This week: Different Kinds of Romance Edited by: StephBee  
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"You’ll never get bored when you try something new. There’s really no limit to what you can do." – Dr. Seuss
“You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis
FROM THE EDITOR:
My quotes focus on “new” and “hope.” 2021 is just around the corner, and this is the last Romance/Love Newsletter for 2020. So, with the New Year almost here, I wanted to touch on what romance/love brings us: hope, love, and good will. Try something new in 2021. The energy and positive vibes you get from it might surprise you. New dreams bring new opportunities for hope, love, etc. See what path it takes you. (just be safe doing it).
January is national hot tea month and national hot soup month. Good things to be in the middle of winter. There’s nothing like a cup of hot tea or soup to warm the bones when it’s cold outside. Question for you: What soup or tea do you LOVE to have? I’d love to hear what they are! I enjoy a nice, soothing Chamomile tea and a hearty beef soup. Also, the 2nd week of January is “Letter Writing” week. Write a letter and share it with me. I’ll feature it in my January NL.
Writing about romance or love can be challenging. There are so many technical elements to be mindful of, such as genre, setting, heat levels, what’s the conflict? Are the characters interesting? For me, #1 as a writer, and then a reader of romance, I look to the subgenres. I prefer certain subgenres over others, so today, I thought I’d talk about the different subgenres of romance and their appeal.
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There are several subgenres in romance. Some of my favorites to read and write include:
HISTORICAL
The time periods can range from medieval Europe to settling the U.S. west. When you write these types of stories, it’s important you do your research as a writer. The more, the better. As a reader, the more “authentic” an historical romance is written, the more you enjoy the writing. For example, if you’re writing about England in the 1700’s, they used letters to communicate, telephones didn’t exist then.
CONTEMPORARY
What’s contemporary? Anything set in the 1970’s and up. These romances focus on modern problems, themes, and society. Not as much research is required to feel realistic to the reader. Modern problems might deal with a military separation, or a small town hero adjusting to life in a big city.
VINTAGE
This romance is usually set between 1900-1970. It’s a sub-sub genre of historical. Time periods include World War I and World War II. Research is required as technology is growing during this time. There were no TVs during World War I. The appeal of this type of romance is the harkening back to old times that our grandparents remember.
EROTIC
This type of romance focuses on the sexual nature of the romance. The characters’ emotions come second. To write a successful erotic romance you need well developed characters and engrossing plots. Romance needs to be more than “just sex” and it’s how the characters and plot intertwine with the sexual aspect of the stories that make it successful.
YOUNG ADULT
The focus of this romance is on ages, mainly 12-18. Issues that young adult romance stories deal with are first love, coming-of-age, learning to be respectful, and budding sexuality.
PARANORMAL
These types of romances include vampires, witches, werewolves, ghosts, and anything else having to deal with supernatural elements. What’s required here is that the author’s strengths are in world building, as you need to create a supernatural world that the reader can believe.
REGENCY
This is a more specific historical romance targeting 1795-1837 England which is considered the “regency” period. (George IV acted as regent for his father, George III. When George III died, George IV and his brother William IV were considered “caretakers” until Victoria came to the throne in 1837.) The focus here is on the rigid standards of English society, the Ton, and dialogue. I enjoy a good regency as there is usually a lot scandal and scoundrels.
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
This type of romance focuses on suspenseful, mystery, and thriller elements, without overtaking the romantic elements. A good example might be “Romancing the Stone.” A lot of readers enjoy these type of elements so the genre is popular, and it’s a good crossover genre to mainstream fiction.
GOTHIC
This romance isn’t as popular as it used to be. The challenge is introducing supernatural elements with a natural world explanation. Victoria Holt, writing in the 60’s-80’s was a master at Gothic romance. They are usually set in an historical setting and the heroine is usually unsure of the hero’s motives, while the hero is a moody, brooding type.
VINTAGE ROMANCE:
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Submitted by WakeUpAndLive~doingNaNo'24 
*Unfortunately, this item is "GC" and I can't use for the NL as per WDC Guidelines. I would recommend visiting WakeUpAndLive~doingNaNo'24 's port and checking out their items.
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Love is patient, love is kind... Paranormal Romance Short Story Contest entry.
#2233385 by Jeff  |
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Romance/Love: December 30, 2020 Issue [#10537]
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