Random Contemplations

I’ve been contemplating what to write for this blog for a few days. I had several ideas that would work.

I’d considered writing about the book I’m currently reading. I decided to take a break from romantic suspense, paranormal romances, and craft books in order to read something completely new and different. I selected Libba Bray’s young adult novel A Great and Terrible Beauty. Wow. Have you read it? It isn’t a complete break from suspense. Something is happening to Gemma Doyle, something that is as yet quite a mystery. Set in late 1800’s England, the book surrounds 16 year-old Gemma’s attempts to deal with her mother’s mysterious death, fit into a clique of girls that prove mean teenage bitches have been around for at least 100 years, and discover the source of her visions and understand what they mean. It’s Libba Bray’s first novel. Astounding. Read it. (Oh, and great cover. But covers are another blog entirely -- maybe even a Sunday Six.)

I also considered writing about the way my plot is taking shape from getting to know my characters better. Marcus Sakey was right. He said, “Spend less time worrying about the plot and more about the characters. Get to know them. Figure out their conflict with one another. The plot will evolve from that.” Just tonight, in talking to a friend about my heroine, I discovered something that I didn’t know. I discovered something that makes her very wary of my hero. More importantly, I discovered a deep, dark secret in her past – one she doesn’t fully comprehend, but will. It’s a secret that will invigorate a once dead portion of the plot and drive it wildly forward. Ah, yes, don’t you wish I chosen this topic?

I contemplated mentioning the erotic romance I’d recently read. Actually, it was a couple of novellas – historical ones (breaking away from romantic suspense again). Okay. Um. If you write that sort of thing… um… how do you know … um… how … um …that sort of thing … you know. Right. Aren’t you glad I didn’t choose this one?

In the end, however, I can’t focus on much more than a blurt at a time tonight. You see, I just won my first contest – the Heart of the West contest. Check it out. I entered under another name, but I am one of the first place finishers. (Yes, I’m sure you can guess which one. So much for secret identities.) The darling husband is still working tonight, however, he’s bringing home some Oreo Cake for me so we can celebrate. Sugar and chocolate are just what I need to calm me down. (LOL.) Perhaps, I’ll chase that with some wine. It’s all good, though. I’ve been flitting around unable to focus. Not good. I need to be writing now more than ever. (See, even this is a rambling mess.)

But in an effort to keep it real, it is just the opinion of, what, four judges. Big deal. I’ve had four people recommend the same book that I absolutely hated. I’ve also recommended books I consider great to four other people, only to have them tell me they couldn’t even finish. I guess good writing is good writing, and a compelling story is a compelling story, but everyone has a different opinion so I’m trying not to get too hyped up over it all.

But yes, I have been doing happy dances! I can’t help it. It’s cool. I haven’t gotten my feedback yet. I’m anxious to see it. And nervous. (It’s just opinions. Remember that, Macy.) I’m in the middle of exploring revisions. Now I feel like I’m in limbo. The final judge was a Harlequin Intrigue editor. Do I modify the story to fit that category line? Do I push toward single title? I don’t want to say that the comments the editor makes will make a difference, but they might. I don’t know yet. Argh.

I’ll keep you updated on this – either here or over at Random Ravings. I probably should’ve posted this there since it’s pretty random, but I absolutely didn’t have two blogs in me tonight.

Okay, gotta go now and check the Heart of the West site again and make sure it wasn’t a cruel joke.

Later,
Macy

Samantha's Sunday Seven, and then some

I hate being the last to post in this “Sunday six” because it’s clear to me that, after reading everyone else’s submissions, I don’t have anything new to say. Our collective struggle to name favorite heroines was very interesting, though. Why are romance heroines so unmemorable?

Maybe it’s because the authors are operating under the conscious or unconscious idea that I've heard more than once, that the heroine stands in a romance novel as a surrogate for the reader. If that's the case, the heroine shouldn’t stand out too strongly or the reader won’t be able to identify with them.

Maybe it’s because the traditional definition of what makes a “lovable” woman – that she’s sweet, kind, nurturing, loves children and kittens, etc – just doesn’t make for a memorable character. Not that those aren’t good traits; I wouldn’t mind having any or all of them, although I can’t say I’m blessed with any of them in good measure.

So I’m going to do what everyone else did in order to come up with a list. I’m going to go outside of romance fiction to the greater world of literature and to the movies. All the women I mention are involved in a romance, but they are typically involved in other things, too. And I’m going to go more for “memorable” female protagonists than ones I necessarily like, although I do like most of them.

