There is only one
hard and fast rule
for a Romance Novel
– the story has to have
a Romantic Happy Ever After
or
a Romantic Happy For Now.
That’s it.
Anything that doesn’t adhere
to this rule
might be Romantic Fiction
or a story with Romantic Elements
(or, in the case of Romeo And Juliet,
a tragedy)
but
it is not a Romance Novel.
Some writers and critics
try to argue
this one rule for the genre
need not apply.
These writers and critics
are usually ignorant
(period)
of the reason WHY
readers need that
Romantic Happy Ending
guarantee.
Readers only want to fall
so far
into the conflict/bad things happen
abyss.
They WANT that safety net.
A great writer makes them forget
that safety net is there
– that is one of the big challenges
of writing romance
– but when the reader gets too stressed,
they can look at the blurb
and assure themselves
the couple (or more)
will be happily in love
at the end of the story.
That Romantic Happy Ending
guarantee
is a big part of what
the reader is buying.
They are paying for
love, optimism, hope
and the guarantee gives them
that.
“Understand the thinking
behind these rules,
so you can dive deeper
and
either change the rules
or
expand on them.”
Know WHY the rules
exist
before trying to change them.