Absolute Chaos Discussion Boards
Fic Talk => General Discussion => Topic started by: mare on July 04, 2011, 05:44:45 PM
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Karah brought up a point in the fanfic survey about romance and how it gets a bad rep. I thought it would make for an interesting debate topic since we've been kind of dead and debateless lately.
So here are some questions for you.
How many of you read romance and or write romance on a regular basis? And do you feel like it tends to get a bad rep? If so what do you feel are some of the misconceptions out there?
How many of you have ever read at least one romance and what was it about it, that made you go back or stop?
Do you tend to leave reviews for what you read?
If you are someone who doesn't enjoy romance, why?
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How many of you have ever read at least one romance and what was it about it, that made you go back or stop?
I've read and written at least one romance. One of the more memorable romances is Kelly's "Not Your Average Cinderella Story" and another is Julie's "By My Side". Both are fantastic. Kelly's is the perfect example of taking a cliche and putting a fresh new twist on it, along with captivating characters who carry the story through. It was funny, cute and I couldn't stop reading. As for Julie's, there were a lot of issues that weren't strictly romance, that kept my interest along with characters who I'd fallen in love with in her story before that, "Broken".
Do you tend to leave reviews for what you read?
Yes I do.
If you are someone who doesn't enjoy romance, why?
Because if it's not done right, it can be so over the top. Issue after issue after issue. A lot of the time it's the same exact thing! Even the same situation, only the characters change. I mean a couple (realistically) can only go through so much before a relationship dies because of it. In so many romance fanfics they just keep adding on and on and on like a freaking soap opera. At some point it needs to stop, because it just gets repetitive.
Another issue is characters. Characters NEED to carry a romance story. There's too many cliches in the genre that makes characters the top priority. So many times it's a random Boy and then a bland girl who's either too perfect, or over the top flawed at the other extreme. Mary Sues are boring. If the character doesn't capture you, why bother reading?
Sequels! OMG Romance has the BIGGEST problem with this. Unnecessary sequels! Do we have to know how many kids they have in their happy little lives? Or how many times can you screw it up before it would need to end? And of course it doesn't which is just unrealistic and annoying. Authors in the romance genre tend to have the most issues letting go. So then they start sequels that shouldn't be started and it goes back to the repetitiveness that makes you wanna stab the story with a spork LOL.
And sometimes, there's over the top sex scenes. Another thing that'll make me click out. Now, there's a way to do them and keep it tasteful. Sex scenes can be necessary. But man some people use the WORST word choices or go way too graphic and it makes me wanna just click the X at the top of my window LOL.
Now mind you, there's good romances... but they're had to find.
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I'm going to add on another question while i'm thinking about it lol
For those of you that write strictly romance, what is it that makes you stay away from the other genres? Which of the other genres do you find you want to skip and why?
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How many of you read romance and or write romance on a regular basis? And do you feel like it tends to get a bad rep? If so what do you feel are some of the misconceptions out there?
I don't do either on a regular basis but I have both read and written romance. Romance/love/relationships are a huge part of every day life. Much like movies, I think that it's normal for it to play a role in fanfic of multiple genres. I'm more likely to read a story that has romance as the subplot than a straight up romance.
I think it has a bad rep just because of romance being its own genre but also crossing over. People associate all FF that involves relationships or sex as being romance but it doesn't have to be. It's not all dimestore Harlequin paperbacks. One of my favourite Stepen King novels has romance as a major subplot but it's not all there is to it, it's just part of telling a real life story. Sex is just like swearing, everyone does it!
How many of you have ever read at least one romance and what was it about it, that made you go back or stop?
I've definitely read a straight up romance before, and I'd say it's the quality of the writing that kept me around or kept me coming back. Sometimes it just takes an interesting story written in an interesting way to make you forget that the main focus of the plot is romance. I'd say I'm definitely more fickle though, with a romance if I'm not convinced after the first chapter I'm done!
Do you tend to leave reviews for what you read?
I'm very open about the fact that I am a crap reviewer. I usually try to leave at least two though - one to let the person know I'm reading and another when I finish to let them know how I liked it.
If you are someone who doesn't enjoy romance, why?
Not Applicable! lol
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I mean a couple (realistically) can only go through so much before a relationship dies because of it.
I think this can be a really interesting approach for a romance too. It's rarely seen, most people tend to take the happily ever after route but I think that the destruction of a relationship has the potential to be as interesting as the establishment of one.
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I think this can be a really interesting approach for a romance too. It's rarely seen, most people tend to take the happily ever after route but I think that the destruction of a relationship has the potential to be as interesting as the establishment of one.
Right. I mean there can be a happy ending even within the destruction of a relationship, as it adds to the growth of the two as people. It'd be a nice change.
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Right. I mean there can be a happy ending even within the destruction of a relationship, as it adds to the growth of the two as people. It'd be a nice change.
This is kind of what Casual is about...
I'll be back to weigh in on this debate, too hard to do from my phone!
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I've said this before about a thousand times but I actually enjoy romance from time to time just not in fanfic. When I want to read a BSB fanfic I want it to be about the group, that's the only reason I don't read them. I have read a couple because of my old fanfic group and judging for awards, but can honestly say I haven't enjoyed any enough to want to really know what happens next. I mean some were very well written, there's no doubt about that, and some of the stories I would not have ever clicked on if I didn't have to and then after reading said wow this was pretty good. But I also had to pretend they weren't BSB fics to get through them otherwise I would have been totally bored.
I think another reason I tend to stay away from the genre is because it seems to be the one genre where the author tends to use themselves as the main character. Again, not all of the stories, but to me it just seems like this one and visuals are where authors do it the most and it is one of my biggest pet peeves when people do that. lol
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How many of you read romance and or write romance on a regular basis? And do you feel like it tends to get a bad rep? If so what do you feel are some of the misconceptions out there?
I've read and written romance stories and don't see a problem with them at all, same as I don't have a problem with any other genre of fanfic. I think a big misconception is that all romance stories are the same, you know, boy meets girl and they live happily ever after even though they've just met. But that's not always the case and there are stories out there that have really grabbed my attention with the content and the way they are told. I suppose I just love the escapism of romance and the hope that maybe there is such a thing as a happy ending (at least in fiction there is!)
How many of you have ever read at least one romance and what was it about it, that made you go back or stop?
I've read plenty of romance stories and will carry on reading as long as the story is interesting. I suppose I stop or lose interest if the story doesn't seem to be going anywhere.
Do you tend to leave reviews for what you read?
I always leave a review as I feel it's only polite to do so.
If you are someone who doesn't enjoy romance, why?
N/A
Mare, I'm guilty of using myself as the main character in a romance. It comes from when I first discovered fanfics on another site. All the writers used their own names and the names of others within the site, so I thought that was the normal thing to do, lol.
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^ lol That's okay Steph, I still love you! You know I think it was just something everyone did back in the day. I have noticed it less and less as the years have gone by.
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How many of you read romance and or write romance on a regular basis? And do you feel like it tends to get a bad rep? If so what do you feel are some of the misconceptions out there?
Lurking around and felt this is a topic I could really respond to. In the past I've kind of been on both sides of the fence here. I've been writing since I was 15 and naturally where did I start? Really bad Nick romances LOL. I'll be the first to admit that I've done the cliches... I've followed the trends. I really do feel though that the strictly romance/drama genre gets a bad rep, especially the Nick romance genre. I personally like to write for a few reasons. It's a great creative outlet for me. I have a great imagination that I definitely am losing the older I get, so a creative hobby like this is good for me. I've met some awesome friends through writing fan fics and I love the community that we have as writers for each other. I also see writing as a bit of a therapeutic outlet for me. Someone commented on basing female characters off of themselves and how annoying it is, but I think we all to some degree do it. We may not name our characters after ourselves anymore, but consciuously or subconsciously we may make them look like us or be in the same profession as us, or have the same family as us. It's what we know and in some instances it's so much easier to make my female lead a teacher versus a magazine editor because I know nothing about that world. I feel it makes me more credible as a writer. I know many fan fic purists who say "It's BSB fan fiction so I want to read about BSB, not some random chick." I disagree with that. I try in my writing to where appropriate cameo the other guys in, but predominantly I guess my writing is very "female centric." I feel like I've made a lot of progress even in writing more in Nick's POV, but I still sometimes find myself neglecting his thoughts and have to stop myself and go back. Let's face it... It's easier for me to write as a female becasuse I am one.
As for romance being a stand alone genre I think that too many people just assume that romance is all about sex scenes and dumb drama. We've all read the cliched "Nick meets ordinary girl. They fall in love. Have lots of amazing sex. Girl gets pregnant. Nick cheats on her. Girl forgives him after a few chapters. They get married and live happily ever after. The end." A lot of those stories DO exsist. Maybe it is a bit pretentious of me, but I always felt like I tried to write about romance in a realistic way that was still entertaining. The fact is that in real life, romance is not at all that exciting or romantic. I mean in the beginning yes it can be, but romance can be awkward and it's not like in the movies. So, I try to straddle that line. Problem is that it's so easy to get sucked down that path of craziness and overblown sex scenes becasuse no one wants to read about the realities of a relationship where things are less than perfect. The few times I've tried to take a more realistic route with a character readers can mistake them for being "whiny or unconfident." It's tricky and something that I am trying to work on as I rewrite some of my older stuff.
Ha I could go on and on, but I'll just leave it at that for now.
How many of you have ever read at least one romance and what was it about it, that made you go back or stop?
I've read multiple romances over the years. Some great, some not so great. Certain stories that I read years ago that disgusted me the first time I read it, I found really enjoyable reading again at an older age. Again I think for me what really gets me into a good romance is strong, believable characters that I can identify with. If they are too perfect or too unbelievable they don't seem real to me and I could care less what happens to them.
Do you tend to leave reviews for what you read?
I try to. I used to be A LOT better about it when I first joined AC. Lately I haven't read much because I've been out of the loop for so long I'm not sure where to start lol. I may not review every chapter, but I'll try to send a review every now and then to let others know that I am checking out their story.
For those of you that write strictly romance, what is it that makes you stay away from the other genres? Which of the other genres do you find you want to skip and why?
This is a REALLY good question and I'm not sure why I love my romances so much. I used to be such a hopeless romantic in my teens, but now I'm actually pretty cynical. I think that still somewhere deep down I want to believe in romance and falling in love with someone. As Julilly said love and sex are a part of life. People do it. It's a big part of life. I don't stay away from other genres purposely it's just I like to deal with more reality based situations. I don't mind reading other genres and I am much more likely to read anything if there's a romantic subplot, but as far as writing goes it just doersn't appeal to me. There's a lot of loopholes you need to cover in other genres to pull them off well. I'm also a perfectionist when it comes to details, so if I don't know about a topic and can't really research it very well I'd rather not write it than write a story that is not accurate.
I hope that helped to get a different perspective on the romance debate.
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Yes, thank you. I was hoping someone who mainly wrote romance weighed in on this.
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Just felt like it belonged here instead and i'd love for more people to weigh in on this. Feel free to make similar topics about other genres as well.
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How many of you read romance and or write romance on a regular basis? And do you feel like it tends to get a bad rep? If so what do you feel are some of the misconceptions out there?
I love reading romance and that’s the only thing I write. I think it gets a bad rep because of misconceptions like Steph said. I think a lot of people just think it’s boy meets girl fall in love and get married. I will admit though I’m guilty of doing that in a few of my stories. As far as the comment made about sequels, I'm guilty of that. In fact I'm wrting one to Joyful Heart right now. I think for me perosnally, I have more to say about the couple and what they are going through so I make a second story. For example the sequel to JH is set four years later so it's kind of how is their relationship now.
How many of you have ever read at least one romance and what was it about it, that made you go back or stop?
Absolutely read romance. If the story of how they met and fell in love is interesting, if there conflicts in the relationship and them getting together, that’s what keeps me coming back. Sometimes I stop reading if the writer takes it in a direction I wouldn’t envision for the couple. But that’s just a personal thing for me.
Do you tend to leave reviews for what you read?
I try to but a lot of times I don’t. I really need to get better at that.
If you are someone who doesn't enjoy romance, why?
Does not apply.
For those of you that write strictly romance, what is it that makes you stay away from the other genres? Which of the other genres do you find you want to skip and why?
I think I stay away from other genres because I don’t know how to write anything else. I think I do okay at romance because it’s my fantasy coming to life. How I wish things could be for me. That’s why I’m always the main female lead. I’m writing about how I want a man to want me and to fall instantly in love with me. I hope that doesn’t come off as selfish of me but that’s just me putting my fantasy out there. Some days my fantasy world is what keeps me sane! I definitely couldn’t do horror and I don’t know if I could be good at describing a thriller or mystery.
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How many of you read romance and or write romance on a regular basis? And do you feel like it tends to get a bad rep? If so what do you feel are some of the misconceptions out there?
I don't as much anymore, but I used to a lot. For a while, it was the genre I was reading and writing the most! I don't feel like it gets a bad rep; people are going to like what they're going to like. There are a lot of people reading and writing romance, so while it may not be for everyone there are a lot of romance fans out there.
