When it comes to writing romance, you have no choice but to be creative.
Over the last however many years people have been writing fiction, there have got to be millions, if not billions, of romance story's that have been told. The really good ones that stand out, like Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, one of my favorites, have unique love story's. Maybe it's not so much anymore as it as was when it was published and this is because so many other people have decided that they liked the romance story so much they wanted to do the same thing.
Now it's okay to be inspired by another love story, great even to be reading and then get your own idea from something else. But to take that same idea, same concept really not just for romance but anything, isn't being creative. Come up with something that's new and fresh, something that will make readers eyes glisten in awe.
Maybe someone you know, a family member or a friend, has a unique love story. Perhaps they met their partner in a weird or interesting way. Or when they got into a relationship, there was something to strengthen their relationship that you've never read about in a book before. My grandmother told me about how my grandfather asked her out for the first time and it was knee slapping funny and totally unlike anything that I've ever seen in a book before.
It was a cold winter night in Illinois, year; a long time ago. My grandmother was eighteen and working at a dollar store. A couple of hours before closing, a boy that she was going to college with came in and started talking to her. A guy friend of hers had told her just the other day that this guy, Joe, had broken up with his girlfriend in Canada and that he was interested in my grandmother, Shirley.
Shirley, being the young, innocent thing that she was, didn't think much about it or the fact that Joe's heat was out and that he'd chosen that little store to go to to stay warm. They talked between customers and had some laughs, but when it was time to close up, she grabbed her coat and was out of there, with a simple goodbye to Joe.
He rushed out of the store and called to her. "I've got an important question to ask you," he told her as he caught up to her.
Now, as I said, Shirley was young and to her, the only important question that a man could ask a woman was obvious. So she replied without letting him ask his question. "No, I will not marry you." Lucky for her, my grandfather didn't turn and run for the hills but laughed it off and just asked if she wanted to go on a date. To that she said yes and six months later, they were happily married.
This story is just so cute and sweet and original. Though it took place several years before I was born, it can be used in any time period and it can lead in so many directions. But the point is that it's something new and never seen before and it's the reason that I'm where I am today. If this moment hadn't have happened, then who knows if my grandparents would have gone out.
It was a cold winter night in Illinois, year; a long time ago. My grandmother was eighteen and working at a dollar store. A couple of hours before closing, a boy that she was going to college with came in and started talking to her. A guy friend of hers had told her just the other day that this guy, Joe, had broken up with his girlfriend in Canada and that he was interested in my grandmother, Shirley.
Shirley, being the young, innocent thing that she was, didn't think much about it or the fact that Joe's heat was out and that he'd chosen that little store to go to to stay warm. They talked between customers and had some laughs, but when it was time to close up, she grabbed her coat and was out of there, with a simple goodbye to Joe.
He rushed out of the store and called to her. "I've got an important question to ask you," he told her as he caught up to her.
Now, as I said, Shirley was young and to her, the only important question that a man could ask a woman was obvious. So she replied without letting him ask his question. "No, I will not marry you." Lucky for her, my grandfather didn't turn and run for the hills but laughed it off and just asked if she wanted to go on a date. To that she said yes and six months later, they were happily married.
This story is just so cute and sweet and original. Though it took place several years before I was born, it can be used in any time period and it can lead in so many directions. But the point is that it's something new and never seen before and it's the reason that I'm where I am today. If this moment hadn't have happened, then who knows if my grandparents would have gone out.
So when writing a romance story, remember that it all is leading up to the end, so start with a good beginning and make it unique because not every single couple is exactly the same and they aren't all going to meet in the same way.
Kailyn
