Romance Newsletter

August 20, 2007

About this Newsletter

It’s the fact we’re both different
That makes us the same
~ "Opposites Attract" by Billie Myers



Letter to the Editor

Opposites Attract

         When you create characters in romance stories, it can become rather mundane when the two characters are identical in personalities. Sure, you want the characters to have some things in common, but you also want the readers to experience the unexpected. Why would someone continue reading the book if they can see where everything is going and there aren't any surprising moments?


          Consider using the phrase "opposites attract" as a guideline. This way, your characters won't automatically seem like an obvious match to the readers. A quirk in one character could end up complementing the other. If you choose to have your main character torn between two people, your readers may become bored if the options are too similar. I'm not suggesting to have the characters so completely different from one another that they can't relate at all. There should be some small similarities to connect them, so the readers can understand why they start to spend time together.


         In Terry McMillian's "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" the two characters who fall in love are very different from one another. Stella, who has lived a full life as a successful business woman and doting mother, falls for Winston, a man half her age who seems satisfied with working minimum wage jobs. He has barely dipped his feet in the pool of life, while she has already experienced the highs and lows of marriage and divorce. Throughout the book, we learn how unalike they really are, but that just seems to add to their chemistry.


         Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is about an poor orphaned boy named Pip who falls head over heels for Estella, a wealthy and cultured girl. In the story, Pip gets to experience the finer things in life, but he remains far from her world. He doesn't feel at home once he's obtained the material things he thinks will win Estella's heart. Throughout the years, Pip chases Estella despite the fact that she treats him horribly. However, in the end it didn't matter Estella finally fell for Pip.



Editor's Picks

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Yin Yang  [ASR] #354969 Opposites attract? by Fictiøn Ðiva the Wørd Weava

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Opposites Attract  [E] #146209 Talking over disagreements with love and concern. by Kings

Table Talk  [13+] #1218225 One of those lightweight stories that came out of everyday free-flow by Joy

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All That Remains  [18+] #966525 Darrin and Kristina are opposites that attract! by StephBee

Ask and Answer

lethomson: I shared this newsletter with my own significant other, with whom I have maintained a long-distance relationship for almost nine months now. It's never occurred to me to write about it, so thanks for the idea! I've got lots I can write about now.
Lexi : I'm glad that issue gave you some incentive. Use your experiences as an inspiration!


~Lexi

Rules engage and tanks parade and I escape to solipsystic minds. Emerge, Liquefaction