I tend to get very emotionally invested in the stories I'm consuming, books, TV, or movies. My husband can attest to the fact that I am a very loud reader (lots of gasps, occasional tears, proclaiming my love of a character or, more often, my frustration at them). As a result, for the time that I consume the stories, these characters are very very real to me. And the guaranteed HEA of romance has been a huge source of safety and comfort, especially in recent years, because I spend a lot of time on the internet for work and to stay politically aware and the world around me is often quite awful. It's hard not to get caught under the tidal wave of despair when human suffering and power-hungry politicians who hate everyone who isn't exactly like them are all I see.
And when I consume media like, say, Succession, which is very cynical and has characters being awful to each other as a primary narrative engine, that doesn't give me catharsis (though I know for others it does). It just adds to the ever-present despair. Even if I get invested in a character, there's no guarantee they're getting out of the narrative happily, or with the important relationships they've built intact.
Guaranteed HEAs go a long way in helping me take a deep breath through moments of conflict in the stories with my newest, dear friends, because I know that despite the familiar feelings of despair, I won't be forced to sit in it for long. I know they'll be ok. There may be parallels to real world atrocities in the book, but the characters will fight back, will make things right, will make their world better for each other and themselves. I don't know if I believe that will be the case in real life, but the promise of romance is that somewhere, someone imagined that it could be. And the more people who imagine a complex world still ending with happiness, the more romances are written and shared, the better the whole world feels to me.
I agree with everything you said except not noticing the prose. Sometimes a turn of phrase or bit of writing will stop me in my tracks because it's so funny, or beautiful, or on point. I've had this experience with Joanna Bourne, Julie Anne Long, Barbara Metzger, and many others I can't think of at the moment.
Romance is great for making time and the outside world disappear.
Oh, totally! Romance authors are some of wittiest writers, who can capture a moment in just the right words. We all have our favorite authors because of their voice or their prose (some of my favs are Tessa Dare or Loretta Chase). But I think that's a by product of the delight in the story and not necessarily a goal for them to write "look at me sentences!" In romance, we're all here for a good time.
With this bit, I'm coming from fiction writing workshops with non-genre folk who were trying for exquisite, angsty sentences at the expense of pacing or story or a sense of fun in reading.
I tend to get very emotionally invested in the stories I'm consuming, books, TV, or movies. My husband can attest to the fact that I am a very loud reader (lots of gasps, occasional tears, proclaiming my love of a character or, more often, my frustration at them). As a result, for the time that I consume the stories, these characters are very very real to me. And the guaranteed HEA of romance has been a huge source of safety and comfort, especially in recent years, because I spend a lot of time on the internet for work and to stay politically aware and the world around me is often quite awful. It's hard not to get caught under the tidal wave of despair when human suffering and power-hungry politicians who hate everyone who isn't exactly like them are all I see.
And when I consume media like, say, Succession, which is very cynical and has characters being awful to each other as a primary narrative engine, that doesn't give me catharsis (though I know for others it does). It just adds to the ever-present despair. Even if I get invested in a character, there's no guarantee they're getting out of the narrative happily, or with the important relationships they've built intact.
Guaranteed HEAs go a long way in helping me take a deep breath through moments of conflict in the stories with my newest, dear friends, because I know that despite the familiar feelings of despair, I won't be forced to sit in it for long. I know they'll be ok. There may be parallels to real world atrocities in the book, but the characters will fight back, will make things right, will make their world better for each other and themselves. I don't know if I believe that will be the case in real life, but the promise of romance is that somewhere, someone imagined that it could be. And the more people who imagine a complex world still ending with happiness, the more romances are written and shared, the better the whole world feels to me.
I'm in love with the phrase "A loud reader" because I know exactly what you mean! This is all so beautifully said :-)
I agree with everything you said except not noticing the prose. Sometimes a turn of phrase or bit of writing will stop me in my tracks because it's so funny, or beautiful, or on point. I've had this experience with Joanna Bourne, Julie Anne Long, Barbara Metzger, and many others I can't think of at the moment.
Romance is great for making time and the outside world disappear.
Oh, totally! Romance authors are some of wittiest writers, who can capture a moment in just the right words. We all have our favorite authors because of their voice or their prose (some of my favs are Tessa Dare or Loretta Chase). But I think that's a by product of the delight in the story and not necessarily a goal for them to write "look at me sentences!" In romance, we're all here for a good time.
With this bit, I'm coming from fiction writing workshops with non-genre folk who were trying for exquisite, angsty sentences at the expense of pacing or story or a sense of fun in reading.
Oh, yes, those are 2 more authors that are a joy to read.