What is the best part of a book? I guess the answer depends on your taste, but to those who like the same books I do, there’s only one real answer. The romance, of course!
Think about it. Many popular books and movies include a romance, if not the main focus. Classics like Gone With The Wind have a lot more going on than a romance, but it’s Scarlett and Rhett’s relationship most people remember when talking about that movie. Movies like Braveheart and Spiderman might not be considered romances, but there are romances in there aren’t there?
You can write literary, mystery, suspense, action/adventure, sci-fi/fantasy and any other kind of book but still include a romance. Some people may not want to admit it, but it could be the romance that keeps the pages turning in a huge variety of books.
It’s why the romance genre claims the biggest share of the commercial market. RWA is one of the largest writer’s groups in existence. People—well, many people anyway—want to read stories that contain a romance.
So with the book I’m writing now, I realize I have to get my hero and heroine together. They meet on Page One, which is great for a romance of any kind. But after that first encounter they don’t see each other for about a hundred pages. Am I crazy?
But I remind myself not only have I done this before, I’ve enjoyed other novels where I’ve had to wait for my hopes to come true. Obviously there’s going to be a romance in this book—it’s promised on Page One.
I know once I get these two together the pages will start to fly.
The trick is to keep the action going so the pages before that will turn, too. Yes, we’ll hope for that romance, but in the mean time there had better be plenty of other interesting things going on to keep the eyes on the page. Angst. Tension. Okay, wondering when these two pivotal characters will finally get together is part of it, too, but it can’t be the only thing or I’ll be the first one to lose patience.
And that’s why I love stories with more than a romance. Remember the old saying about anticipation being half the pleasure? If you have a layered story, the romance will be one of the layers and perhaps even the one readers most look forward to seeing developed. But all the rest—the action, tension, plot-building—will enhance your characters and setting and give the story a more rounded feel. In the mean time it’ll bring more satisfaction to the romance because your book will have more depth.
I’m my own reader even at this early point of the book, looking forward to the “good parts” but working like crazy to make the build up entertaining and interesting. Because let’s face it, if the author loses interest that’s a guarantee that the reader will too.
So choosing the setting and what’s going on around a romance is important. Obviously conflict between the characters is pivotal, both internal an external. In my story, all the action and tension of the First World War is the backdrop. Conflict abounds, especially in this troubled little town of feuds and suspicions and outcasts. I have plenty of material to work with, and one of my favorite lines when talking to other writers is to “use what you have.”
These first 100 pages is where I really get to know my characters. How they react to their setting, goals and obstacles will make it easier for me to know how they’ll act inside a romantic relationship. I’m still building the story world so it’s not going fast at this point, but I’ve done enough research to give me plenty of material to work with.
And I know that romance is coming…
Join Me!