The document discusses and debunks common myths about romance novels. It begins by summarizing the basic plot elements that are common across many romance stories, including themes of romantic relationships between main characters, conflicts that separate the characters, emotional character development, and a happy ending where the characters unite. It then addresses three specific myths: that romance novels offer an escape (but are simply entertaining), that they are "chick lit" (when romance elements exist in many genres and are enjoyed by both men and women), and that they are all the same (when there are many subgenres with different focuses). The document aims to show that while romance stories share basic structures, there is also variety within the genre.

1. Since the fifteenth century, demand for books has developed into a multi-billion dollar
business, strategically evolving to satisfy readers across all genres—non-fiction, fiction, and
children’s literature. Most publishing houses can annually rake in hundreds of millions of
dollars in revenue per genre, with the exception of one, that can single-handedly generate
billions. Ironically, this genre is associated with a lot of myths and criticism. Yes, I am talking
about romance.
Romance can stir many reactions. Genre fans, like me, perk up excitedly. Some secretly
indulge. Some folks shrug indifferently. Some scowl in protest. A few ignore it entirely. Even
rationales differ. Some associate romance with vicariously living unfulfilled fantasies. They
hear “romance” and ta-bing! they envision scintillating books filled with sexual clichés, such as
“throbbing members” and “heaving bosom” and swashbuckling. Others may associate romance
with “female thinking”-- being excessively emotional, irrational, or impractical. Some feel the
genre lacks useful information. And, then there are those who feel romance lacks a mental
challenge.
Criticism for romance sprouts from all directions. Some believe romance reading drains
intelligence. Some think that “love conquers all” ideology as dangerous. Some argue romance
creates disillusioned readers with unrealistic expectations about the real world, real people, real
relationships, and real life.
When I heard those impressions, I felt my stomach roar. Even after eating lunch, my
belly burned from indignation. I loathe misinformation. Therefore, I am compelled to debunk
the myths about my beloved genre.
Disclaimer: I am going into “lecture” mode.

2. Myth #1: “Romance stories offer an escape.”
Truth: Romance is simple entertainment.
Anything that provides a getaway from daily routine is offering an escape: sports,
entertainment, a nap, or even spending time with friends. “Romance stories offer an escape” is a
catchphrase created by publishing advertisers from the Great Depression Era. This phrase was
part of a marketing strategy to increase mass-market book sales. Marketing geniuses, your ploy
worked amazingly! Your phrase has become an auto-response to some people enjoying the
genre. Tell me, is it possible to simultaneously high-five and punch someone?
The question remains: why are romance stories popular?
The stories can be mental amusement parks offering simple, pleasurable entertainment.
Prior to strapping into any amusement ride, an adventurer already knows the outcome. As do
romance readers, who know from page one the lovers will live happily ever after. There is
absolutely no pondering over the story’s conclusion. As any adventurer or romantic knows, the
thrill is in the journey, not the destination.
Myth # 2: “Romance is chick lit.”
Truth: Gender does not determine romance.
Romance is a rebuttal for sexism. As a whole, romance is one of the few forms of
entertainment that can change some people’s perception of both product and consumer. Some
view it as entertainment written by and for women. Not only do men read romance stories--
almost a fifth of today’s buyers-- they also represent an increasing percentage of genre writers.
Romance stories have been around for ages, tucked away in the recounted fairy tales,
mythologies, and chivalrous stories such as King Arthur or Tristian and Isolde. Some of the
greatest literary novels were romances written by men like King Solomon, William Shakespeare,

