A very good question 'why do we write romance?'
I think it would be because people express their feelings and that everyone has a story no matter how hard you try in any story there is a relationship of some sort whether it be with another person, a place or a object etc. Relationships are a vital part of any story no matter how small or how big. (A example is the lord of the rings the main character has a relationship with the 'one ring' while it is not a romantic relationship it is necessary to move the story along).
'Are we lonely?' That would depend on where you're coming from as lots of people are in relationships as you read this. loneliness can drive romantic writing but it is not the source.
Are we confused? I think that (off topic a little) that in life who doesn't get confused it's part of human nature and this can also be used effectively in writing.
Are we longing?
Are we desperate?
These two questions are very similar but yet again it depends. (I know someone who is 30 and has been single for three years and isn't longing for a partner), it depends on who they are and their personality. Desperation is a tried and very old technique a better version of this is desire.
Are we curious? I personally believe every one is curious, well who isn't. (A example is like when your young and you always ask people what this and that is) In other words I thinks every one is curious to know what lies on the next page. Curiosity can be effective and ineffective, remember both the writer and reader can be curious. keep this in mind.
Are we hopeful? Hopeful that we'll get published or hopeful that what were reading will captivate us? I think that people can be hopeful when it comes to romance for example how many times have you hoped someone felt the same way or hoped they would appreciate you for you and no one else.
Hopefulness takes many forms in the lord of the rings we all hope Frodo will destroy the ring, in romeo and juliet we hope they will come together, in star wars we hope the sith are destroyed. Are we hopeful? Yes Or No? I think it depends upon the text, the person and experiences/character.
Or do we just like writing it? I think that generally a lot of people like and hate romance. This doesn't mean people who write romance like it. ( A person at a school I know won a prize from writing a poem on romance and he absolutely hates it even though he's good at it) Romance is similar to mystery you don't know where it's going or what will happen, it is based on behavior, personality and feeling. A good author in the romance department is one who can tell a relationship, link it with the story and make it relevant to the reader.
Finally why do we write romance?
We write romance because some readers prefer to here a story about a detailed relationship or because we are interested in this particular genre (same for reader). What I believe is even more interesting is
How did romantic writing come to be? and how is it achieved? For it cannot be simply one day a man/woman decided to scribble once upon a time or P.S i love you.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to post in this thread I have thoroughly enjoyed expressing my opinion. I look forward to further posting in the future.I would like to thank inkpop the creator of this thread and also the postees (people involved in thread)
'I agree. Wouldn't it be boring if Elizabeth and Darcy just stayed friends? You wouldn't have a story.'
Not necessarily never underestimate the power of friendship.
'Most say that it's because romance stories are the easiest to write and get published.'
I have some info from : http://www.rwanational.org/cs/the_romance_genre/romance_literature_stati...
Romance Literature Statistics: Industry Statistics
2008 ROMStat Report
Romance fiction sales remained strong in 2008
The U.S. economy slid into recession in 2008, and book sales were down to $10.175 billion from $10.714 billion in 2007.(1) Romance fiction sales were strong in 2008 at $1.37 billion—though down slightly from $1.375 billion in 2007.
Taken from a NZ Author's comments. Name not given.
If you want a great romance read, check out Butterfly in a glass bottle by Thomas H Green.
No comments:
Post a Comment