Most of these, not surprisingly, have already been mentioned by others in this group. But here’s my list:

1. Anne Shirley in the Anne of Green Gables series. This series is, in my estimation, some of the best children’s fiction ever written. Like Tom Sawyer, it works on two levels, one for children and one for adults. The key to the series is Anne, who remains stubbornly true to herself no matter what life throws at her.

2. Elizabeth Bennet in P&P, but also just about any heroine by Jane Austen. Jane was possibly the first writer to create really three-dimensional female characters.

3. Jo March in the Little Women series. Another strong-willed, frequently impulsive female character who follows her own lights regardless of the expectations of the era. I strongly suspect she was modeled after the author, which is probably why she seems so real.

4. Claire Fraser in the Outlander series. With apologies to Alyson, I must admit that I do not like Claire Fraser, although I haven’t been able to put my finger on why not. She’s smart and brave and all that, but something about her rubs me the wrong way. Maybe I don’t find her worthy of the hero, Jamie. But then, no woman could be worthy of a hero like that. Nevertheless, she is a very strongly memorable character.

5. Belle in “Beauty and the Beast”. Yes, I mean the Disney version, not having ever read the fairy tale in its original form. I think Beauty and the Beast is the archetypal romance story: the obnoxious, emotionally shuttered hero is brought back to his humanity (literally, in this case) by the spirited yet sweet heroine. Belle is by far my favorite Disney heroine, never sulky or helpless.

6. Almost any role Katherine Hepburn ever played. I’m thinking particular of her roles in A Lion in Winter, the African Queen, and Adam’s Rib. She was the quintessential woman from the 30s and 40s, before the 50s sent everyone back to the kitchen.

7. The heroine in almost any Amanda Quick novel, especially the earlier ones. I know that Amanda Quick is Jayne Ann Krentz, but I enjoy Amanda’s novels far more than Jayne’s. Her books are a wonderful combination of unique heroines, devastatingly sexy alpha heroes, good mysteries, and a snappy Regency-style dialog that would do Jane Austen proud. Then again, I can’t actually name any of her heroines off the top of my head. But I still think she does heroines as well as any writer cranking out romance titles today.

Macy's Sunday Six Heroines

My Sunday Six romance heroines may veer off the romance angle a bit. Like Roxy, I really struggled to come up with six romance heroines that made a big impression with me. However, I've known for along time that it is the hero that draws me in to most books. The romances I love are every bit as much about the hero as they are the heroine -- Brockmann, Ward, Moning. All are author fav's of mine. And it's all about the hero in their books.

Ah, but I think heroes will be next week. I’ll have an equally difficult time then. Rather than struggling to come up with six, I’ll be struggling to limit it to six.

Macy’s Sunday Six (in no particular order):

Anita Blake from the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton. I like Anita. While she’s not a classic romance heroine in that she doesn’t end up happily ever after with the one man of her dreams, she’s got this great character arc. I love her evolution. I love that she ends up “as happy as she can be right now” and that she changes and grows in the books. I love that Hamilton isn’t out to take the books in the direction that people want or expect her to go. I like that she’s edgy and pushes the envelope and does her thing, and lets Anita do hers.

I love Tabitha Devereaux in Sherilyn Kenyon’s Seize the Night in the Dark Hunter Series. She’s kick-ass, like Anita, and she marches to the beat of a different drummer. And honestly, when I thought of heroines that I like, she is one of the few whose name I remembered, so that has to mean something, right?

I also liked Gwen Cassidy in Karen Marie Moning’s Kiss of the Highlander. Moning writes hot, sexy time travel romances. Her heroes are the stars of her books, but she’s got a few heroines that I really like. Gwen is one. She’s spunky. She gets the hero, then loses him when they travel back in time because he can’t remember her, then gets him again via sheer determination and brazenness. Then, pregnant with his child and bound to him for all times, she loses him again when she gets yanked back to her own time. Finally, she overcomes her grief and chooses to live knowing she loved him even though she lost him. This takes her on a journey to be reunited with him once again.

