Romance readers ...

686 Views | 14 Replies | Last: 9 yr ago by KeithDB
techno-ag
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AG
I'm genuinely curious what the appeal is about romance novels. They sell a ton. Is there some kind of plot formula that romance readers look for in deciding the book is good?
schmendeler
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Lots of boning.
jlb2957
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It's porn for women... how do you not know this?
Ronnie Gardocki
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Those books are made for women. Have you ever seen a man reading one? I haven't.

techno-ag
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I don't think porn is the answer. There's something that appeals to women in the stories and it's not necessarily sex.
MASAXET
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quote:
There's something that appeals to women in the stories and it's not necessarily sex.


You're probably right. Maybe it's romance?
techno-ag
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AG
quote:
quote:
There's something that appeals to women in the stories and it's not necessarily sex.


You're probably right. Maybe it's romance?


Yeah but that still doesn't really get to it. Is there some kind of formula or something that appeals to women? Maybe Keith can weigh in since his wife writes these things.
Bruce Almighty
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My wife reads them and her exact answer is "it's porn for women"
GoneGirl
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AG
It's fluff. You can read it in the tub and then put it down and never finish it and the world doesn't end. Then you can pick it back up six months later, flip open a page and go from there.

The theme is usually some variation of a handful of plots. Innocent young girl meets pirate, bandit cowboy/rancher, etc. Except he's really not what he appears to be, because he's really some rich guy who is secretly trying to right some wrong. So, it sets things up that she can have sex with the "bad boy" but ultimately he is appropriate marriage material. So she gets to be wanton but it is really with her future husband, so she isn't really ****ty. Romance books have some of the same themes as horror movies though. Bad things happen to the ****ty, sneaky little ***** who's trying to get the man that the heroine ultimately wants (though she- the heroine- has to hate him for a good portion of the boo, until she finds out that he isn't really the bad guy he's pretending to be).

oh, and there's sex - and it's always with a ruggedly handsome bad boy who she knows she can't keep - until she finds out that he's really wildly rich and imminently eligible.
GoneGirl
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It's fluff. You can read it in the tub and then put it down and never finish it and the world doesn't end. Then you can pick it back up six months later, flip open a page and go from there.

The theme is usually some variation of a handful of plots. Innocent young girl meets pirate, bandit cowboy/rancher, etc. Except he's really not what he appears to be, because he's really some rich guy who is secretly trying to right some wrong. So, it sets things up that she can have sex with the "bad boy" but ultimately he is appropriate marriage material. So she gets to be wanton but it is really with her future husband, so she isn't really ****ty. Romance books have some of the same themes as horror movies though. Bad things happen to the ****ty, sneaky little ***** who's trying to get the man that the heroine ultimately wants (though she- the heroine- has to hate him for a good portion of the boo, until she finds out that he isn't really the bad guy he's pretending to be).

oh, and there's sex - and it's always with a ruggedly handsome bad boy who she knows she can't keep - until she finds out that he's really wildy rich and imminently eligible.
jlb2957
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quote:
(EVERYTHING POSTED ABOVE)
IT'S PORN FOR WOMEN!

"Porn for women" means it is just **** that gets them off. Women are not as visual as men and what turns most on is different from what turns guys on. It is not always about the sex, even though there is always sex in there.
Natasha Romanoff
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Elsie nailed it. It's as mindless as reading can be, in my opinion. Easy to read, usually quick, like soap operas in book form.

Drama, romance, sex, hot men - all things that appeal to women. Why do you think network dramas are so popular?
KeithDB
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AG
The porn theory is not really valid. Romance novels vary widely in their emphasis on sex and many have none at all. Those whose primary emphasis is on sex are generally regarded as a different genre, or some regard it as sub-genre, of erotica.

The diversity of genres within the field also belies the claim of formulistic writing. Sub-genres run a wide range including historical, paranormal, contemporary, sci-fi, young adult, time travel (e.g. the Outlander series). Even within certain sub-genres there are numerous sub-sub-genres. Historical romance novels encompass sub-sub genres involving every time period conceivable. The Twilight novels was basically a young adult paranormal romance series.

The questions and criticisms here also reflect typical male bias. Romance novels are no more "fluff" or formulistic than things like Westerns or techno-thrillers enjoyed by men. Murder mysteries are incredibly formulistic and you just know the hero is going to catch the killer.

Most of my wife's books have been historical romance in the sub-sub genre of "Regency Romance" because they are set in the Regency period of England. It was popularized by Jane Austen in books like "Pride and Prejudice." Examples from my wife include her Saint of Seven Dials series but she has a good deal more.

They include one based on the true story of the sinking of S.S. Central America with tons of gold in 1857 in a hurricane off the coast of Savannah. It's sort of like the movie Titanic with the hero and heroine fictional but almost every other character you meet on the ship being real historical people. It's also a fascinating true story of heroism on the high seas as about 500 men were killed but every woman and child on the ship were saved. If interested, check out Ship of Dreams.

She also has a time travel romance where a modern woman trades places in time with her great, great, great, great grandmother in Columbia South Carolina. The book then follows both heroines equally as they fall in love with men their prior selves despised. Bridge Over Time.

The books you guys have seen me posting most about here is her young adult science fiction romance series and if you want sex, well, there isn't any at all. Her Starstruck series has won numerous awards as I type this she is right now slaving away on her computer revising Book 4 and the conclusion to the series (it will be called "Starfall"). Starstruck has a really fascinating premise to it that I think again shows there is more imagination to this stuff than a lot you guys think.
jlb2957
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The inability of some of you to understand the idiom "porn for women" baffles me.
techno-ag
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Thanks for chiming in, Elsie & Keith.
KeithDB
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If any of you are interested in finding out about this genre on the cheap my wife has gone in with ten other authors to create a virtual boxed set of historical romance novels called Fabulous Firsts. While the title is likely a deliberate double entendre, it actually refers to the fact that each of the eleven books is the first in a series by that author. However, this is still eleven complete novels available now for preorder for 99 cents. Once preordered the book will automatically release and download to your e-reader on December 16th.

My wife's contribution is Rogue's Honor, the first book in her "Saint of Seven Dials" series referenced above. The series concerns a serial hero, similar in concept to "The Dred Pirate Robert" from The Princess Bride, known as The Saint of Seven Dials because he swindles from the rich to help the poor in the desperately destitute at the time Seven Dials District of London. The typical book ends with the heroine marrying the The Saint with a hint provided as to which secondary character will become the next Saint in the next book of the series.

You can purchase Fabulous Firsts for 99 cents at: http://www.amazon.com/Fabulous-Firsts-Full-Length--Starter-Historical-ebook/dp/B00O5B3RDM/
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