| By Jenn Stark | June 23, 2009 |
Recently, I got into a discussion with former Golden Heart Winner and fabulous romantic suspense novelist Cate Noble about what makes for marketable fiction. We started with romance, of course, because that’s how we roll, and posed the question: if there was only ONE quality that you HAD to have for a romance novel to sell, whether your sub-genre was romantic suspense, historical, paranormal, contemporary, etc., what would it be?
Well, based on a completely unscientific review of the top romance novels on the shelves today–regardless of sub-genre–my assessment was: if you had a hero sexy enough to melt your readers into a steaming puddle of goo, a hero compelling enough to make you remember HIM long after you’ve forgotten the plot of the story itself (or any other details of the book, for that matter), you were well on your way to a winner of a book.
Or, okay, at least it’s that way for me.
Think about it-when you consider the most beloved movies and books on your keeper shelves, what pulls you back to them time and time again? As a paranormal fan, I am well versed in the J.R. Ward oeuvre-but it’s Zsadist’s story in “Lover Awakened” that really knocked me out. Why? Because he was a compelling hero. He was tortured, he was passionate, he needed. In the classic battle of Han Solo vs. Luke Skywalker, I was a Han Solo girl all the way, and I so wasn’t buying that he wasn’t head over heels for the Princess (you can’t fool me, Han!). Of all of the many brilliant Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ novels, I love “Breathing Room” the most, because, well, Ren just has a way of jumping on all of my buttons. And Jenny Crusie completely did me in with Phin, in her book “Welcome to Temptation”… truly one for the ages. These are the kind of men who beckon you back between the sheets-er, pages-time and again, just to remember the excitement they offer, and their unparalleled need for their heroines.
But that’s not the only reason why readers fall in love with books, or audiences with films. Sometimes, it’s the heroine who calls us back time and time again to a beloved story. Whether she’s spunky or intrepid, fierce or loving, it’s the heroine who gives the hero meaning and a sense of place in the story–and in our hearts. What would Zsadist be without Bella, for example? What would Jack Colton be without Joan Wilder in Romancing The Stone? Lost, that’s what. Still aimlessly wandering around South America. When I consider my favorite heroines, Sarah Connor from Terminator II comes to mind. Okay, okay, so she’s a little intense: but isn’t it the high stakes that makes her fight so worth watching?
For some fiction lovers, too, it’s the emotions that a story evokes–either through a knockout romance arc or a heartwrenching turn of events or a story of unending love. The chemistry between a hero and heroine can transcend a story and make it truly memorable. A recent case in point would be the just-released movie The Proposal, a harmless bit of summer fun with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. Each of these actors on their own do their jobs admirably, but put them together, and somehow the movie is far better than it has any right to be. Even afterwards, it’s not so much their relationship that makes you smile, but how they look at each other, the zing of possibility that exists when they’re both on screen.
And finally, it’s sometimes the story itself that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Take the Suzanne Brockmann Troubleshooters series as exhibit A. Even if you’re a die-hard Brockmann fan, there are some of those stories you’re going to like more than others, some that you think of whenever you hear her name, no matter how many books she writes. I recently rewatched one of my favorite movies from childhood, Highlander, and realized that it had some really rough sections in it in terms of dialogue and character building… not to mention 80’s vintage hair. Even after I’d just seen it, however, I found myself remembering the story the movie told, the spell it wove around me as I thought “hey, what if” — and that story will continue to bring me back to that movie, no matter how much time passes.
But when it comes to that one indefinable “something” that makes me fall in love with a book or a movie over all other things… it’s still all about the hero.
So what about you? What is the most important element of fiction — the ”something” you remember about all of your favorite books and movies? All qualifying entries (posts that name an element and explain why it matters to you!) will be entered in a drawing for a $15 B&N gift certificate to help you fall in love with your next favorite book!
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:57 am
(My captcha is “action,” but that’s not the answer.)
Okay, the caffeine hasn’t kicked in and I’m feeling pretty cerebral. I come back to books that teach me something about people I hadn’t known or considered before. When Agatha Christie told me at age ten that “People are basically all alike,” then Miss Marple became, briefly, my spiritual advisor. When SEP shows me that you can dunk a person in life’s cesspond, pull her up by the hair, dunk her again, and she’ll still come out showered, fresh and beloved in the end–I come back to that.
