Writing Romance

Anddd...the Indie E-can is in full swing! Today's genre is romance, and there's a lot of fun things going on.

never thought I’d be writing a blog post about writing romance. Why? Because in my mind, I never really wrote romance. Maybe I’d include it as a side plot or some such thing, but I’d never write anything that could be classified as romance.

All that changed this past February when God put a story idea on my heart that wouldn't leave me alone. The result was my novella I Don’t Dance which will be released June 21st. I’d like to share a little here about why I decided to go ahead and write a romance, and maybe I can convince you to do the same. (Even if maybe the thought makes you gag right now. ;))

My idea of romance isn’t falling passionately in love the first time you meet someone. It’s not scandals and love triangles and wondering who the girl will end up with. Romance, in my mind, is two people who are attracted to each other  working together and letting God lead them to see what their future may hold. It’s not easy, and it’s not looking through rose-colored glasses. It’s life. It’s precious. And when God guides, it’s beautiful.
So anyway. That definition might be nice to keep in mind as we go on. ;)

The first reason I decided to write a ‘romance’ is because I was really getting annoyed at reading love stories at seemed to superficial. The characters were obsessed with the attraction to each other, and it made me cringe to read it. I knew enough people who had experienced sweet, innocent love stories to know that such a thing was possible. I just couldn't seem and find any books where that example was followed.

Secondly, I wanted a romance book that I felt I could hand to girls without warning them of the content. I hate having those books are are amazing but you have to be like, “skip this page and this chapter because there were some things in there that were a bit unnecessary.” That kinda defeats the whole point of reading the book when you’re already training your eyes to watch for things. You can’t simply just sit back and enjoy it.

Thirdly, I wanted a book where the family was involved. I’m not even going to get into the whole ‘whether or not the parents should be involved’ debate. I’m pretty certain most of you know where I stand on that. But regardless, I feel like so few books have the siblings involved. Coming from a family of ten, it was always assumed that any guy who was interested in any of us girls would have to get along with our siblings. Because they’re kind a huge part of life. So I wanted to write a story about a guy and girl who’s families already were great friends and got along. Because the romance just just include two people; it’s includes their families, too.

And last but definitely not least, I wanted to read a romance where God was a huge part of it. I didn’t just want the characters to believe in God, or to refuse to date if the other wasn’t a christian. Those are good, but I wanted more then that. I wanted Christ to be a part of the romance story. Because after all, He is the author of our love stories.

So yes. the four reasons I decided to write a romance. Have I convinced anyone else to join me? ;)