Comments on: A Fine Romance

By: [review] Bitterblue – Kristin Cashore « Mermaid Vision Books

[review] Bitterblue – Kristin Cashore « Mermaid Vision Books — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:00:46 +0000

[...] other, but it is when they come together that they are strongest. As Martha Mihalick puts it in her post on romance: They are a team by the end, a team that will take on whatever comes next, which is bound to be [...]

By: HK Savage

HK Savage — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 01:16:29 +0000

Fabulous point and one I always hope to get my characters to participate in. As a counterpoint, the love triangle. My least favorite bit of romance storylines. No one can truly love two people, not in that long standing way that a real love needs. Just a thought.

By: Christina Farley

Christina Farley — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 23:12:29 +0000

This was a great post. LOVE how you explained it. Printing it out now so I put it in my writer’s notebook and reread.

By: Molly Hall

Molly Hall — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:20:03 +0000

Wow, this is awesome. Perfect timing for me, as I am working away on a revision. I’m also a sucker for romance and tend to bring it more to the forefront. It’s helpful to think of it as a subplot, so my heroine can be dealing with a larger struggle, but still have her heart “entangled” with someone. Thank you!

By: Julie Reinhardt

Julie Reinhardt — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 04:36:57 +0000

Aw, Emily. I’m such a sap for Star Wars analogies. So true.

By: Susan

Susan — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:43:55 +0000

Just today I was sitting at the hairdressing salon, covered in dye, and daydreaming about the story line for my YA book. Indeed I was awakened to see that you wrote about those very things that I had included in my story. Interactions that are seemingly part of the subplot, that are perhaps forbidden, or longed for or just plain difficult to work out. Interactions that happen in just moments, not in words, but in feelings. The intensity of feelings that don’t come with a story board, but rather flow from the page with raw emotion. I hesitated when I first started writing these thoughts down because I wasn’t sure that some of them were a good idea, but then I read your post… Thanks so much for sharing this information.

By: Christy Lenzi

Christy Lenzi — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:42:47 +0000

I turned on the radio this morning to the song “More than Words” by Extreme and immediately thought of the second point of your post. Had to come read it again! Thank you–lots of good stuff to ponder. (And I love the Entanglement Theory.)

By: Martha

Martha — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:44:43 +0000

Emily, you’re right! I forgot to put that in!

I also already thought of one exception to the “it’s got to be about more than the romance” point: Bridget Jones’s Diary. I can’t remember the book that well, but the movie certainly is mostly about Bridget finding a guy. Though there are a bunch of other threads, too, so maybe it’s not a total exception.

By: Emily M.

Emily M. — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:47:21 +0000

Yes! You nailed exactly what I think: the best romances are not about the romance itself. I am so glad to hear someone else say this. This is why I’m not usually a fan of genre romance. It’s all about the romance, and that makes it too easy. I just don’t care if that’s the only thing I am supposed to care about.

The thing I would add to your list is that they have to make each other laugh, or be witty with each other somehow, or I just don’t believe in their love. This is the difference between Han Solo and Princess Leia and that painful Amidala/Anakin romance: Han and Leia are funny. Amidala and Anakin are way too serious, too intense, as though they are trying to prove that They Are In Love. If you can’t laugh with the one you love, there’s something wrong.

By: Heather

Heather — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:30:13 +0000

Aw–great post! You outlined all the things I like best in a romance.