Welcome to the first Romance Writing Carnival, "This Thing Called Love." The topic is why romance? What is it about the romance genre that attracts you as a writer? As a reader?
There is no doubt romance is popular. Here are some statistics I got off the RWA website:
- $1.2 billion in sales each year
- 54.9% of all popular mass-market fiction sold
- 39.3% of all fiction sold
But why?
Robert Ball likes the fact love runs the course of human nature, commanding mans actions as he explains in Love: The extremes of Human emotion and relationships. Jane Harrison finds romance to be the mirror of our own mores and morality, our own cravings for the happily ever after in The Attraction of Romance: Heroic and Utopian Optimism posted at Bellamorté. Olga is drawn to the happy ending, but she wants her characters to earn it as she points out in Olga's Life.
Toni Anderson is proud of being a romance writer and doesn't understand why others put it down in I Write Romance. Melissa Marsh thinks romance is a great escape from the difficulties of reality as she discusses at her blog Grosvenor Square. Bailey Stewart at The Long and Writing Road also loves the happily ever after but she loves writing in a genre that leaves its reader feeling good.
Cole Reising answers the question Why Romance? citing among other things the endless variety of romantic stories which exist. Teresa Eckford believes her love of history is a natural for romance as she explains in Why historical romance? Cara North offers an Ode to Readers for their support.
Last but not least, Andrew Rihn presents some things I don't need posted at And time yet for a hundred indecisions. This endearing post is about the reality of romance. The evolution he has gone through is the stuff of which we like to write, reminding us why romance is so popular.
That concludes this edition of "This Thing Called Love" Blog Carnival. Next month, the topic is the perfect or imperfect man. What makes a hero? If anyone would like to host next month, let me know. It should be posted September 18.
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