I was just reading a post by fellow author Holland Rae, where she delves into traditional character tropes within the romance genre and what lingering  themes she finds outdated/no longer appropriate. It’s a great read, I highly recommend it. It got me thinking about my own motivations in writing within the romance genre.

I’ve mentioned in various places why I enjoy historicals. Personally, I think there’s no better muse than history, but if that’s my main incentive, why not just write historical fiction? Well, after a mini soul-searching session, here are my top three reasons for writing romance:

A Woman’s Perspective

While being a woman certainly isn’t a prerequisite for writing or reading romance, the vast majority of those involved with the genre are women. My personal rationale for this is because we have been pigeon-holed into strict social and gender roles for so long without an acceptable outlet for discussion, romance has come to fill that void to an extent.

Jumping straight into a stereotype, we women need to discuss things. We need to ponder and soul-search. Out loud. Often. When we’re not given a safe space to do so, or badmouthed for it, destructive consequences can follow. The romance genre allows us a place to contemplate all the issues we may not be comfortable discussing in our current societal surroundings, and actively create a positive outcome. Things like ‘a woman’s place’ in society and the home, interacting with others, sexuality, the consequences of being true to one’s personality, etc. There is a book out there dealing with just about any topic we were ever afraid to bring up ourselves, and exploring the author’s take on it can sometimes be a great catalyst for opening a dialog or moving forward.

Keeping the faith

We’ve all heard it said about the heroes in romances: “no real men are like that.” The implication being that the hero is an idealized, perfect man and that’s what every woman wants, ergo, women who read romances are unrealistic when it comes to searching for a mate. I beg to differ on this point. Yes, the heroes in romances are idealized. Duh. It’s fiction. On the other side of the coin, our heroes are often ‘damaged’ in some way, scarred or otherwise dealing with a character flaw. He is if he’s memorable, anyway. By definition, this means that our heroes aren’t perfect. It’s this imperfection and working through it that actually makes us fall in love with our heroes.

And then there’s the fairy tale aspect. I’m all about prince charming whisking me off to a palace in a perfect kingdom, but do I think this is realistic? No. Does that mean I have to give up on the hope? Also no. I look at it like that quote:

“Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you will still be among the stars.”

Why give up the search for an ideal partner just because the options I’ve met so far don’t match what I’m looking for? There are billions of people on this earth, and billions of personalities to match. I can’t give up on finding my version of perfect just because someone else tells me it doesn’t exist. I’m sure many would say I’m not a catch, but there might be someone out there who thinks I am. Romance novels are great for reminding us of this, reminding us to not give up on dreams because once in a while, they come true.

“Zu jedem Topf passt ein Deckel”

(“There’s a lid for every pot,” got this one from my mom, probably quoting my grandma)

Maintaining a positive outlook

With so much unending ugliness in the news and the world, it’s difficult to stay positive and see the beauty in things. Fiction offers a temporary escape from all of that, a little getaway to revive when the harshness of life drains us. We found it as children in our fairy tales, we find it as adults in our fiction novels. Yes, the great stories often deal with deep themes and societal/world issues, but that’s why romantic fiction is so great. There’s an unofficial stipulation that we get a happy result, and the overarching theme is love. More than any other genre, romance helps me stay positive when I really need a boost. As one of the growing many in the world who deal with bouts of depression, this aspect alone is invaluable to me, and thinking that I might be providing a little bit of a pick-me-up to someone else who needs it via my books is probably the number one benefit and motivator to keep writing. I guess you can call it my attempt at paying it forward for all the years I spent fantasizing about a glorious future after reading a great romance.

And there you have it. My top reasons for both reading and writing Historical Romance. Were you able to relate? Are there other reasons that stand out to you in your personal relationship with the romance genre? I’d love to hear your thoughts, please tell me what your take is in the comments below 🙂