Romance Novels and Movies

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At this moment in time, it seems as if women writing romance just feels as if it is another clique. Not only in movies but also in real life. As much as I hate to admit it, it seems as if I fell into the same clique even though I tried my level best to not do so since I do hate falling into stereotypes.

Nevertheless, I could not understand the reason behind it and that is what this article is for since it was bothering me so much that I decided to sit down and think about it. Full disclosure, I don’t have a plan for this article, so I don’t know where I am going or end up with this.

The big question here is why are women, more than men, so invested in the romance genre. Why do women find films and books with sexual scenes/chapters appealing? Why is romance so tempting in the first place when outer space sci-fi is also a viable option?

Frankly, I hate to cut to the chase immediately because that would make my article really bland and short but women mostly prefer the romance genre because it has been marketed towards them. Just like how the action genre is marketed toward guys.

Not only that but has anyone watched a romantic comedy or read a romance novel recently? The woman in each one is ambitious and independent who falls for a man who is not as interesting and basically just a cardboard cut-out of a good-looking man.

Each romantic novel or comedy is just a mirror of one another. In each, they meet, they fall in love, the climax tears them apart whether emotionally or spatially and in the end, everything works out for the lovey-dovey protagonists. The End.

The setting of each romance may be different, and each character's backstory might be different but deep down each one is fundamentally identical to the next. There is nothing too special about romantic comedies or novels.

This repetition and cheesiness with those 2D characters which have been done at least a million times do not appeal to the male audience. They probably want to be the men in the novels with the beautiful women but don’t want to be those men whose only interest is the woman.

Of course, I am not saying that there aren’t some good romcoms which aren´t cheesy and repetitive but those are rare and I am generalizing on the genre as a whole. I am not saying that there aren´t some hidden gems but as mentioned they are hidden.

Even though everyone watching a romantic comedy or reading a romantic novel knows how it is going to end but they still love to watch it and I don’t understand why. When writing not one but three romance novels, I kept asking myself why I was writing what I was writing.

The answer to the question is that I don’t know. In all seriousness, I tried really hard to think of a reason why I keep turning towards the romantic when I was trying to focus on science and its implications. It just seems somewhat rudimentary at that point.

If I can be honest, the worst part about the whole writing predicament was that when I tried to steer clear of romance, my word count was bloody low. Quantity is not quality but I could have finished the story I wanted to tell within two 3000 word chapters if I removed the romance.

When I actively lean into romance, on the other hand, I can write multiple chapters for a scene that spans over three hours, which just seems absurd. I can go into romantic details but I can´t go into the scientific details or at the very least the scenic details. It's just weird and I don’t know why.

I forgot how much I wrote about my true plan with the plot in my previous articles about writing a book, however, I can say that I did not intend to write a romance for the first book and make the second into a romance.

However, I did and that messed with the whole plot plan for the rest of the book. The second book needs to be altered accordingly, which is just a lot of effort for something so trivial. In my opinion, the story would have been so much more impactful if I didn’t go in that direction.

Nevertheless, I did and now I need to live with my full-of-words romance that was certainly not planned and most certainly messed with the plan for future books. The amount of rewriting that needed to be done was just so frustrating to an extreme (and that is the reason I am repeating myself).

Anyhow, in another book I eventually wrote apart from the duology which I couldn’t end until this day. I embraced the whole romance thing with open arms. And, oh boy, did it turn into something I did not want to in the first place.

This time, the plan was set in stone when it came to the romantic details so there weren´t huge amounts of rewrites but when I started to embrace the romance things became somewhat heated and graphic, to put it mildly.

Again, not my bloody intention. This time, I had to do rewrites as well but that is to cut out the too detailed description, which is easier than rewriting a whole book. It was a whole kerfuffle but that has been dealt with and is now in the past.

My point with that is that no matter what I do romance is just around the literary creative corner just waiting to jump back in which is frustrating when it was intended but is welcomed when it was intended. I just want to understand why.

