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Should fantasy have romance as one of the main threads?
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Sabine
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Nov 26, 2011 03:00AM
I was just wondering how many of you of expect fantasy to have some element of romance? If there is an element, do you like it to be prominent or very slight...for example, Eragon had a little bit, just hints and looks etc.
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I don't expect it, but since romance and love are part of most people's experience in life I think a book that at least mentions it feels a little more realistic to me. It doesn't have to be the focus of a novel however.
Yeah, I agree. Personally I like fantasy to either not have romance or just the barest hints of it.
I don't expect it, but I don't mind it, either.Basically if it works with the story I'm happy to have it. I love a good romance. If the romance has been tacked on for no real reason, then no, I don't see any need for it.
If done well, I think it can make the main character seem more real, more human.
Celici wrote: "If done well, I think it can make the main character seem more real, more human."True. Romance is one way to really showcase a character. Good one! I hadn't thought of that reason, actually.
Sabine wrote: "Celici wrote: "If done well, I think it can make the main character seem more real, more human."True. Romance is one way to really showcase a character. Good one! I hadn't thought of that reason,..."
I'd still consider it artificially tacked on if the only reason it was there was to help develop the character.
Sort of like the Bond girls, yes, they show us a bit more about James, but the romance aspect doesn't really add to the story.
I'm glad Keryl brought up the Bond girls because I was thinking of the question more in terms of a deeper love type romance woven into the story rather than what I consider the Bond girl type trysts to be - inconsequential, lust-abating encounters. It's not like Bond ever remains with one. Not that it has to be anything near The Princess Bride, but that was more of the type of romance I was talking about.
Yeah, for me it really feels tacked on when you've got a time frame that's so short and so packed full of other things that a romance is ridiculous. Bond's the best example of that I can think of. (At least, I'm rarely in the mood for some lovin' when I'm diffusing bombs and saving the world. ;)As for something deeper and more in character, I love those.
Keryl wrote: (At least, I'm rarely in the mood for some lovin' when I'm diffusing bombs and saving the world. ;)
LOL! Yes, Bond is quite adept at multi-tasking.
LOL! Yes, Bond is quite adept at multi-tasking.
Well, my novel Wolfborn had just enough romance for its needs, and it had to be there. There was an old romance between the older characters and a new one between the younger ones and both had to be there, and were carefully woven in over the course of the novel - perhaps too subtly! - while acknowledging that there really wasn't time for 'some lovin'' ;-) while trying to stop the baddie. It irked me when some reviewers declared that the younger romance had been 'tacked on' - it suggested to me that they really hadn't been reading it not to notice the development. So careful before you assume a romance in a fantasy is tacked on, guys! :-)
Well, I'm an author as well as reviewer, so I know the pitfalls of parallel construction and dumb readers, but I also listen real closely to any issue that comes up in multiple reviews. Just because it makes sense in my head does not mean I did a good job of conveying the idea to someone else.In the meantime, I can think of a few fantasy books that just didn't need the romance. (The Summoner by Dominik Grey. It's a good book, but the only reason there's a romance is because it's a staple of the genre.)
I like hints of romance. The Dragonlance Chronicles had hints of romance and a few love triangles, but it wasn't overwhelming.
Alas, too late to go back and do the blatantly obvious romance, Keryl! :-) I'm not sure I would if I could. Too much else to write. I'm not accusing my readers of being dumb, just suggesting that maybe it was too subtle, but it was there.
My fantasy e-novella has no romance, and one reviewer just trashed it because she didn't like the fact that it had no romance. In any case, I think it's important to let the story grow organically than to force something to make it more commercial.
Can't win, can we? ;-) Yes, the story has to be what it is.
I think the biggest thing we can do to avoid the annoyed review is make sure the packaging on the book is very clear as to what is or is not in the book.Someone cuts on you for no romance, when you wrote a fantasy, and it's clear from the title, cover, blurb, and genre it's not a romance, that person is a twit. But if you've got someone looking longingly on the title, and the blurb hints at romance, it's sort of understandable.
Thats if you get any choice in the cover/packaging. I didn't. I didn't even know they were going to use my frivolous story summary as a cover blurb and add to it (they said it was just for a meeting). :-) Perhaps Sabine's publishers did the same? :-)
Sue wrote: "Thats if you get any choice in the cover/packaging. I didn't. I didn't even know they were going to use my frivolous story summary as a cover blurb and add to it (they said it was just for a meetin..."And we come to one of the best reasons to go indie! You don't have to worry about disappointed readers when the publisher does something stupid in an effort to market your book to a wider population than is looking for it.
