 Romance/Love: October 29, 2014 Issue [#6631] |
  Romance/Love
This week: Interracial Love: A Reply Edited by: Crys-not really here  
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| Hello! My name is Crys-not really here and I'm the editor for the Romance/Love Newsletter this week! |
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Interracial Romance: A Reply
Today's newsletter was inspired by SkyHawk - Into The Music  who wrote to me about my newsletter "Romance/Love Newsletter (September 3, 2014)"
I will admit, I'm not much of a romance reader / writer. But I do agree that from what I've seen the genre needs expanding. I think there do need to be more LGBT relationship portrayed in literature. But be ready to step carefully, as there will most likely be a backlash among more conservative readers. I also agree there need to be more "single father" stories in this genre. And one thing you didn't mention, and I wonder how much you see of it -- inter-racial / inter-ethnic romances. How many stories do you see with a white male getting involved with an Hispanic female? Or an African-American male with an Asian female? I suspect this is an area that needs expanding as well.
I've previously addressed this issue in "Romance/Love Newsletter (October 30, 2013)" , but I thought it was worth a second look. I'm in an interracial relationship myself, so of course how interracial couples are portrayed in books and in the media is something I think about. I've seen a lot of books in the romance and erotica genres recently that have made these relationships into nothing more than a fetish. I see this a lot when the relationship is between a white woman and a black man, and it really bothers me. Some authors stress how "taboo" it is for their pretty, blonde female character to be attracted to a handsome black man. Although I can't argue that some people are against interracial relationships, I'm really disturbed that we still live in a society where a man (or a woman) can be seen only as an object to be fantasized about based on his skin color.
Of course, I would love if interracial couples in romance would become mainstream, just as I would love the same for gay and lesbian couples. However, I think we as writers need to tread carefully. I personally wouldn't feel comfortable writing a story that was only about the fact that a white woman was in love with a black man. Instead, I would focus on the love story, which just so happens to occur between two people of a different skin color. For the record, I also wouldn't feel comfortable writing a story only about the fact that two characters were gay, or that one of them was overweight, either. Doing so would only perpetrate stereotypes. If we are to make these kinds of relationships mainstream in literature, we have to treat them like every other romantic couple.
So, how do we write about interracial relationships, make it clear that they are interracial relationships, but then treat them like any other relationship? It's a tricky balance, for sure. You can certainly describe your characters' physical characteristics to hint to the reader how they are physically different from each other. You can even tackle issues of parental/family disapproval if you want. . . But then, let them be like any other normal couple. Let them fight, disagree, make love, and do all the other things couples do. Don't fall into the trap of turning them into a stereotype, or worse yet, a fetish.
I'd love to know what you think. What do you think about how interracial love is portrayed in novels? What are your favorite examples?
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Thanks for the feedback on my last two Romance/Love Newsletters! "Romance/Love Newsletter (September 3, 2014)" and "Romance/Love Newsletter (October 1, 2014)" . Keep it coming!
I'd love to know what you think. What do you think about how interracial love is portrayed in novels? What are your favorite examples?
I'm sorry you only showed heterosexuals in romance; we gays/lesbians have true romance too and I've written many of our stories some still in my portfolio and the others in Seven Volumes of Lesbians Rock and all of the stories have been posted here. Other gay writers have written gay/lesbian romance too. -ANN Counselor, Lesbian & Happy
Sorry that my newsletter this time around wasn't your cup of tea, Ann. I used the pop culture references I did in order to make a point about the topic at hand, and in no way meant to exclude some of my audience. To make it clear, when I talk about romantic relationships, I mean all relationships, not just heterosexual ones. You can apply any of my advice to your own writing.  I also tend to pick my editor's picks based on the topic of my newsletter, which means to me that everyone's story is equally up for grabs. |
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