Writers of romance have long been looked down upon due to the "overly simplistic" nature of the romance genre. Often, a lack of realistic conflict is cited as a reason. However, there are plenty of conflicts in romance novels, and readers expect them to be resolved.
The Romance Genre
Some of the earliest stories are romances. The original King Arthur legend, for example, is considered a romance, because it comes from the word, "Roman." French translators would translate from Latin to French, which gave us "Romanish," which gave us "romance."
In those times, a romance was any story. It could be anything. Nowadays, we associate romance with love stories and the conflicts therein.
Modern-Day Romance
Broadly speaking, a romance by modern standards meets the following criteria:
- A hero who is hard to resist.
- A heroine who is relatable.
- A familiar, or wonderous, setting.
- A meeting between the love interests.
- A reason for them to bond and fall in love.
- A time of peace where their relationship is blossoming.
- A conflict that must be overcome.
- A satisfying resolution.
- An optimistic climax/satisfying ending.
Assuming your book is for sale, in a bookshop or online, your book cover must also reflect the genre. Contrary to the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover," readers do in fact judge a book by the cover.
Romantic Conflicts
Conflict in romance is nothing new. Readers crave it. They crave the escapism they get from watching a fictional character overcome their obstacles. This sort of catharsis is what keeps romance writers in business.
Some modern romances are criticized for being centered on trauma, while others portray a romanticized vision of mental health problems. However, you could make the case that this is all a part of internalized conflict. These should be included in your outline.
This is nothing new. Romance has, and presumably always will, been criticized for one thing or another. All you, as the writer, can do is move with the market and write for your audience.
In this blog, we explore some strategies for resolving romance conflicts.
Step One: Creating Conflict
Love story conflicts are easy to brainstorm, but tricky to pull off. Your readers are expecting an optimistic, if emotional, resolution to your story.
There are different categories of romance, which means that, although some elements stay the same, some must be adapted to the setting and chosen sub-genre.
If your sub-genre is science fiction, allow the backdrop to reflect that. Similarly, if your sub-genre is historical fiction, be aware that some of your readers will hold certain expectations depending on the time period you have selected.
Here are a few ways you can create some conflict and set your readers on an emotional rollercoaster in love!
Play With Character (and Reader!) Expectations
Romance readers will always expect the same plot progression from romance novels, regardless of the trope: the love interests meet, they fall in love, they have a conflict, they resole it, and they end up together. Bonus if there's a spicy scene!
However, there are a few ways you can play with those expectations. Your readers, and characters, never know what is around the corner, but there are some things you can add to the plot to make it more exciting.
- Introduce a former lover: Does your female main character still have feelings for her ex? Or did your male main character have a one-night stand that resulted in a child he doesn't know about?
- Do your characters have internal struggles? Perhaps your FMC is uncomfortable with her appearance, like in Colleen Hoover's November 9. Or maybe your MMC is from a family of tangled secrets, like in Bridgerton.
- The classic misunderstanding. This was a staple of romances that existed before smartphones and instant communication. Misunderstandings can still happen with typos in a text, or with a bad signal, if not with delayed hand-written letters.
Introduce a Threat
Any good romance rollercoaster needs some sort of threat to up the stakes in the story. Your threat does not need to be a world-ending event, although apocalyptic romance is a popular subgenre!
At its simplest, a conflict is an obstacle that keeps your characters from being together, probably even separating them for an extended period of time. This might be included as an external conflict or an internal conflict.
External conflicts are things that are largely out of your character’s control. A few examples of external conflict include:
- John's military service in Dear John (Nicholas Sparks)
- The rivalry between the Capulets and Montagues in Romeo and Juliet (William Shakespeare)
- The impending war in Fourth Wing (Rebecca Yarros)
An internal conflict is something that your character must confront internally. A few examples of internal conflict include:
- Lucian's desire to make his own name and erase his past in The Things We Left Behind (Lucy Score)
- The internalized struggle between the main characters in Red, White, and Royal Blue (Casey MacQuiston)
- Man vs. self in the Shatter Me series (Tahereh Mafi)
Play With the Setting
Some romance authors make their brand by having their books set in the same type of setting. Perhaps it's the same country, perhaps it's the same city, or it could just be that they like castles, so they write medieval romance.
As with any kind of storytelling, your setting is as important as your characters. Your characters are the people involved in the events, but the setting is the place where the events occur.
Allow your setting to reflect the state of your characters. Making use of a technique such as anthropomorphism—applying human features to inhuman objects such as referring to rain as tears—can help to paint a romantic picture.
Step 2: Resolving That Conflict
Romance readers expect the writer's keen ability to resolve romance conflicts to pay off by the last few pages. They want that "happily ever after" they were raised on, which will give them a sense of wish fulfillment.
When you try to resolve a conflict you created, there are some things to keep in mind.
- Be realistic or grounded: One of the main criticisms of love stories is that they are unrealistic and promote unhealthy ideas about love. With this in mind, resolve your conflict in a way that does not compromise the safety of the characters or the reader.
- Focus on cooperation: Building on the above, your characters should find a way to work together to resolve the conflict. Perhaps they each admit to their faults and apologize, or they find a common enemy they need to defeat (depending on your sub-genre). This will open the window for communication, which will allow your characters to reach a resolution.
- Explore opportunities for communication: Another criticism of romance novels, particularly those from the 2010s, is the lack of communication between romantic interests. Break the mold in navigating romantic conflicts and allow your characters to speak with one another and come to an understanding.
Final Thoughts
Internal and external problems that drive your love interests apart can be resolved in a multitude of ways. Your readers fully expect that to be the case. They also anticipate a worthwhile ending which leaves them feeling optimistic and emotionally satisfied.
Romance is by no means an easy genre to write. If anything, it's the hardest to get right as the social landscape changes, along with the market. Find a means to resolve your character's conflicts that subvert and satisfy your readers.
Happy writing!