Buffy (yes, as in the Vampire Slayer). Although she isn’t a romance heroine in a book, I’d argue that she is very much a romance heroine on the small screen. Hers is the tragic tale of love realized and then the horrible, awful, black moment that takes love away. If you watch the whole series from beginning to end, Buffy qualifies as the classic romance heroine over and over again. I like the way Jenny Crusie puts it in her essay on Buffy when she says the writers “seem to have an instinct for the messy part of romance, the off-the-wall, over-the-top, why-am-I-doing-this? insanity that makes love such a pain in the neck, whether somebody's biting you there or not.” Read her essay at http://www.jennycrusie.com/essays/datingdeath.php . It’s incredibly enlightening.


I love some other female heroines, but they aren’t romance heroines. Lyra from His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman is fabulous. (The Golden Compass will be a movie this winter.) If you haven’t read this series, you should. Trixie Beldon was always a favorite. And, Tinkerbell is fabulous.

Ah, but as for true romance heroines --- I can’t come up with six. However, it gives me something for which to strive: create a memorable, top six romance heroine.

Macy

Katrina's Sunday Six, uh, Five

We’re each to identify our six favorite heroines this week and basically explain why she made the list. I initially thought, “No problem, I love so many stories, this should be easy.” Not so. It appears various factors combine to make those stories stand out to me, and it’s not always the heroine.

Since a great heroine should transcend genre and medium, I didn’t limit myself to romance novels. In fact, only one is from a true romance novel, with the remainder from historical literature, children’s fiction, film and television.

My Top Five
(I’m leaving room for one yet to be discovered.)

Minerva “Min” Dobbs of Bet Me, by Jennifer Crusie

Min could be your best friend. She’s an everyday size 10 girl. She’s smart, self-sufficient, and a bit battered by love, but in no way beaten. She’s feisty, self-confident (most of the time) and can hold her own against charmers and manipulative parents. She stands up for what she believes to be right and she gives her whole heart without reservation when she falls in love. She’s also vulnerable and flawed. All the best characters are, aren’t they?

Elizabeth “Lizzy” Bennet of Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

Lizzy is strong-willed, quick witted and imperfect. I love her. She judges others for their pride, yet doesn’t see her own. She doesn’t appear to be looking for a man, although one suspects she’d love to be married to the right one. Still, she’s not settling. When she finally figures out that she misjudged and let something – someone – wonderful slip past, she puts her pride and her heart on the line to win him back. You have to respect that.

Hermione Granger of Harry Potter and the (you fill in the rest), J.K. Rowling

I know Hermione isn’t your typical heroine. At a glance she’d seem more of an ensemble character, but I argue that Hermione is the heroine to hero Harry (at least until he finds his leading lady). So going with that argument, this spunky, bright, loyal, frizzy-haired, girl makes my top six. She has faith in herself and her friends. She stands up to bullies and dark lords. She’ll run into the fray with wand at the ready when others are fleeing for their lives. She’s adventurous and curious and has a thirst for learning that comes in quite handy. Of course, she’s flawed as well. Due to that bright mind of hers, she tends to come across as a know-it-all, and she’s sensitive about being born to muggle parents, not ashamed, just sensitive.

Joan Wilder of Romancing the Stone, screenplay by Diane Thomas

I’m venturing into films for this one. Joan Wilder is a novelist after my own heart. She’s romantic, independent, and won’t settle for anything less than the dream man she’s written into her many novels. Obviously, this is one of her flaws too. No man can live up to that. When called to action, she goes without hesitation, and when faced with danger and adventure, she discovers strength and courage she didn’t know she had. By the end of the story – the end of her journey – she transforms into a woman of confidence and power who opens herself up to real love.

Kate Austen of Lost, created by J.J. Abrams

I think in this case it’s Kate’s weaknesses that endear her to me. She’s haunted by past mistakes and uncertain she’ll ever find redemption. She has difficulty trusting others, which seems more driven by a fear of what they’ll think of her, than any harm they could do to her. But she’s bold and somehow finds courage deep within to do whatever needs to be done. She’s feisty, has street smarts and knows how to take care of herself. She doesn’t run from a fight, although she may run from a conversation about herself. As the series has progressed, Kate has lowered her guard and opened her heart. She’s still in the middle of her journey (in the process of becoming) and I’m staying tuned to find out just where she ends up.

Overall, what draws me to a great heroine is inner-strength, courage, a spunky disposition and vulnerability. I’m probably drawn to heroines who I identify with in some way and who embody the sort of person I’d like to be. I guess, simply put, they're the sort of heroine I hope to be in my own life story.

Katrina

Roxy's Sunday Six

This post is from another prolific and brilliant writer in our group. Roxy isn't blogging with us yet, but we have high hopes that she'll join soon. In the meantime, here is her take on the heroine issue for this week's Sunday Six.

