Do you have any sage advice for aspiring romance writers? Like what tropes not to follow or perspectives? (For me, I’m big on the comedy and witty banter route, but I also know that’s not for everyone.)
Most tropes can be used really well and are enjoyable to both write and read, especially ones that prime your readers to expect certain anticipated outcomes. I, for example, am forever weak at the knees for things like “sarcastic assholes are actually big softies with a lot of heart underneath it all” and the forever undying “oh no there’s only one bed, whatever will we do” and I use them myself a fair bit for both comedic and romantic value.
But where a lot of people fall down is when they think the mere presence of the trope is in itself enough to convey chemistry, and it’s really not. If the author has built the chemistry up between the characters well, it can really pack a satisfying punch to have the trope follow through. If however the dynamic falls flat, well, you’re going to have a very lackluster pairing that relies too heavily on the trope to carry it and it just comes across as “eh”. It’s sort of a going through the motions, but not really enjoying it sort of thing.
For instance in the book I am currently reading, it is absolutely supposed to be an enemies to lovers story, but the two are so genuinely mismatched and their character traits so unlikable that their attraction at best feels like a poor life choice in the making, and at worst, just smacks of lazy writing. There’s no spark in their conflict, no reason to even want them to be together, just relentless friction being forced by the plot to make them like each other.
Also? Try to avoid describing people like clothes mannequins. It’s a very common thing I find in people who got their first writing experience from doing RPG type stuff and while it’s good for character building, it should not make it into your final drafting, as it can come across as very juvenile and immersion breaking if you’re just listing every single item of clothing the character is wearing like a laundry list. You can still pick out details to focus on, but you don’t need to describe every last stitch of clothing a person is wearing. (unless your character is extremely detail orientated and tends to notice details all the time, in which case it can be a good way to convey that and let you indulge in a little gratuitous describing) you can say things like “they were dressed for the weather/evening/occasion” which enables you to both convey things like seasonal atmosphere, climate, what sort of social setting they are either in or anticipating, and also what type of person the character might be based on how the express themselves through attire. For instance:
“She had dressed for the weather, and wore a broad brimmed sun hat and a bright yellow dress that made him think of sunflowers. Her dark mane of hair was pulled back into a thick braid that swung tantalizingly over her bronze-sun-kissed shoulder, and he wanted nothing more in that moment to unravel it and run his fingers through those thick tresses.”
What does this convey? That it is summer or at least set in a place with a warm climate. That the person being described likes bright colors and is perhaps disposed toward a sunny personality. That there are things about them that the describer finds physically attractive, but is currently unable to act on whether because they are in a social setting or because they are secretly pining.
“in defiance of the weather she still persisted in wearing black. Her long sleeves pulled defensively down over her knuckles as she sat hunched on the grass with the others, her cheeks and nose turning ruddy under the intense glare of the afternoon sun, the very picture of misery. It shouldn’t have been as adorable as it was, but the scrunch of her nose and the downward turn of her pout made something flutter deep in the pit of his stomach. He wondered if she’d appreciate an ice cream, or if she’d just tip it over his head.”
What does this convey? That the weather is warm and that the person being described doesn’t appreciate this. That they are in a social setting our outing in a group. That there is some sort of existing tension between the pairing, possibly hostile, possibly masking some sort of attraction they’re in denial over. That at some point they will likely be forced to confront their feelings for each other, and it will likely be explosive but not necessarily volatile. And possibly involving ice cream.
Chemistry building is key to writing good romance, and a goodly amount of time should be spent developing characters as people and not cut out dolls. Find which dynamic works best for them as a pairing first, and then work out which literary tropes fit with that dynamic and how they help get your characters from A to B.
Are they snippy with each other but find out they have something remarkable in common? Does it make them have a grudging respect for each other? Do they admire them? Do they end up sharing a smirk over the table and instantly regret it? Why do they keep coming back to each other if they’re so ill suited, is there some sort of magnetic pull? Secret history? Is their annoyance actually masking real genuine attraction they’re afraid to let themselves feel? Why are they afraid? How do they overcome that? Slowly and haltingly or all at once by plunging head first into something as dangerous and reckless feeling as a kiss?
Or is their attraction genuinely spilling over from the start and they’re just dancing around each other not sure how to proceed because they’re both hopeless. Is it killing everyone in their general vicinity to watch these two (or more) idiots fumbling their way through their own emotions. Do their hands shake? Does their stomach do the swoopy thing whenever the other person smiles or walks into the room? Do they start doing ridiculous things like ordering coffees they hate but the other person likes just so they can imagine the taste of their mouth on their lips? Is it unbearable dragged out delicious slow burn torture? (I have a preference, if you couldn’t tell.)
As for tropes to avoid? Well, that’s up to your own preferences and the kinds of stories you want to both read and write. I personally tend to steer clear of “she was only 16/17/18 but wiser than her years, the Duke could tell” sort of things, cause it just ignites a whole bunch of personal trauma for me, but thankfully that trope seems to be dying out along with the last of the old romances. Makes my job a lot easier I can tell you.
Either way, just play around with it. Find a dynamic that works well for you. And don’t worry about trying to appeal to everyone.Write the kind of things you would like to read and make you happy to create. I promise you there’s more of a market than you realize.
