  Romance/Love
This week: The Rules Edited by: StephBee  
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Welcome to my December newsletter. Happy Holidays to all!  This is the time of year that goodwill infuses the soul. I've selected some heartwarming romantic holiday stories in my editor's pick this week. I hope you enjoy them.
December is a time filled with faith, hope, and love, all uplifting qualities found in romance stories. That's what I enjoy the most about romance - the "feel good" feeling that you're left with after reading the story.
Many things can put us in a romantic mood - receiving flowers, candy, or chocolate, for example. I thought I'd take a look at "the rules" for writing romance novel.
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Here are some general guidelines for writing romance. (i.e "The Rules")
Create likable characters
Characters are the heart and soul of any romance novel. The reader needs to fall in love with them as they're falling in love with each other.
If the heroine is rude or crabby to the hero (or even to her friends), she isn't very likable. The same for the hero. It's hard to understand the attraction if they're not "likable." They've got to embody certain traits - honesty, sincerity, protectiveness, kindness, and a willingness to help others. They've got to be "good" people at heart.
HEA
Readers expect a story that's hopeful, honest, and uplifting. If a romance doesn't do that, it isn't a romance. A romance story should leave a reader believing in Happily Ever After (HEA) or at least offer hope for HEA. If it doesn't, it's a mainstream fiction.
Enjoy the Holidays!
QUESTION: Do you have a favorite romance story, image, or poem here on Writing.com? Write in and let me know. I'll share the links in my next newsletter.
Reference: On Writing Romance, by Leigh Michaels, F&W Publications, ISBN: 978-1-58297-6983. 2007.
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FEEDBACK FROM MY 13 NOV 2012 NL:
I recieved a lot of great responses. Thanks for writing in. For me, I was surprised to discover that the hero's job wasn't important to his characterization to some of you.
readsalot
I do not agree with this but thank you. To me the heroine should be dashing and daring but thats it.He doesn't have to have a job or do a lot of the things you said in the article.
Do you mean the hero should be dashing and daring? (as opposed to the heroine?)
QUESTION TO ALL: What kind of job or occupation do you think would suit a romantic hero? What's appealing about a hero with no job, per se? Would it depend on his situation?
Fi 
What happened to the "human" heroes?! Do all men in real life fit into either of those two categories? I think it's time to bring out the real men, the real heroes, the real people, not the images of adoring females authors' dreams! Some of the most powerful romances in history are those that stepped out of the norm and wound a beautiful dream into a raw, bitter reality. This may sound harsh, but I think it's time for romance to reconnect with this world.
Sounds like you're describing a "beta" hero to me and there are a lot of them in contemporary romances these days.
Titch 
my hero is never over handsom I like the rough salt of the earth type
My contact to set the flame burning is the eyes
if I can feel emotion from these I am speeding to fill a page
Thanks for sharing. The "rough salt of the earth" type definately has appeal for a lot of readers.
BIG BAD WOLF is Howling 
Depends on the story. A poor knight looking for a way to make a quick buck might make a more believable wanderer than a rich prince looking for a bride to marry.
I agree - a knight looking to make quick coin is a more believable angle, but I'd like to see him go a step further and prove his "honor/nobility/intergity" when the situation calls for it.
Elle - on hiatus 
I don't think it matters if the hero is rich or not. I have definitely read stories where the hero or heroine are in poverty and they have managed to be so well written that they provide the escapism and happy-ever-after that we look for. I'm reading one now, an historical romance set in the Scottish Highlands where they had to go hunting or go hungry. Having said that, I do think there needs to be a solution to poverty before the end of the book though so we can see a less stressful future ahead for the couple. It doesn't need to be a magical inheritance or lotto win, but just a light at the end of the tunnel.
Well said!
Quick-Quill 
I don't like perfect heroes. I like a man that may own a company be great at business but a loser at life. I am thinking of the Girl in the Movie Hitch. She was rich ran, a company but was socially inept. Your hero can be strong in most things but if he isn't weak somewhere, he isn't believable. Even bad breath is something.
Again, well said! Thanks to all for your feedback and different opinions and feedback.
StephBee is a 911 Dispatcher for LAPD. Her latest romantic release is a steampunk romance, "A Gentleman and a Rogue" now available with Desert Breeze Publishing |
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Romance/Love: December 11, 2012 Issue [#5404]
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