fandomhigh | Writing the Great American (Romance) Novel, Thursday, Per 2

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Writing the Great American (Romance) Novel, Thursday, Per 2

Karla a great deal of chocolate with her in class today, ranging from morsels of bitter dark to bars of sweet milks all the way to squares of spicy chocolates mixed with chillies. Various piles of chocolates were arranged neatly on small plates on a sideboard, next to a vat of coffee and a large kettle of boiling water with a variety of teas.

"Congratulation on having thumbs and only two legs today," Karla said, giving them a grin from behind her desk. "I know I'm thrilled about this development." Not for her. Her daughter. Toddlers should not be allowed to be flying ponies, it was a goddamn rule.
"Last week, we were meant to start discussing setting, which is tied directly to the novel's basic subgenre. While the basic plot of every romance novel revolves around the burgeoning relationship between the main characters, certain elements of the novel tie it to a more specific romantic subgenre. Setting is perhaps one of the easiest ways to narrow a novel down to its subgenre. Popular subgenres based on setting include: Contemporary, Historicals, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Paranormal, and Gothic."

Contemporary romance novels are novels that are set after World War II and are written in and about the present. Many different themes beyond romance can be explored, but, at its heart, it's a story about two people who fall in love in the ordinary world that goes on around us every day. Well, maybe not us," she said, looking out the window at the island, "but normal people living anywhere in the world. Historical romances are any romance novel set before 1950, and is broken down into further subgenres. Viking, Regency, Victorian, and the Old West are the most popular of the historical settings, as the romance between the main characters has to occur while navigating the social rules and mores of the past. Science fiction romances are romances that takes place in the future or in outer space, with a heavy reliance on technology or aliens. Their counterparts, fantasy romances, are novels with various fantastical elements: perhaps one lover is an elf or a witch or an angel." Karla's lips twitched a bit at that. "Regardless of whether it takes place on Earth or another fantasy realm, magic is a strong theme that runs through the novel, for both good and evil. The line often gets blurred whether its a fantasy or science fiction novel with strong romantic elements, or a romance novel with strong fantasy or science fiction elements. Basically, it boils down to whether the plot serves to move the romance along or if the romance serves to move the plot."

Were you taking notes, class? You should probably be taking notes. On the other hand, she wasn't going to quiz you on this. "Another subgenre of fantasy romance novels is the paranormal romance, which take place in the modern day world, often in a city, but where magic co-exists. This is where you find your novels about werewolves, vampires, shapeshifters, and ghosts. Time-travel romances also blur the subgenre lines, taking elements of fantasy or science fiction romances and mixing them with historical ones, as the hero or heroine travels through time before meeting their beloved. Lastly, gothic romance, creates a story where, once again, the main relationship is the primary focus, but uses many elements of the original gothic horror genre. Haunted castles, isolated moors, murdered wives, and children locked in attics--the frisson of terror in the novels adds spice to the romance."

Karla didn't realize this last subgenre might resonate with a student; if she had, she would have left Gothic romance off completely.

"These are hardly the only subgenres of romance novels, but these are the ones where the setting plays a vital component, becoming something akin to a character in its own right and defining the novel within it. Today, I want you to pick out a setting subgenre from the list I've just given you. That will be the genre your novel falls into. Now, I know many of you aren't from Earth, so I've included some references for you to page through while deciding which setting to use. Feel free to branch out from what you're used to, explore a subgenre you don't often read, get a little creative. And, while you're brainstorming, help yourself to some chocolate."

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In love

It's wordy, shocking no one.

At least there's chocolate!

Figure out what subgenre you want to write your novel in. For anyone stymied, Karla has written up some suggestions, based on what amused her most.

Anders--Gothic
Cosette Fauchelevent--Science Fiction
Hanna Heller--Time Travel
Isabela--Paranormal
Cassandra Pentaghast--Old West
Lucille Sharpe--Fantasy
Thorin, son of Thrain--Contemporary
Gratuity Tucci--Regency
Steven Universe--Vikings

She's always got more to say.

UP EARLY FOR A CHANGE, WOO!

Now to sleep. *Thud*

Thorin, son of Thrain

Thorin would most certainly not be writing a contemporary romance novel because someone in the room--Lucille--had given him Fifty Shades if Grey to read for 'help'.

He might never forgive her for it.

"Why?" he asked his work like an accusation.

Edited 2016-07-21 13:10 (UTC)

Lucille Sharpe

Lucille glanced at him. She wasn't aware that she was particularly to blame here, and just assumed he was being contrary as usual.

