I’m in a curious mood, so here are some romance-writing-related
questions that have niggled at my brain for a long time. Maybe you’ve been curious about these things as well.
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Why do so many people call
Gone with the Wind their favorite romance novel/movie? There’s
no happily-ever-after and the so-called heroine is not anyone you’d want for a
friend. In fact, she’s pretty despicable. Curious, isn't it?
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Now, the movie Ghost with Patrick Swayze and Demi
Moore is in a different class. The story is a romance even though
the hero is dead and eventually has to ‘move on.’ The hero’s love is so strong,
so profound that he protects the heroine from the Other Side. You fall for the
hero, and the heroine is someone you like and root for. Curious? Click on the link and watch the trailer.
In this day and age, why
do authors write romances where people cross professional ethical boundaries to
have a relationship?
Let me elaborate.
Real life: My
daughter started a new job. The attractive store manager she worked under and
my daughter both had five-year-old daughters. They took the girls on a play
date and discovered that not only did the girls hit it off, so did they. My
daughter resigned so they could date without violating the store’s sexual
harassment policy and endangering his career. Now they’ve been together for
fifteen years. (In case you're curious, he didn't get fired.)
An otherwise-beautifully-written
romance I recently read: An emotionally-wounded psychologist falls in love
with his patient but continues to treat her anyway. They ‘save’
each other and earn a happily-ever-after. As a reader, I can’t get past the
violation of professional ethics.
I'm curious. Is this just me? Or do others have a problem with authors taking liberties with professional ethics?
I'm curious. Is this just me? Or do others have a problem with authors taking liberties with professional ethics?
And last, but not least, I'm curious as to why Nicholas Sparks insists he’s not a romance writer, when he clearly
is a romance writer. Inquiring minds want to know.
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What do you think?
What romance-related questions are you curious about?
© 2012 Sarah Raplee
© 2012 Sarah Raplee
9 comments:
What a fun post, Sarah! Loved "Ghost", didn't love GWTW, don't read Mr. Sparks any more and I too am turned off when professional boundaries are crossed.
I'm curious as to why today's romance novels are so fast paced. I read to relax and unwind, not rev up!
I don't read Nicholas Sparks because the few books I read didn't have HEA, so maybe that's why he doesnt' consider his self a romance author? I liked "Gone With The Wind". Tried to read it a while back and thought "What the hell did I see in that book? Couldn't get past the first chapter. You've brought up some good questions to think about, Sarah. As far as crossing boundaries, it is fiction. And in some cases the woman's fantasy to be rescued by a professional (fill in the blank). Just my two cents! Great Post!!
Fun post! I agree I see nothing favorable in Scarlet of GWTW. The movie Ghost didn't move me like people said it would. As for the liberties writers take, I kind of agree with Diana on it is a fantasy. It may not happen in real life but it can in a book of fiction. As for Sparks. Haven't read him. When I heard his books don't have HEA I didn't want to read them. I watched one movie and it was okay but again, I want a happy ending.
I read GWTW in high school and really enjoyed it, but I didn't consider it a romance. It was a historical novel in my eyes back then, and still is I guess. Loved ghost! Yeah, no HEA, but a satisfying ending nonetheless.
I started to read a paranormal erotic romance recently and got through about five chapters before deleting it from my Kindle. It was paranormal (vampires) but neither was it romantic nor erotic. It was just kind of... there. Words on a page. It had promise in the first chapter, but then devolved into a digressive mess of "huh?" I had no idea what the story goal was or what the characters wanted. Who has time to wade through that kind of confusion?
Good question, Judith!
I wonder if it has to do with people watching so much television, where a story is told in forty minutes of screen time? or with the pace of life nowadays in general? don't know.
Hmmm. The one Nicholas sparks book I read DID have a HEA. thus my question. His voice didn't really resonate with me, so I haven't read the others. If I had, I guess I would have realized the answer to my question, Diana!
You and Paty make a good point about fiction being fantasy. The excitement of crossing boundaries forbidden in real life may hold the answer to that one!
I know the answer to your question,Karen! Nobody has the time to wade through a poorly-written book.
Thanks everyone for commenting.
Hi Sarah, fun post. I loved Ghost. I'm bothered by ethics issues sometimes, but I understand why the author uses the whole 'forbidden' idea. What could be more romantic though, than giving up a job for the one you've fallen in love with? What a great story.
Thanks for stopping by, Tammy! I agree that making a sacrifice for love is romantic. I'm glad you enjoyed learning my daughter's story.
Love the post! Couldn't agree more with your "curiosities." Loved Ghost. Didn't care for Gone With the Wind...AT ALL. And Nicholas Sparks kills me with his insistance he doesn't write romance. His books are filled with romance, until everyone dies, of course. I can't stand them. Too morbid for me.Oh, and your point about crossed boundaries? I can't read a romance where that kind of thing happens, especially a doctor/patient relationship. It just makes me see the doctor person as totally icky.
:) Thanks for the interesting read!!!
Thanks for stopping by, SJ71! Glad you enjoyed my post.
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