{"id":955,"date":"2017-07-15T00:25:18","date_gmt":"2017-07-15T00:25:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.keen.com\/newarticles\/uncategorized\/write-your-romance-the-literary-ingredients-for-storybook-love"},"modified":"2021-05-24T20:05:17","modified_gmt":"2021-05-24T20:05:17","slug":"write-your-romance-the-literary-ingredients-for-storybook-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.keen.com\/articles\/love\/write-your-romance-the-literary-ingredients-for-storybook-love","title":{"rendered":"Write Your Romance: The Literary Ingredients for Storybook Love"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\tWhat can a romance novel teach you about love in real life? Quite a few things, actually. Once you understand what elevates an everyday relationship to the kind of passion that produces bestsellers, you\u2019ll know where to find that coveted connection\u2014and where you definitely won\u2019t.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a Love Story?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the literary world, a story belongs to the romantic genre if it\u2019s all about love at its core\u2014take out the matchmaking plot, and most of the meat is gone. There\u2019s a pretty diverse crowd that fits under that heading, from sweet and tender Nicholas Sparks novels to raunchy Fifty Shades of Gray<\/em> to witty and historical Jane Austen. Although there\u2019s no confusing Mr. Darcy for Christian Gray, there are a few cardinal rules followed across the genre that make for a satisfying story. Not surprisingly, these same rules play out in real-life romance, too.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s consider an exemplary couple straight out of a drugstore paperback: Carla, a hot-shot rodeo cowgirl bent on making it big in the arena, and Chase, a hunky physician who\u2019s just relocated from New York City to Carla\u2019s Texas town. They meet when Carla dislocates her shoulder after falling off a bull and Chase is called in to treat it.<\/p>\n

First impressions:<\/strong> When Carla and Chase meet, they feel primal attraction<\/a>\u2014but judgment and prejudice might keep them from dating at first. Carla doesn\u2019t want to get in a relationship because training is her top priority, and Chase seems way too straight laced to understand rodeo. Chase, for his part, doesn\u2019t want to date someone with such reckless (in his opinion) hobbies. But they make just enough of a connection that Chase decides to come out and watch Carla\u2019s next rodeo.<\/p>\n

Interpretation:<\/em> In storybook love, there has to be time for the characters to get to know one another slowly before diving in deep. That doesn\u2019t necessarily mean postponing dates or between-the-sheets activities (this happens pretty fast in some modern romances), but the emotional intimacy can\u2019t be rushed. Romance is about walls tumbling down; moving too quickly can be more catastrophic than liberating.<\/p>\n

The bond:<\/strong> After Carla spots Chase on the sidelines of her rodeo, she invites him to join the team for drinks after. They start to discover things they share in common, like Chase\u2019s unexpected love of country music. On a deeper level, Carla and Chase slowly begin to realize that they complement\u2014and maybe even need\u2014each other. Carla, who secretly craves tenderness, finds it in Chase. He, on the other hand, finds in her the warmth and spirit he lacked in his strict New England upbringing.<\/p>\n

Interpretation:<\/em> In a page-turning romance, both<\/em> characters need something only the other can provide. If only Carla benefitted from a relationship with Chase, and he felt largely indifferent, she\u2019d be more a parasite than a girlfriend rooted for by readers. So if you\u2019re pursuing someone who consistently rebuffs your attempts for emotional intimacy, or if you\u2019re the one being pursued by someone who frankly drains you, it\u2019s not a recipe for real love.<\/p>\n

Mutual sacrifice:<\/strong> Carla and Chase eventually realize their feelings are overwhelming their resolve to stay single and avoid potential heartache. For them to work as a couple, Chase must come around to embracing Carla\u2019s rodeo lifestyle\u2014he must decide that not only is he okay with it, but that he wants to be a part of it. Carla, on the other hand, has to take into account that love means being a little more cautious\u2014when she puts herself in danger with risky moves in the ring, she\u2019s also putting Chase on the line now. The two of them decide these sacrifices are worth it for a real shot at romance, and by the last page of their story, it looks like they\u2019ve got it lassoed up.<\/p>\n

Interpretation:<\/em> What if Chase had given up being a doctor to support Carla\u2019s rodeo career full time? Or if Carla had backed out of rodeo altogether at Chase\u2019s request? The problem with these endings is, they\u2019re not equal sacrifices. In real life, too, asking one person to give up their career, move across the country, or ditch their friends should be balanced by a gesture of equal magnitude. It\u2019s about transitioning from two people, each driven by his or her motivations and desires, to a team with a unified purpose: love.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not all there is to storybook love, of course. Chase will never make Carla wonder if she\u2019s really his heart\u2019s desire by forgetting to call her for weeks, and Carla won\u2019t trash talk him to her rodeo buddies. They might have rocky times, and they might even forget to cherish their hard-won relationship sometimes, but they\u2019ll always come back together<\/a> eventually.<\/p>\n

In real life, your hero might not be a cowboy or girl. They could be a software developer or a chef or a preschool teacher.They might not have washboard abs worthy of gracing the cover of a drugstore paperback, either. That\u2019s okay. Eight-packs and leather chaps are beside the point<\/a>. Romance is, at its core, about the sheer will, bravery, and compassion of two individuals who decide to nurture their bond against even the most treacherous odds.<\/p>\n

Before you can begin a romance, you have to meet the right person. Advisors at KEEN.com<\/a> can help you find the other half of your storybook love.\u00a0<\/em>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What can a romance novel teach you about love in real life? Quite a few things, actually. Once you understand what elevates an everyday relationship to the kind of passion that produces bestsellers, you\u2019ll know where to find that coveted connection\u2014and where you definitely won\u2019t. What\u2019s a Love Story? In the literary world, a story …<\/p>\n

Write Your Romance: The Literary Ingredients for Storybook Love<\/span> Read More \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":3242,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[123,317,461,464],"class_list":["post-955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-love","tag-dating","tag-love-advice","tag-relationships","tag-resolutions"],"yoast_head":"\nWrite Your Romance: The Literary Ingredients for Storybook Love - Keen Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you wish you could have the kind of love life that happens in romance novels, discover what makes storybook love work. 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