite books are anything by Margaret Atwood. Tina's manuscript was rejected by Harlequin.
Jennifer spent most of her life as a business writer until an accident disabled her and she could no longer work for her clients. Under disability, she and her husband make enough to get by. She decided she would rather write fiction. Jennifer is a devout Christian. She prefers to interact on the Internet, so she attended several on-line writing courses. Jennifer's interests are history and psychology. She wrote two romances both of which were rejected by publishers.
With the kinds of interests and backgrounds possessed by these two aspiring writers, you would have to ask: why choose the Romance genre? The closest thing to a romance these two women have ever read is "Gone with the Wind." Margaret Mitchell's bestselling tale of the American Civil War is hardly the standard by which to compose a romance novel. Neither of these writers have ever skimmed the dust jackets of a Danielle Steel, Nora Roberts, or god forbid, a Harlequin romance.
You can't write in a genre that you don't read- and perhaps, don't even like. And this is the mistake that many writers make. If your plan is to break into publishing by writing a romance, then think again. Romances are not that easy to write. They have specific requirements and there are many different categories of romantic fiction. One piece of advice that editors pass on to aspiring writers is to read the genre. Surprisingly many writers don't.
So what makes a bestselling romance novel? I recently read several and was astounded by what I learned. First of all, the idea that all romance novels are poorly written is not strictly true- although I must admit, sophistication in writing style does not count for much. If you can get over the awkward sentence structures and simplistic descriptions, jumping of viewpoint and lack of depth in the characters, one thing stands out. A compelling story is far more important than smart words.
I hated Danielle Steel's book "Irresistible Forces" as I was reading it. By the end of it I appreciated what she had accomplished. She took a risk in creating a heroine that people might not like. The woman was selfish, cheated on her husband (who was an angel), and to top it off she was obscenely rich and beautiful. By minimizing detail when describing both her character's jobs and the setting, she made the details of the characters more important. This style of writing requires the reader to fill in the blanks with her own imagination, turning the story into something of a personal fantasy, and allowing the reader to make the story her own. The author is consistently focussed on the plot - no detractions - and this technique makes you want to know how it ends (even though you think you already know).
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