Is this a subconscious way to make-believe? Because the tangible life just seems to be lacking in the romance department and the creative treasure chest just springs open to fill that romance department with… well… romance.

If that is the case, I need to start a romantic relationship. However, before I literally throw myself into the dating shark tank, I took a step back and viewed things from a different perspective. What about couples and married women?

Their life is filled with a significant other, why do they still watch/read romantic comedy/novels? Are they unhappy with their current relationship? Are they looking for more? Or are they just looking for inspiration to spice up their relationship?

Frankly, I can´t say anything about that since I have no experience, nor do I know anyone willing to share their point of view. However, I do can point in the direction of creative make-believe. Just because you are watching rom coms, doesn’t mean that you don’t like your partner.

Just like how it is acceptable to find other puppies cute and play with them even though you have your own puppy at home. It is just another way of saying that just because you like one thing doesn’t mean you hate the other.

That does not say that all women in relationships are happy in their relationships when they watch rom coms or read novels. Some women can turn towards romance as an escape from a real relationship because they are unhappy with the current situation.

Another reason I can think of is that the partner does not necessarily make you unhappy but there are some things that the partner won´t do. For instance, kiss in the rain because they are scared of the rain (or something).

In that case, romance is just a substitution for the things that some feel are lacking in the current happy relationship. This is understandable because a partner can´t be 100% the person you have painted in your head.

It is probable that I will never find out why women in relationships turn towards the romance genre but there are women not in relationships as well and it is interesting to speculate why they adore romance as well.

Personally, I only watch cheesy romcoms with my friends otherwise I would not put myself through that. Whenever I watch romcoms with friends, we always like to play point-out-that-trope and clique bingo. Both are fun games to pass the cheesy parts of any movie.

Besides that, we also became really good at guessing what will happen next because it is frankly something that you can play and win while watching those movies. It is as if I don’t need to watch to know every dialogue in the entire movie.

For some, a romantic movie or novel is just the thing they need after a bad breakup. A reminder that there are also some really genuine guys out there. A reminder that there can still be some good in this bitter world. Something to get over the past.

For some others, romance is just a way to make up for the lack of a significant other in their lives because a romance does not make them feel alone anymore. Maybe it helps some understand what they actually want in a future relationship.

For the rest, romance is just a really stress-free genre, which is close to reality but also not. Unlike mysteries where you have to sit on the edge of the seat to understand what's going on, a romance can be followed easily even though you have only been half paying attention.

As bad as some romcoms maybe they sometimes just make you feel good inside even though they are nowhere close to being realistic. Sometimes, when I watch those movies I would involuntarily smile when the couple gets together against all odds.

The same goes for novels. Even though you know what is going to happen, you continue reading because sometimes the cheesiest love stories can make you feel warm inside and make a dark day bright.

To be fair, that is what those romance genres are all about. They are not trying to be a realist like the history genre. They are not trying to be out of this world like the sci-fi genre. They are not trying to be interesting like the action genre.

They are just there to make some people feel good. A portion of not-edible comfort food so to say. A cosy blanket on a cold day. A hot cup of tea on a rainy day. Just something to make you feel comfortable and better than before.

It doesn’t necessarily have to make sense why the female protagonist chooses the unredeemable male protagonist. Why the best friend sidekick doesn’t seem to have a life that doesn’t surround the protagonist? Why the protagonist only looks good with a makeover?

As much as I love to dunk on the romance genre, I kind of get it. The reason why some people just fell in love with the romance genre no matter the medium. It is almost ironic that some people fell in love with the romance genre now that I have mentioned it.

For some, it might even be more comfortable to know the ending and everything in between. Maybe that is why each romance is like the next because it is predictable and that could be a beacon in an uncertain world.

If I can be frank, I don’t fully understand why people would invest so much time into a genre but I have never been a fangirl about anything so I can´t say I know what it feels like to be obsessed with anything.

All in all, romance, is a genre where you can just let go of reality and indulge in a different more hopeful world. I might never fully comprehend why some watch/read romances unironically like I do but each to their own.