Dunno if this needs revising. Roshie knows romance.
- Romance
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The purpose of this guide is not to convince anyone that they should include romance in their stories. Rather, my aim is to help those who are open to the possibility learn how to best execute it. Should any "anti-romance" authors be inclined to change their minds, well that is a bonus.
Contrary to popular belief, romance can add dimension to your story you can't otherwise achieve. Think of the plot twists you can create when your hero unknowingly falls in love with the person he or she is supposed to kill. Consider the character development that occurs when a disciplined, logic-governed soldier finds himself in love, a most illogical thing, or how the personality of a usually happy character would change following the loss of a loved one.
Which brings me to another point. Romances don't have to be lovey dovey happily ever after fairytales. They can end tragically in death (I don't think a reminder about Romeo and Juliet is necessary), they can go badly (disillusionment, unrequited love) or they can end amicably with one or both of the involved characters taking away valuable knowledge that changes them. These of course are but a few examples. Use your imagination.
Romance is a sadly disused genre in the stories forum. I hope with the aid of this guide that more authors will chose to incorporate it into your stories. If you do wish to include romance, it would be in your best interests to follow a few simple guidelines:
Build up to romance as early as you can, be it through scattered glimpses into a characters thoughts, or actions, etc. Random romance just thrown into a story for the sake of it doesn't flow and leaves the reader confused and wondering if they missed something. Not that you can't surprise the reader, but you do have to leave some hints.
Mood is everything. A loud scene is not going to be as conducive to a tender love scene as a quiet one.It all depends, however, what you as the author are going for. Also, generally speaking, a slow paced romance offers a nice change of pace to the reader, and can break up the action, building more suspense.
At first, writing romance can seem awkward an unnatural, but keep at it and you will improve, as in all things.
Good luck to you, and I hope to see some more romance stories appearing on the forums.
We do, however, need an FAQ.
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