What makes a romance?
There are love stories—and then there are romances.
With love stories, you can never guarantee it will turn out well. Romance novels always promise an uplifting, satisfying ending. In romance writing, we call this an HEA—Happily Ever After (though some of the steamier books may settle for an HFN – Happily…For Now.)
And those are the only “rules” of Romance writing. (That, and you never, ever kill the dog!)
Romances are as well-crafted as any other genre of literature—and the most popular by miles! Internationally, romance consistently outsells all other fiction genres, and on average romance writers out-earn other writers by 170%.
Romances are entertainment. They aim to take the reader through the whole gamut of emotions as the main characters, heterosexual or otherwise, overcome obstacles and grow to care for each other.
Romances can be fantastical or highly realistic. The romance genre takes in everything from thrillers to comedy, from hot threesomes to white trash zombies. Even Victorian steampunk adventurers need love!
Romance Genres
All romances have a central love story and an emotionally satisfying ending. Beyond that, however, romance novels may have any tone or style, be set in any place or time, and have varying levels of sensuality—ranging from sweet to extremely hot. Romance fiction may be classified into various subgenres depending on setting and plot elements. These subgenres include:
- Contemporary Romance: Romance novels that are set from 1950 to the present that focus primarily on the romantic relationship
- Erotic Romance: Romance novels in which strong, often explicit, sexual interaction is an inherent part of the love story, character growth and relationship development and could not be removed without damaging the storyline. These novels may contain elements of other romance subgenres (such as paranormal, historical, etc.).
- Historical Romance: Romance novels that are set prior to 1950.
- Paranormal Romance: Romance novels in which fantasy worlds or paranormal or science fiction elements are an integral part of the plot.
- Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements: Romance novels in which religious or spiritual beliefs are an inherent part of the love story, character growth and relationship development and could not be removed without damaging the storyline. These novels may be set in the context of any religious or spiritual belief system of any culture.
- Romantic Suspense: Romance novels in which suspense, mystery, or thriller elements constitute an integral part of the plot.
- Young Adult Romance: Romance novels in which young adult life is an integral part of the plot.
Romance Novel Formats
There are two formats for romance fiction:
- Series or “category” romances: books issued under a common imprint/series name that are usually numbered sequentially and released at regular intervals, usually monthly, with the same number of releases each time. These books are most commonly published by Harlequin/Silhouette.
- Single-title romances: longer romances released individually and not as part of a numbered series. Single-title romances may be released in hard cover, trade paperback, or mass-market paperback sizes.
How to get started in romance
If you’re new to reading or writing romance, a good place to start is by exploring the best that’s out there right now:
- See what our RWNZ members write. New Zealand may be a small country, but when it comes to writing romance we punch above our weight. Many of our members are popular authors with international followings.
- Take advantage of the knowledge of your local librarians—or specialist romance bookshops such as Chapter.
- Read reviews and look for recommendations on blogs such as Dear Author.
- Look for top-rated romances on websites such as Goodreads and LibraryThing.
- Look for award-winning books, such as those in the annual RT Book Review awards or those books that final in the RWA Rita’s.
Have fun discovering what you like in this broad, appealing genre. Whoever you are, whatever your tastes, there is a romance for you.