Every romance novel has to have a happy ending, right? But what does “happy ending” mean? In terms of romance novels, that is – I’m not talking slang (Although that happens in romance novels, too.). Happy Ending Variations in Romance Novels Love and Marriage If we’re talking traditional romance novel, there’s only one possible happy … More What Does “Happy Ending” Mean in a Romance Novel?
I had Disney’s Sleeping Beauty playing in the background (like I do), and maybe it was because of a pensive mood or simply rewatching the movie as an adult, but I found myself thinking more deeply about Flora’s gift of beauty than I ever have before. And noticing some inconsistencies or strange details. How Did … More Flora’s Gift of Beauty in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty
What is a romance novel without euphemisms? Is that even possible? They’re such a standard part of the love scenes (even in the books closer to erotica) that I sometimes wonder if you could even write a romance novel without them. Of Euphemisms & Romance Novels What Is a Euphemism? In layman’s terms, a euphemism … More Can You Write a Romance Novel without Euphemisms?
From a reader’s perspective, how good does a romance novel have to be to be worth reading? When you talk about plot, characterization, and other writing skills, a lot of the romance novels I’ve read would rank pretty low. Which makes me think there’s a kind of spectrum: ok to read once worth re-reading but … More How Good Does a Romance Novel Need to Be?
Did you ever notice how many characters in romance novels are wealthy? Or at least pretty dang comfortable. A lot, right? And the number of rich people in romance novels has a pretty big effect on the plot. Need to take a week off suddenly to hide from a murderer? No problem. Need to travel … More Rich People in Romance Novels
I’ve been reading a lot in the past year (See: Stress Relief), and since I read all of the more recent books from my standard authors, I started looking up some of their older works. Not historic romance, just romances written in the 70s and 80s. And I noticed some scary patterns across the genre … More 6 Disturbing Tropes in Old Romance Novels
I love romance novels. I read them more than any other genre. You would think that I’d like romcoms, but I can’t even sit through most of them because of the awkward. It drives me crazy! Who decided to make romantic comedies so awkward? You know what I mean. Those painful scenes where everything that … More Why Are Romantic Comedies So Awkward?
Men rely on magazines and videos. Women have romance novels (well, and the other sometimes). After years of reading them and some time trying to write my own, I can see a definite pattern – what you might call the ingredients of the generic fantasy written for women. 6 Parts of a Standard Romance Novel … More The Generic Fantasy of Romance Novels
Romance novels are about escapism. They’re about believing in falling in love and living happily ever after. Because of that, there are some situations I don’t want to read about in a romance novel no matter how realistic they are. To me, they’re romance novel mistakes, and they knock me right out of the book. … More 5 Situations I Don’t Want to Read About in Romance Novels
Ever have someone say something was romantic, and you completely, 100% disagree? I have. In fact, a friend and I were talking about that the other day, and it led to a question: what makes something romantic or not? Here’s what we decided: It’s Romantic If… Both People Are Interested This is the main game-changer. … More What Makes Something Romantic?
Savannah Knightly 