I could only come up with one heroine.

Gina - From Suzanne Brockman's Troubleshooter series.

Why? Because she is incredibly brave, and she can handle Max Bhagat.

In the first book that Gina appears in "Over the Edge", (as a "secondary" POV character), she put herself in harm's way to save a bunch of strangers. Not just "harm's way", but the risk of torture, rape, death.

In later books ("Gone Too Far", "Hot Target", "Breaking Point"), we see her relationship with Max develop. Max is the head terrorist negotiator of the FBI and admired by all. He is very much in charge and everyone who works for him will do whatever he tells them to do without question, because they trust his judgement implicitly. Gina can stand up to Max and then some. And she's twenty years younger than him.

It bothers me that I could only come up with one heroine. I'm not sure what that means: I don't like romances? I have a bad memory? I'm too picky?

I think it's the last item - too picky. I want the woman to be strong, powerful, courageous. Few measure up, even Suzanne's other heroines who are all strong and brave. It makes me think about the heroine of the book I'm working on - Carolyn who is crossing the Oregon Trail. Is she that strong or brave? I'm not sure. Should she be? Maybe so. Would she still be the same person? I don't know.

Or maybe I just have a bad memory!

Thanks for letting me join in on the survey.

Roxy.

Alyson's Sunday Six

Last Saturday, I wrote a blog on heroes. It included an impromptu "Saturday Sixteen" of the most fabulous female protagonists, or heroines, in my humble opinion. This week, for our "Sunday Six," I did my best to stick to the romance genre. I also tried to explain why I like who I like. I'm posting this "early" because it's going to be a busy day here in Chi-town. (Go Bears!)

Here we go:

1.Elizabeth Bennett of Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen.

I’m a Jane Austen girl all the way-- I reread the whole lot of her books once every three or four years. For me, no romance heroine quite compares to the one and only Elizabeth Bennet. At a time when the behavior of women was expected to be, in every way, polite and restrained, Elizabeth refuses to be pushed into anything. She’s smart, spirited, witty, loyal, independent, kindhearted and yet she makes mistakes. Her judgment is not always dead-on-- and when it's not dead-on, it's not dead-on in a big way. But she’s willing to admit she’s made mistakes—and, in the end, we’re all thrilled that she gets the delectable Mr. Darcy.

Jane Austen said, "I must confess that I think her as delightful a character as ever appeared in print, and how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least, I do not know."

I totally agree.

2. Julia Quinn’s witty heroines of the Bridgerton series, but especially . . .

• Daphne Bridgerton of The Duke and I
  
• Penelope Featherington of Romancing Mr. Bridgerton
  

Okay, so no one compares to Elizabeth Bennett, in my opinion—or Jane Austen—but Julia Quinn is good. Really good. Deft plotting, witty repartee, expert characterization, spirited heroines, a Regency setting, great romances, and heartwarming happily ever afters. I believe in the love of her couples, which is saying a lot. Julia Quinn gets it right. Of course, this isn’t about Julia, it’s about Daphne and Penelope—seemingly “ordinary girls” with warm hearts, bright spirits, dry wit and so much intelligence. I was really delighted by them and their love stories, especially Penelope’s—which incidentally I hadn’t read as of last Saturday when I posted my Saturday Sixteen of fabulous female protagonists. I would have included Penelope for sure.

Penelope is a plain, “slightly plump,” very smart spinster—who also happens to be very shy around those she doesn’t know well. She has a big secret which I won’t divulge—a secret bigger than her huge crush on her best-friend’s brother. What I love, love, love about Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, Penelope’s story, is that I truly believe Colin falls in love with her. (Same is true of The Duke and I – but Daphne’s not quite as much of a wallflower and the duke is attracted to her early on so there’s less of a burden to the author in that one, in my opinion.) I’ve read several novels in which a hunk falls for a so-called plain Jane but usually the author doesn’t convince me, doesn’t actually get me to buy into the love story completely. I smile at the end, and think “there's no way that would last in real life.” So call me a cynic. The point here is that I buy into Penelope and Colin. Completely. They have something interesting in common (can't divulge) and they really are such great friends-- and she's been in love with him forever, and deep down he knows it. Go Penelope! (Go Julia!)

3. Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser of The Outlander Series

The Outlander series is an epic, epic saga of time travel, adventure, romance and love everlasting but at first, publishers and bookstores had no idea how to categorize it. I think for the most part now it’s sold as “romance’—but it’s so much more than that. Here's a not-so-brief description: At the end of World War II Claire Beauchamp Randall, a British Red Cross nurse, and her historian husband, Frank, have gone to Scotland to try to resume their married life where it left off six years before. Their diligent efforts to have a baby come to a halt when Claire discovers an ancient stone circle on a nearby hilltop. She slips between two mysterious- looking boulders, and is transported to the year 1743. Stumbling down a hillside, disoriented and confused, Claire is discovered by Jonathan "Black Jack'' Randall, an evil English officer-- who happens to be her husband's direct ancestor. He bears a striking resemblance to him. Randall notes Claire's revealing 1940's summer dress, assumes she is a whore, and attempts to rape her, whereupon she is rescued by the fierce MacKenzie clan, who take her to their castle and confine her there. Claire adjusts to her situation with amazing ease, using her nursing experience to tend to her hosts' illnesses while she impatiently awaits a chance to return to the circle of stones.

Before she can get away, the circumstances force her into a marriage with James Fraser, a young Scottish renegade -- and Jonathan Randall's archenemy. Jamie's good looks, passion, and virility soon persuade Claire to redirect her energies toward defending her new husband against her former mate's evil clone. However, at the end of book one, she travels back to her time, pregnant with Jamie’s daughter. Book two picks up twenty years later. Claire is now a physician.

Gotta love Claire. Did she sit around moping during those twenty years? Hell, no. She raised her daughter, tried to make it work with her husband and went to med school.

Mostly, I love, love, love Jamie, I admit it – but Claire is smart, resourceful, adaptable, kind, funny, loyal and very much a survivor. They’re definitely a power couple—and their story is just so breathtaking. This is my favorite “romance” series by far.

Oh, incidentally, of course she goes back in time to rehook up with Jamie . . . c’mon. It’s everlasting love.

4. Anita Blake of the Vampire Slayer series by Laurell Hamilton

Anita Blake is an Animator and Vampire slayer who raises zombies for a living. I ‘m not sure she technically qualifies as a romance genre heroine—but she does have plenty of romance with a hot vamp named Jean Claude, an Alpha werewolf, some wereleopards . . . and so on. Lots of romance . . . and ardeur.

I love her because she’s a brave little bad ass—but in an oddly relatable and endearing way. I’m not alone. Google her name and check it out.

5. Gemma Dante of Total Rush by Deirdre Martin

What’s in a name? Apparently a lot. My son’s name is Dante and if I ever had a girl, I wanted to name her Gemma so I am really partial to this heroine's name. I admit that. Besides that, however, Gemma is an unconventional free spirit, a stregh (Italian for witch), with a very kind heart. She owns a New Age shop, practices Wicca, reads tarot cards but she also helps her boy cousins find mates, takes care of her grandmother with Alzheimer's, falls in love with a "hot" firefighter who hates the smell of her incense . . . and she stayed with me for longer than most romance heroines do. Now, what’s interesting is that a lot of Amazon reviewers didn’t like the romance as much as they liked the romances in Martin’s other books in her hockey romance series. But hey, we’re talking heroines not love stories here, no? Gemma's a good heroine.

6. Last minute new additions

Okay, technically that’s six since I listed two of Julia Quinn's heroines-- and I didn’t resort to putting Scarlett O’Hara or Stephanie Plum on my list, though I was tempted. (Love them both—and I probably could make arguments as to why they could be counted as romance heroines.) Instead, I’m going to end with two honorable mentions —

First, I really liked Clare Lancaster of White Lies by Jayne Anne Krentz. Here’s a teaser from Book Description:

Petite, thirtysomething Clare Lancaster is a Level Ten para-sensitive-and a "human lie detector." Over the years, she's come to accept that someone with her extraordinary talents is likely to have trouble in the relationship department. And she's even resigned herself to the fact that everyone, to one degree or another, hides behind a façade. . . .

Another unconventional, petite feisty chick with smarts aplenty and special abilities. This was the first book by Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick that I’ve read and it was a fun romp. It’s part of her new Arcane Society series.

Second, I have been eagerly awaiting the latest installment from Susan Elizabeth Phillip’s Chicago Stars series, Natural Born Charmer. The lay down date is 2/6 which means I’ll be at Borders on Tuesday morning. I really enjoy her books. All of them. I admit however that so far none of her heroines stand out enough to make my favorites list—Annabelle Granger of Match Me If You Can was close . . . but not quite there. Why? Not 100% sure. Not quite feisty enough I think. Based on the review of Natural Born Charmer at Squawk Radio, however, I'm highly anticipating a new addition to the list. Woo hoo! Check it out and let me know what you think.

