Who thinks about sex?
Come on, raise your hand. Everyone else is, so admit it. Our society is driven by sex. Sex shapes who we are, what relationships we enter, the very nature of the world around us.
Sex is a basic human need, secondary only to food and water. A biological need. And biology is science.
Romance is just a flowery way to talk about the biological desire to procreate.
I write science fiction, which is a flowery way to talk about science. As a science fiction writer, I don’t consider myself a cross-genre writer. I write sci-fi, and romance is an important part of building people, relationships and worlds. Most of us came into this world because of romance. Many of us will spend our lives seeking it or nurturing it. Romance is something that binds us together as people.
And binds readers to our characters.
Here’s to all the books out there that include romantic love, whether they think they are Romances or not.
© Tam Linsey, 2011. All rights reserved.
7 comments:
Here, here!!!
You are spot on with 'binds readers to our characters. Romance and other relationships are universal in their appeal. We all want to be loved, to belong.
thank you for the insightful post, Tam.
Hey Tam,
This is so very true. While not every book has romance in it, I think those that do are richer and more believable no matter what genre or sub-genre they're in. I loved the romance in your book--even though you're right, it's not a romantic novel.
And to expand on what you said -- romance and sci fi and mystery are flowery ways to talk about our world, but they are also ways for us to help understand our worlds. The mystery of love and procreation, the consequences of our actions on our world and our attempts to understand the bad things in life -- all get explored by good writers. And romance underpins them all!
Awesome insights, my friend!
Thanks for stopping by Sarah and Liz. You hit the nail on the head. Love is universal and gives meaning to the world around us.
Tam, you make such great points. One thing I've always wondered is why men aren't that interested in
Romance (the genre) when they're half of the equation and they certainly seem to like sex! Sex perpetuates the species, and romance leads to solid family structures -- so sex and romance are essential to our society. IMHO, they enhance any book, romance or not. Thanks for the great post!
Good thoughts, Jennifer. And many men like science fiction - romantic elements and all. I think they probably just have an aversion to the word "romance."
Tam,
Relationships are important in life and in fiction. One type of relationship is romance. If the story is strong, the content intriguing or insightful or amusing (add your favorite) and there is romance - there will still be readers. I doubt many people stop reading a book because the hero has a romantic relationship with the heroine or vice versa.
It is a lonely life and actually quite difficult to live without any 'relationships' at all. Of course it does depend on how you define that word.
Agreed, Judith. If the story is strong, a reader will keep reading. But I have met a lot of readers who will not even open a book if it is labeled "romance." Very sad. I've known a few who inadvertently started reading a romance, however, and they had to admit they thoroughly enjoyed it :)
I've been very lucky in my life so far to be blessed with many relationships with many people, including 21 years with my adorable husband. Without those interactions, it would be hard to envision a reason to exist.
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