Somewhere in every thrill ride a want a core of truth, preferably from a new angle.
Kinda wish I weren’t this way–it makes writing harder.
June 23rd, 2009 at 7:34 am
I am tried and true to a good romantic story line. I love falling for the hero and rooting that one one through the entire book or movie.
I write the same way. I want my readers to fall in love with my hero and feel good. I know I’ve done a good job when my reader finishes my book with a tear in their eye.
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:00 am
Thanks, Keri!
I hear you on finding truths in what you read. In the sixth grade, I decided that the Chronicles of Narnia held all everyone needed to know about religious tolerance–only to find out much later that CS Lewis was a theologian!
Kinda makes you wonder how much we’ve subconsciously picked up from the books we read.
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:01 am
Tonya, that kind of emotional writing is bound to pay off big for you. It’s just the catharsis readers are looking for!
Thank you for your post!
Jenn
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:14 am
Hi Jenn, great topic. For me it’s ALL about the characters. Once I care about them it hardly matters what they do…:) I fell in love with Satine and Christian. I loved the way they loved one another and gazed into one another’s eyes.
When I read A Knight in Shining Armor it didn’t matter that Dougless Montgomery and Nicholas Stafford were from two different centuries. I believed their story and I wanted them to be together forever.
I love the humor SEP gives her characters. They are sassy and stubborn and alpha and I always fall in love with her characters. She makes both hero and heroine sympathetic. Cal and Jane. Gracie and Bobby, etc.
Yeah, for me, it’s all about the characters.
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:19 am
I agree with you, Toni. It’s the characters who are the most important. With some books, I don’t remember the hero’s name 5 minutes after I close the book. With other books, I remember the names for years. But other elements are important, too. Good writing, good editing, strong motivations, to name three!
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:20 am
Whoops! Sorry! I was thinking of Toni’s books and said Toni! I mean JENN!
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:27 am
Hi Jenn-
You’re absolutely right about it being the interdynamic between the characters. Almost like Yin and Yang. One cannot be spectacular without the other being completely right and balanced.
For me, the other is the emotion. It’s easy to elicit tears in a visual medium for me (tv, movies), but it’s much harder in a book. Any author who can accomplish that is a keeper
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:34 am
What an interesting question!
I think for me it’s the interaction between the hero and heroine. It has to be memorable and deeply appealing in some way; at its best, it should be charming. I want to be charmed by their interaction. That’s the well-spring of the feel-good aura I want from a romance novel: charm.
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:09 am
I’m a high stakes kind of gal. When life and soul-deep love hang in the balance. Or better yet, when H/H are faced with the impossible. Think Meggie and Father Ralph’s forbidden love in The Thornbirds or Jamie’s predicaments in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. On the big screen, few films can beat Braveheart for high stakes where everything from country to honor are on the line. Great question, Jenn! Thanks.
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:20 am
Fabulous topic, Jenn!
The hero is always a big part of the AH-HA! moment, but I also hold dear that really quirky aspect of the conflict in the story. Maybe it’s the draw of a deaf hero who’s fallen in love with a rock star heroine … or a hero who is a strapping, gorgeous vet who’s found himself in love with a woman who’s deathly allergic to dogs and cats. I don’t know, but when the love and affection can transcend those sorts of conflicts in life, THOSE are the stories that are on my keeper shelf. They are the ones I’ll go back and re-read and always reco to my family and friends as “great reads.”
Thinking about this makes me wish it was 5pm and I could leave the office, dash up the highway and just hide out in the cool comfort of my humble abode and spend the evening reading, reading, reading …
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:22 am
Great poat.
I think for me it always comes down to great conflict. That conflict can come from the a tortured hero like Zsadist, or a an impossible to overcome situation, or a life-and-death situation, or the witty banter and push and pull between the two leads. Something to keep me flipping pages, fast.
