  Romance/Love
This week: Romance for the Unromantic Edited by: Crys-not really here  
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Romance for the Unromantic
So, your main character is socially awkward and doesn't know how to talk to women. Or anyone, for that matter. Sheldon Cooper from "Big Bang Theory" comes to mind. Well, even Sheldon Cooper found a socially-awkward woman to call his girlfriend, so maybe it's not such a stretch for your character?
What do you do if your character ends up being the most un-romantic person you've ever met?
 First, redefine "romance." Everyone has their own idea about what is romantic. It doesn't have to be the cliche roses and candlelight dinners. One of the most standout scenes from "Big Bang Theory" was when Sheldon's girlfriend, Amy, invited him over for his favorite dinner of spaghetti with hot dogs. It was genuinely sweet and hilarious, and exactly what Amy thought Sheldon would consider "romantic."
 Re-think the "first date." As I've written before, first dates are often awkward anyway, no matter how smooth a person thinks he is. Sheldon only went on a date with Amy after Raj and Howard found Amy on a dating website and thought she was a perfect match for him. Amy surprised Sheldon by being just as strange and neurotic as he.
 Kiss? What kiss? Amy clearly has deeper feelings for Sheldon than he does for her. She is always the one to initiate their kisses (which so far are few and far between). Their lack of kissing is exactly what makes them such a cute couple. Who can forget the kiss on the train? We had been waiting so long for some sort of spark that when it finally happened, it was more satisfying than if it had been the "perfect" kiss early on.
 Consider that characters change and grow throughout time. It's taken many years for Sheldon to warm up to the idea of having a close relationship with Amy, but it's happening. Amy is the only person that Sheldon allows himself physical contact with, and once even initiated holding hands.Your character may be awkward, but he or she can embrace the awkwardness or find love despite it.
Think about the long term. In most romance novels, we know that the hero and heroine are going to end up together. That's our ideal definition of "romance." But keeping your audience guessing is a lot of fun. Will Sheldon and Amy grow old together? Or will their peculiarities grow old instead? Your character's quirks could add tension to conflict to your plot. Keep your readers guessing, and maybe your novel will have just as much staying power as a hit sitcom! |
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Things that you want to say, but can
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Stereotypes are fun to play around with, especially in romance when creating the character and their love interest. I actually got a risk-taker merit badge for writing a male/female romance story in part because of the reversals (and well because i usually write m/m so it was quite different for me). In the story I had the female as the one returning from being away in the military and both were single parents. It's nice to see those kinds of realistic characters in romance that still stretch what people expect to a degree. -Dawn Embers  
Context Change
Years ago I went to a performance of Shakespeare's MacBeth, live at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford upon Avon.
The really interesting twist? It was set in a pub in the centre of Glasgow. The outfits were period but the pub set in modern day. All performed with Scottish accents!
Reversals of all types can create a memorable impact. -ChinaHamish 
Crys, thank you for mentioning my little story! It's an honour. I write m/m 90% of the time these days and never think of my characters as being outside the norm. Why should they be? About the only idea I'd have to breaking boundaries is to just KEEP writing my m/m, and entering them in the various contests. And a prince searching for a prince would be a fascinating topic.... hmmm. -Osirantinsel 
Your thinking way of a man looking for love is excellent. I felt happy seeing it, because, it is related to my story of Thirst for love. But i failed to submit it as i am not a paid member.Your thoughts are more related to my thoughts. I am glad to see my thoughts reflecting here. A man can also afford his hard ships for care taking the children, and also face obligations in life to gain his love. Love can be expected to raise on both the sides. not known when it happens and how it happens.
OK, bye and thank you. -srinavya
This is my favorite way to begin conceptualizing a new story. Thank you for highlighting the very beginning of my work on my 3 year NaNo trilogy. I turned a lot of tropes on their heads in the series!  -Mumsy 
Take a look at Glass Lovers. It's in my port. The lovers are inanimate objects. The same is true of The Angle and the Arc, also in my port. The lovers there are geometric constructs. Well, you asked about expanding the boundaries. -Doug Rainbow
I commend and thank you for this very important paragraph: "Now, imagine if we took it one step further. What if the princess was looking for another princess, or the prince was looking for another prince? How awesome would that be? LGBT relationships are becoming more common in young adult literature, and hopefully romances for adults will follow suit as well. We need more same-gender relationships that are portrayed as loving and normal in literature in order for it to become a part of the mainstream." -ANN Counselor, Lesbian & Happy |
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Romance/Love: October 01, 2014 Issue [#6572]
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