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My
son and I watched the movie "The 13th Warrior," based
on the book EATERS OF THE DEAD, a retelling of the Beowulf
legend by Michael Crichton. I'd read Beowulf in high school and
Crichton's book when it came out in 1988. I'd liked both.
"You’ll like the movie, too," my son told me, then
warned, "but you’ll hate the ending." (Spoilers for
movies and books ahead!)
He knows me well. Loved the movie. Hated the ending. When Ahmed
leaves the girl behind at the end, I was tempted to put him on a
list I keep next to my computer called MEN BEHAVING BADLY. The
list is for characters who seem clueless about love and romance.
But then I realised it wasn't the character in this movie who
behaved badly; it was the screenwriter. Not only did Ahmed sail
off without the woman he'd slept with, she wasn't shown or even
casually mentioned.
I rewound the tape a bit and watched the ending a second time to
be sure I hadn't missed something. Had she been killed in the
battle? Unclear. She's given a knife to kill the children should
the invaders overwhelm the warriors. Perhaps she killed herself,
along with them. I honestly don't know. Her fate is still a
mystery to me.
As a romance writer I naturally look for the romance in every
plot, even if the book or movie falls within some other genre.
Author Stephen King calls this ‘brain filtering,’ and it's
an apt description. Thoughts of a particular kind fall through
the mesh of one brain filter while catching in the filter of
another. In my brain, romance thoughts are bigger than others so
they don't filter through the mesh. When author or screenwriter
handles romance badly, it colours my opinion of the whole
project.
Writers often use romance as a secondary plot. Sometimes it's a
marketing device. Women (statistically) are voracious readers of
romance and they spend a billion dollars every year to feed
their habits. No wonder, then, that writers of mainstream and
other genres include romantic subplots to appeal to these
readers.
If you're going to use a romantic subplot in your own work, be
aware that romance readers have certain expectations. If you
fail to deliver, you risk losing the very reader you're trying
to hook. I'm going to use both movies and books in my examples
below because the movies are more likely to be familiar to you
than the books. Here are three basic rules you should consider
following when using romance as a subplot:
1. Romantic Relationships Must Enhance the Main Plot
Like any secondary plot, a relationship subplot should
intertwine the main plot. If it can stand alone, it serves
little purpose. In the movie "Seven," the relationship
between a police officer and his wife plays a role in the
officer's pursuit of an ingenious killer. The murder of the wife
provides a fantastic point of no return for the protagonist,
setting up the climax and resolution.
In the movie "Braveheart," we accept William Wallace's
rally of his countrymen to battle because we understand the
reasons behind his actions--freedom, and revenge for the murder
of the women he loved. His relationships with his wife motivates
him to greatness. His later relationship with the future queen,
and the subsequent child she conceives, also provide a neat plot
twist for the ending. Neither relationship is independent of the
main plot.
2. Male and Female Characters Who Engage in a Relationship Must
Appeal to the Reader on Some Level
If you're going to have a romance in your story, craft
interesting, fully dimensional characters who grow to care about
each other. Make them someone the reader will also care about.
One of my recent favourite books was a thriller, THE LIST by
Steve Martini. Likeable Abby Chandler, wanting to increase her
book sales, uses the pseudonym of a man to create a bestseller.
But then ex-special forces marine Jack Jermaine shows up
pretending to be the author. Someone's out to kill both of them
before they can reveal the truth. Jack is very dangerous and
probably has a few corpses hidden in his past. But did I keep
turning the pages to see if this man and woman got away from the
bad guys and ended up together? You betcha. I probably even
drooled on a few of the pages.
Dean Koontz writes horror, mystery and suspense, but he started
out writing romance, so he knows how to deftly incorporate a
romantic subplot into his novels. A great example is COLD FIRE,
one of his older books. This was reissued in 1996 as an audio
book. Find the book rather than the audio book if you can. This
book won't appeal to everyone. The ending was really off the
wall. But it uses horror, mystery, romance and science fiction
in the plot and uses them well. Not many books can say that.
A female reporter, tired of writing the mundane, envisions a
scoop when she watches a man perform a heroic and unbelievable
act. Only she realises there's something very strange about this
man. Is he insane? Guided by God or the Devil? She needs to know
because she's fallen in love with him. How can you not turn the
page to see what happens? I couldn't. I devoured it in one
sitting.
Along the same vein is James Patterson's WHEN THE WIND BLOWS,
incorporating several genres into one story. The romance is
again handled well. Protagonist Frannie O'Neill is smart and
interesting. Undercover agent Kit Harrison provides enough male
charm to allow the romance reader to buy into a plot with flying
bird children. Is the story great? No. It's not one of
Patterson's better books. But the romance subplot passed my
test.
3. The Ending to the Romance Must be Satisfying
Note that I didn't say happily-ever-after. Although
romance readers prefer that male and female protagonists end up
together, we understand that doesn't always happen in mainstream
novels and those of other genres. But if they can't ride off
into the sunset together, please give us a good reason why.
In the movie "Conspiracy Theory," Jerry Fletcher loves
Abby Chandlis and will do anything to keep her safe. Jerry's
paranoid and a little nuts. He's not your usual hero type and
the relationship he has with Abby is neither sexual or really
romantic. But like Abby says, "There's something about
Jerry." Abby finds herself loving him, even though she
doesn't fall "in love" with him. In the end, to keep
her safe, Jerry must leave her. We never really imagine that
these two could ever have a romantic relationship, but most
romance readers and movie goers will accept the ending and feel
satisfied by it.
Unsatisfying endings: "Message in a Bottle" (movie and
book); THE HORSE WHISPERER (book); "Swept From The
Sea" (movie). These probably ought to be a category on
their own labelled PLEASE DON'T KILL THE HERO AT THE END,
something that male authors of mainstream tend to do that
greatly annoys some romance readers, myself included. In none of
these examples did I feel the death of the main character
enhanced the story or was in keeping with the theme.
Granted, some endings should be bittersweet. Not every book
needs a strong romance. Romance used indiscriminately or
unwisely can detract from the plot. In COLD MOUNTAIN, a
wonderful literary novel, the premise is strongly romantic.
Inman deserts and walks home to the woman he loves. But is this
a romance novel? No. The two characters don't even see each
other until the final pages of the book. Inman's journey (and
hers) are what are important, not their relationship. When Inman
dies at the end, it's appropriate. It plays to the theme of the
senselessness of the war and men's actions.
Look at your own work. What is the intent of the story? If you
decide to use romance as a subplot in your mystery, horror,
science fiction or fantasy novel, remember the three rules: make
the romance tie to the main plot, craft great characters who
care about each other, and provide a satisfying conclusion to
their relationship.
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