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In the Writing Jungle

Suzi Goode

The Romance Genre

The first genre I'm going to examine in some detail in this column is the romance genre. What is a romance? It's a novel that concentrates on showing a relationship between a woman and a man and ends in love and a permanent relationship. This is my working definition of a romance novel and might not agree with yours. If you want another definition, try the one in The Novel and Short Story Writer's Market. That definition is "the genre relating accounts of passionate love and fictional heroic achievements."

So you think those definitions are vague? You can do one of two things. You can accept Leigh Michaels' interpretation that "a romance novel is the story of a man and a woman who, while solving a problem, discover that the love they feel for each other is the sort that comes long only once in lifetime--leading to a permanent commitment and a happy ending." The other thing you might want to try is to go to a used bookstore and buy ten books from the section labeled ROMANCE. Read them all and then define romance for yourself.

Now if you're writing romance, you're going to ask what genres you should write in. I would read extensively in all the romance lines - Harlequin, Silhouette, Kensington and Avon books come immediately to mind. What do you most enjoy reading? Harlequin Presents, Harlequin Temptation, Silhouette Intimate Moments, historical or inspirational romance? Read at a least couple in each category. Chances are that the novels you like to read, are the ones that you'll enjoy writing. (A word of advice: always write what you most enjoy reading. If you're forcing yourself to write, the reader will pick this up. Your work will seem labored and contrived and won't sell. Stick with the genre or genres you like to read.) Now you're ready to come up with your own definition of romance.

Since I'm frequently asked what is the difference between a category and a single title romance, I'll start there. A category romance is one which you'll find as a name branded line - Harlequin Presents or Silhouette Intimate Moments, for example. Their covers look similar and they are sold together in a packaged line. Each line has certain common elements, such as the level of sensuality or the level of mystery. Word count is generally about the same but can differ greatly from line to line.

A single title romance is one which stands alone on the shelf without being part of particular line. This type of romance may stay on the shelf and in print much longer than a category. Promotion between a category and a single title romance varies. Since the category novels are marketed in a group, each might sell better than if they stood alone. Considering Harlequin Presents sells six novels a month in a packaged line, your chances of gaining recognition are much better if you are published in a line.

Other romance genres are:

Contemporary: romances which occur in the present day and deal with realistic problems. They avoid mention of current events or real people so they don't become quickly outdated. This genre is subdivided into: Short contemporary romance generally 50,000-65,000 words long and Long contemporary romances, generally 70,000-85,000 words long. The Long contemporary romances usually have more secondary characters than the short contemporary romances.

Traditional romances which are short, contemporary romances without a man and woman making love.

Inspirational romance are novels, either contemporary or historical, with a religious element, usually Christian. The length varies.

Romantic suspense is a novel as the name implies, a romantic situation with a mystery woven in. The focus however is on the romance, not on the suspense or threatening situation. The shorter novels include Harlequin's Intrigue but be sure to check publisher guidelines for the correct balance between romance and suspense for each publisher.

Historical romance is a novel of 85,000-100,000 and located in Europe or North America between 1066 and 1900 (although this is may be changing since we've arrived in the twenty-first century and the 1900's may now be considered historical). Your chances of selling a first novel are better if you stay within these guidelines.

A perennial favorite of romance writers is the Regency romance set in the period 1811-1820. They are normally about 50,000 words long, involve the upper class and have no love scenes. Instead they rely on being sweet.

Paranormal romances are those which don't fit anywhere else in the general genre of romance. The elements include fantasy, science fiction (steadily increasing in popularity), time travel, witches and vampires and other unearthly aspects. You may find futuristic romances here. The length varies.

Mainstream romances where the romance is not of the utmost importance - if the romance was removed, there would still be a story.

Ethnic romances are those novels which involve heroes and heroines of color. At the current time, they are mostly contemporary but there are some historicals published.

Young adult romances involve the development of innocent first love and contains no sexual scenes. They are intended primarily for pre-teens and teens. Another young adult line now carries realistic situations which may focus on premarital sex.

You might also hear the term "sweet traditional romance". This eludes to the original romance of about 50,000 words. It has no explicit sexuality.

Next month, I'll give a list of websites and printed material to help you learn more and write more effectively in the romance genre. Until then, keep writing!