If there are any misconceptions, I'd say it's that all romances are bland and just endless relationship drama that goes nowhere. While this is probably true for some, it's definitely not true for all. But I think it's just because there are so many romances, there are naturally going to be more poorly written ones than well written ones. It's like with Nick fans! He's the most popular so he has more crazies lol
How many of you have ever read at least one romance and what was it about it, that made you go back or stop?
I've read lots of romances. The ones I kept reading had interesting characters that drove the story and kept things fresh. I feel like you need to spend time developing characters in romance because romance is so hugely based on interpersonal relationships. I don't think endless amounts of couple drama is entertaining without having the characters established beforehand, and that's what'll have me clicking the back button.
I also can't buy Nick as this overly sweet nice guy. There are lots of stories I've read (especially back in the day...1999-2001) where Nick shows up and sweeps this girl off her feet. I can't deal with OOC Nick and I know that I don't know him personally or anything, but super perfect prince charming Nick just rubs me the wrong way.
Do you tend to leave reviews for what you read?
Yes, I like to let people know that I'm reading and I enjoy the dialogue that can come from the author responding to my review.
If you are someone who doesn't enjoy romance, why?
n/a
For those of you that write strictly romance, what is it that makes you stay away from the other genres? Which of the other genres do you find you want to skip and why?
I do like other genres, but I started out writing romance because I found it the easiest. I've always been into romance type movies so that's probably part of the reason. Also, I'm not gonna lie, 13 year old me really loved reading about Nick and his endless amounts of relationships and drama. That guy gets around! :P but I was never strictly a romance writer.
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Great answers guys, keep them, coming! And for the last question, i'm also talking about reading them and not just writing them.
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I don't think my answers will be very different from anyone else's, but oh well, here goes!
How many of you read romance and or write romance on a regular basis? And do you feel like it tends to get a bad rep? If so what do you feel are some of the misconceptions out there?
I wouldn't say I read/write it on a regular basis, but I have both read and written plenty of stories with romance in them, at least. Often times, the stories I read/write feature it as more a subplot than the main storyline.
I don't think romance really gets a bed rep; it's clearly the most popular genre of BSB fanfic, both historically and currently. What I've noticed is that every forum/community has its own culture, and this one tends to be more anti-romance than other fanfic communities, probably because a lot of the early regulars who established that culture preferred other genres. I don't think that's necessarily the case anymore; we have a lot of romance fans posting here frequently. Yes, almost all of us agreed that romance was the most overrated genre in that survey Mare posted, but "overrated" doesn't equal "bad."
I think the misconceptions out there are, like others have said, that all romances are teenybopper stories with Mary Sue self-inserts, over-the-top soap opera melodrama, tons of sex scenes, and a bunch of sequels about babies. Do some romances fit that description exactly? Yes. Do they all? Of course not! And hey, some readers love the sex-filled Mary Sue soap opera stories and their endless, baby-filled sequels, and that's what is nice about fanfic archives like AC - there's something for everyone!
How many of you have ever read at least one romance and what was it about it, that made you go back or stop?
For me, it takes three things - believable characters, interesting storyline, and good writing. My favorite romance is "Cover Me With Dreams," and it has those three things. I first read it on the recommendation of a friend, and I will admit, it took me two tries to get into it. Once I did, I absolutely loved it. I love both the female lead and the author's portrayal of Nick. They both seem very real, and I can relate to them; even if I wouldn't make the same choices they do in the story, I understand them enough to understand why they make those choices. I like the storyline because it shows the progression of their relationship from friends to lovers, and it does that in an interesting way, by telling the story out of order, alternating between the present and the past. Finally, the writing is superb; the author has a really engaging style that makes me laugh, cry, and keep clicking ahead to the next chapter. I've read other romances that I liked, but never one as amazing as CMWD.
Do you tend to leave reviews for what you read?
Yes, unless I just read the first chapter and click Back. But if I'm invested in the story, I definitely review.
If you are someone who doesn't enjoy romance, why?
I don't enjoy romance when it's boring. When it doesn't have the trifecta of great characters, an interesting storyline, and competent writing, I lose interest quickly. I need the promise of drama (not melodrama) or suspense, something to keep me clicking. If it's just couple-y stuff, and I don't particularly care about the couple, then meh, what's the point?
For those of you that write strictly romance, what is it that makes you stay away from the other genres? Which of the other genres do you find you want to skip and why?
N/A
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Well I write romance....in fact I have a series....but it is not all about being a couple...its about Nick finding himself and what he wants out of life. I follow him from 10 years old to 26...and its AU. I do think romance is a bit played out. Yes I put myself in a story...and promoptly died in said story. It is funny that I write it, yet I don't read many. Also my stories I am writing lately are not so much in the romance category. I am more into suspense now. But I think the 12 year old in all of us likes a good old romance fic now and then lol.
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For those of you that write strictly romance, what is it that makes you stay away from the other genres? Which of the other genres do you find you want to skip and why?
I tend to write mainly romance / comedy type stories. Sometimes I write suspense or dark stories, but I tend to stay away from anything sci-fi, especially reading wise. If it's not something that COULD happen, I tend to don't want to read it or write about it.
How many of you read romance and or write romance on a regular basis? And do you feel like it tends to get a bad rep? If so what do you feel are some of the misconceptions out there?
Romance is mostly what I write and mostly what I read and yep, totally gets a bad rep.
I feel like that a lot of non-romance readers or writers tend to think that most romance stories are dreams of the writer and that their main character is a vision of themselves. Sometimes this is the case, even with me. My first story, total Mary Sue. But just because a characters name is reminiscent of the author (like Tara in IWBB), doesn't mean the character is based on the author.
How many of you have ever read at least one romance and what was it about it, that made you go back or stop?
The writing is always the thing for me, and the characters. If I can't love the characters and want to root for them, then what's the point?
Do you tend to leave reviews for what you read? Always
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Right. I mean there can be a happy ending even within the destruction of a relationship, as it adds to the growth of the two as people. It'd be a nice change.
That is a big misconception that everything is happily ever after with "romance" stories. I try my best to stay away from that cliche and boy does it piss readers off LMFAO
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That is a big misconception that everything is happily ever after with "romance" stories. I try my best to stay away from that cliche and boy does it piss readers off LMFAO
Yea learned that one the hard way LOL
As someone mentioned about the sequels and endless spin offs... It's a tough call for me because I am guilty of not letting go of characters and writing story after story about the same relationship. It's easy to get suckered into that especially when there is a demmand from your readers. I feel like with me personally as much as I go back and reread Under My Skin and cringe at some parts, it was very popular and because of the way it ended and my reader's reactions I needed to go back and rectify it with a sequel. A Little Taste of Sin was definitely better written overall, but I feel like I definitely went for the shock value and over the top drama just to compete with other Nick romance series at the time. When it came to the next story and actusally had to deal with the fall out of all the drama I realized that I'd really backed myself into a corner which is why I stopped writing for a while.
Of course now what do I do? I go right back to Alyssa and Nick because it's comfortable for me and I am doing some rewriting, a prequel story, and basically just changing a lot of the things that make me cringe. I've come to turns with the fact that I'm going to write what I want to write and not worry so much about catering to readers. Whether that be writing an entire series of stories about one couple or leaving iff one story on a sad note it's what I like writing about.
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That's the best way Mel, write it how you want it to be.
I don't mind sequels as long as there is a story to tell.
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Yea learned that one the hard way LOL
As someone mentioned about the sequels and endless spin offs... It's a tough call for me because I am guilty of not letting go of characters and writing story after story about the same relationship. It's easy to get suckered into that especially when there is a demmand from your readers. I feel like with me personally as much as I go back and reread Under My Skin and cringe at some parts, it was very popular and because of the way it ended and my reader's reactions I needed to go back and rectify it with a sequel. A Little Taste of Sin was definitely better written overall, but I feel like I definitely went for the shock value and over the top drama just to compete with other Nick romance series at the time. When it came to the next story and actusally had to deal with the fall out of all the drama I realized that I'd really backed myself into a corner which is why I stopped writing for a while.
Of course now what do I do? I go right back to Alyssa and Nick because it's comfortable for me and I am doing some rewriting, a prequel story, and basically just changing a lot of the things that make me cringe. I've come to turns with the fact that I'm going to write what I want to write and not worry so much about catering to readers. Whether that be writing an entire series of stories about one couple or leaving iff one story on a sad note it's what I like writing about.
Honestly Mel, I read the first story of that (as you know) and at the time liked it. But all the sequels made me just go WTF and I ended up being fed up with the entire thing. To each writer their own, but I just cannot get how a pure romance can go for so many novels and not get stale. Sequels can be good things, but they can also destroy a story.
That is a big misconception that everything is happily ever after with "romance" stories. I try my best to stay away from that cliche and boy does it piss readers off LMFAO
98% of it is, which is partly why it has the reputation it has. *shrugs*.
But just because a characters name is reminiscent of the author (like Tara in IWBB), doesn't mean the character is based on the author.
Then I gotta ask, why do it? I mean me, I'd go out of my way to not have it be similar to my own name, in that case. I mean, Tara...Karah, it's easy, very easy, to assume it's a Mary Sue. Why not just dismiss that easy misconception by switching up the name?
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This is kind of what Casual is about...
I'll be back to weigh in on this debate, too hard to do from my phone!
I should check it out, I've heard a lot of good things about it, and how it differs from the standard romance. Like I've said, there's exceptions to everything, but it tends to be the norm.
How many of you read romance and or write romance on a regular basis? And do you feel like it tends to get a bad rep? If so what do you feel are some of the misconceptions out there?
Lurking around and felt this is a topic I could really respond to. In the past I've kind of been on both sides of the fence here. I've been writing since I was 15 and naturally where did I start? Really bad Nick romances LOL. I'll be the first to admit that I've done the cliches... I've followed the trends. I really do feel though that the strictly romance/drama genre gets a bad rep, especially the Nick romance genre. I personally like to write for a few reasons. It's a great creative outlet for me. I have a great imagination that I definitely am losing the older I get, so a creative hobby like this is good for me. I've met some awesome friends through writing fan fics and I love the community that we have as writers for each other. I also see writing as a bit of a therapeutic outlet for me. Someone commented on basing female characters off of themselves and how annoying it is, but I think we all to some degree do it. We may not name our characters after ourselves anymore, but consciuously or subconsciously we may make them look like us or be in the same profession as us, or have the same family as us. It's what we know and in some instances it's so much easier to make my female lead a teacher versus a magazine editor because I know nothing about that world. I feel it makes me more credible as a writer. I know many fan fic purists who say "It's BSB fan fiction so I want to read about BSB, not some random chick." I disagree with that. I try in my writing to where appropriate cameo the other guys in, but predominantly I guess my writing is very "female centric." I feel like I've made a lot of progress even in writing more in Nick's POV, but I still sometimes find myself neglecting his thoughts and have to stop myself and go back. Let's face it... It's easier for me to write as a female becasuse I am one.
Honestly though, my whole reason to read BSB fanfic is to be the Boys. And that's a huge issue in romance, it tends to become more about the female. Which, if that's the case, it may as well be Original Fiction and be done with it you know? There's nothing wrong with original characters. They add a lot to the story at times. But the Boys shouldn't be cameos, they should be right up there in the center of it.
Now putting a piece of yourself in a character is one thing. Oddly enough, my version of "Nick" these days, is scarily close to the way my own random mind works. Random lyrics, musings, whatever. I usually give them to Nick's character. I don't think it's the same as a female insert who is based heavily off yourself. I can see how a female perspective is easier to write, but that doesn't mean she should be based so much on you. Why not make her different? For me, the challenge makes writing more interesting.
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You know what's weird for me, when it comes to novels, I love reading through a girl's POV more so than a guys because I can relate to the girl so much better, but for some reason when writing, I can write through a guy's POV easier. Even if i'm writing OF, I struggle when it comes to female characters but have no trouble with the guys.
For me when BSB fanfic is told through a girl's POV as the main character, i'm already bored because I want to read about the boys. I don't know how else to explain it, without sounding like a broken record. Since i'm such a couch potatoe, i'll use TV as an analogy, even though i'm sure i've done that as well lol
It's like taking your favorite show (like Supernatural) and suddenly shifting focus from the main characters to the girl one of them is dating. For one episode (one chapter) it would be okay but if they kept doing it i'd lose interest in the show because I started watching it for the boys and their dynamics and interactions. Is it nice to have a good, strong female character in a story? Yes! Of course. But do I want that person to dominate a story about the Backstreet Boys? Not so much. I have tried many many times to get into these types of stories and I just can't do it unless in my head I make it not about BSB in which case I generally lose interest because why read this when I can read a book instead?
In that vein I have another question for you guys.
Have you read your stuff and thought you could easily make it an OF? Because if you only use one of the guys why not just make it a random pop star? What is it about the guys or guy that has you keep them as the main character? Is it because you feel very comfortable writing as one of the BSB? I'm just curious because I honestly tried to write a story where it was just Nick as a main character and having the guys barely in it and there was actually a female as a lead and I got about a chapter in and thought, this isn't a BSB fanfic. I'm making this a random pop star and changing it to an OF.
