All writing genres have their own quirks, and the romance genre probably has more than most. I was thinking about things that a lot of romance writers have in common, and I thought it would be fun to share.
If you’re a romance writer, see if any of these sound familiar!
1. You point out that some things are not real romance.
No happy ending?
2. Your vacation plans: RWA conference.
An organization called Romance Writers of America holds a national conference every year, and it’s a big deal.
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3. You use a lot of acronyms.
“I’m almost done with this PNR WIP and I’m still not sure if it’s going to have a HEA or a HFN, and I need to figure it out before I go to RWA.”
4. You can’t stand inaccuracies in historical dramas.
Nobody wants to watch them with you, because you keep saying things like, “Oh my God, they did not wear dresses like that, and don’t even get me started on the hair.”
5. You don’t even care any more if people say romance novels aren’t “real books.”
You used to get mad, but you’ve heard it so often that now you’re immune.
6. You spend a lot of time thinking about whether your characters kiss too soon, or not soon enough.
Or about when they should say “I love you,” or consummate their relationship. Timing is a tricky thing.
7. You have a lot of saved pictures to help remind you that you should be writing.
8. You would think nothing of having three or four pen names.
“I use Victoria Cresswell for historical romance, and I think I’m going to use Allie Hayes for young adult romance and Elara Nyx for my space opera romance trilogy.”
9. You’ve gotten at least one one-star review because your romance novel had sex scenes in it…
Or you’ve gotten a one-star review because your romance novel didn’t have sex scenes in it.
10. Some male models on covers are so familiar to you, they almost seem like friends.
Oh hi, Jason! Good to see you again.
11. You cheer on other romance writers… and you get advice from them, too.
Romance writers may be more supportive of one another than any other kind of writer. I think it’s one of the reasons the genre does so well. Most romance writers are happy to share their secrets to success.
If you’re a romance writer, what did I leave out? I bet you can think of a lot more! And if you work in another genre, what are some quirks that go along with that? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for stopping by!
More science fiction than romance writer, but number four does make me crazy…so maybe a little bit romance writer?
Haha! Well, it wouldn’t surprise me if science fiction writers were sticklers for detail. 🙂 Thanks for commenting, PJ!
I’m a genre whore but still thought I was way more fantasy than romance. Now I’m writing my first romance and #’s 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 11 are so me. But I still like to look up videos and try to reenact battles to get accurate and realistic fighting scenes. And have story ideas in other genres, so I’m a multi-genre writer.
Hi Lidy! Yeah, you’re definitely a romance writer, even if you are multi-genre 🙂 I actually love romance with some fighting scenes (I have some in my next one!) So I’ve done that kind of research, too!
LOL, I totally failed the test. Only scored on accuracy and acronyms. Thank goodness, I write fantasy!
Haha! You never know, though, Jeanne… a couple of your kitties may have a grand romance sometime 🙂
Yeah I am more fantasy (and a bit of superhero genre) myself with sprinklings of romance interwoven in.
I pretty much failed the test too.
I bet fantasy writers have their own weird things in common! (I mean weird in a good way, of course!)
Being only an aspiring author, there were quite a few I can’t say are me yet. The big ones for me are historical/ technological/ social accuracy, and strangely enough, anything to do with horses accuracy. My husband will roll his eyes at me if we’re watching something historical and there’s a design of saddlery or riding style which doesn’t belong (I’m a horsey person). 5,6, 7 & 8 are me to a t. I also have many pictures of men and women who inspire my leading characters- what did I do before pinterest??
Although my inclination is not purely romance, I don’t enjoy books and have never thought of plots without a significant romantic element in them. An author writing about romance has to do much harder work building a potential romance, they have to know and drip feed the psychology of attraction into stories and build the tension and excitement for the reader as much as for the characters.
Love your posts Brynn.
Ha, Joanne, I am not a horsey person, but I got a bunch of info from a horse lover friend of mine for just one brief scene and a couple of discussions of horses in one story. I hope I got it right! ~ You’re so right about romance writing… building that attraction is a challenge. 🙂 Thanks so much for reading, and for commenting!
Love your list, Bryn! Thank you! Here are a few more:
You know the lines in a romantic movie before the actors say them.
You find yourself mentally rewriting stories and films to give them happier endings.
You can’t visit a beautiful location without wanting to turn it into a romantic setting for a book.
You believe Valentine’s Day should be celebrated every day of the year.
Some of your closest friends are other romance writers, because they “get” what you do. 🙂
Oh, these are PERFECT, Ginny. I love it! All true!