Being one of those authors whose characters occasionally go off and do things on their own without checking with me first, my lead's love life got... complicated in the second book due to an unforseen romance. However, the original set up for the series was arranged so that our heroine would be in a somewhat unconventional romantic relationship before the book was half-way through.I'm writing urban/paranormal fantasy and some form of romantic entanglement is pretty much a staple of the genre. I don't believe it's an absolute requirement. I think you could happily write something in that genre without. But I engineered it so that it was there and an integral part of the plot development as well as the character development.
(That said, a reviewer who complains about lack of romance in any novel where it isn't designed to be there is an idiot. They're reviweing the wrong book!)
Sorry, Keryl, I wish you all the best in your indie publishing if that's what you want, but at this stage I have no interest in self-publishing. Maybe one day I'll put together a collection of my published short fiction and make it e-book or POD, and choose a cover artist I've admired during my time in SF fandom, but right now, I'd rather trust the people who make a living out of marketing books to do it for me. I would rather concentrate on the writing. ;-)
Sue wrote: "Thats if you get any choice in the cover/packaging. I didn't. I didn't even know they were going to use my frivolous story summary as a cover blurb and add to it (they said it was just for a meetin..."Actually my blurb was well-edited, and it's very clear that the book has no romance angle..short of writing NO ROMANCE on it.
Sabine wrote: "My fantasy e-novella has no romance, and one reviewer just trashed it because she didn't like the fact that it had no romance. In any case, I think it's important to let the story grow organically ..."I agree. If your story does not call for romance, then there should not be any. If you throw some in just to sell books, the romance would feel fake. When I was writing my book, a friend told me to make sure I had a lot of steamy sex scenes involved. Is that really necessary? I don't think so. A lot of excellent books do not have to rely on sex.
Sue wrote: "Sorry, Keryl, I wish you all the best in your indie publishing if that's what you want, but at this stage I have no interest in self-publishing. Maybe one day I'll put together a collection of my p..."And more power to you! If you've got a good gig going, overthrowing it is a bad plan.
Lana wrote: I agree. If your story does not call for romance, then there should not be any. If you throw some in just to sell books, the romance would feel fake. When I was writing my book, a friend told me to make sure I had a lot of steamy sex scenes involved. Is that really necessary? I don't think so. A lot of excellent books do not have to rely on sex. I wouldn't say it's necessary, but depending on your genre, it does seem to be common, and worse, expected.
For the most part I'd say as long as your write your story well, the readers won't complain about things like missing sex scenes. (You'll notice almost no one dings The Dresden Files for not having much sex, and as far as I've read, no graphic sex.)
But it's worth being aware of the conventions of your genre and either sticking to them or breaking them intentionally.
If you write hot vampire hunter chick falls in love with hot vampire, no matter how well you write, if you include sex but fade to black at the crucial moment, you'll have annoyed readers. They bought the book expecting some graphic sex. If you leave the sex out all together, no fading to black, nothing beyond kissing and some tension building, and leave all things sex for the happily ever after, you'll probably get much less in the way of annoyed readers. If you write 3rd person, the reader is more likely to expect graphic sex. If you write 1st person, and it would be out of character for the MC to talk about having sex, let alone in any great detail, the reader won't expect graphic sex.
So, I guess I'm saying write the story you want to write, but keep in mind that you're not just writing, you're also trying to sell the story, and leave readers feeling satisfied with what you wrote.
how does sci fi romance sound? thats what i sometimes do
It worked well for Star Wars and Star Trek. Or are you thinking a bit heavier on the romance?
it plays quite a big role in terms of where the main characters' lives play out in the story
To me, a novel without romance and/or sex is like a hamburger without mustard. Love and kisses is what humans do.
Joe wrote: "To me, a novel without romance and/or sex is like a hamburger without mustard. Love and kisses is what humans do."LOL!
Well-realized characters transcend genres. I would expect some element of romance in any story that was supposed to be about real people. Short stories can sometimes not, depending on length restrictions and such. If it doesn't belong there don't force it.
Joe wrote: "To me, a novel without romance and/or sex is like a hamburger without mustard. Love and kisses is what humans do."Yeah, I can't really help adding a romance plot to my books, no matter the setting, though over the years i have taught myself not to always dive straight into it and build up to it.
