Category Archives: - True Romance
Why Some Girls Like Mr. Darcy
Maybe this post should actually be called ‘why I like Mr. Darcy,’ but I flatter myself these reasons might be shared by other females. Mr. Darcy gets a lot of flak from guys. He’s just some woman’s imagination of the … Continue reading
Filed under - True Romance
No Thanks, to the Guy Reciting Poetry Under My Balcony
Or, Romantic Reality vs. Fiction If some of the things that happen in romance novels happened to me in real life, I’d probably run the other way. It might make sense in the tightly structured, well-plotted world of the novel, … Continue reading
Filed under - True Romance
The Missing Ingredient in Too Many Romance Novels
The Over-stated Role of Attraction There are a couple typical plots for romance novels, but most of them go something like this: Girl is frustrated at being single/sick of dating jerks/doesn’t have time for romance. Girl and Guy meet … Continue reading
Filed under - True Romance
The Case for Ugly Romantic Interests
Good-looking romantic interests can be fun (and too-good-looking-for-their-own-good romantic interests can be even more fun). But I’d like to suggest an ugly romantic interest for a change of pace. This post was inspired when I recently read a book … Continue reading
Filed under - True Romance
Tolkien’s Take On True Love
Since we’ve been talking about romance, here’s Tolkien’s take on the subject. He actually wrote an astoundingly long letter on the marriage to his son, in typical Tolkien style: “But… only the rarest good fortune brings together the man … Continue reading
Filed under - True Romance, QUOTABLES
The Top Literary Couples as Bad Examples
Healthy Romance Makes Bad Novels, Part II Last week, I argued that healthy, functioning romances (which we’d probably all enjoy in real life) have trouble generating the kind of conflict that drives romance novels. Logically, the next step would be … Continue reading
Filed under - True Romance
Healthy Romance Makes Bad Novels
What’s a Novelist to Do? I come up against this problem all the time when I try to write a romance about two healthy, well-adjusted people – what on earth should come between them and prevent happily ever after? This … Continue reading
Filed under - ON WRITING (well?), - True Romance
The Trouble With Modern Romance
The trouble with modern romance novels is that our culture sees no reason for two people who are in love not to be together. This significantly cuts down on the potential for conflict in the novel. In comparison, Jane Austen … Continue reading
Filed under - ON WRITING (well?), - True Romance
