Avid romance readers will note that mainstream facets of the genre adhere to certain rules, rules that rarely if ever deviated from in all but a few sub-genres. Generally speaking, most "romance" happens between a young, exquisitely attractive Alpha male of consenting age and his sympathetic, attractive heroine. There is the initial attraction between boy and girl, followed by struggle and emotional tension as they push and pull to and from the eventual. Happy endings tend to be a must. After all, who wants to invest in a couple only to find hopelessness at the end? These are the basics of the romance novel. Many readers and publishers reject novels which don't include all of the above, as a minimum. And I don't necessarily have a problem with those. I am curious about certain 'faux pas' or sticky subjects that, when found in romance, have been known to incense, offend, or be rejected by readers altogether. Here are just a few that I've stumbled upon:
Abortion
Eek. I didn't even want to type the word. But O.K. I'll be real here for a moment. In a world that has desensitized us to random acts of violence through constant depiction in everything from cartoons to the silver screen, this remains one of the few things that hasn't rendered us indifferent. So, simply put, regardless of political beliefs, people bristle when they think of it and actually don't want to think of it. I can come up with a single way that it can help a hero or heroine in terms of making them sympathetic or attractive or any of the things we writers strive to accomplish. In fact, I can't think of a single thing that would make this less of a liability. There's just no upside to it.
Adultery
This is also a pretty understandable one. Even under the most amicable of circumstances, a reader might still be left to wonder about the spouse on the outside of said romance and about the likelihood of reconciliation. At the very least, a marriage is an unforgivable distraction to the story paints the offending adulterer in a potentially unforgiving light.
BDSM
Popularity of Fifty Shades aside, domination and submission are an aside from and not the natural course of a romantic relationship for the vast majority of readers. In fact, some would find the domination and submission of a woman offensive and a step back from the progress the genre has made, considering the former prevalence of bodice rippers and heroes-turned-rapists. Given that, I think it's safe to say that for the vast majority of "vanillas," the industry is still a long way off from garden variety romance with little more than the occasional slap on the ass.
Next Blog Post:
More on the unspoken rules of romance.
Very good start. I'm excited to see what else comes up in your list of the unspoken rules...
ReplyDeleteSome of these rules are bending and even breaking. It's not all clear cut anymore. My first novel had adultery in it, but the heroine was the "victim" for years while her dog of a husband slept with anything that moved. She finally had enough and decided to move on for herself. There were circumstances beyond her control as to why she had to stay legally married to the idiot, but it all worked out in the end...divorce and then remarriage to her true soul mate. That "fantasy" happens in real life too as it did for me.
ReplyDeleteThere are a heck of a lot more readers who live the BDSM lifestyle pr are at least curious by it than the mainstream romance community care to acknowledge. That's why books concerning this topic sell so well. It's the idea that other people would find out they enjoy these type of books that made readers shy away from them. Now that they can get their fix on an e-reader, it's no longer as taboo.
So I guess it all depends on what you as a writer and a reader are looking for in a romance. As someone who reads and writes erotic romance and erotica, I've found the biggest resistance comes from fellow romance authors themselves. Some have even stated that erotica and erotic romance are not true romance categories. I disagree.
More and more readers want the more explicit material, but that doesn't mean the "vanilla" sub-genres will ever lose popularity. There's enough variety for everyone. The rules are basically a formula and can change and grow with each genre and sub-genre. If everything followed the same "template" readers would soon be bored out of their minds. Who wants the same plot and characters time and time again?
Sorry for the lengthy comment. I'll get off my soap box now. ;) I look forward to your next installment of the list!
Tammy Dennings Maggy/Lia Michaels
Thanks for the comments. Tammy, you make excellent points, which I suppose point to the success of The Fifty Shades series. The romance industry is an ever evolving creature, meaning that what we consider "mainstream" will continue to grow and change, as well. You will find, as I have, that there'll be resistance to all things not cookie cutter. It's why sub-genres exist, to accommodate the growing list of things "not standard," a list that will probably (if it hasn't already done so) grow to outnumber all that which is considered mainstream anyway. I'm not one of those writers who think it their job to police others on what they should write or read. As someone who enjoys writing stories that cross racial, ethnic, economic, and practically any other boundary we humans seek to erect in designating what is appropriate for romance, I have a special sort of fascination for stories that seek to include some of the more challenging material. Some I'll pick up, others I won't.
ReplyDeleteAnywho, thanks for the awesome comments. I would appreciate it if you include the title of the novel you've mentioned in the comments section. And I look forward to hearing more thoughts on future segments under this same vein.
Shewanda,
DeleteThe book I was referring to in my comments is the first book in my Now and Forever series called FOR THE LOVE OF QUINN. Thank you for asking me to include it in my comments. Like bettye, I don't like to promote my work on other blogs unless asked to do so.
I have found a lot of resistance to "all things not cookie cutter" as you mentioned above, but I've also been excited to find more and more publishers, readers, and writers branching out and bending those rules a bit. Give me a great story with heroes and heroines I adore and villains I love to hate and you will have a fan for life.
Tammy Dennings Maggy/Lia Michaels
I agree with Tammy that adultery, if carefully and sympathetically handled, can work within a romance, but only a mainstream romance rather than category, where it would--nor should it--be allowed.
ReplyDeleteI did a book in which it was implied (but not shown) that the heroine continued to sleep with her ex-husband after their divorce when he visited town...(and no, this was not a story about reconciliation) that would also not be allowed in a category romance, or likely, anything that is part of a romance line, even a line of single titles.
Tell us where we can find your book Bettye.
ReplyDeleteHi Shewanda! It's funny you posted this today. I was just discussing this very subject with a group of co-workers today. We all agreed are biggest turn off in romance tend to be infidelity. Of course, I'm not too much into the BDSM or menage type romances either. But, to each their own right. :)
ReplyDeleteThe infidelity I just can't really take in my romances because it seems to defeat the purpose to me. I guess I still on to my realist sense even though it's fiction. I know in real life, that type of situation would never fly for me. I guess that's why it tends to carry over when I read books.
Excellent post!
The book I referenced (I don't like to plug myself when I'm posting on other people's blogs, but since you asked, LOL) is called Isn't She Lovely? and is available at Amazon, Nook, and Smashwords. Thanks for asking, Shewanda!
ReplyDeleteNo problem. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete