Saturday, January 18, 2020

The Romance of Writing Rom-Coms by Julie Cameron

Romantic comedies seem to finally be getting some traction in the movie market and are certainly on the rise in book sales.



I feel as though I have been reading romance, and especially romantic comedies, all my life. Rom-Coms are still among my favorite type of movie, even though they are only now becoming more recognized in theaters (although, not so much at the Oscars). When I was in High School, I joined the Literary Guild and devoured all the romance books they had available and have been reading them ever since.

Given my past predilection to the romance genre, it should come as no surprise that it is my go-to genre for what I write. And, although my content editing clients are varied in almost every genre, romance is still my favorite to edit because it can encompass so many other genres, but also have a guaranteed Happily Ever After as a bonus.

And if you can get me to laugh while loving the story, it is the chocolate on my salted caramel. I am not a stand-up comedian by any stretch of the imagination, but I do love it when readers let me know that they enjoyed the humor in my books. At a table read for one of my screenplays, I was relieved (and gratified) when the group laughed throughout the reading – sometimes in places that surprised me.

They thought that was funny!

Am I better at this than I thought?

Did Nora Ephron ever suffer from these same insecurities?




I happen to love writing rom-coms because I believe that laughter truly is great medicine.

But writing isn’t easy. And writing rom-coms is the subtle art that fuels and nurtures your baser insecurities. You, as the writer, might find your story hilarious. But does that humor also translate to your audience?

My mood is heavily influenced by what is going on for me at the time I’m writing. I have been known to randomly start talking with an English accent or a Scottish brogue depending on the audio book I’m listening to in my Libro.fm library (yes, that was a blatant plug for the indie audio company that supports indie bookstores!). I get very strange looks from my coworkers.

So, when I want to be sure my romance has humor, I put down my Suzanne Brockmann, J.R. Ward, or Laura Kinsale and I delve into some of my favorite rom-coms (hello, When Harry Met Sally and Steel Magnolias) and read romantic comedy authors like Kristan Higgins, Christina Laurens, and Molly Harper. Then I let the mood of humor come out in the flow of my writing.

The bottom line in all of this is: Love what you are writing, and it will show in the end result. If you’ve naturally added humor to your already brilliant romance, kudos to you! If you haven’t, don’t sweat it, and definitely don’t force it because that will show. As with everything, you do you, and see what happens.



Julie Cameron is an award-winning author and screenwriter of contemporary romance and romantic comedy. She sits on the Boards of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW), and Writer's Guild of Astoria.  She is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA), the Rose City Romance Writers Chapter of RWA, Willamette Writers, and Oregon Writers Colony. 
As a content editor, writing coach and instructor through her company, Landon Literary, Julie is also a member of Independent Book Publishers Assn. (IBPA), Colorado Independent Publishers Assn. (CIPA), Editorial Freelancers Assn. (EFA), and Northwest Editor’s Guild.
When she isn’t writing or working with clients, Julie enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and fellow authors in the literary community.

8 comments:

peggy jaeger said...

as a writer of and lover of romantic comedies, too, I feel ya! I find when I'm reading heavy stuff - like murder mysteries or thrillers, my Rom Com writing is a bit harder to accomplish. My go to snap out of that is the movie THE BIRDCAGE. There isn't a moment in that movie I'm not laughing my head off and it gets me back on the light, fluffy, and funny track to writing.
Great post!

Judith Ashley said...

Thanks for joining us this weekend, Julie. I've some of Jennifer Cruise's books on my keeper shelves. I used to wait for the next Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum book also. As a reader, the challenge is, when writing a series, that the humor is fresh/different as the series unfolds. And even when writing a more serious romance, whenever I find myself smiling or better yet, chuckling as I read a scene, I know this is a book I'll easily read again.

Julie Cameron said...

I am SO with you on the Birdcage, Peggy! We just watched it again a couple of weeks ago, and laughed ourselves silly. I'm also glad to know that I'm not the only one who's moods are influenced by my reading choices! Thanks, Peggy!

Julie Cameron said...

Yes, Judith, I agree, Jennifer Cruise is another fun author. If you like the Stephanie Plum series, you should also try Darynda Jones's Charley Davidson series (First Grave on the Right, Second Grave on the Left, etc.) -- it's hilarious, and has paranormal elements as well. You're right about the struggle for an author to keep things fresh when writing a series. One of the things I loved about the Charley Davidson series is that it had an underlying storyline that continued to build through to the end of the series. Thanks, Judith!

Deb N said...

Julie - a bit late on catching up reading blogs. I too love Rom Coms - my favorite in movies and books. I have a good sense of humor and can make a room laugh, but I struggle to write humorous. Every book I start is with the intention of writing a Rom Com. So far, nada :-) I'll keep trying though.

Maggie Lynch said...

I admire anyone who can write RomCom, whether in books or movies. It is hard to do well and it is so rewarding for the reader.

I'm someone who doesn't think "funny" when I write or even when I'm in the real world and facing a variety of challenges. I wish I could because it's really needed. So, Thank you for writing RomCom to balance out all the seriousness of every day life.

Julie Cameron said...

Deb N:
Don't give up! If you can make a room laugh, my guess is that you can write humorous, too. Have you considered letting others read your work? You might not know how funny your writing truly is. Join a critique group, and see how they respond. It might surprise you!

Julie Cameron said...

Maggie Lynch:
Thank you for your comment! Writing Rom-Coms isn't for everyone, and that's fine because not everyone wants to read them. That's why we all have different talents in our writing, so that there's something out there for everyone. What do you write?