The first romance story
that many new writers write
is a contemporary,
a story set in today’s world
with human characters.
Writing a half decent
contemporary romance
is easier
than writing in another subgenre
because there’s no massive
world building required.
(Writing a great story in ANY setting
is ALWAYS difficult.)
Today,
with the publishing barriers to entry lowered,
there are thousands of contemporary romances published
every week.
Competition is fierce.
Profit margins are low.
However, in the subgenres requiring world building
(historical, paranormal, science fiction romance),
there are fewer releases.
Why?
Because researching or inventing everything
from the utensils the characters eat with
to the scent in the air around them
is damn difficult.
This is where many
of the professional romance writers
have ventured.
This is where the profit remains.
“The word economy
comes from the Greek and the French,
and is based on the concept of scarcity.
The only things that are scarce
in the world of connection
and services
and the net
are the things that are difficult,
and the only things
that are valuable are
the things that are scarce.
When we intentionally seek out
the difficult tasks,
we’re much more likely
to actually create value.”
Seek out the difficult tasks.