Why I Write Romance #RomanceWriter

Because I Want To

It is true that I read a variety of fiction and non-fiction books, but the only genre that interests me enough to want to write my own versions is Romance.

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Because I Love to Read 

I've enjoyed reading Romance novels since I fell in love with them at age fourteen, which was around the time I began to notice boys and my head became filled with silly, zany things like appearance, body contours, eyes, mannerisms, and sex.

Because I Want to Experience True Love

While romance itself has managed to elude me all these years, I still find the topic fascinating and want to pursue the fantasy versions via my imagination and the ability to write.

Because I Need This Outlet

I still beat myself up for not pursuing this dream much earlier in life, but that I let too many outside sources dictate my life is neither here nor there anymore.

One day I decided to stop the unhappy merry-go-round and take back what I'd let slip through my fingers for far too long.

The first thing I did was to search the internet for the people and places that would guide me in the right direction, and then I updated Word on my laptop and sat down to write.

And I've been writing fairly consistently ever since.

And, yes, I'm happy.

Because Love is More Important than Life

Which might not make sense to some but it holds true for me and I hope a few others out there.

I've experienced enough of life to know that nothing really matters outside of having loved or been loved -- and aside from my two children, I can't honestly say I've ever experienced either, so I'm a bit desperate to create the fantasy at least once before I sign off on said life.

Because I Adore Men

Not ashamed to admit it any more than I'm ashamed to admit I write Romance.

Because the stories involve hot men seeking an available woman to share the rest of his life with (at least it is the hope), and part of the writing process is to create characters who fit that bill while still possessing a fair and humanly amount of flaws.

Pouring over Pinterest and Tumblr pages filled with half-naked men with ripped bodies is the type of inspirational (research) I can deal with and prefer it to most other forms -- like types of fish or stages of body decomposition, for example.

Because The Escape Factor is There

I get confused when I hear someone say they read to stay informed, or they prefer to read Fiction that adheres to the Facts (of life).

Not me!

Yes, I read to learn, and yes, I read to escape, but I don't prefer to have the two intersect at any point in either genre.

A Romance novel will never teach me anything about life OR love and I'm really, truly happy with that.

Ages ago, while watching an episode of Charlie's Angels, Farrah Fawcett's character was in a locker room wearing nothing but a towel when some guy entered the picture. One thing led to another and . . . cut to commercial break.

My older sister groaned and said, "Well, we all know what they did!"

And I made that face of confusion before saying, "Walked off the set and rehearsed their lines?"

Which might make me sound more the bad guy and less the imaginative creature I presume to be as a struggling Romance author, but the point is I never have and probably never will let fiction or make-believe dictate my own life.

It is fiction and therefore fantasy and therefore unrealistic.

And though it does delve deep into a human nature scenario, there is zero to gain from reading fictional Romance other than the pure pleasure derived from having let ones self escape reality for all of the time it takes to read a complete Romance novel.

To get lost in another place, perhaps another time, and with people we've never met and never will in reality.

Writing about Romance is the equivalent of reading Romance -- to get lost in the fantasy while maybe devising an it-could-happen plot for two fictional characters existing in a make-believe world.

Fun stuff!

I want to enjoy the rest of my life, so I write and read Romance novels.

Because I Stubbornly Like to Buck Trends

May sound counterproductive to some and implausible to others considering the Romance genre is still the highest grossing genre of them all.

Sure, the money is and would be a good thing were I to become well-received and yes, it is my hope that that becomes a reality and is a reason why I write Romance.

But because it is a popular genre, it stands to reason that certain rules, guidelines, and trends will and are enforced -- all of which I cannot help but to ignore, avoid, and bend to my own will.

Things like: X number of sex scenes, and the H must pursue h and not the other way around, or the h must be strong-willed and purposeful, thus showing she doesn't NEED H just wants to jump his bones and move on but then L enters the picture and we have our HEA.

Personally, I call these types of novels H******** Style Mass Produced Ready-to-Wear.

And if you've read one, you've read them all.

So, we can reword this one to say my Goal is to write Romance novels that are Different, that don't follow Trends, but that still manage to Create a following.

LOL

Because I Must Write Something so it Should be What I Like

I have to write.

Even if I'm no good at it and no one will ever believe I stand a chance at becoming a Romance author, that can't stop me from wanting to write my stories and make them all Romance novels.

At least I display a majority of the You're Definitely a Writer symptoms, which gives me hope.

Currently, fear of rejection due to my inability to recognize Tell vs Show in my writing prevents me from pursuing this dream career because I'm so confused and terrified of making a mistake I can't recognize that it's taken all of the Fun out of writing for me.

Back to the good ol days when I'd pull all-nighters filling up lined notebooks with one fantasy love story after another.

When I'd read those stories to friends who sat bug-eyed while munching on Doritos and sipping Dr. Pepper with me in someone's backyard -- making me feel as close to Goddess as I'll ever get.

I can't not write, and I can't not write Romance-themed stories because I love to write and read them and truly enjoy their purpose -- which, for me, is their escape-ability aspect.

As always, I thank you kindly for stopping by to read this post.