Formulas in Genre Fiction Part 1
(Romance)
by C.C.Moore
Want to be a writer? Ever wonder why you see the same things over and over again in those genre books? In genre fiction it’s nearly impossible to avoid some formulaic writing. What’s a mystery story without a dead body? What’s a fantasy epic without a sword fight or a young person learning their powers? And romance? Hey, you got to have some misunderstandings and whoever heard of a “short”, pale hero? Hmm? Over the next few months I’m going to take a closer look at these clichés, talk about why they’re used, and perhaps explore ways some authors have gotten around the more obvious formulas for their genre (giving their writing that extra spice that makes a book interesting). A great way for an author to write a fun book is to take a cliché and turn it on its head…so take a look at some of these and see if they inspire you. I’m going to start with Romance, which is a difficult niche to break down walls. Romance publishers are famous to wanting formula, but those writers who do manage originality (within the confines of the genre) might just find themselves on the bestseller lists.
Romance clichés, or in other words, the dark, brooding hero who is redeemed by the lost, yet feisty heroine who will soon be kidnapped by bad guys, are as overused as a middle-aged porn star. Let’s take a closer look…
Each subgenre in romance has its own cliché’s of course, but I’m just going to address the basics, the ones that have gotten so old they actually make me wince at the bookstore.
The Orphan
Well, Cinderella might have started this cliché, but it hasn’t ended with her twirling away on the dance floor with Prince Charming. The orphan cliché is probably so popular because of the built-in story arc: every orphan needs to find a “home” and people to love. Plus, there is the added bonus that the orphan won’t have a lot of family around to interfere with the story. Girls in particular are usually missing mothers (check out every Disney Princess movie ever made) and if there is a major feminine presence in their lives it’s either the evil stepmother or a wacky best friend. You don’t need to be Freud to understand the missing mother cliché, and throw in the ditsy, professor sort of father who our heroine will want to protect, and many writers think they’ve just established character depth. Now Julia Quinn, a writer who I admire, uses this very formula in her latest book (The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever)—but she’s also a good example of turning this idea over for originality. Her Bridgerton clan is a boisterous family headed by a concerned and intelligent mother, and no reader can be immune to the charm of this clan. Unfortunately, in nearly every book, the love interest is either an orphan, or might as well be, leaving the cliché still in place.
The Dark, Brooding Hero
Ever since Emily Bronte wrote Wuthering Heights, romance writers have been rewriting the tragic tale with a happy ending. Heathcliff might have been a moody, vengeful tyrant, but he seems to be one of the prototypes for every romantic hero to follow. I’m actually all for the dark, brooding hero—how can you not love these sexy, wounded men? Love as redemption is not a concept reserved to the romance genre, and you’ll find it over and over again in Mainstream Fiction as well. Though I think this formula can still have life breathed into it, I would advise readers to dig deeper. A nuanced hero with layers, history and real complexity makes for a far more fascinating read than one who is brooding over a cheating wife or a jilt at the altar, or in modern suspense romance- the lawman who lost is partner is just about as cliché as a wannabe Heathcliff.
Heroine in Distress
A hero coming to our rescue makes up the dreams of many a liberated woman, and this is escapism after all, so why can’t we dream? The problem comes when the heroine is strong throughout most of the book, but ends up flailing in distress right before the climax…and just in time for a hero to make a timely arrival. (Think Kate Capshaw in Temple of Doom!) Borrring! The FBI agent should keep her wits about her, even if her sexy partner is coming to rescue her…and better yet, let her rescue herself so the two of them can take on the bad guys together? These leads to the next cliché…
The Feisty Heroine Who Turns Dumb
Oh, I know you’ve seen this one. It’s hard to believe that woman writers do this to woman readers, and we accept it as just part of the plot. This is the kind of heroine who you like until the last third of the book, and then you start rolling your eyes in disgust. Keep smart women, smart. Character growth is always appreciated in a novel, but in general keep characters consistent with whatever talents they have intact.
Blah Sex Scenes
Hey, I will be the first to accept diversity of turn-ons, and I certainly don’t want extreme, strange sex if I bought a book in the “mainstream romance” section. That being said, I find many sex scenes boring without heat or emotional depth. I think most readers would agree that chemistry is just as important in books as it is in movies…two characters need to resonate with great dialogue and lots of smoldering awareness. When they get together, we need to feel the fire and the emotions between the characters. Remember, every time the characters are interacting, it’s foreplay—even if they’re solving a crime or dancing in a ballroom—and of course the biggest turn off is when the hero is abusive and a jerk, and the heroine still wants him at a single touch, even while hating herself for it. We need to understand why she wants him, and want him a bit ourselves!
Stupid, Prolong-the-Ending Manipulations
Okay, the characters are in love, maybe even heading for the aisle, and now suddenly out of right field come just one more big blow up. I’m not talking about something that’s already in play, the climax with the bad buy, or the crazy wife coming out of the attic, but something that just feels tacked on because the writer didn’t know how to make their book long enough. Give your romances a good, strong plot where everything that happens, even if it surprises the reader, still makes complete sense.
Now I know there are more of these…the rogue tamed by the innocent maiden…the shrew tamed by the sexy (probably Scottish) lord…but I don’t want to prolong the ending, and many of these other conventions can be made to work if the characters are given depth and the plot isn’t just a lazy copy. Remember too, that turning a cliché on its head can make a really fun read. I’d probably enjoy a book about a dark, brooding heroine who is wooed by a dashing, amusing hero. (A hero with a sense of humor! Wow, that would be a good one.) So my advice to all want-to-be writers is to stretch yourself beyond clichés, work deeper on your characters, keep your plot as intriguing as your sex scenes.
Next month: Fantasy and Science Fiction (I’ve read a lot of amateur fantasy over the last year, and let me tell you that there are a lot of writers out there who just can’t break into new ground! My advice next month.)
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