 Romance/Love: March 18, 2009 Issue [#2940] |
  Romance/Love
This week: Is it Romance or Is it Love? Edited by: esprit  
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Bestselling author Nora Roberts sums up the genre, saying "The books are about the celebration of falling in love and emotion and commitment, and all of those things we really want.
Hello, my name is esprit, and I am your guest host this week.
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Is it Romance or Is it Love?
Have you ever submitted a story to an agent or publisher only to be rejected because it turned out to be a Love story instead of the Romance you thought it was? The differences are subtle, barely noticed by readers and new writers, but a writer must know exactly which genre he's writing to know which publisher to submit to.
A few publishers are beginning to narrow the differences. For instance, I found one that no longer requires the 'Happy Ending'. I found another agent who only accepts Romance. She stated she was frustrated with the authors who thought they were writing Romance when they were actually writing Love. She hates Love! Well, the books, not the real thing. I guess.
To those publishers who print romance, there is a difference between the two and it's easily spotted once we understand the formula. Sometimes it's as simple as not having a Happily Ever After, but that isn't the whole difference. I include a test below to help determine if a piece is Romance or not, but in my opinion, the easiest way is to know the simple formula for Romance and if your story doesn't follow it, it's not Romance.
 Romance uses a simple, but strict formula:
1 - boy meets girl,
2 - boy loses girl,
3 -boy gets girl back, and they live happily ever after.
The last part is essential to be accepted by most romance publishers. At the very least the ending must leave the reader with a sense of satisfaction. Sub-plots can be any genre that moves the story along as long as the focus for the two characters finding romance remains in the forefront. Jane Eyre is said to be an example of a classic romance.
Boy loses girl doesn't have to be a physical separation, it can be emotional. For instance, a marriage where trust was violated. But the emotion must be stark enough to show there is no way to salvage the relationship. Hope is lost, and it must be believable. Losing the girl (or boy) doesn't count if the separation takes place before love is evident. If two strangers meet, become friendly, have a tiff and go their separate ways for a month, that's life. If a couple haven't seen each other for twenty years, and only discover love upon their meeting again, it doesn't count. Throwing in a quick moment of doubt between them doesn't count as 'losing' each other.
It's imperative that losing the girl (or boy) doesn't happen until after one of the players knows he loves the other.
He knows what he's lost and the reader crys with him.
Romance is very genre-specific, with everything centering around the main love story between two adult beings and with a happy ending. Despite misconceptions, just because you have two bodies declaring their undying love at the end of a story doesn't mean your story is a romance.
What exactly is the difference between Love and Romance genres?
Romance follows a set formula. The plot focus is on the two characters and their journey through various conflicts that directly impact their relationship and the happy ending. The sub-plot can be any genre.
A Love story does not follow a set formula and doesn't have to have a Happily Ever After. There have been many love stories that could have been romances if they'd ended differently. Romeo and Juliet is one example.
You will need to define your story correctly before you query a publisher or agent. The differences are best learned by reading what the romance publishers are printing. It's always a good idea to keep up-to-date whichever genre you write.
A good test to determine if you've succeeded in writing a bona-fide Romance is to take out everything that doesn't deal directly with the romance issue. If the story is still complete and faithful to the formula, it's Romance. Now you can put it all back in, 
If the Love story is still complete with the love interests removed, it's not Romance.
It's fiction with a sub-plot of love. There's nothing wrong with that, submit it elsewhere and begin a new Romance.
Thanks for being here. We appreciate it and I hope the information helps clarify the genre of Romance. Now, go write something new, and submit it! But, please don't forget to rewrite and polish it first.
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http://blog.wylie-merrick.com/2007/02/romance-versus-love-stories.html
http://elizabethmeltonparsons.wordpress.com/2008/09/04/romance-or-love-story/
http://www.dorchesterpub.com/Dorch/SubmissionGuidlines.cfm
http://thewildrosepress.com/publisher/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=...
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