I feel the element of romance just perks up any
story and gives it life. The deep feelings of intense love, stolen looks, blushes, jealousy, possessiveness,
day-dreaming, warmth, well I look forward to adding it all to my stories. ( Does this
make me a closet romantic?)
All this is making me think, why don’t I pack up the
middle grade books and start writing stories where the romance elements play a
huge role. Honestly, I would love to write (actually have written bits and
pieces of a YA book with strong undercurrents of romance; star-crossed lovers
to be precise). Now the secret is out of the bag. I had not told anyone about
the YA book.
Let me make a confession. One of my earlier stories
based in a jungle, had a strong romantic touch: the gorgeous cat Daisy was in
love with the muscular dog Bruno. Their romance had set the jungle literally on
fire. Needless to say my editor went nuts and begged and pleaded with me not to
corrupt innocent children with this story. I withdrew my submission but did not
change the storyline.
After that episode, I am a bit cautious about adding
romance in middle grade books. I will leave all that to maybe a YA or a full-fledged
novel.
What about you all? Do you all love adding romance
in your stories? How do you all think I should add romance in my Middle Grade
fiction? Should I shy away from it completely or do you think giving the characters
crushes at 11, 12 years is fine? I would love to hear what you all have to say
on this?
With the world changing fast the crushes and elements of romance in writing for teenagers are surely accepted:) At least I vote for it
ReplyDeleteUnless the market in India is different than the US, I think it's fine to add light romance for upper middle graders. Kids started having boyfriends/girlfriends by 5th grade in the school that my daughter went to and I'm sure it's the same other places.
ReplyDeleteAlso, maybe you want to venture into YA too. I write middle grade but my new project is YA with light romance. That's not the part I love writing.
I’d agree with Natalie – showing 11 or 12-year-olds having crushes is fine. I don’t ever write any romantic stories or novels but I’ve enjoyed adding a touch of romance to the novels I’ve written so far.
ReplyDeleteI think romance is great. I have it in my stories. And I believe 12 year olds do have crushes so it should be okay.
ReplyDeleteMost kids at that age have gone through a couple crushes. I think it fits.
ReplyDeleteYup, I basically can't even consider not having romance in a story...otherwise my wife won't read it:) But it gets back to the basic elements of what it means to be human and one of the most important things I connecting with others, and romance certainly does that.
ReplyDeleteYou can certainly do romance in middle grade. Think Bambi, Rudolph, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty. Go for it Rachna!
ReplyDeleteI can't recall being too interested in all that smoochy stuff at that age, but kids nowadays are a lot quicker to grow up, or at least it feels like it.
ReplyDeletemood
I have romance. but it takes three books to =get to the marriage proposal and the "YES." So I take it slow, rather than do the burning passion thing that happens in a short period of time.
ReplyDeleteHi friends, thanks for chiming in. I am enjoying reading all your comments. All of you agree that I can safely incorporate crushes for my 11 to 13 year old protagonists.
ReplyDeleteHope you all have a great weekend.
It's not my area but there's nothing wrong with a harmless crush. I'm sure you would write it in a very sweet way. :)
ReplyDeleteSorry to say, I'm not one for gratuitous romance. I appreciate it only if it is organic to the narrative.
ReplyDeleteP.S.
ReplyDeleteThis in no way makes your post less fascinating. Keep 'em rollin'!
I think it's just fine, Rachna. Just keep it age appropriate and all is well. I always add romance, too, so I say I write Crime Fiction with a Kiss.
ReplyDeleteI see nothing wrong with light romance in middle grade. I think I've always had a random crush, even in kindergarten, and students had boyfriends/girlfriends in third grade. Goodness, it sometimes happens that girls get pregnant before they're thirteen too (not that I recommend that). But if it fits the book and characters, I say bring it on. :)
ReplyDeleteActually, I think crushes and semi-crushes are very typical of that age group (middle grades). If your protagonist is, say twelve, even eleven, it's quite likely she'll be thinking in terms of how cute this guy is and find herself tongue-tied when she's around him. I wouldn't take it much farther than that, though. And, yes, I think it does add a little spice to your character's personality.
ReplyDeleteBut if you have a spicier YA cooking on the back burner, I say, go for it! Daisy and Bruno don't really have to be a cat and dog. :-)
You're no longer a closet romantic, lol. But yes romance in any story is fun to write. I even put it in my horror stories.
ReplyDeleteMy son has been counting his girlfriends since he was three :) "Romance" is different for kids than YA, but they still have their little flings. Its terribly cute.
.......dhole
I read a lot of romance novels as a teen. But I don't think I'm any good at writing romantic scenes...
ReplyDeleteThe romance novel is the oldest form of the medium, no?
ReplyDeleteA story without romance, without a love interest, is just plain boring. But that's just my opinion. I need it. Romance, love, and passion have to be intertwined into the story for me otherwise it won't capture my interest.
I totally agree with you Rachna, romance and intense feelings of love that come through a character make for a book that is worth reading. Otherwise, it's just bland. At least for me.
A main character who isn't in love simply won't grab this reader and I think a loveless protagonist is very hard for many readers to connect with.
But consider for a moment that romance and to be in love doesn't have to be between two people or a cat and a dog. Take for example, The Lord of the Rings. Would that classic trilogy be any different if Frodo and Sam didn't share an intense love between themselves that they carried along the way? I think it would have made for a very boring set of books. And no, I'm not talking the brotherly love they felt for each other. They carried a deep love in their hearts for The Shire. And once they set out on their quest, the reader is rooting them on, hoping they won't get caught, hoping they would succeed so they could return to the home they loved so much. The Shire.
I think romance should be added to all stories. They're all the better for it.
I love romance in any story. I've seen romance in many children's books as well as movies. Think about all those Disney films. I didn't mind it as a kid. It added great tension and another layer to those stories.
ReplyDeleteI think romance adds another element of potential conflict to a story. It's an appealing addition to many plots. Personally, I would go light on romantic details for MG, largely because I wouldn't want my kids too heavily into that at that age. They get to be "kids" for such a short span in their lives, you know?
ReplyDeleteWhen I was writing YA, I included elements of romance. Now I'm writing NA contemporary romances. It's very different writing straight romance compared to elements of romance, but I'm loving it.
ReplyDeleteI think it's find to have cruses for that age group, especially for the girls. I had crushes when I was only 8. :)
ReplyDeleteI think a little shy romance is probably all right, although my kids are still in that "yuck, I want to wait for later" phase and they are both MG.
ReplyDelete