Inquiry - Romance (Not a vent post, promise)

[kriadydragon]

So I think most know how I feel about pairings. I've never been a fan of romance, can't stand the whining, angsty complications with some romance, character A worrying if character B really loves them all while they're running for their lives or the world's about to end, and cringe whenever a show or book introduces a "potential love interest." Oh, and mustn't forget my distaste in sex scenes.

The thing is, though, I'm not so opposed to romance as to not have it at all when it comes to my own stories. The other thing is, I tend to be subtle about the romance - in that it's not front and center, yet neither is it entirely not there at all. The best way I can sum it up is to say I "leave it open"; in that you can see it as friendship that might one day become more, friendship that is becoming more, or - well - very subtle romance ;)

The recent story I'm attempting to plot (original fic, not fanfic) got me thinking about how I handle romance and romance in general. When is it too much? Too little? Cringe worthy or just right? That kind of stuff. I want to hear other's opinions on romance. For example, is a story/show just as good if no romance is involved? Can friendships be just as powerful? Etc. Anything you have to say on the matter, please say it. The story I'm plotting isn't a romance, but there's a guy, a girl, the potential for feelings but hopefully not to the extent that it dominates most of the plot. But plots can be sneaky that way ;)

Comments

[sholio]

I don't think there is a right or wrong, just what's best for the story and what sort of relationships you want to explore. Generally speaking, I usually find platonic emotions resonate with me more strongly than sexual ones, but that's not always true. You can also have couples sans romance; the last SF novel I read, Elizabeth Bear's "Undertow", started out with most of the main characters either married or paired off, but it was not a romance at all -- just an adventure SF novel in which most of the characters weren't single.

Well, and that brings up another consideration -- narrative believability. Certain kinds of characters are much more likely than others to have either current or past romance in their lives. In many fantasy or non-Earth settings, a character's society will require them to be married young, so you'd need a really good reason for anyone past their culture's age of marriage to still be single, unless they're widowed. A 70-year-old, globe-trotting adventurer who's still a virgin would be such an oddity that I'd need some kind of reason for it in the story, whereas a 20-year-old could easily just have not had the experience yet. The older and more worldly a character is, the less likely it is that they don't have a lover or spouse in their past -- not that one couldn't, but depending on their society, personality and circumstances, it becomes much less likely. Even Emily Dickenson had boyfriends! (And possibly girlfriends as well.)

On the other hand, I certainly don't think a story is missing anything if it doesn't center around two characters falling in love. There are many other kinds of human relationships to explore. No matter what kind of story you write, there is surely someone, somewhere, who will find it just their thing.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I sometimes wonder if romance tends to be exaggerated more often than not in the fictional world. But *shrugs* what do I know, I usually ignore most of the romantic aspects of fictional works. I do think that it tends to be formulaic, mostly in TV shows, and that formula has a way of getting stuck in ones head (put guy and girl into same room, they have no choice but to fall in love!) and becoming a bit of an influence.

Oi, I want to say more but can barely keep my eyes open. I'll have to finish this thought later when I'm more coherent :S.