Fic Talk > General Discussion
The romantic debate
RokofAges75:
--- Quote from: Purpura Lipstick on July 10, 2011, 02:20:45 PM ---I was asked and yes I've put people I know into stories, but usually just their names. There is only one person I've actually put her in the story but she's a good friend. I use her when I'm stuck ... so how would you respond if one of the boys said this to you? or how would you act in this situation. I think it just helps me to get past some writer's block. I still reserve the right to do whatever I want with the person I put in the story though it is, after all, still my story.
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I used to give cameos to readers who gave me feedback, which saved me the trouble of thinking up random names for minor characters, and I've even written stories with friends as major characters. It was always my decision, though, rather than them asking me to. I don't think there's anything wrong with the whole casting thing, if that's how the writer wants to do it; I just remember thinking it was interesting how everyone on Refresh seemed to do it that way, when I'd never encountered that kind of thing much before.
RokofAges75:
--- Quote from: Mellz Bellz on July 10, 2011, 02:35:26 PM ----I have a question for romance writers. One of the things that I struggle most with is introducing a couple and getting them together. I hate when writers have like Nick meet this girl, they take one look at each other and poof they are in love! It's completely unbelievable because it takes time to develop a relationship. Unfortunately, sometimes taking that time can cause a story to drag which is why I much rather prefer to write a story about an already established couple. Then I feel like you miss out on those critical beginnings of a couple. What are your feelings on this?
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That's a good question. I've struggled with the same thing; I think that's another reason I never write pure romance, because I like to start with the couple meeting each other and show how their relationship progresses, but like you said, it can't happen instantly or it's unrealistic, and if you slow it down to make it more realistic, it gets boring... unless there's something else going on in the story. That's why romance tends to be more of a subplot in my stories, second to whatever other drama's going on that can keep the story moving.
I think I've only written one story where the couple was together at the beginning... but then AJ got murdered in one of the first chapters, so they weren't really together long LOL. I like it better when they start out apart because I think it's easier to show their development as individual characters, as well as a couple. As a reader, I care more about the couple when I've traveled that journey with them, instead of just hearing about it after the fact. I like it best when it takes them a long time to finally get together, because it's so much more satisfying when they do!
Mellz Bellz:
I agree on the satisfaction part Julie! But it is definitely hard to do in pure romance as I'm discovering. So this may be another issue with the romance category.
Carter-Orange:
--- Quote from: Mellz Bellz on July 10, 2011, 02:35:26 PM ---Catching up so just a few points I wanted to make:
-I have a question for romance writers. One of the things that I struggle most with is introducing a couple and getting them together. I hate when writers have like Nick meet this girl, they take one look at each other and poof they are in love! It's completely unbelievable because it takes time to develop a relationship. Unfortunately, sometimes taking that time can cause a story to drag which is why I much rather prefer to write a story about an already established couple. Then I feel like you miss out on those critical beginnings of a couple. What are your feelings on this?
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Love does take time, but lust at first sight happens!
RokofAges75:
I have two "rules" I tend to follow when I do include romance in my stories.
The first is the Doug and Carol rule. Doug and Carol are my favorite couple from ER, my favorite show, and even though they were clearly meant to be, they didn't get together until Season 4. When they finally did, it made their relationship that much better, because it had taken so much time and so much drama for it to happen. The lesson I took away from that was to draw it out (without making it too boring or infuriating), to make it more gratifying in the end.
The other is the Jack and Rose rule. I remember taking a trivia quiz on Titanic in a magazine, shortly after it came out, and one of the questions was, "How many times do Jack and Rose say 'I love you' to each other?" I think the choices were 0, 1, or 2; I just know I picked 2, obviously, because they were so in love, it had to be the maximum number of times, right? I was surprised to find the answer was only 1; Rose says it once, when they're in the water and she's saying her goodbyes. Jack never says it at all. That fact makes the one time it does get said that much more meaningful. The lesson I took away from that was to use the L-word sparingly, to make it count more when it does finally get used.
It's tempting to rush it, but more satisfying if you don't.
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