Why romance writers are “frittering their talents away” writing a predictable genre

                  Image courtesy of Pixabay

Earlier this week an author colleague posted a link to a review of her latest novel. The reviewer was highly complimentary regarding the author’s writing skill, but he expressed deep disappointment that a writer of her ability was “frittering away her talents in a genre that didn’t deserve them” – ie romance novels. Boy meets girl, boy and girl have a conflict to resolve before the novel ends happily. According to the reviewer, it’s all “boringly predictable”. (You can read the full review here.)

My well-loved Jane Austen collection

What is it about the romance genre that draws this type of dismissive reaction?  I’ve written before about romantic conflict – that is, something in the characters of the hero and heroine that prevents them from getting together. This conflict is what romance novels are all about, and Pride and Prejudice is the perfect example. Jane Austen…