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Honestly though, my whole reason to read BSB fanfic is to be the Boys. And that's a huge issue in romance, it tends to become more about the female. Which, if that's the case, it may as well be Original Fiction and be done with it you know? There's nothing wrong with original characters. They add a lot to the story at times. But the Boys shouldn't be cameos, they should be right up there in the center of it.
Right, this is what I was sort of thinking about too. It makes sense that us as females would be more drawn for the most part to writing about female characters. But I wonder how that tends to make its way into BSB fanfic. Having the drive to write a romance novel, which is largely about the woman and her struggles is fine. But what is the appeal of making it a BSB fanfic, and how does having Nick (or any of them) the leading man make it a BSB fanfic, when the fact that the man is Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boy doesn't actually affect the story?
I wrote romance a lot, and when I was younger I definitely had a self insert story where the whole point of it was to write a story about myself dating Nick and my friends dating their favourites. The whole point of the story was to write out our preteen fantasies because that's as close as we were ever going to get to them - I'll fully admit that. We even said it back then LOL. The romance stories I have now I think focus a lot on Nick and what he's going through (and the girl too) but the fact that he is Nick Carter, and he is that celebrity is definitely important and crucial to the story.
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Right, this is what I was sort of thinking about too. It makes sense that us as females would be more drawn for the most part to writing about female characters. But I wonder how that tends to make its way into BSB fanfic. Having the drive to write a romance novel, which is largely about the woman and her struggles is fine. But what is the appeal of making it a BSB fanfic, and how does having Nick (or any of them) the leading man make it a BSB fanfic, when the fact that the man is Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boy doesn't actually affect the story?
I wrote romance a lot, and when I was younger I definitely had a self insert story where the whole point of it was to write a story about myself dating Nick and my friends dating their favourites. The whole point of the story was to write out our preteen fantasies because that's as close as we were ever going to get to them - I'll fully admit that. We even said it back then LOL. The romance stories I have now I think focus a lot on Nick and what he's going through (and the girl too) but the fact that he is Nick Carter, and he is that celebrity is definitely important and crucial to the story.
Exactly. I get writing a female character is comfortable. I really do. But at the same time, if it becomes completely about the female (or original character for that matter), then is it really a BSB fanfic anymore? To me, it's not. Which is why I can't read stories about their kids. It's not really a BSB fanfic, it's a OF that features a cameo. To me anyway.
I wrote a romance or two. The first one was just to try it. As someone who's critical of romance, I decided to try and write one. To use cliches on purpose, and find a way to make it character driven. I dunno if I succeeded or not lol. And I gotta say, the only challenge (to me) was battling the cliches I used and try to make them more unique through the characters. Everything felt safe about it. So much so I got bored writing the rest of the second one I was writing...and the sequel to the first one LOL.
Romance is great in a story, I just always feel like it shouldn't be the main focus. It bores me unless something else is bringing it to life. A character, another plot in the story...whatev er. I just think romance is better used as a subplot, rather than the main focus. As a subplot it adds to the characterizati on, gives new turns beyond the main plot. As the focus, it can lose it's spark pretty quick.
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Romance alone without anything else is kind of like watching a Lifetime movie. You either love Lifetime movies or you hate Lifetime movies lol
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Romance alone without anything else is kind of like watching a Lifetime movie. You either love Lifetime movies or you hate Lifetime movies lol
This is so true LOL.
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I don't mind reading from the girl's POV, as long as the story is still Backstreet Boy-centered. If it's too much just about her life and not about the Boy(s), that's when I lose interest. But if the Boy's in nearly every scene, who cares which POV it's written in?
One of the stories I'm writing right now switches between the girl's and Nick's POVs, and I much prefer writing in the girl's. Not only is it a lot easier, but I actually have more fun writing Nick that way, the way she sees him. It's the way most of us see him; it's the fangirl perspective. He's in 99% of her parts; without him, there would be no story, so even though half of it is from her perspective, the story as a whole revolves around Nick.
Have you read your stuff and thought you could easily make it an OF? Because if you only use one of the guys why not just make it a random pop star? What is it about the guys or guy that has you keep them as the main character? Is it because you feel very comfortable writing as one of the BSB? I'm just curious because I honestly tried to write a story where it was just Nick as a main character and having the guys barely in it and there was actually a female as a lead and I got about a chapter in and thought, this isn't a BSB fanfic. I'm making this a random pop star and changing it to an OF.
I disagree that making one Boy your main character means it's not longer BSB fanfic. I guess I could see that if the story were AU and only had one of them in it, period. Then I can see asking what's the point of using "Nick Carter" or "Brian Littrell;" why not just make it OF? But if he's a Backstreet Boy in the story, then it's BSB fanfic, regardless of how often the other guys appear.
I guess I've just never read a story that only had one of them in it, as a Backstreet Boy, and never even mentioned the others; that seems weird to me. Most of my stories focus on one guy more than others, but even in the AUs, the other guys are there, and if it's not an AU, the fact that they're the Backstreet Boys does have a big impact on the story. A lot of my ideas wouldn't work as OF because they're so dependent on the BSB angle. That would be why I'm still writing fanfic and not OF LOL. I tend to think of story ideas with the guys in mind, and the only reason for going AU is if the ideas are too far-fetched with them as the Backstreet Boys. But I'm veering off into general territory now, not just romance. The only way I'd write an AU romance is if it was about Brian, because then I COULD actually write a Brian romance without doing something horrible to Leighanne and Baylee or pretending they don't exist LOL.
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Have you read your stuff and thought you could easily make it an OF? Because if you only use one of the guys why not just make it a random pop star? What is it about the guys or guy that has you keep them as the main character? Is it because you feel very comfortable writing as one of the BSB? I'm just curious because I honestly tried to write a story where it was just Nick as a main character and having the guys barely in it and there was actually a female as a lead and I got about a chapter in and thought, this isn't a BSB fanfic. I'm making this a random pop star and changing it to an OF.
Only a time or two. An old sci-fi of mine, and now, with Undead, I think it'd be okay as an OF. But I use all five of the guys in both (well in the case of Undead...it's We do lol) as well as their personalities. I don't write a story where it's JUST Nick, or JUST Brian. There's always at least one of the others as a main somewhere, if not more.
Sometimes it's a case of I want the Boys, I see them in that character role. And if it's an AU, it's usually because it's not realistic to have them be a famous music group. (It would be weird to have the Boys as BSB and have them happen to survive an apocalypse...o r happen to be secret agents, etc.) I do think it's odd to have one Boy and virtually no sight of the other 4. They should be in there somewhere, even if one is the main focus.
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Romance alone without anything else is kind of like watching a Lifetime movie. You either love Lifetime movies or you hate Lifetime movies lol
Ha well I love Lifetime movies, so I guess that makes me a big sap? lol
It's kind of sad to see all the hating on romance, but I guess you agree to disagree sometimes. To asnswer Mare's question about why not just write OF, I'm not sure. I don't know if sticking to a BSB member is like a security blanket, but let's be real here. If I wrote OF would anyone on AC read it? No offense but the OF that does get posted here definitely gets overlooked. I don't consider that just because I predominantly write about Nick that I don't write "fan fiction," because he's not the MAIN character. I do enjoy writing about the guys even if they are just supporting cast. I mean really at the end of the day this is a hobby. I'm not looking to publish anything I'm writing on here. Are they really strict guidelines to determine what is fan fiction? I think at the end of the day, you like what you like, and if you don't like it don't read it. I think it's really hard for romance writers to be taken seriously in this particular community which can be discouraging at times, but as Karah stated the numbers don't lie. People definitely do read it and that is their perogative.
I also still see no harm in putting your own experiences in your writing. Yes, I see Julie's point in it being more challenging to write as someone completely different from you and some people do REALLY well with that. I just feel for me personally it would not be genuine. This is my creative outlet and as I mentioned before writing is a form of therapy for me. I just prefer it that way. *shrugs*
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Then I gotta ask, why do it? I mean me, I'd go out of my way to not have it be similar to my own name, in that case. I mean, Tara...Karah, it's easy, very easy, to assume it's a Mary Sue. Why not just dismiss that easy misconception by switching up the name?
For me, it had nothing to do with her name rhyming with mine. It was about her character, her parents. She was named after the house on "Gone With the Wind." It fit her personality. She was a southern belle but quirky at the same time. I honestly didn't even think about the similarity in our names until later in the story. Like, if you read "IWBB," you would see the only thing the character and I have in common is our lust for Nick Carter. She comes from a family of doctors, going to medical school, etc. She's the youngest in her group of friends... I'm always the oldest.
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Yea learned that one the hard way LOL
As someone mentioned about the sequels and endless spin offs... It's a tough call for me because I am guilty of not letting go of characters and writing story after story about the same relationship. It's easy to get suckered into that especially when there is a demmand from your readers. I feel like with me personally as much as I go back and reread Under My Skin and cringe at some parts, it was very popular and because of the way it ended and my reader's reactions I needed to go back and rectify it with a sequel. A Little Taste of Sin was definitely better written overall, but I feel like I definitely went for the shock value and over the top drama just to compete with other Nick romance series at the time. When it came to the next story and actusally had to deal with the fall out of all the drama I realized that I'd really backed myself into a corner which is why I stopped writing for a while.
Of course now what do I do? I go right back to Alyssa and Nick because it's comfortable for me and I am doing some rewriting, a prequel story, and basically just changing a lot of the things that make me cringe. I've come to turns with the fact that I'm going to write what I want to write and not worry so much about catering to readers. Whether that be writing an entire series of stories about one couple or leaving iff one story on a sad note it's what I like writing about.
See I made a post not long ago asking about whether not stories needed a sequel. I was completely torn on making a sequel to a popular story that I had. Now, I'm on the third and last story in the series. Sometimes it really is hard to let go of characters that you grow to love. It's almost like losing a friend or something because you become so comfortable with them.
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To asnswer Mare's question about why not just write OF, I'm not sure. I don't know if sticking to a BSB member is like a security blanket, but let's be real here. If I wrote OF would anyone on AC read it? No offense but the OF that does get posted here definitely gets overlooked. I don't consider that just because I predominantly write about Nick that I don't write "fan fiction," because he's not the MAIN character. I do enjoy writing about the guys even if they are just supporting cast. I mean really at the end of the day this is a hobby. I'm not looking to publish anything I'm writing on here. Are they really strict guidelines to determine what is fan fiction? I think at the end of the day, you like what you like, and if you don't like it don't read it.
I totally agree with this, Mel. I think this is a big part of why I'm still content to write fanfic instead of OF. I enjoy writing about the guys, and I enjoy getting reviews from people who have read my stuff. You're right that OF doesn't get much of a reaction around here, which makes sense, considering it's a fanfic community. People don't come here looking to read OF. I know there are similar sites for OF, like FictionPress, but I love the community we've established here. So I'll stick with fanfic as long as I'm inspired to keep writing it. And for me, as long as it's about at least one of the guys, and he's himself, with the same personality if not the same job (AU), it's fanfic.
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Ha well I love Lifetime movies, so I guess that makes me a big sap? lol
It's kind of sad to see all the hating on romance, but I guess you agree to disagree sometimes. To asnswer Mare's question about why not just write OF, I'm not sure. I don't know if sticking to a BSB member is like a security blanket, but let's be real here. If I wrote OF would anyone on AC read it? No offense but the OF that does get posted here definitely gets overlooked. I don't consider that just because I predominantly write about Nick that I don't write "fan fiction," because he's not the MAIN character. I do enjoy writing about the guys even if they are just supporting cast. I mean really at the end of the day this is a hobby. I'm not looking to publish anything I'm writing on here. Are they really strict guidelines to determine what is fan fiction? I think at the end of the day, you like what you like, and if you don't like it don't read it. I think it's really hard for romance writers to be taken seriously in this particular community which can be discouraging at times, but as Karah stated the numbers don't lie. People definitely do read it and that is their perogative.
I also still see no harm in putting your own experiences in your writing. Yes, I see Julie's point in it being more challenging to write as someone completely different from you and some people do REALLY well with that. I just feel for me personally it would not be genuine. This is my creative outlet and as I mentioned before writing is a form of therapy for me. I just prefer it that way. *shrugs*
I just don't see the point of writing about BSB if at least one of them isn't the main character. I mean it's called BSB fanfiction for a reason. If he's not the main, it's a OF featuring a cameo from a real life celebrity. My whole point is that it's like a movie. If Nick's in a movie for five minutes, is it really fair to label a Nick Carter movie? Not so much.
And you're right, if you don't like it, don't read it. But at the same time, when people answer surveys and say that romance is overrated in some aspects, it is what it is. It's not hating on it. I don't think anyone has said "I hate romance". In fact I myself specifically said it's something of a misconception when it comes to me. I'm just very critical of it for the reasons I put in here.
I also don't feel anyone said there's strict specifications on fanfiction. I mean we've all speculated on it, but this is the debate board LOL. Romance writers get a lot of feedback, a lot of the times just because of the fact they're romances. I've seen romances with a bunch of errors get crapload more reviews than a well written story of another genre.
Romance gets called overrated but it also gets the most attention.
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For me, it had nothing to do with her name rhyming with mine. It was about her character, her parents. She was named after the house on "Gone With the Wind." It fit her personality. She was a southern belle but quirky at the same time. I honestly didn't even think about the similarity in our names until later in the story. Like, if you read "IWBB," you would see the only thing the character and I have in common is our lust for Nick Carter. She comes from a family of doctors, going to medical school, etc. She's the youngest in her group of friends... I'm always the oldest.
Thanks for the answer. I was just curious, cause if I wrote romance on a regular basis, name similarities would be the first thing I thought about.
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Ha well I love Lifetime movies, so I guess that makes me a big sap? lol
It's kind of sad to see all the hating on romance, but I guess you agree to disagree sometimes. To asnswer Mare's question about why not just write OF, I'm not sure. I don't know if sticking to a BSB member is like a security blanket, but let's be real here. If I wrote OF would anyone on AC read it? No offense but the OF that does get posted here definitely gets overlooked. I don't consider that just because I predominantly write about Nick that I don't write "fan fiction," because he's not the MAIN character. I do enjoy writing about the guys even if they are just supporting cast. I mean really at the end of the day this is a hobby. I'm not looking to publish anything I'm writing on here. Are they really strict guidelines to determine what is fan fiction? I think at the end of the day, you like what you like, and if you don't like it don't read it. I think it's really hard for romance writers to be taken seriously in this particular community which can be discouraging at times, but as Karah stated the numbers don't lie. People definitely do read it and that is their perogative.
Totally. Freakin'. Agree.
I've written both fan fiction and original fiction and honestly, I find writing fan fiction more challenging than writing original fiction because I like to try and make the Nick in my stories a close as the real Nick as possible, even though it's fiction (unless it's an AU).
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Thanks for the answer. I was just curious, cause if I wrote romance on a regular basis, name similarities would be the first thing I thought about.
Yeah, I wrote that one back in 2001.
I've written one since where a girl was named Karie and I'm not gonna lie, the girl was based on me a little at the time. It was the first story I wrote after taking a long writing break while going back to college. I needed to get back in the swing of things and a semi-Mary Sue helped with that LOL
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My whole point is that it's like a movie. If Nick's in a movie for five minutes, is it really fair to label a Nick Carter movie? Not so much.
I dunno, I watched that stupid "Love Takes Wing" movie on the Hallmark channel for Kevin, who was in it all of about five minutes, and whenever I see it come on TV, I think, "Oh, that's Kevin's movie." Not that I would ever watch it again LOL.
I've seen romances with a bunch of errors get crapload more reviews than a well written story of another genre.
Romance gets called overrated but it also gets the most attention.
I think that's exactly why almost everyone put romance as the answer to that question. We've discussed this plenty of times, too, but if two new stories go up, one a well-written Nick sci-fi story and the other an average-written Nick romance, guess which one's going to get more reviews? Regardless of writing quality, the Nick romance will always win in the reviews. That's just how it is; it's a matter of taste and popularity. Like Mel said, you like what you like, and we can't judge anyone for preferring romance - I'm not a sci-fi fan either - but it is unfortunate that there are very talented writers who go largely unnoticed just because they write in the underrated genres.
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Yeah, I wrote that one back in 2001.
I've written one since where a girl was named Karie and I'm not gonna lie, the girl was based on me a little at the time. It was the first story I wrote after taking a long writing break while going back to college. I needed to get back in the swing of things and a semi-Mary Sue helped with that LOL
Mary Sues happen, and at least you admit to it. It's those who try to deny it, but there's so much evidence as to fact that it is one...they're the ones who make me roll my eyes LOL.
I dunno, I watched that stupid "Love Takes Wing" movie on the Hallmark channel for Kevin, who was in it all of about five minutes, and whenever I see it come on TV, I think, "Oh, that's Kevin's movie." Not that I would ever watch it again LOL.
You're not helping LMAO. :P :-*
I think that's exactly why almost everyone put romance as the answer to that question. We've discussed this plenty of times, too, but if two new stories go up, one a well-written Nick sci-fi story and the other an average-written Nick romance, guess which one's going to get more reviews? Regardless of writing quality, the Nick romance will always win in the reviews. That's just how it is; it's a matter of taste and popularity. Like Mel said, you like what you like, and we can't judge anyone for preferring romance - I'm not a sci-fi fan either - but it is unfortunate that there are very talented writers who go largely unnoticed just because they write in the underrated genres.
Right. I even said it's nothing against the genre. It's just what it is. It's overrated because you can typically get a lot of readers just because it's a romance. Especially if it features Nick. No matter what the quality is. It's the same way sci-fi/fantasy is underrated. There's talented writers in both genres, and there's crappy writers in both genres. One gets a lot more attention/writers in the genre than the other is all. Because of that, people are critical.
When there's more stories in a genre, things get repetitive a lot quicker. So it takes a lot more to draw me into a romance.
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I disagree that making one Boy your main character means it's not longer BSB fanfic. I guess I could see that if the story were AU and only had one of them in it, period. Then I can see asking what's the point of using "Nick Carter" or "Brian Littrell;" why not just make it OF? But if he's a Backstreet Boy in the story, then it's BSB fanfic, regardless of how often the other guys appear.
I don't know, if it's only about one of the guys and the boys are only there in name like "Oh, I talked to Brian on the phone the other day." I don't really think it would be a bsb fanfic. If Brian actually showed up for more than a chapter or a sentence here or there, than I can see it being a BSB fanfic, but if it's only a mention every now and then to remind us he's a BSB then I don't see the point lol
And as far as the girls POV when it is written like you said, girl chapter, Nick chapter, that makes sense because at least we get Nick's POV but if it's only told through the girl's POV I don't care if she's with Nick all the time, in my mind it's about her. We get her feelings and emotions and not the BSB in question. Just my feelings on it. LOL
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Oh and yay for actually debating this!! Like you said Mel, if you like it read it, if not don't. The only reason we're talking about it is because most of us said we thought it was over-rated. I thought this would be a fun one to discuss. I think in general romance is a popular genre. As a writer trying to get published, if you write romance there are soo many more options for you than if you write anything else. I have been so tempted to write a romance but I can't do it. I'm not the romance type lmao
Like I said in that other thread that Julie made, I think it's easy to be over critical of romance because it's all over the place. Just like people tend to over analyze everything Nick does but Howie can kill someone and it would go unnoticed...Un less he kills Nick, which might happen one day LOL
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Ha well I love Lifetime movies, so I guess that makes me a big sap? lol
It's kind of sad to see all the hating on romance, but I guess you agree to disagree sometimes. To asnswer Mare's question about why not just write OF, I'm not sure. I don't know if sticking to a BSB member is like a security blanket, but let's be real here. If I wrote OF would anyone on AC read it? No offense but the OF that does get posted here definitely gets overlooked. I don't consider that just because I predominantly write about Nick that I don't write "fan fiction," because he's not the MAIN character. I do enjoy writing about the guys even if they are just supporting cast. I mean really at the end of the day this is a hobby. I'm not looking to publish anything I'm writing on here. Are they really strict guidelines to determine what is fan fiction? I think at the end of the day, you like what you like, and if you don't like it don't read it. I think it's really hard for romance writers to be taken seriously in this particular community which can be discouraging at times, but as Karah stated the numbers don't lie. People definitely do read it and that is their perogative.
I also still see no harm in putting your own experiences in your writing. Yes, I see Julie's point in it being more challenging to write as someone completely different from you and some people do REALLY well with that. I just feel for me personally it would not be genuine. This is my creative outlet and as I mentioned before writing is a form of therapy for me. I just prefer it that way. *shrugs*
I can understand why you wouldn't write OF because you're right, if you are just writing for fun and know BSB fic will get more attention it makes sense. It also makes sense to write what you know. As far as being taken seriously, I do think if you are a great writer, no matter what the genre, you will be taken seriously in this community and everywhere else.
I think we all use fanfic as a form of therapy. I know I do as well.
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I think another reason romance is so popular compared to sci-fi for example, is that we've all been romantically involved with someone and can therefore relate to it and use personal experiences within our stories, whereas none of us have ever been beamed up by aliens, lol.
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^ that can be questionable with some lol
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^ that can be questionable with some lol
LOL yes, so true!
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I think another reason romance is so popular compared to sci-fi for example, is that we've all been romantically involved with someone and can therefore relate to it and use personal experiences within our stories, whereas none of us have ever been beamed up by aliens, lol.
Exactly the point I was trying to make in the other thread! I can relate to having romantic feelings for someone and all the angst and emotion stemming from that. I can't relate to aliens and space ships and paranormal universes. Some people prefer that though and really enjoy that complete escape from reality.
LOl at Mare trying to write a romance. I see what you mean though. I mean I've gotten ideas for other genres, but for some reason I just don't have the heart to follow them through and give them all justice. I'm very detail oriented so if I was say trying to write a suspense story trying to cover every single plot hole and create the "perfect crime" sounds exhausting to me! Kudos who those who can do it well!
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Yeah, I give you guys credit because I just can't do it without making the girl some kind of psychopath! lmao I have issues.
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WOW! I can't remember the last time I came on the forum and had to catch up on PAGES of discussion! This is amazing, I'm enjoying seeing your thoughts! :)
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I know! It's exciting, right? lol
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Since I write mostly romance....I do my story in the third person. Yes Nick is the main character...he is a musician..but I mostly follow his life seperate from that. The fact he is a singer isn't the whole point of the story. I personally hate the teenybopper Romance where girl goes on tour with bsb and one boy falls in love with her...you Kind of get tired of those after a while. I like romance but there is not much originality these days in the genre.
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I'm late to the party, but I am finally signing in on an actual computer so here are my thoughts:
How many of you read romance and or write romance on a regular basis? And do you feel like it tends to get a bad rep? If so what do you feel are some of the misconceptions out there?
I haven't read much FF lately, but I do read a lot of romance in general (books, etc.). I haven't been writing regularly lately either, but when I do, it is romance. I like to think of it as angstier romance
I think romance does get a bad rap...for good reason. I agree with what a lot of you have said on here. The problem with romance as a genre is that there is a A LOT of really BAD romance out there...with the writer as the character, bad grammar, etc., etc., etc. I believe the misconception is that all romance is bad, which stinks for people who actually write quality romance. I think that is why romance is the most over rated and under rated genre.
How many of you have ever read at least one romance and what was it about it, that made you go back or stop?
I am going to quote SakaSteph here...totally agree!!! "I've read lots of romances. The ones I kept reading had interesting characters that drove the story and kept things fresh. I feel like you need to spend time developing characters in romance because romance is so hugely based on interpersonal relationships. I don't think endless amounts of couple drama is entertaining without having the characters established beforehand, and that's what'll have me clicking the back button."
Also - I know sex is controversial in romance - and again, my stance is that sex is a part of adult relationships, so if you are writing about adult relationships, sex sometimes is a part of what is going on!
Do you tend to leave reviews for what you read?
Yes!
If you are someone who doesn't enjoy romance, why?
n/a
For those of you that write strictly romance, what is it that makes you stay away from the other genres? Which of the other genres do you find you want to skip and why?
In FF, I'm not really interested in some of the other genres...I don't read them just like I don't write them.
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Regarding sequels...I think sometimes people can ruin their characters by doing them. I really really contemplated doing a sequel for Casual, but in the end, I changed the ending and opted not to do one.
For me, I get really exhausted by my characters, as a writer, it's fun to create someone new and tell their story.
Like Mel has said many times, if a sequel can stand on it's own, then I am down with it...there has to be enough there!
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Sequels in general are interesting because I think most of us have a hard time letting go of our characters which is why we write them in the first place. I notice the trend more in romance though. Maybe it's because as the couple progresses so does their story? Like having babies etc... but again unless it's written in an interesting way, it should end. A sequel debate would be another interesting one since we've all written them and have mixed thoughts about them.
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You both bring up great points about sequels. Like Mare said, I think it's easy to get attached to characters, especially in a romance where, like SakaSteph said, it's all about that interpersonal relationship. You really come to know and care about the characters, both as people and as a couple, and it's tempting to want to continue writing about them and their life beyond the original story.
I think what writers sometimes forget is that stories are meant to be more exciting than real life. It's one thing to have a story and its characters be realistic... but that doesn't mean the story plays out exactly like real life. Most people's day to day lives are not that interesting, whereas a good story is interesting because it stems from conflict.
I feel like when you take a story past its natural conclusion, where the main conflict is resolved, either by drawing the story out longer or by writing a sequel, it starts to get boring, and the "solution" is to throw a bunch of new problems at the characters to create drama. Then it switches from boring/too much like real life to over-the-top melodramatic/too much like a soap opera. I think that's what happens with some (SOME, certainly not all) sequels, especially in romance.