Gothic romance? That would be contemporary and realistic for Lucille. Fantasy was more difficult. "Can there be humans only in fantasy?" She asked. "Or would I have to introduce, say, elves?" To her credit, she asked this question before thinking about that her choice of species could offend anyone. It wouldn't have made a difference, however.

Cassandra Pentaghast

Thorin scoffed--scoffed--from his seat at that.

Because Men were so egocentric.

Isabela

Gratuity Tucci

Anders

"Gothic's the one with people lurking around an old castle, isn't it?" Anders asked, chewing on his pen. "And mad ex-wives in attics."

He didn't mind the assignment; it wasn't a familiar genre, but it sounded interesting. And definitely easier than vikings or old west.

Lucille looked at him, raising an eyebrow. If he had something to say, he could at least say it.

Lurking around in castles? Mad ex-wives in the attic? Well, Jane Eyre had included the former, but still. Lucille gave Anders a condescending look.

Anders waited for Karla's attention to be elsewhere, then turned towards Lucille.

"What is your problem with me?" he hissed.

"Why what?" Karla asked, curious. And amused. But also curious. "Are you having trouble, Thorin?"

"You can have only humans in it," Karla said. "Two questions for you, though. First of all, how would you intend to make it appropriately fantastical? And secondly, is there a specific reason you'd want to keep it to humans only? Why limit yourself?"

It was a question Karla seemed to be asking Lucille a lot lately. It was possible that she should really ask that less.

"Did you have something to add, Lucille?" Karla asked, eyebrow raised.

"Lovely and innocent young ladies coming to live as nurses and governesses and servants with secrets and prone to whispering cryptic warnings," Karla agreed, flashing him a grin. "They can be quite fun. Is this a kind of novel that would interest you?"

Lucille didn't feel like she was limiting herself, and in this case, it was more through lack of understanding of the genre than anything else.

"I know little of other races," she said, not thinking about that she was at least acquainted with a Dwarf. "Can there be love between people of different races? Perhaps a tale like Romeo and Juliet? I'm afraid I don't know the genre well enough."

Lucille could hardly tell him that she disliked him because Cassandra did.

"Why do you think this is about you?" she whispered back, offering him a chilly smile.

She should be more careful around Karla, clearly. "There is more to the genre than those trappings. People don't lurk around in decrepit old mansions for no reason at all. I would guess it is there passions that have brought them there, for whatever reason."

"I have read one of your 'contemporary' novels and found it to be vulgar and poorly composed."

And yes, he was giving Lucille an accusatory look for her part in this.

"Because you give me a dirty look every time you see me," Anders hissed. "Or is that just how your face looks?"

To be fair, Lucille did often look like that unless she liked someone or unless she made an effort. "Are you always this suspicious of people?" she whispered back, not wanting to catch Karla's attention.

"Only when they give me reason to be," Anders said quietly, with barely a glance to Karla. "And you haven't said there isn't a problem."

"Absolutely," Anders nodded. "Secrets -- can there be magic, or do they have to be set in this world?"

He hoped there could be magic. Plotting without it felt odd to him.

Edited 2016-07-22 13:15 (UTC)

"What problem would that be? I don't know you." Here she shot a glance at Cassandra, because she wasn't sure her friend wanted her to interfere with matters that didn't concern her.

"I don't know, that's why I asked," Anders said, before tracking where Lucille's eyes had gone. "Oh. It's about her."

He'd picked up from radio that Cassandra and Lucille were friendly, but he hadn't expected that to influence Lucille's opinion of him -- especially when even Cassandra's lover had always been perfectly nice. Still, he wasn't so blind to deny it when it was all but spelled out.

Lucille wasn't used to having friends, and she trusted Cassandra, even to the point of taking on her prejudices. She shrugged. "Your view of gothic romance is rather prejudiced. Cassandra never told me that."

"How much do you talk about me that my taste in books would even come up?" Anders asked, raising his eyebrows. "Honestly, I don't know a lot about the genre. I just said what came to mind."

Then, grudgingly, and more to avoid a fight than because it was sincere: "I'm sorry if it was misguided."

"My point was it wouldn't come up. Don't think you're important enough to warrant a discussion. I only judge from what you just said."

She also knew that he was friends with Dante and had been friends with Kathy, which didn't make Lucille more inclined to like him.

"But I might have judged you to hastily." That didn't sound particularly sincere either, but Lucille also preferred to avoid a fight.

"All right, then," Anders said. Arguing that he was plenty important enough seemed childish, and he told himself he hadn't cared much about Lucille's opinion to start with. Not when he already knew Kathy hadn't liked her.

"So can we leave it?"

Lucille gave a small nod in response. She saw no reason to push the matter further, either, and she had long since made her point, whatever it had been.

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Writing the Great American (Romance) Novel, Thursday, Per 2

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