Ewe - "Romance"

My children believe I'm a sappy romantic. They stick up their noses at romance novels and movies. Anything "romance" makes them wrinkle their nose and go "ewe". My "children" range in age from 14 up to 28. They're not little kids any more.

This is despite the fact they also know I love "end of the world" movies as they call them. Examples: 2012, The Stand, Night of the Comet, Knowing, The Mummy, Left Behind, Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day, V

SPOILER ALERT: Don't read on if you get upset about hearing the end of movies (in particular "Love Story", "The Mummy", "Night of the Comet", "Indiana Jones")

This is also despite the fact my daughter-in-law loves "Twilight". Not just love but is obsessed by it. To her, that's a vampire story, not a romance.

I've explained time and again what "romance" means officially but they still don't get it. They still equate "romance" with a love story. Some of the greatest love stories don't fit the romance formula which means simply - there's a happily ever after - the hero and heroine end up together at the end and basically everything is good with their world. Examples: Gone With The Wind (if you don't count the sequel "Scarlett" where Rhett and Scarlett finally wind up together), Time Traveler's Wife, Love Story

I know Love Story was made a long time ago so some of you may not have seen it. It was a very touching love story with a lot of love and devotion. But the heroine, Ali McGraw, died of cancer, leaving her young husband, Ryan O'Neil, widowed. It was a great love story, perhaps one of the greatest of all times, but it didn't fit the official romance formula: There was no happily ever after, no happy ending.

I saw "Time Traveler's Wife" two nights ago. I cried through most of the movie as the ending was foretold halfway through the story. Like "Love Story", it too was a great love story. But it didn't fit the romance formula. Actually this one falls into a gray area for me so someone might be able to argue the fact. But I don't think it fit the formula.

That said, movies my kids enjoy and don't consider romances are in fact "romances". "The Mummy" is a romance. Boy and girl end up together and live happily ever after. They've thwarted the bad guy and the world is safe (from that particular bad guy anyway).

"Night of the Comet" although not billed as a romance fits the romance mold. Just about everybody on earth dies, but the hero and heroine thwart the last bad guys on earth, get together, and live happily ever after. In between there are a lot of yucky zombies, scads of death and scary things, yet it ends on a happy note with the couple getting together and setting out to rebuild a brave new world.

The most recent Indiana Jones movie fits the formula. There's plenty of action and adventure and lots of typical Indiana Jones humor. In the end, he finally ends up with the love of his life, saves the world (again), and they live happily ever after.

Sometimes I just shake my head and roll my eyes when my children (or anybody else) puts down "romance" or dismisses it. They're often the same people that love "Twilight" and other vampire stories (that are romances - they don't think so because it contains other elements like vampires). Sometimes I get on my high horse. It annoys me that most of them don't understand what romance truly is.

By the way, I only went to see Time Traveler's Wife because my older daughter wanted to. She's one of the ones that sticks up her nose at "romance". (Shaking my head again)

Oh well. It's not the end of the world if people just don't get this. I'll get over it.




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Why Writers Should Be Like Zombies

If you want to read a great October article for writers that will make you laugh out loud several times check out Why Good Writers Are Kinda like Zombies by Gabriel Gadfly

Being October, I had to check out this post - I couldn't resist such a great title. Plus one of my favorite movies is "Night of the Comet" which hinges on lots of scary zombies.


Also, I heard somewhere that zombies may be the in-thing this year - for romance writers? Vampires are passe. Werewolves are getting old. It's time for new trend. What's left?


Hey, zombies worked in "Night of the Comet". At least it worked for me as long as the zombies were the bad guys and there was a cute, sexy hero like Hector (Robert Beltran aka Chakotay from Voyager).


But I digress.


Zombies are tenacious creatures. They single-mindedly go after what they want. Even though we might find it yucky, you have to admire their determination, in a gruesome sort of way.


Writers need to be tenacious, too. Even if you've written the best story in the world, it won't get published unless you send it to agents and publishers. After that you must promote the hell out of it.


Zombies don't care if you like them. They don't get put off because you run from them. They're going to do their best to get you. They don't give up. They'll claw their way through a wall to get what they want.



Writers need to be more like zombies. They need to grow a thick skin and not take it personally when an editor rejects their work. They need to get over poor reviews. They need to keep writing, keep submitting, keep promoting even if their last book had poor sales, even if they're wracking up rejections.


I never thought I'd say I want to be a zombie - or even like a zombie - but I could use some of these traits.


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You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook,
Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch,
Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape
are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)