And like Darby said, sometimes it ends up ruining the characters. Speaking from my own experience, when you have to really reach to invent some kind of conflict to build a sequel around, you end up with your beloved characters acting in ways that totally go against the way you originally developed them. Better to leave them with their self-respect and let the story end when the real conflict ends.
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Oh and yay for actually debating this!! Like you said Mel, if you like it read it, if not don't. The only reason we're talking about it is because most of us said we thought it was over-rated. I thought this would be a fun one to discuss. I think in general romance is a popular genre. As a writer trying to get published, if you write romance there are soo many more options for you than if you write anything else. I have been so tempted to write a romance but I can't do it. I'm not the romance type lmao
Like I said in that other thread that Julie made, I think it's easy to be over critical of romance because it's all over the place. Just like people tend to over analyze everything Nick does but Howie can kill someone and it would go unnoticed...Un less he kills Nick, which might happen one day LOL
Would it be bad if you have Nick kill himself in two of your stories? Granted, they are 10 years apart but LMFAO!
People were fucking PISSED at that. LMFAO!
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Nick killing himself or being killed by someone else is something that also makes a lot of people happy lol See, you mention that to suspense/angst people and they might be tempted to read.
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^ Yep! If you recommend a romance to me with the promise that someone's going to die at the end, I'm automatically more interested in reading it, because at least that means it has the promise of drama and angst and something interesting happening.
I'm the reader that used to click on random chapters near the end of stories to see if there was any sign of tragedy before I decided whether or not to read them all the way through LOL. I don't do that anymore, but I sure did back then, especially with romance. Usually I'd read the first few chapters, but if nothing interesting had happened by that point, I'd click ahead to see if anything interesting ever did. If not... eh, not worth my time. LOL
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I'm quite happy to read stories where characters are killed off or something else tragic. I've written a couple of short romance stories where I've either killed the girl off or killed them both off at the end (they're Take That stories though).
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Yeah, if I'm gonna read romance, I much prefer romantic tearjerkers to romantic comedies. I'm the same way with movies; I HATE romantic comedies, but give me a movie like Titanic, The Notebook, Moulin Rouge? Oh hell yeah! Then I'm a hopeless romantic.
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Yes! Romances are best when they do not have a happy ending!
Just out of curiousity, raise your hand if you have NOT killed Nick a story?
*raises hand* am I the only one? LOL
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I think I've killed Nick four times, but I don't even really count the two "recent" times because one was when he was an old man at the end of the story, and the other was for that horror challenge story I wrote, not for a real novel. The two times I legitimately killed him in a novel were over ten years ago, so it's been awhile.
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lmao it's been awhile. Poor Nick.
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I only killed Nick in that April fools challenge where we had to write something totally out of the box and post under a different screenname... but I guess that still counts lmao. Poor Nick. It was Howie who killed him, if that makes it better!
And I'll agree with everyone who said they love tearjerker romance. I love romance that has sad aspects to it and an unconventional happy ending. Like Titanic. I love that movie, it's my favourite romance of all time lol. I also loved A Walk to Remember so yeah... romances where someone dies at the end are thumbs up in my book! That, and the characters at least have to come out of the story having learned something about themselves.
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Howie killing Nick trumps my four! Thumbs up to that LOL.
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I don't think I've killed Nick or any of the other boys in my stories...yet! But then again, I can't remember some of the stuff I've written, so I might've already killed one or two off.
I love romantic comedies and tear-jerkers. I'd say Titanic and Bridget Jones are two of my favourite films. Also love reading Nicholas Sparks books, some of those have had me in tears because he always kills someone off.
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My all time favorite romantic comedy is My Best Friend's Wedding because she doesn't get the guy in the end and that is realistic!
I love Titanic and was the only one who lauughed when Jack died. Not so much how he died but more like her reaction saying she'd never forget him as she pried his hand off of her as she was saying it. LOL I don't know...just stuck me funny. I got a few nudges from friends for that one.
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Yes! Romances are best when they do not have a happy ending!
Just out of curiousity, raise your hand if you have NOT killed Nick a story?
*raises hand* am I the only one? LOL
I was about to be like I haven't killed Nick... except ... oh yeah... yeah I totally did and it was brutal ... lol
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I love Titanic and was the only one who lauughed when Jack died. Not so much how he died but more like her reaction saying she'd never forget him as she pried his hand off of her as she was saying it. LOL I don't know...just stuck me funny. I got a few nudges from friends for that one.
I LAUGHED TOO! (we do share a brain after all)
For days I kept saying "come back... come BACK..." to people and they got all pissy.
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LMAO and I also kept saying during the Notebook "OMG this is soo boring DIE ALREADY!" I'm such a romantic at heart.
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I was about to be like I haven't killed Nick... except ... oh yeah... yeah I totally did and it was brutal ... lol
Uh...yeah lol I mean I've carved MINE into him but at least never actually killed him. Well technically not even me, it's Brian's fault.
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My all time favorite romantic comedy is My Best Friend's Wedding because she doesn't get the guy in the end and that is realistic!
I love Titanic and was the only one who lauughed when Jack died. Not so much how he died but more like her reaction saying she'd never forget him as she pried his hand off of her as she was saying it. LOL I don't know...just stuck me funny. I got a few nudges from friends for that one.
Me too, Mare! My Best Friend's Wedding is one of two romantic comedies I actually do enjoy. The Wedding Singer is the other one.
Aww... I still cry at Titanic, but I can appreciate the humor of that. "I'll never let go," she says, seconds before prying his frozen hand off the door and letting him sink into the sea. LOL
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I have not killed Nick in any of my stories. I have had him overdose....ca r accident....bu llied...abused ....tortured.. .raped...but not killed. That might be something to try. I have never had the heart to kill any of the boys.
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Me too, Mare! My Best Friend's Wedding is one of two romantic comedies I actually do enjoy. The Wedding Singer is the other one.
Aww... I still cry at Titanic, but I can appreciate the humor of that. "I'll never let go," she says, seconds before prying his frozen hand off the door and letting him sink into the sea. LOL
I suppose when you look at it that way, it is kind of funny! I watched Titanic recently, still makes me sad when Jack dies.
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lmao it's been awhile. Poor Nick.
LMAO killing Nick in stories is a fun time. :)
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Howie killing Nick trumps my four! Thumbs up to that LOL.
Howie killing Nick is awesome! So is AJ killing Nick lmao.
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LMAO and I also kept saying during the Notebook "OMG this is soo boring DIE ALREADY!" I'm such a romantic at heart.
Awww I love The Notebook lol.
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Here's a question to the romance writers - how do you guys feel about those who write romance and go as far as to insert a pic of themselves into the banner? It's a step beyond the normal Mary Sue level.
It annoys the heck out of me, and I think it's incredibly shameless. It's one thing to go Mary Sue, but that is always above and beyond. But I wanted to see other perspectives on it.
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I hate banners of all kinds lol
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I hate banners of all kinds lol
You don't count :P LOL
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I hate banners of all kinds lol
Really? I never knew that about you. You should have told me...
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I try to keep it a secret. How am I doing so far? lol
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I do NOT like banners with the writer's pic in there....such a turn off for a romance imo.
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Here's a question to the romance writers - how do you guys feel about those who write romance and go as far as to insert a pic of themselves into the banner? It's a step beyond the normal Mary Sue level.
It annoys the heck out of me, and I think it's incredibly shameless. It's one thing to go Mary Sue, but that is always above and beyond. But I wanted to see other perspectives on it.
I just think it's kind of weird, but hey, more power to them; just because I have no self-esteem and would never put my picture in a banner for the world to see, or deem myself worthy of dating a Backstreet Boy, even in fanfic, doesn't mean everyone's that way. People who do that must have a lot of self-confidence... so, um, good for them?
It is kind of a turn-off to me as a reader, though; I feel like the author might as well put in the summary, "This is my fantasy about falling in love with my favorite Backstreet Boy. Enjoy!" I don't wanna read someone else's fantasy... blatantly, anyway. Make it your fantasy in disguise, with a seemingly "original" character I'm more apt to relate to, and then we'll talk.
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I just think it's kind of weird, but hey, more power to them; just because I have no self-esteem and would never put my picture in a banner for the world to see, or deem myself worthy of dating a Backstreet Boy, even in fanfic, doesn't mean everyone's that way. People who do that must have a lot of self-confidence... so, um, good for them?
It is kind of a turn-off to me as a reader, though; I feel like the author might as well put in the summary, "This is my fantasy about falling in love with my favorite Backstreet Boy. Enjoy!" I don't wanna read someone else's fantasy... blatantly, anyway. Make it your fantasy in disguise, with a seemingly "original" character I'm more apt to relate to, and then we'll talk.
Right, I'm picky with romance fanfic to begin with. If you make it THAT obvious that it's your fantasy with the Backstreet Boys, I'm not even gonna bother with the summary. It's THAT huge of a turn off. The banner alone will cause me to scroll on by.
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I should check it out, I've heard a lot of good things about it, and how it differs from the standard romance. Like I've said, there's exceptions to everything, but it tends to be the norm.
Honestly though, my whole reason to read BSB fanfic is to be the Boys. And that's a huge issue in romance, it tends to become more about the female. Which, if that's the case, it may as well be Original Fiction and be done with it you know? There's nothing wrong with original characters. They add a lot to the story at times. But the Boys shouldn't be cameos, they should be right up there in the center of it.
Now putting a piece of yourself in a character is one thing. Oddly enough, my version of "Nick" these days, is scarily close to the way my own random mind works. Random lyrics, musings, whatever. I usually give them to Nick's character. I don't think it's the same as a female insert who is based heavily off yourself. I can see how a female perspective is easier to write, but that doesn't mean she should be based so much on you. Why not make her different? For me, the challenge makes writing more interesting.
I don’t think romance is the only genre to that makes a single boy the center of a story. I’ve read other genres that will have one guy as the main guy and the others are non-existent. Every fan fic has original characters or a story would solely have the boys any other person that is their real lives in it. It doesn’t bother me if a story is in the guys’ point of view or another character’s point of view. Really if it’s a good story none of the fan fic rules or annoyances bother me. Personally I just want to read a good story.
I agree that if the boys or even one of them has a minute part in the story, it’s not really a BSB story. Personally I say to each their own, because when it comes down to writing it’s your story and as long as you enjoy writing it…it’s all good. For me and many other writers, it’s a chance to be creative and work on your writing skills. Yes, I have stories that I cringe when I read them, but I know if I didn’t write those stories, I wouldn’t be the writer I am today. All I say it write, write, write. Get it on paper and enjoy it. With each story, you get better. Writing should be a positive experience don’t let people take the joy out it.
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Personally I say to each their own, because when it comes down to writing it’s your story and as long as you enjoy writing it…it’s all good. For me and many other writers, it’s a chance to be creative and work on your writing skills. Yes, I have stories that I cringe when I read them, but I know if I didn’t write those stories, I wouldn’t be the writer I am today. All I say it write, write, write. Get it on paper and enjoy it. With each story, you get better. Writing should be a positive experience don’t let people take the joy out it.
That's very true! We all had to start somewhere, and no one wants to peak with their first story. Writing is like any other skill - the more you practice, the better you'll get at it. I do think if you're "publishing" your story on a site like AC for others to read, there are certain quality standards that should be met - it should be properly edited, for one thing - but you live and learn. If you don't get much feedback at first, keep writing, and eventually, you'll put out a story that people respond to. If your grammar sucks, keep studying, keep learning, make an effort to improve (or find yourself a good beta reader), and it will get better. It's a process; no one's mastered it. We all have cringe-worthy stories of our own that we could post and mock.
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I'm guilty of adding a banner with me on it on one of my first stories. It's not that I'm confident or any of that though and I certainly don't think any celeb would even look my way, lol. The thing is, I was a late starter to fanfic and only discovered it in 2007 (god knows how I never came across it before). Anyway, on the site I discovered fanfic, all the writers there wrote about themselves with their favourite member of Take That, all the stories were romance and all had banners with the author's picture. I thought that was the way it was done, lol.
And then I discovered good quality stuff on AC and haven't looked back! I don't write myself into the stories anymore and I certainly don't include my own picture. But I don't mind if the writer writes herself into the story as it's up to them what they write about.
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I hate banners of all kinds lol
You learn something new every day, lol
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The thing is, I was a late starter to fanfic and only discovered it in 2007 (god knows how I never came across it before). Anyway, on the site I discovered fanfic, all the writers there wrote about themselves with their favourite member of Take That, all the stories were romance and all had banners with the author's picture. I thought that was the way it was done, lol.
