Here's the question for you (and for Simone, if she wants to answer):Why do you think readers have such an insatiable need for romance stories? http://raven.youareannoying.us/
Our answer
In a word - escapism. People want to believe in love and the happily ever after and romance novels often portray this in an attainable way. Some flawed heroin, whether thin or pretty, will find someone who loves her for who she is on the inside. A man who will understand her and appreciate her for all that she is. And in turn, the reader is able to live vicariously through this person who gets to go on this adventure for a few hundred pages and find the romantic ideal.
For myself, as a writer, and a fan of the genre, it has always been about the magic of the romance and the wonder of two people finding happiness together out of friendship and through tribulations. They overcome differences and come together, builiding a life for themselves. I love the extent of the possibility that romance novels show us and I suspect that many readers feel the same way.
A good romance story is like a drug and, let's face it, we're always looking for an eternal high and the zenith of happiness. When I go to book stores and I see readers searching through the stacks they are always willing to share their love for the genre they prefer whether it be paranormal or historical. The fans are often like the books themselves, hopeful, lovely, well-read, and contrary to popular belief, not always just single women or lonely housewives.
Readers love romance novels because of the endless possibilty they offer. Through romance novels, anyone can live out or share a fantasy. We are all searching for an ideal and romance is ever-changing. There is a writer out there for everyone and if not in real life, readers can find, in print, something that lives up to their ideal.
Razibahmed - My question to you is, where do you go to find inspiration for your writing? Is it music, other novels, food, etc?
http://www.blogging37.com/
- Claire and Simone
Great answer! In fact, as far as I'm concerned you hit the nail right on the head.
ReplyDeleteI’ve read (and own) quite a few romance novels. Many of them are very well written. I would add to your response that many romance novels also focus on the interiority of the characters. The emotional and intellectual world of the characters is vividly accessible to the reader. Many of the literary fiction works I’ve read in the last few years (though there are exceptions) put a wall between the character and the reader. As if emotion equates to weakness. Or as if the horrors of our modern world (drugs, war, etc.) have made us numb. I feel the opposite. Emotion is humanizing and, like Aristotle wrote, it can be cathartic to experience the tragedy of another through art.
ReplyDeletehttp://corrinejackson.wordpress.com
C R Ward,
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting and thank you for you kind comments.
You too CoryLeslie,
I've also seen some of this 'emotion equates to weakness' nonsense and have myself dismissed it as the view of few. I don't think it's the pervailing view of the mases after all,'Love is a many splendored thing,' and so too are the novels written about them. As for the rest I believe authors pull as best as they can from their own life experiences so we have to make allowance were they fall short. Especially, where a romantic ideal is concern.
Claire
Oh I totally agree. I think romance, more than any other genre, inspire and draw people in to live vicariously through the characters. We all want an HEA, don't we? =]
ReplyDeleteDniC
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting and agreeing with us;]
And a special thanks from Simone an especially romantic female who actually believes love conquers all.
Claire
Romance novels are indeed like a drug - getting my "fix" really is a way of escaping from the pressures of life for a little while, and reading about someone else who lives through them and ends up better for it with a supportive companion at the end.
ReplyDeleteNothing else like it, is there? :-) Great answer.
Jamie
ReplyDeleteThank you so very much for visiting and we totally agree 'nothing like it,' have a nice weekend.
Claire
Welcome Jamie D,
ReplyDeleteThank you for following.
Simone
I am all about love, emotion and happily ever after. :) I've often said, when I read, I don't want to read books that are like my life -- I want to get away -- escape as you put it. It's my outlet to fantasy land where I know whatever happens will lead to ... a good ending. :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck in your quest to be published! :)
For about four years, from the age of 15 to 19, I went through completely romancoholic phase where I read so many romance novels, it was crazy. Now, I have kind of outgrown "typical" romance novels, but that's not to say that I still don't love reading about romance. Any kind of book I read, if it has a love story involved, I always find the experience more satisfactory. Needless to say that all my book ideas involve some kind of romantic plot.
ReplyDeleteI agree entirely; it's about escape and the desire to see mirrored in a book some aspect of an ideal you want in your own life. Excitement and the comfort of unconditional love. What more could a person want (cheesecake aside)?
ReplyDelete:)
Like a drug...I like that. I find most books I read to be like that, but there is something so different about reading about Love overcoming all else.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, you wrote a very well done answer. It really shows a lot about you.
Aimee Laine,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your lovely comments and kind wishes for Simone. She sends a special thank you for following.
Lost Wanderer,
Thank you for visiting. Like the name makes me feel you suffer from bouts of wanderlust just like me.
Sputnitsa,
Cheesecake, yum my absolute favourite. Simone baked me one for my birthday – it was rich silky New York style cheesecake with shortbread crust, white chocolate butter cream frosting garnished with home made lemon curd – I tell you it was all I could do not to declare my undying love.
Raven Corinn Carluk
What can I say your question was brilliant.
Wonderful post. And you're so right, exactly my reasons why I also love romance stories, even though I grew up with a mother that taught me to hate them. She hated them with a passion, I grew to love them.
ReplyDeleteI liked your entry a lot but each time I wanted to post a comment, something happened in the last one month. In the end, I could not post any comment.
ReplyDeletePoeple love romantic stories because they want to escape from realities of life as you mentioned. Also I think that the romantic stories often show us that couple life can be much happer than what we see around us. Romantic stories also tell us in order to get true romance, we have to try a lot
Snowflake,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for stopping by and leaving your comments. My mother and my sisters are of the same bend as your mom only they call it being realistic like I'm some fanciful loon.
Razib Ahmed,
Thank you for coming by and I'm sorry you were having trouble with your post. I agree one can never give up if one hopes to succeed in love.
Have a great week from,
Claire and Simone
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