IS ROMANCE CHEESY?

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I love ROMANCE. But, does it come off as cheesy sometimes?

YES. 

I think anything that deals with deep emotion risks coming off as cheesy. 

So, what is the difference? Why is it that some books or movies that deal with deep emotion and romance are soooo incredibly good and others are just plain cheesy?

I'm not really sure. But, some 'have it' and some do not. It's an elusive something that 'works' in places where others fail.

I think it has to do with the emotion behind the love scene. For example, in my novel, Sierra, the heroine has been through heart-wrenching circumstances. The new love story is filled with deep emotion because of this. Taken out of context, the romance scenes in Sierra could be labeled 'cheesy.'

If a book/movie jumps into a romance scene too quickly, before the reader/viewer has had time to become emotionally invested in the couple, I think it comes off as cheesy.

My other thought on this issue is this: I write clean romance--not sweet. My books are passionate without being explicit. Many parts are light-hearted and heartwarming. I think sometimes 'heartwarming' is considered cheesy.

If a reviewer says your Romance novel is cheesy, it's the kiss of death!

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I've had a couple of reviewers say that 'I Have People' is cheesy. I hate that comment more than any other. In I Have People, Holly awakens from a coma, plagued with amnesia. She doesn't act like herself and she expresses her love with absolutely no filter, so it comes across as a bit cheesy. But then, we'd all sound cheesy if we walked around effusively declaring our love for people with no restraint whatsoever!!

I LOVE what this reviewer had to say about the issue:

What I can say is that I Have People is not just a "fluff" romance novel. It is a deep book that deals with very relevant and sensitive issues without glossing over the problem or making light of it. She described an abusive relationship in such an honest way. I think so many different people could relate to this book in so many ways. But the book isn't all heavy emotion. There are parts that are so light hearted and so incredibly sweet. I have read a few reviews that say the book is cheesy, but I must disagree. I think it was sweet, caring and romantic, and after what Holly went through, she deserved it. I loved Holly and her people. :) Heck, I want people like Holly's people. This book is definitely one of my favorites, and I recommend it to everyone! I could go on and on, but I would end up writing spoilers!

I appreciate the reviewer adding that statement to her review!

What it all comes down to is this: some people will think ROMANCE is cheesy no matter what. It's not their genre. It's not what they personally love to read about.

As for me . . .

I LOVE CHEESE.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Racy, Sweet, or REAL?

Here is the dilemma:

I like to write Romance. But, as I’ve said before, I don’t like to write explicit details. Where exactly does this leave me?

Good question.

When THE AGENT told me my books wouldn’t fit in with the place he was considering sending them, I was devastated. I didn’t want to write about intimacy before marriage, and this seems kind of ridiculous in the Romance world. I thought, ‘maybe I’m trying to break into the wrong business!’

However, THE AGENT said I could try for sweet romance. BUT, I would need to tame my books before he could send them out.

Tame my books? Really? That shocked me. In other words, I didn’t fit into the regular romance niche, but I didn’t fit into sweet romance either. I was too tame for regular romance and too racy for sweet romance. What the heck?

Now, don’t get me wrong, I like sweet romance. I kinda thought I was writing sweet romance. But, I also think there must be a happy medium between the two. Surely, there’s a market for the in between. Not racy, but not so sweet that no one ever kisses with tongue. (that’s NOT intended as an insult on sweet romance) Sweet romance has it’s place, some people don’t want to read ANY details at all. I get that. I applaud that. Good for you.

I’m hoping my books fit into the REAL category. (not that sweet romance isn’t real) In other words, real people, with real standards for themselves, but, they also have very real emotions, passions, and feelings.

There’s just one problem with that REAL concept. I have a flair towards the dramatic. I like drama. I like a book that makes me cry. I LOVE the whole Moulin Rouge plot of “hurt him to save him.” You know what I’m talking about?

Agents say Contemporary is in. They say KEEP IT REAL.

That’s probably my downfall. I like an entertaining book. A book that COULD happen in real life, but it’s highly doubtful. That’s what you’ll get from me. Every time.

REAL? Kind of.

ENTERTAINING? Absolutely.

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ROMANCE vs. EXPLICIT

The phone call that ended it all.

That’s what happened next in my story.

Let’s backtrack. Again, I love Romance, like most women. But, do I want to read explicit details? NO! Do I want to write about where the man and woman are touching each other and what areas of their bodies are throbbing with desire?

Nope. I want to write about romance, not sex, and there is a HUGE difference. I think romance novels have a stigma because of this. When you say, I’m writing a romance novel, people assume you are writing smut. If you can capture the romance in a story and make someone’s heart beat a little faster, then you’ve succeeded. In my opinion, the feeling of falling in love is what most women want to read about. Obviously, not everyone feels the same. There is a huge market for erotica, but that’s not what I want to write. And I think we’re overlooking a huge portion of the population here.

I believe there is a huge market out there for ROMANCE. I think women are sometimes wary of romance, because they don’t want to read smut. On the other hand, I think sweet romance tends to be a little unrealistic. People kiss. People make love. I believe you can write about it without going into EXPLICIT details.

At any rate, this is where I ran into a problem.

THE AGENT called and said he loved the current book we were working on. But, he didn’t care for the ending. So, he asked me to remove the wedding night/honeymoon ending and have them make love earlier in the book.

Uh-oh.

I knew it was OVER at that moment. And I was right.

Now, I had asked THE AGENT early on if it was a problem that I didn’t want to write explicit details. THE AGENT said it was fine, that many romance authors write in varying degrees of explicitness.

I was so relieved. I mean, how was I going to be a romance author if I didn’t want to write about details? Sounds kind of absurd, right?

It gets worse.

I chickened out over the phone and wrote THE AGENT an e-mail. I explained that not only did I not want to write about intimate details, but I also didn’t want to have my characters be intimate before marriage.

Another HUGE romance faux-pas.

I’m not trying to get on a soap box or anything. To each his own. But, this is what I believe in, therefore, I have my characters follow this ideal. And I can’t go against it.

I just can’t.

So there it was. Out in the open. I had foolishly assumed that it was obvious in my novels. I had assumed it wasn’t a problem.

But it was.

THE AGENT called me the next day. THE AGENT was very nice and told me no one should have to write anything they weren’t comfortable writing about. THE AGENT was not mad, but, very polite and professional.

That being said, there was nothing more THE AGENT could do for me.

Ouch.

It was over.

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