That just goes to show that every fanfic site is different and has its own "culture." I realized that when we were frequenting a site called Refresh, where Tanja was stealing our stories and reposting them as Busted or McFly fanfics. That forum was full of teenies, and they all cast each other in their fanfics. Like, they would almost do casting calls - "I need this many people for these roles in my fanfic; who wants in?" - and other teenies would give their names and physical description, and they would end up being the writer's main characters. We thought that was kind of weird too, but that's because we're cynical and judgmental on this forum. :P
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that's because we're cynical and judgmental on this forum. :P
And judging from the comments on Mare's banner hate we're also VERY sarcastic! lol
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If someone wants to put themself on a banner, well ok. To each there own. Really a banner or no banner doesn't make me choose to read a story. Some banners without a perdon's pic are just weird, too. LOL. If it makes someone happy than, who am I to judge. I read any story from any genre because it captures me into a story line. Sometimes a pointless Mary Sue, boy falls for girl, everything is rainbows and puppies dogs is what I want...lol. Sometimes I read to escape reality and maybe get a few chuckles. I don't always want to read about death, drama, fighting,etc.
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That just goes to show that every fanfic site is different and has its own "culture." I realized that when we were frequenting a site called Refresh, where Tanja was stealing our stories and reposting them as Busted or McFly fanfics. That forum was full of teenies, and they all cast each other in their fanfics. Like, they would almost do casting calls - "I need this many people for these roles in my fanfic; who wants in?" - and other teenies would give their names and physical description, and they would end up being the writer's main characters. We thought that was kind of weird too, but that's because we're cynical and judgmental on this forum. :P
I LOVE horses!!! lol
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That just goes to show that every fanfic site is different and has its own "culture." I realized that when we were frequenting a site called Refresh, where Tanja was stealing our stories and reposting them as Busted or McFly fanfics. That forum was full of teenies, and they all cast each other in their fanfics. Like, they would almost do casting calls - "I need this many people for these roles in my fanfic; who wants in?" - and other teenies would give their names and physical description, and they would end up being the writer's main characters. We thought that was kind of weird too, but that's because we're cynical and judgmental on this forum. :P
The site I used to go on was very similar to that! Except we were all in our 20s or 30s. I remember the first story I ever wrote, one member PM'd me asking if she could be in it as Gary Barlow's wife! I really didn't want to do it, because it was my story, but I was a complete pushover and didn't want to offend her (wish I had!). She used to be on to me constantly about what she wanted her character to do, so in the end I wrote that he had a fling with someone else because she pissed me off so much and I was beyond caring if I offended her.
Rachel, you are right. We all like different stories. Wouldn't it be boring if we all liked exactly the same.
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I LOVE horses!!! lol
DOUGIE!!!! ;D
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That just goes to show that every fanfic site is different and has its own "culture." I realized that when we were frequenting a site called Refresh, where Tanja was stealing our stories and reposting them as Busted or McFly fanfics. That forum was full of teenies, and they all cast each other in their fanfics. Like, they would almost do casting calls - "I need this many people for these roles in my fanfic; who wants in?" - and other teenies would give their names and physical description, and they would end up being the writer's main characters. We thought that was kind of weird too, but that's because we're cynical and judgmental on this forum. :P
Actually funny you should say that but as someone who has followed fan fic loosely for about 11 years I definitely can remember a time when BSB fic was EXACTLY like that with the casting calls. I think the fan base as a whole at that point was a LOT younger too. I would say on average of 13-19 (?) So I guess masybe it depends on the age group of the writers?
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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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Catching up so just a few points I wanted to make:
-About girls who put pics of themselves in banners? Drives me nuts! Makes the story so much less credible in my mind and screams teeny. I think the biggest insult was someone actually asked me if the girl in my UMS banner was actually me. Not only clearly is it a professional picture of a model, but would you think I'd do that? Ha maybe I should've taken it as a compliment!
-I actually have never killed Nick in a story or really done anything remotely torturous to him outside of maybe making him hold out on sex LOL jk. Haha... Maybe I should start? I had his girlfriend murdered once, but was probably about it.
-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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Actually funny you should say that but as someone who has followed fan fic loosely for about 11 years I definitely can remember a time when BSB fic was EXACTLY like that with the casting calls. I think the fan base as a whole at that point was a LOT younger too. I would say on average of 13-19 (?) So I guess masybe it depends on the age group of the writers?
I think age is definitely a factor. The Mary Sue self-inserts used to be even more common than they are now in our fandom, too. I did self-inserts and cheesy banners too (though never with my own picture) when I was a teeny.
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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.
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.
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-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?
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!
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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.
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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?
Love does take time, but lust at first sight happens!
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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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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.
I think those are two great rules for writing.
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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.
Great point Julie! I think I must've read the same article because somewhere in my collection of useless trivia in my head I have never forgotten that Jack never ONCE told her he loved her yet you totally believed it. Strangely enough I actually totally bought the fact that they fell so deeply in love in a matter of days. I have no idea how those writers pulled that off, but I wish I knew their secret. Sometimes I think in movies it's easier to pull off because you physically have the characters in front of you and can rely on the chemistry between two actors versus in writing you have to rely on a reader's imagination.
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I think those are two great rules for writing.
Thanks! I try to learn from the best, especially with genres I'm not as comfortable writing. With romance, it helped me move past my early teenybopper stories LOL.
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Great point Julie! I think I must've read the same article because somewhere in my collection of useless trivia in my head I have never forgotten that Jack never ONCE told her he loved her yet you totally believed it. Strangely enough I actually totally bought the fact that they fell so deeply in love in a matter of days. I have no idea how those writers pulled that off, but I wish I knew their secret. Sometimes I think in movies it's easier to pull off because you physically have the characters in front of you and can rely on the chemistry between two actors versus in writing you have to rely on a reader's imagination.
Yeah, they are the exception to that rule. I bought that they were in love too, and he didn't have to tell her for her to know. I'm sure there are plenty of Titanic fanfics that explore this, but it's interesting to wonder how their relationship would have turned out if he hadn't died and they really had run off together in New York. Would they have lasted with the stress of being so poor and Rose not being used to it? Would the fact that they'd only known each other a few days lead to cracks in the relationship later on? Their relationship started off almost like a summer fling, something that was meant to be temporary and fun, but obviously it progressed to more than that. But how could you not fall in love with Jack Dawson? I was in love with him after about an hour, and I wasn't even a Leo fan the first time I saw that movie (I sure was from that point on, though! LOL).
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Yeah, they are the exception to that rule. I bought that they were in love too, and he didn't have to tell her for her to know. I'm sure there are plenty of Titanic fanfics that explore this, but it's interesting to wonder how their relationship would have turned out if he hadn't died and they really had run off together in New York. Would they have lasted with the stress of being so poor and Rose not being used to it? Would the fact that they'd only known each other a few days lead to cracks in the relationship later on? Their relationship started off almost like a summer fling, something that was meant to be temporary and fun, but obviously it progressed to more than that. But how could you not fall in love with Jack Dawson? I was in love with him after about an hour, and I wasn't even a Leo fan the first time I saw that movie (I sure was from that point on, though! LOL).
Very true! In my more recent rewatches of that movie I've wondered the same thing. Then of course there is also something so tragically romantic about being put into a life/death situation. I know that sounds sick, but I think that being faced with the chance you may die definitely would cause you to have strong feelings for someone that you might not ordinarily feel that way about. Hmmm... That would be an interesting idea to follow for as story...
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That's true too; I think the circumstances definitely made their feelings even stronger, but Rose was planning to get off with him even before it hit the iceberg. I think she just felt so trapped by her life that it was easy to fall for him; he was her way out. But I do think there was real love there, on both sides of it. For Jack, it was lust first, but once he saw her real personality, that she wasn't just some snotty pampered princess, he fell in love with her too. I think there was a lot more character development there than in, say, Romeo & Juliet, where it really is just kind of based on lust and raging teenage hormones LOL.
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I'm reviving this thread because I just want to say, after seeing a conversation on Twitter last night about romance, that the point of this thread was not to make anyone feel guilty, insecure, or attacked about liking romance, whether that means reading it, writing it, or both.
I'm pretty sure Mare started it because of the way almost everyone answered a question in her fanfic survey in another thread a few days before, when she asked what genre we felt was overrated. Almost everyone said romance, and a romance writer asked why, and so here is the result, a place to discuss the genre and its misconceptions .
I don't think anyone here has said they hate romance, and no one has said people shouldn't be writing it. Personally, I do wish there was more variety in genres being posted on AC, and I know I'm not alone in that opinion, but that is just based on my own personal preference. I don't hate romance; I just like drama and suspense better. I would never try to tell someone else what to write or what not to write, and I don't think anyone else here was doing that, either. Write what you want! It shows if you don't. If you're a romance writer, be proud of it! Be glad! You're writing in a genre a lot of people love!
I have another thought, but I'm gonna save it for a separate post so this one doesn't get so long no one will read it. :)
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I think of the genre thing like music.
Romance is like mainstream, Top 40 pop music. Some people will grumble and say they hate Top 40, but obviously, some people must love it, or it wouldn't be Top 40! It wouldn't be on the radio! Some people may dislike most of it, but will admit to liking a few select songs (stories).
Then you have drama, which is more like rock music. A little darker, a little edgier than pop, but still popular, still on the radio, just a different station. Sometimes you get a crossover, a rock song on the pop station, just like some dramas have subplots of romance, or vice versa.
Suspense is maybe like rap/hip-hop. It's not for everyone, but it does have its fans and a place on the radio and in the mainstream. Sometimes it, too, crosses over with rock (drama) or pop (romance).
Slash could be like country music, the most divisive genre. Like country, you either love it or you hate it. Some people live by slash, where that's all they read/write, and some people wouldn't go near it. Sometimes you get a country song or artist that goes mainstream pop, just like some slash stories are so well-written that they convert people who normally wouldn't read slash.
And then you have sci-fi and fantasy, which are like the underground, indy music, not in the mainstream. There's a lot of creativity and originality going on in these genres, yet for whatever reason, they're not as popular. Dedicated fans of these might look down on the mainstream, yet wish more people liked their genres.
You shouldn't let anyone else's opinions dictate what kind of music you like or make you feel bad for listening to a certain type, and the same is true for fanfic. Be yourself, read/write what you like, and if you have a different opinion, stand up for yourself and express it! That's the whole point of a discussion board! That's why this thread is called "the romantic DEBATE" - I think Mare was hoping we'd have ALL sides in here sharing their viewpoints on the topic.
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In my opinion people may feel under attack or get their feelings hurt is because they feel that the romance genre is the one no one takes seriously. Maybe if they are constantly hearing most romance stories are full of fluff and one dimensional Mary Sue characters, one might be led to feel they aren't as good of a writer then say those who write suspense or comedy. Just like the other genres their are cliches that all writer do whether it be suspense, romance, or children's lit. With the constant complaint of too much romance stories on AC it may feel like an attack.
Being that romance has a lot of stories, as I writer I definitely feel the need to come up with something new and original. That can take a lot of work. Romance has a lot of interpersonal connections between characters. You have to show that in dialogue and actions like any other genre. Genres may be different, but they use the same writing skills to write them.
In my opinion, not anyone elses because I only speak for me...lately all I see is negativity towards everything and everyone. You can't voice a single opinion without people calling you a bitch. Unless you agree with a person, your opinion is crap. You may not even be talking to a person and they will attack you because you said something. This is still America, everyone has the right to an opinion. Let's be the adults we are, where we respect each other and our opinions. Agree to disagree.
We should be applauding each other for our writing. For some people it's hard for them to even post a story. Take time and read a story in a different genre you may just be surprised.
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Another thing I notice that within other genres is that they have romance intertwined within the main genre. Many dramas have a secondary love story. A lot of romances have, suspense, drama, and comedy within it. I think most of the stories on AC do a fine job of incorporating a little bit of more than one genre.
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In my opinion people may feel under attack or get their feelings hurt is because they feel that the romance genre is the one no one takes seriously. Maybe if they are constantly hearing most romance stories are full of fluff and one dimensional Mary Sue characters, one might be led to feel they aren't as good of a writer then say those who write suspense or comedy. Just like the other genres their are cliches that all writer do whether it be suspense, romance, or children's lit. With the constant complaint of too much romance stories on AC it may feel like an attack.
I don't think it's the romance people are complaining about, so much as it is the lack of variety in genres. I have a feeling if there was nothing but drama on the Most Recent, people would complain about that too. ("Why is everything all gloom and doom? We need more comedies!") If AC was suddenly dominated by AUs, people would complain about there not being enough canon BSB fics. One of the reasons sites like AC do so well is that there are so many stories, in so many genres, that there should be something for everyone, so sometimes it's disappointing to not see that variety represented in what's actually being updated. But romance has always been the most popular genre of BSB fic, and clearly, it's still going strong. Not everyone may love it, but seems like most people do, or it wouldn't be doing so well.
I agree about the cliches, and it's too bad, because like you said, there are certainly romances that are above those cliches and should be taken seriously. It's the poorly-written teeny stuff that has given romance a bad name. I do think that creates an extra challenge for romance writers, to avoid those cliches and prove the haters wrong.
Being that romance has a lot of stories, as I writer I definitely feel the need to come up with something new and original. That can take a lot of work. Romance has a lot of interpersonal connections between characters. You have to show that in dialogue and actions like any other genre. Genres may be different, but they use the same writing skills to write them.