Cheers and happy reading! Alyson

A Rookie Writer Contemplates Plot (Part 1)

As a rookie novelist, I’m always on the lookout for good advice on the writing craft, lifestyle, etc. I read books and articles by experienced writers, subscribe to their newsletters, peruse their blogs, and attend their seminars and classes. But over the past months I’ve also found it to be very illuminating to watch the thought processes and growth of the fellow rookies in my on-line writing group. We are all struggling, but when one of us has a breakthrough – coming up with a particularly compelling conflict or plot twist, serving up a particularly delicious piece of prose, discovering something new and significant about their characters – we all know that something important and good has happened. We may not always know what we’re doing wrong, but we’re pretty sure when we’re doing something right.

Being of an analytical bent, I’m always pondering the lessons and insights I get from all these sources and trying to condense them into a set of pithy guidelines that I can use during my own struggles with understanding this craft. For me, writing about something is one of the best ways to understand it and to distill its essential truths. So, I thought, why not do just that, and post it as my blog for this week?

The subject I’m putting through the distillation process for this blog is plot, since it’s something my group has really been wrestling with for some time now.

At first plot seems so simple. After all, it can be defined in two words: “stuff happens.” But while that may describe the essence of what a plot is, it doesn’t in any way touch on what makes for a good plot, one that will keep the reader turning pages right to the end of the book.

Let’s put this in perspective. Romance fiction is far more character-based than plot-based. And I, personally, far prefer character-based books to plot-based ones. So how important is plot, really, in a romance novel? After all, we know what’s going to happen before we even start reading: the hero and heroine will start out apart, and end up together.

Of course, if that’s really the case, then only one romance novel need ever have been written.

I’ve come to the conclusion that the plot is very important to the romance novel, but not for the reason I originally assumed. The really important stuff that happens is not the sequence of external events, but rather the emotional journeys of the main characters. The characters need to change and grow, to find what they’re capable of, to develop new insights about life. Yes, they will fall in love, but first they have to go through some fundamental shift in their personality, in the way they view and deal with life.And it is the plot that takes them on that journey. In other words, the external events in the story are those that precipitate the journey, and then both facilitate and impede the character's progress along the way. The stuff that happens is interesting, not for its own sake, but because of the impact it has on the characters. If the reader is going to care about the stuff that happens, it has to be pretty significant stuff. Not necessarily earthshaking, like a hurricane or a war or global warming. It can be something very personal, but it has to be really important to the character it happens to. So I now have three bullets to describe plot:

-- Stuff happens.
-- The stuff that happens has to be really significant to the character it happens to.
-- Because of the stuff that happens, at least one of the characters must change, and must end up in an emotionally different place at the end of the story than they were at the beginning.

So the question that the romance writer ends up asking herself is not, “What will happen in my story?” so much as “Where are my characters, emotionally, at the beginning of the story, and where do I want them to be at the end? And what events will get them there?”

Given that we’re talking about romance fiction here, I’m going to add the perhaps obvious observation that the change must be for the better, at least for the hero and heroine. This is not true in all women’s fiction, and certainly not in all literature, but it’s true in romance. Our characters may not end up in a better place physically (maybe he broke his leg leaping to push a kid from the path of an oncoming car) or financially (maybe she gave up a high-powered career or a rich fiancé to be with the hero), but they are better off emotionally. They’re in love, after all, and we readers are happy to believe that this is true love and will see the couple through their lives. But there has to be more to it than that – some other kind of emotional growth that allows the love to ultimately happen. Looking back on my favorite romance novels, or my favorite novels in general, I believe it's this extra depth and dimension that differentiates and ordinary story from a truly absorbing and memorable one.

To condense this into more bullets:
-- In romance, the emotional change must be for the better.
-- To be really compelling, the change can’t just be that the characters fall in love. They have to go through some significant emotional growth that allows them to fall in love, and commit to a relationship, where before they weren't able to.

And I’m going to add one obvious corollary:
-- The reader has to really care about the characters that change

There's a lot more to plot than this, of course, but I'm going to save those for a part 2 and maybe even a part 3. After all, I've got other things to get done. For one thing, I've got a novel to plot.

Happy writing,

Samantha