Into the Fire

Here is my bi-yearly (or is it annual?) post on the writing of romance. Wait, guys! Don’t leave quite yet. There might be something slightly useful here.

First I must state the obvious—not everyone can write romance. I know, I know: not everyone wants to write romance. And that’s a good thing, okay? However, the best romance is not as some refer to it with a near snarl: sappy. It’s not. On the contrary. The best romance is real.

One of the reasons people tend to view romance in a negative light is because it can lend itself to silliness, cliché, or melodrama. Category romance offers a standard formula and without meaningful characters, it can read like a daytime soap opera.

It’s difficult to portray situations where men and women are involved and not portray some kind of relationship issues. They don’t have to be blatant, but chances are if men and women are coworkers in a story or face extreme challenges together as partners, they will encounter situations which at the very least cement their working relationships or occasionally cause their conversations to gravitate toward personal issues. Romance need not be included but relationship of some kind must be.

Men and women either relate well or are in conflict. Usually some kind of conflict is inevitable. Romantic conflict must be done well or the eligibility for sappiness becomes a major factor.

Those who write romance well capture the beauty, the pain, the frustration, and the power of love, and in so doing, they elicit a strong emotional response from the reader. Those who do it well hit a nerve that reverberates within those who claim they’re not inclined toward romance. That certain truth within well-written romance touches a heart with recognition and identification. It stirs the soul.

Romance is no different from any other meaningful writing. When it’s exceptional, it makes a mark, and the reader tends to remember it.

Father, you’re the author of life, romance. You are Love. You embody Truth. You are Good. Let my writing reflect who you are from your heart to mine, from your Spirit to my words, somehow, some way. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.