I think romance is tough to write! Good romance, anyway. Like you said, there has to be something fresh about it so that it stands out among all the others, and because it's based on those interpersonal connections, the characters need to be strong, or they fall flat and the story loses its credibility. In some other genres, the writers can rely more on action and events to drive the story, but that doesn't really work for romance if the characters don't hold up.
In my opinion, not anyone elses because I only speak for me...lately all I see is negativity towards everything and everyone. You can't voice a single opinion without people calling you a bitch. Unless you agree with a person, your opinion is crap. You may not even be talking to a person and they will attack you because you said something. This is still America, everyone has the right to an opinion. Let's be the adults we are, where we respect each other and our opinions. Agree to disagree.
I hope this opinion is coming from Twitter and not here on AC. I don't think these debate threads on AC are meant to be negative at all; they're just intended to get us talking. It was pretty dead on this board before the romance conversation started, and I've enjoyed the fanfic discussion that resulted from it. I think we do a pretty good job on this board of expressing different opinions without attacking each other or resorting to name-calling. The forum as a whole is pretty harmonious compared to most other BSB forums I've been to. We may not all agree on all points (and it would be pretty boring around here if we did), but we all like fanfiction, and almost all of us like the Backstreet Boys, so we have enough in common to get along and respect each other's opinions even when they differ from our own.
We should be applauding each other for our writing. For some people it's hard for them to even post a story. Take time and read a story in a different genre you may just be surprised.
Agreed, and great idea! I wonder if it could be made into some kind of challenge, a reading challenge instead of a writing one?
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Yup, I started this thread because of the way the answers from my survey turned out like I have already said a bunch of times. I never did it to make people feel attacked or belittled.
I'm glad I missed out on whatever drama happened on twitter. I tend to not follow many people so, not sure exactly what went down but, I do hope that people feel like they can post whatever opinion they want on here and not feel attacked. Although feeling attacked usually has less to do with what's actually said and more to do with your own personality and how you handle situations. Some people tend to think anything anyone says is about them when most times it's a general statement about something. I think as writers sometimes we all need thicker skins and just enjoy writing what we write and not care so much about what everyone else thinks. Weird that I came up with that other thread this morning. I must have a psychic thing happening. LOL
I also think we have all tried to read other genres, I know I have tried to read several romances, sci-fi's even slash. Have I thought some of the writing was high calibur? Absolutely! but sometimes it just is something that doesn't hold my attention.
As far as Romance goes, since that's the hot topic, I Don't think it's all fluff, or stereotypical, but for me personally, it's boring to read about a relationship. If it's a small subplot within a bigger context, it's one thing but if it's mainly focused on the relationship, it just isn't my thing. I know i'm in the minority and I also know that it's extremely hard to write about a complex relationship and keep it going through an entire story. I have said many many times, I give romance writers credit for being able to write realistically, especially the love scenes because I just can't lol
I do think it's important to support new writers and make them feel comfortable and I think AC is a great place for that to happen.
So, yeah...lol
I do like the idea of a reading challenge. Maybe we can do that next month?
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I also think we have all tried to read other genres, I know I have tried to read several romances, sci-fi's even slash. Have I thought some of the writing was high calibur? Absolutely! but sometimes it just is something that doesn't hold my attention.
As far as Romance goes, since that's the hot topic, I Don't think it's all fluff, or stereotypical, but for me personally, it's boring to read about a relationship. If it's a small subplot within a bigger context, it's one thing but if it's mainly focused on the relationship, it just isn't my thing. I know i'm in the minority and I also know that it's extremely hard to write about a complex relationship and keep it going through an entire story. I have said many many times, I give romance writers credit for being able to write realistically, especially the love scenes because I just can't lol
This is pretty much how I feel too. While there are a few pure romances (where the main focus of the storyline was on the couple) that I've read and enjoyed, I generally need some outside plot to keep my attention. I prefer event-driven stories with good characters to character-driven stories. I get bored easily without life or death situations, whether it's an illness or a disaster or someone trying to kill the main characters. If the author can work some romance into that, awesome! If not, that's okay too. But in most cases, romance without that excitement doesn't hold my interest. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with pure romance or romantic comedies; they're just not MY favorite thing to read. But again, judging by the amount of romance on AC and the sheer popularity of it in terms of reviews and favorites, I'm right there in the minority with Mare LOL.
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I also just wanna point out, I think people who love romance may not understand how frustrating it can be for people who love reading fanfic, but don't like romance, to find new stories to read. I think that's where this complaining comes from. It's frustration.
Speaking from experience, I've clicked on many of the romances that are popular and highly-recommended or that I see on the Most Recent page all the time because they're updated so frequently. I would love nothing more than to start reading one of them and get sucked right in and have a new story to follow that actually gets updated a lot. Unfortunately, it doesn't happen all that often because, regardless of the quality of writing, the plot just isn't for me, and I don't get sucked in.
I remember what a breath of fresh air Pengi's "Something Beautiful" was for me last summer because that story is totally MY type of story, drama with a romantic subplot and plenty of comic relief. With the exception of Rose's "Remember Me This Way" (which doesn't have the romantic subplot, but does have plenty of drama and comic relief), it had been a long time since I'd read a new story like that. It sucked me right in without me having to force myself to keep reading it, and I hadn't had that experience in awhile. It reminded me of why I love reading fanfic.
I wish there were more new stories being written that could give me that experience, so if you ever see me complaining, that's where it's coming from. It's not an attack on romance or any other genre; it's not an attack on certain writers; it's just general frustration that there aren't as many of the kind of stories that I truly love being written.
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That sums it up for me exactly! I think we complain generally about the limited choices, not so much who is writing the stories. I'm excited there is suddenly a multitude of sci fi stories popping up on AC and i'm not even a fan of sci fi lol it's just nice to see some more variety out there.
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^ Exactly! I'm not a sci-fi fan either; I was just happy to see Louise back LOL.
I felt the same way last year about Lurks, Tracy's FYO, and Reb's Last Christmas, bringing back the old-school suspense! That's definitely my second favorite genre, after drama, and all those stories made reading fanfic fun again too. Last summer was so awesome because of that variety.
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A reading challenge sounds good!
Julie, I love how you put the genres in terms of music genres. In music, I like a bit of everything and I'm the same with fanfic. It depends on my mood really, I might read a fluffy romance (which I have nothing against and even like to write) and then follow it with horror. Just like sometimes I might want to listen to Linkin Park and then I might fancy a bit of The Beatles.
I don't think anyone is attacked here for posting their opinions, we're just having a healthy discussion :) We are all different and all like different things.
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I'm the same way; I like a little bit of everything, with music and with fanfic. Romance isn't my favorite genre, but that doesn't mean I don't have romances among my favorites. A lot of the fanfics that have had the most impact on me feature romance at least as a subplot. I've read at least something in every genre, and in most genres, I can pick out at least one story that I've absolutely loved. See Mare's conversion thread for more info LOL.
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LOL I'm as picky with music as I am with my fanfic reading.
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That sums it up for me exactly! I think we complain generally about the limited choices, not so much who is writing the stories. I'm excited there is suddenly a multitude of sci fi stories popping up on AC and i'm not even a fan of sci fi lol it's just nice to see some more variety out there.
Right, and if anyone sees my twitter lol, I bitch abotu it sometimes. I am a girl who likes variety in her fanfic. I also am one who is very picky with romance. I've read it, and I've even said in the survey thread I don't hate it. I'm just really choosey about it. But it does get disappointing when the genre completely dominates AC. I'm someone who loves suspense, action, sci-fi, horror, and wish there was more.
If that offends people...well, it's a personal preference. Not an attack on those who write it.
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I hope this opinion is coming from Twitter and not here on AC. I don't think these debate threads on AC are meant to be negative at all; they're just intended to get us talking. It was pretty dead on this board before the romance conversation started, and I've enjoyed the fanfic discussion that resulted from it. I think we do a pretty good job on this board of expressing different opinions without attacking each other or resorting to name-calling. The forum as a whole is pretty harmonious compared to most other BSB forums I've been to. We may not all agree on all points (and it would be pretty boring around here if we did), but we all like fanfiction, and almost all of us like the Backstreet Boys, so we have enough in common to get along and respect each other's opinions even when they differ from our own.
Yes that negativity does come from Twitter. It reminds of the women's bathroom where all the gossip comes from in high school and junior high schoo. The sad thing is everything you say on Twitter pisses someone off. People take things the wrong way, because they read into emotion that isn't there. I like this board and I love AC. I think that we are all so unique and wonderful that we should have fun and enjoy our accomplishment s.
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Yes that negativity does come from Twitter. It reminds of the women's bathroom where all the gossip comes from in high school and junior high schoo. The sad thing is everything you say on Twitter pisses someone off. People take things the wrong way, because they read into emotion that isn't there. I like this board and I love AC. I think that we are all so unique and wonderful that we should have fun and enjoy our accomplishment s.
Right, and that's the problem. People read tweets and make a lot of assumptions. And most of the time it's nothing meant the way someone else took it. Life's a lot easier when you just ask the person what they meant by that LOL. Clears a lot of things up. I haven't seen any attacks on the romance genre on twitter, but maybe I just don't follow those people?
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Yes that negativity does come from Twitter. It reminds of the women's bathroom where all the gossip comes from in high school and junior high schoo. The sad thing is everything you say on Twitter pisses someone off. People take things the wrong way, because they read into emotion that isn't there. I like this board and I love AC. I think that we are all so unique and wonderful that we should have fun and enjoy our accomplishment s.
I hate that about Twitter too. I think the motto for Twitter should be, "Don't like what I say? Then don't follow me." I try not to follow Drama Llamas, Negative Nancies, or Debbie Downers, because all the bitching, complaining, and general negativity annoys me, too. That way, I can just stay out of it and not worry about it.
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I hate that about Twitter too. I think the motto for Twitter should be, "Don't like what I say? Then don't follow me." I try not to follow Drama Llamas, Negative Nancies, or Debbie Downers, because all the bitching, complaining, and general negativity annoys me, too. That way, I can just stay out of it and not worry about it.
This. LOL. I unfollow the moment someone's tweets start annoying the living crap out of me.
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Would just like to point out I was not offended by anything people have been saying on here ot twitter. I have just been a little burned out from everything going on in my life lately. We are all entitled to our opinions. I am gonna keep writing what I like. :)
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Thanks for the FYO mention, Julie, I appreciate it!
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You're welcome! And I'm glad you weren't offended by anything that was said about romance, here or on Twitter. Like I said earlier, speaking for what I saw anyway, the point was certainly not to attack the genre or anyone who writes in it.
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I've only read the last two pages and it helped me a lot to be more secure about my writing! I have been having trouble with writing far too long and it's pissing me off. Everytime I get an idea about a story I'm writing or an idea for a brand new story, the first thoughts I get are "How many people will like it? Will anyone like it at all? What if barely anyone likes it?" and then I go like "Nah I won't write today". It goes like that EVERY single time I feel like writing or get an idea. I shouldn't write what others like to read. I should write what I like to write. Not too long ago, I noticed that my first BSB fanfic actually had pretty many reviews for someone who wasn't familiar with BSB fanfic at all. Even though it had the cliche of alcoholic AJ, it still had many readers. But I stopped writing it because it's a cliche. I did enjoy writing it though (although I have to change things cause at some point it switches from 3rd to 1st person, I still facepalm myself for that LOL). I might rewrite it sometime.
Right now, I'm writing a story (not posted) and I really like the idea of it. Tracy read the first bit and really helped me with giving good feedback. But my insecurity is holding me back. I hate it! So, reading all of your opinions made me more secure.
To get back to the original topic, I like to read romance as long as it doesn't get all mushy and when the couple only kiss and hug in each chapter and do nothing else LOL
I'm trying to mix several genres into the story I'm currently writing. I like to write romance but try not to focus on the relationship too much because if I would, I'd run out of inspiration/ideas real soon lol
I pretty much like to read several genres. Romance, Drama, Suspense, Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Fantasy.. it just depends on my mood. As long as the plot is good, I'll keep reading it. The only thing I can't read is Slash. I tried to, but it's just not my thing 'cause everything I read, plays like a movie in my mind so when I read about AJ and Brian getting it on... uh.. lmao! Nah. But if people like to write Slash, they should. :)
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Aww good! I'm glad this discussion helped you be more confident, Imke.Writing is such a learning process. I feel like i'm learning something new everyday and I LOVE reading other people's opinions on things because so many times I find myself wondering if it's just me that thinks a certain way and i'm always thrilled to see that it's usually not.
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Not too long ago, I noticed that my first BSB fanfic actually had pretty many reviews for someone who wasn't familiar with BSB fanfic at all. Even though it had the cliche of alcoholic AJ, it still had many readers. But I stopped writing it because it's a cliche. I did enjoy writing it though (although I have to change things cause at some point it switches from 3rd to 1st person, I still facepalm myself for that LOL). I might rewrite it sometime.
You should! You know, we talk a lot about cliches, but I don't think cliches are all bad. Usually, story elements that are overdone are that way because they're GOOD! There's something about them that makes a lot of people want to write them. The trick is to bring something new to freshen the idea up, so it's not just the same old, stale cliche. It's not easy, but it can be done.