3. and Victor Hugo. Even today, successful male writers are contributing to the genre like F. Scott
Fitzgerald, Boris Pasternak, Nicholas Sparks, and Harold Lowry, a best-selling romance author
and former president of Romance Writers of America.
Romance and chick lit are different, unrelated genres. Chick lit (yes, this is a real thing)
is a sub-genre of women’s literature, which deals with female-related concerns, such as secular
success, sexual exploration, health or cultural issues, and self-discovery. Neither women’s
literature nor chick lit requires romance elements to be included.
Myth #3: “Romance stories are all the same.”
Truth: A formula can yield various results.
Ok, technically, this one is a half-truth. Please stay with me on this and you will
understand why it is included. Any story can include romantic elements. In some, the romantic
relationship between characters is included within a larger arc. Take these familiar fictional
couples, Superman and Lois Lane; Han Solo and Princess Lea; Éowyn and Argon; and Ron
Weasley and Hermione Granger, the love between these characters was not the central theme of
their story. There is more to a romance story than love.
Romance stories, and their countless sub-genres, are complicated constructions, created
within ironclad structural and formatting guidelines. (Yes, they are as complex as that sentence.)
Besides basic elements of storytelling, romance story arcs must maintain a strict foundation
consisting of four elements:
1. Theme: the development of the romantic relationship between main characters is
throughout the storyline.
A. Coprotagonists— relatable characters a reader wishes to spend hours with
believing in and supporting even after the story ends. Writers often

4. characterize them as attractive people with endearing personality traits,
realistic flaws, and problems.
Note: a skilled writer could create a balance for the reader:attraction
to the coprotagonists and implant the idea achieving long-term
happiness will occur with each other.
2. Conflict: the storyline must contains at least one literary conflict as an obstacle to
the lovers being together.
A. Conflict(s)— The heart, (pun intended) of the story. It is the adage: “A
classic tale of hero meets heroine. Antagonist places Heroine/Hero in a
distressing situation. Heroine/Hero experiences a series of challenging
events and learns about her/himself. Antagonist is defeated.” If the
central theme were the story arc, it would be a boring storyline: “Hero
meets heroine. They live happily ever after. The end.”
Note: Writers can create as many complicated, insurmountable
conflicts desired. Some writers choose to resolve conflicts through
the protagonist’s personal growth and development or direct
confrontation.
3. Emotional content: the storyline explores personal feelings. Coprotagonists
discover and achieve true happiness or contentment.
A. Plausibility—Writers delve into the psychology of attraction, sex,
relationships, and falling in love. They use some basics in behavioral
and cognitive psychology to create emotions. Some writers even touch
upon Maslow’s hierarchy of needs,the philosophy of happiness, and the
dichotomy of single life vs. partnered life.
Note: The majority of romance writers are not psychologists;
however, they do spend a lot of time inside their characters’ minds.
4. Conclusion: the storyline resolves the major conflicts and the lovers are united.

5. A. Resolutions—This must be emotionally satisfying. Some stories can
overflow with emotion when the characters acknowledged their feelings. The
storyline ends when the characters are reunited,even when both
coprotagonists die.
Imagination leads to variety. Generally, the differences between romance stories are
because of numerous factors including the publication date, the amount of emphasis placed on
theme, conflict, and emotional content. Some romance readers and writers reject storylines that
are more/less emotional, more/less conflicted, or more/less sexual in content (Myth # 4). Most
romance readers choose stories within their preferred sub-genre and publishing date.
Romance sub-genre is an extensive subject because they can combine into other sub-genres.
A romance story can be a simple Western or it can be an historical thriller or an erotic
contemporary paranormal. There possibilities are endless.
 Historical Romances: pre-1950. These stories often include detailed descriptions regarding
the period including social issues, history, culture, daily routine, and decorum. Some popular
periods include:
 Pre-historic-Renaissance Ages: Popular choices include stories featuring Vikings,
Highlanders, feudalism within other European countries.
 Age of Exploration: These stories are usually set at sea or while the characters are
journeying to new lands sometimes features pirates,explorers, or invaders.
 Regency: The setting is Victorian England and may include research about high-society
England. Most storylines address the heroine’s dilemma-- her future security, marrying
for necessity vs. love.
 War: These storylines are during any war until mid-twentieth century.

