"Give me something that's the same—but different."
Sounds impossible, right? Well, it's not. At least, I hope it's not. Because
that's exactly what a category romance writer has to do. We have to take fake
fiancées, ugly ducklings, and romance with best friends' brothers and make it
fresh. In today's market, this is arguably harder than ever. It was one thing to
make a marriage of convenience story work when people actually got
married for convenience. But in the twenty-first century? How do you convince
readers today to believe in the magic you're weaving? How do you draw readers
into the familiar love story and yet serve them something that's up to date and
contemporary?
I can't speak for every category writer, but for me, the best way to keep
category fresh is to start with the characters, not the trope. For me, the
friends-to-lovers, marriage of convenience, or fake fiancée story line must be
secondary to the characters I'm creating. My hero and heroine have to be real
people with flaws, dreams, and vulnerabilities. My readers don't fall in love
with plots, they fall in love with people. So that's where I start.
Once I've got my characters, I search for their unique
conflict.Readers have got to know and understand that conflict; maybe even find
it familiar. For example, in my book RULES OF NEGOTIATION, the
heroine was facing the familiar struggle of working women to balance career and
the desire for a family. The hero was an overprotective alpha male struggling to
deal with his sister's depression—a problem he couldn't fix.
With conflicts settled, I next turn to weaving a plot that compliments them.
That way, what could otherwise be a stale or overused trope becomes the perfect
backdrop for an original story. Take my latest book, THE BOSS'S FAKE FIANCEE.
This book didn't start out as a fake fiancée story. It started out as Garth and
Melissa's story. Garth, I knew, was an intensely private, reclusive billionaire
who had some serious relationship issues. Melissa was recovering from catching
her boyfriend sleeping with her best friend. These two people were not
looking for love. Bringing them together would require something serious.
Something like...a fake engagement.
In the book I'm working on now, FALLING FOR MR. WRONG, I've got Ross
Bencher (Melissa's bother) who is a single parent of three trying to make up for
his divorce by only dating somber, responsible women. And then there's
Kelsey....who is into high altitude mountaineering. Opposite attract, right? Oh,
and she's got a terminal fear of families and relationships, so naturally, she's
forced to play nanny to Ross's kids to help out a friend. A perfect fish out of
water!
That's what I mean by starting with the characters. I could never sit down to
write a "best friend's older brother" romance. For me, the trope must grow out
of the two people who are the foundation of the story.
So that's my trick for keeping contemporary, category romance the same...but
different. It's all about the characters. The trope is just the frame into which
we put a beautiful painting, and where we find our happily ever after.
3 comments posted.
Excellent thoughts from you, really interesting ideas and characters. I want to read about the mountaineer! She sounds like a great girl facing a formidable challenge.
(Clare O'Beara 5:44am February 13, 2013)
I like stories with a twist because the unexpected has an element of surprise and that can delight or disgust.
(Alyson Widen 10:34am February 19, 2013)