Best friends falling in love? Way overdone, but with the right characters and the right author behind them, it can still make for a good romance.
Stalker/kidnapping/hostage stories? I've read three suspenses written in the last year with those sorts of premises, and I loved all three of them just as much as I loved the stalker/kidnapping/hostage fanfics I was reading a decade ago LOL.
The old bus crash story? Haven't seen one of those in awhile, but if one popped up and was well-written, you bet I'd read it!
Cancer stories? *Cough* Um, I wouldn't have half the readers I do if I didn't keep revisiting that cliche.
So definitely, don't let the fact that it's a cliche stop you from writing. If you enjoyed it, and the readers enjoyed it, go for it!!! That's what matters.
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I'm trying to mix several genres into the story I'm currently writing. I like to write romance but try not to focus on the relationship too much because if I would, I'd run out of inspiration/ideas real soon lol
I think the best stories are multi-genre, to be honest. I like complex stories with different layers and subplots. There's a point where you can get a little too subplot crazy (I've been there, as a writer), but I think it's great to have one or two to supplement the main storyline and appeal to a wider audience.
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I just wanted to say kudos to 'almost' everyone in this thread for doing the reading duel challenge. After skimming through, there is only one person who posted more than once in here and hasn't stepped up to the challenge. Hopefully she will too!
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I'm glad it's gotten so many participants! It's nice to see everyone willing to give some new stories a chance, whether they're romance or a different genre they don't usually read.
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I'm also glad to see so many participants. It should be fun and I'm looking forward to giving a new story a read.
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I'll usually try to read almost anything (doesn't mean I'll love it) and I figure that whatever anyone says about one of my stories they are old enough that I've probably thought much worse LOL.
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I feel a group hug coming on...lol. I just had to say that since we are all participating and not getting offended by comments. I think it is good to share thoughts and opinions. I think everyone forgets that most of the comments are written with less emotion than we think when we read them. It's just like emails a lot of times they are straight to the point and we as the reader put emotion into and it changes the original intent of the message. I think it's human nature to disagree, it's just how you handle it.
I think that as a writer, we have all made mistakes, hated what we wrote, had people hate what we loved in our writing, had people love what we hated in our writing, etc. We've all had those feelings whether we share them or not.
I think all of us should be proud that we are writing and sharing our writing. It takes courage to post something for others to see. Some people can't and won't even try to write even though that is something they want to try. I'm proud of all of you for writing and taking a chance on posting what you write. You Rock, each and every one of you!
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I agree, Rachel. This whole debate started from people's honest answers to a simple, innocent question in a survey, and I think escalated with people tweeting general frustration about a lack of variety in reading material, not targeting certain writers at all, but some may have taken it personally and gotten their feelings hurt. Like you said, we all have different taste and like different things, but I think we have mutual respect for fellow writers and anyone brave enough to post their work, whether it's something we personally enjoy reading or not. I also think it's great that so many of us are willing to read stories that are outside our comfort zones as readers and give feedback to writers whose work we maybe haven't read before. We need to keep supporting each other and having healthy debates and discussions like this. That's what I love most about this forum, the fanfic discussions. You don't get that as much on any other forum I've been to. AC is a special place!
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I admit that I think I may have been one of the ones to at first feel a little attacked as a romance writer, but I am over it now. I know that I've wanted to get back into writing and had been struggling with ideas so I went back to what was comfortable. The good news? I finally had the courage to start something brand new. Yes, it is a Nick romance. Yes, it is in first person POV from an OFC. Yes, it may not feature the boys very much. Am I happy writing it? Extremely! And it's not a Nick and Alyssa story which is a big step for me. I've learned write what you want to write. There's an audience for everything out there. It's been so long since I've actually been excited about an idea.
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I admit that I think I may have been one of the ones to at first feel a little attacked as a romance writer, but I am over it now. I know that I've wanted to get back into writing and had been struggling with ideas so I went back to what was comfortable. The good news? I finally had the courage to start something brand new. Yes, it is a Nick romance. Yes, it is in first person POV from an OFC. Yes, it may not feature the boys very much. Am I happy writing it? Extremely! And it's not a Nick and Alyssa story which is a big step for me. I've learned write what you want to write. There's an audience for everything out there. It's been so long since I've actually been excited about an idea.
That is awesome. It's exciting when you have a new story idea. Good luck and I can't wait to read it when you're ready to post.
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That's great, Mel! As good as it is to step out of your comfort zone, there's nothing wrong with writing what's comfortable, especially when you haven't written anything in awhile. What's most comfortable is probably what you're best at - write what you know.
I know I really made an effort to step out outside the box with the stories I worked on after Broken/BMS, but now I'm writing Curtain Call, which is similar. I like trying other things, but I will probably always cycle back to my medical dramas with a hint of romance from time to time, cause those are my favorites.
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Good to see you taking a step away from what you did into something new. That's definitely not easy to do. :)
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How many of you read romance and or write romance on a regular basis? And do you feel like it tends to get a bad rep? If so what do you feel are some of the misconceptions out there?
I tend to gravitate toward romances a lot more than action or drama. I write it a lot because I relate to it more than anything else I feel its more natural to write romances with realistic themes. I think it does get a bad rep because a lot people peg it with recycling old plots without any originality. Basic misconceptions are the characters fall in love too fast and get married, there's a baby involved or its just too sappy to be realistic.
How many of you have ever read at least one romance and what was it about it, that made you go back or stop?
I really love reading Twitter by Tiggerc128. Told the story of a simply girl from Michigan who one day follows her crush and the story goes off from there. I kept coming back to it simply because it was a new idea and held my interest more than any other story. I loved the pacing and enjoyed the humor of the characters. The love scenes were very descriptive as if I were watching it all take place in a movie. I liked how it all came together in the end. The sequel I'm enjoying reading as well.
Do you tend to leave reviews for what you read?
Usually when I read something I really like, I do.
If you are someone who doesn't enjoy romance, why?
Doesn't apply to me.
For those of you that write strictly romance, what is it that makes you stay away from the other genres? Which of the other genres do you find you want to skip and why?
I write Romance/Angst a lot. But I've written in the past strictly romance stories and I just found the genre a lot more easier then others. I tend to shy away from overly violent/action/dramatic stories as it just doesn't hold my interest. I've always been addicted to beach reads and I find it a lot more relatable than reading a horror story. I also can't read a story with heavy amounts of abuse/rape. Just hits too close to home as I knew people in those situations and it gets draining to read stories like that.
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Aww it's like a giant lovefest in here now
What's the opposite of a bromance? A girlmance? Anyway, that's what's happening in here. :)
Yay for you Mel, for being excited about what you're writing. I think in general, as long as you are writing what makes me you happy, that is all that matters and i'm sure someone will be just as happy to read it.
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I will be happy to read your new romance Mel :)
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^ see? lol
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That's great, Mel! As good as it is to step out of your comfort zone, there's nothing wrong with writing what's comfortable, especially when you haven't written anything in awhile. What's most comfortable is probably what you're best at - write what you know.
I know I really made an effort to step out outside the box with the stories I worked on after Broken/BMS, but now I'm writing Curtain Call, which is similar. I like trying other things, but I will probably always cycle back to my medical dramas with a hint of romance from time to time, cause those are my favorites.
Yea whenever I try to write something different or out of the box for myself I tend to at first be super gun ho, but then I fizzle out at like Chapter 3 or 4. I'm hoping this doesn't happen to me this time.
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Yea whenever I try to write something different or out of the box for myself I tend to at first be super gun ho, but then I fizzle out at like Chapter 3 or 4. I'm hoping this doesn't happen to me this time.
What have you written outside your comfort zone?
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What have you written outside your comfort zone?
I've fooled around with a few ideas that I haven't posted because they never really got off the ground. I did some major cleaning up on my account too and deleted a lot of the stories I had no intentions of finishing. I did keep up an idea I had for a suspense story that I may or may not ever get around to finishing.
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I've fooled around with a few ideas that I haven't posted because they never really got off the ground. I did some major cleaning up on my account too and deleted a lot of the stories I had no intentions of finishing. I did keep up an idea I had for a suspense story that I may or may not ever get around to finishing.
You think that's best, deleting stories you won't finish? I could see that. I have a bunch that I haven't finished yet.
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I admit that I think I may have been one of the ones to at first feel a little attacked as a romance writer, but I am over it now. I know that I've wanted to get back into writing and had been struggling with ideas so I went back to what was comfortable. The good news? I finally had the courage to start something brand new. Yes, it is a Nick romance. Yes, it is in first person POV from an OFC. Yes, it may not feature the boys very much. Am I happy writing it? Extremely! And it's not a Nick and Alyssa story which is a big step for me. I've learned write what you want to write. There's an audience for everything out there. It's been so long since I've actually been excited about an idea.
Yay Mel! I recently came to the same thought about writing what you love. I started a new fic as well, haven't posted yet, but it's helped remind me what I love about writing and why I started writing fanfic. Just from starting that one, I have been able to work on some of my other fanfics that are already posted.
I will keep my eye out for your new story.
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You think that's best, deleting stories you won't finish? I could see that. I have a bunch that I haven't finished yet.
Yea... They really weren't that far along where I had many readers yet and if I ever changed my mind I'd probably want to do some rewrites on those first few chapters anyway. If I wasn't sure I left them up, but there were at least two or three I was pretty sure that I was never going to finish.
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You think that's best, deleting stories you won't finish? I could see that. I have a bunch that I haven't finished yet.
I've done that also. A couple years back I deleted everything but stories that were either completed or in progress. I decided not to keep up anything that was on hiatus. It doesn't mean I won't come back to it later but I don't want someone to start reading it then (possibly) be disappointed to find out there is no plans for more.
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^ I don't think the story that I have on hiatus will have that issue since it's a sci-fi/fantasy story .. not too many readers. I did, however, delete one that I kicked myself for starting. It was a sequel that should never have been.
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I just wanted to say kudos to 'almost' everyone in this thread for doing the reading duel challenge. After skimming through, there is only one person who posted more than once in here and hasn't stepped up to the challenge. Hopefully she will too!
LMFAO That was me I'm sure!
Sorry been crazy busy and hadn't logged on here!
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Slash could be like country music, the most divisive genre. Like country, you either love it or you hate it. Some people live by slash, where that's all they read/write, and some people wouldn't go near it. Sometimes you get a country song or artist that goes mainstream pop, just like some slash stories are so well-written that they convert people who normally wouldn't read slash.
So I'm behind on this thread and I'm skimming but is it sad I see this and think of Brokeback Mountain and gay cowboys? *sigh* LOL
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Yea... They really weren't that far along where I had many readers yet and if I ever changed my mind I'd probably want to do some rewrites on those first few chapters anyway. If I wasn't sure I left them up, but there were at least two or three I was pretty sure that I was never going to finish.
That's actually a smart idea. No need to keep the ones up that haven't been updated in a while. I rewrite constantly so it makes sense to hold off on so many ideas at once. I think one at a time or two ideas works for me.
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LMFAO That was me I'm sure!
Sorry been crazy busy and hadn't logged on here!
It was but not anymore lol woot!
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It was but not anymore lol woot!
LMFAO Promise I had no idea til I saw Tracy talking about it on Twitter yesterday.
Also need to finish posting Back to December up on here and post Ours while I'm off before going to Orlando or Tampa first.
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So I'm behind on this thread and I'm skimming but is it sad I see this and think of Brokeback Mountain and gay cowboys? *sigh* LOL
LOL! Well hey, there's the connection between slash and country.
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How many of you read romance and or write romance on a regular basis? And do you feel like it tends to get a bad rep? If so what do you feel are some of the misconceptions out there?
Romance is one of my favorite genre, and I always write about romance. Romance pocketbooks are pretty popular here in the Philippines, and it was my dream to have a book published. I've finished one last year, submitted it to the publishing house but was rejected due to weak heroine. I'm halfway through my second story now. Maybe this is the reason why I always stick to romance.
Though I don't really believe that romance gets bad rep, the misconception is maybe because of the some reasons you guys mentioned and it being overrated sometimes. But since I've mentioned the romance pocketbooks I'd tell you that the publishing houses here has a formula about writing a romance story; boy meets girls + boys loses girl + boys and girls getting back together = romance story. But mind you, the problems of the relationship must not be that too simple and must be unique in a certain way.
How many of you have ever read at least one romance and what was it about it, that made you go back or stop?
Since I love the romance genre, I try to read everything I could. The only thing that could make me stop reading it is the way it was written. But if there is a story that I love the idea but was horribly written, I'd still read it. :)
Do you tend to leave reviews for what you read?
Yes. especially if I love the story and I am enjoying.
If you are someone who doesn't enjoy romance, why?
not applicable.
For those of you that write strictly romance, what is it that makes you stay away from the other genres? Which of the other genres do you find you want to skip and why?
I would love to try writing a horror, suspense or dramedy. I just don't know how to pull it through. Since English is not my native language, I find it difficult to write other genre. Because even in romance I am still struggling with words, what more for other genre. :)