6.  Nineteenth Century Industrial: Storylines are usually post-civil war and may include
socio-economic issues of the Northern/Southern states, such as immigration and
migration.
 American Frontier: Storylines occur during Western expansion of America and may
include cowboys or Native Americans.
 Contemporary: 1950-current. Most storylines focuses on internal conflicts. These writings often
include humor or witty banter.
 Time-traveling: One of the protagonists transports to a different time where their lover exists.
 Suspense/Thrillers: The conflicts revolve around crimes or surviving a perilous situation.
 Inspirational: Storylines contain spiritual or religious beliefs as a secondary theme. Some
include exploring personal relationships with God.
 Paranormal: The storyline includes at least one of these elements: non-human characters,
alternative worlds, super-human abilities, magic, technology, space exploration, and or other
fantasy/sci-fi elements. Some common storylines may involve fairies, vampires, aliens, shape-
shifters, or other mythical creatures or entities.
 Erotic: Frequent, explicit sexual encounters are part of relationship development.
 Fetish: sexual fantasy/interest(s) such as BDSM or polyamory.
 Westerns:--Storylines take place in Southwest, USA. These often involve ranches, farmers,and
landowners.
 Young Adult: features teenagers as the coprotagonists.
 Classical Literature
Note: Some writers will produce subject series or multiple single-titles with
interconnected characters. Writers can sometimes collaborate on anthologies.
There are two publishing formats. These are the distinct features making books
identifiable by consumers, even if they are unfamiliar with the industry terminology. Category

7. romances are part of a publication series. A well-known publisher of these is Harlequin
Enterprises. Category romances are mass-market, approximately 200 pages or 55,000 words and
have a number on their spine. Single-title romances range from 300-400 pages or 100,000-
110,000 words. They can be published as a hardcover or mass-market.
I know it’s a lot to absorb. I’m almost done. Promise.
Publication dates influenced content. Romance stories reflect social viewpoints, trends,
or moral climates. Nearly all romances written pre-twentieth century excluded sexual contact.
Early twentieth century depicted only sex between married couples, reflecting an idea that only
ill-reputed women engaged in premarital sex. Around the sixties, in some storylines, it was
common for the hero to rape the heroine. Levels of sexual experience changed. Shy,
inexperienced virgins transitioned into sexually confident, experienced heroines. Persistent,
sexually skilled heroes transitioned into consenting sometimes even unexperienced heroes.
Social tolerances increased. Heterosexual, Caucasians coprotagonists transitioned into other
ethnicities and sexual orientations.
Myth # 4: “Romance stories are sex on paper.”
Truth: Sexual content is not a requirement for romance.
When I was ten years old, I’d swap category romances with my teacher. By my third book, I
noticed a pattern. Somewhere between pages 88-101, I could read kissing scenes. By age
thirteen, I was a romantically well-versed veteran reading single-titles. To my shock, I noticed
not all stories had sex. Some writers were creating sexless page-turners. Ugh! Those were the
best parts.
Nevertheless, I was determined. In my quest, I broke the cardinal rule of books: I judged
cover art. I just knew cover art could determine the level of sexual content waiting inside. Every

8. detail, including clothing provided hints. I had this down to an indisputable science, which I will
know share:
 Fully clothed couple flirting = 0-1 scenes: minimal descriptive language.
 Scantily clad couple embracing = 1-3 scenes: minimal -mild descriptive language
 Sexy topless male posing = 1-3 scenes: mild-explicit descriptive language.
 Innocent landscapes or objects = 3+ scenes: explicit descriptive language.
 Vintage costumes or older hairstyles = may contain raping heroes.
Retrospectively, I know my rationale was flawed. Cover art is eye-catching marketing to
draw in an audience. The only way to know how erotic a book can be is to read it or be familiar
with the author. Around 1980 publishers produced contain bolder sexual content, in language
and actions. Some make me blush.
Myth # 5: “Romance stories can harm readers.”
Truth: Everyone responds differently.
Yes, some readers are dissatisfied with stories. Some even choose to switch authors or
genres. Personally, I have placed some authors on a time-out.
Romance stories offer something different to everyone. Some readers gain an improved
vocabulary or an increased interest in reading. Some become curious about the writing industry.
Some feel inspired, empowered, or educated. Some become wistful. Some enjoy the sex. Some
just finish feeling good.
My goal wasn’t to convince people to read romances. Instead, I hope to earn the genre a
few extra nods of respect.