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:23 am
Oh, great post, Jenn! For me, it’s primarily about character. When I’m so involved in a character’s worldview that, by the end of the book, they feel real enough to me that I could anticipate how they’d respond to situations not in the book. In romance, Jenny Crusie’s Anyone But You was like that for me. And I loved SEP’s Breathing Room, too!
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:14 am
Hi Jenn,
Great post!
For me it’s about honesty. Does the plot line hold true, or does it contradict itself page after page. Does a hero do something after just professing the chapter before that it won’t be done—unless it’s a specific turn in the story line of course.
I lose interest fast if the story AND characters, are not credible. That’s not to say the character can’t be honestly dishonest. That happens. I’m not talking about being a goody-two-shoes or anything. The hero does not really have to be so hunky for me to love him, but his mission does. Am I making sense? Not sure.
So, for me, honesty in the characters and plot line are essential.
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:33 am
I’m wired for mystery and romance, and I’ve been reading books in those genres for decades. I also like books that are packed with heat and, preferably, some humor.
Romantic suspense, contemporary romance, paranormals — love them. I only discovered historicals a few years ago, because I didn’t want to read about old fashioned romance. I only had to read Anna Campbell, Anne Stuart, Loretta Chase and a few others to realize historicals are not what they used to be.
Out of that mix, what is most is the one most important element to me? I would have to say the depth of emotion it generates. I still remember reading Evelyn Anthony’s The Tamarind Seed and wanting to cry. As I said, I like ‘em hot, but when I recently read Eva Ibbotsen’s A COUNTESS BELOW STAIRS — which barely has a kiss — the emotion was so strong and true that it jumped onto my favorites list.
I want the happy-ever-after. I prefer some heat. I want characters I like. But without that emotional connection, I can’t fall in love with the book.
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:34 am
“what is most is the one most important element to me”
My proofreading muse must be on vacation today.
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:46 am
Thanks to everyone who is posting! I think I’m going to start an informal list.
EMOTION seems to be a huge hitter, as well as HONESTY/TRUTH, CHARACTER, CONFLICT, and HIGH STAKES.
Becke, touching on EMOTION is such an interesting note. The creation of a compelling emotional tug is undoubtedly the job of the characters, and one that can help a book transcend a host of other flaws. I tend to tear up at Hallmark commercials, so I’m not a good judge, but if you want to be “taken away” by a piece of fiction, that emotional bridge is key.
Thanks for posting!
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:49 am
Caroline,
Your HONESTY/TRUTH element, or the construction of a credible plot/conflict, is a good reminder to all of us–especially those creating paranormal works. No matter what the rules of your universe, they must be followed–and no matter what the action, it must be reasonable for the character to perform. Good stuff!
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:51 am
Marilyn,
Jenny and SEP are masters at characterization, aren’t they? You really think you’d be able to strike up a conversation with their people if they walked into a room. Hmmm… maybe that should be a test for the characters in all the books we read and write–how well do we know them by the end of the book?
Thanks for the post!
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:07 pm
It’s the hero all the way–especially if he has a wounded soul. But it’s how much he desires the heroine that leaves me weak in the knees and keeps me reading.
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:44 pm
I’d vote for the emotional impact. I love a sexy hero (who doesn’t?!), but the books that end up on my keeper shelf are the ones where you get 95% through the book and think, “No way. That’s it. These two are never going to end up together. And because of that, they’ll never be truly happy.” (Bonus points if the book makes cry!) And then somehow in those last few pages, they’re able to work through those issues and find their way to the happy ending.
One of the reasons I think tortured heroes are so compelling is because their black moments are SO black– like Zsadist’s book, which I loved, too!
Great post, Jenn!
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Personally, I love a story that’s alive with emotion. Somewhere I once heard the expression, People may forgot what you did or said, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel. That’s my kind of book. JR Ward’s “Lover Avenged” is a perfect example. Watching that story unfold was like running a marathon, complete with runner’s euphoria. I love a story with characters that make me cheer for them. (Sometimes even out loud.)
Great post, Jenn, and you guys have a terrific blog here! Thanks for sharing the link, Laura!
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Carla, thanks for stopping by! “Lover Avenged” is in my reward pile, so I can’t wait to check it out! And I’m glad you liked our blog, we’ve been having a blast so far!
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Laura,
Score another one for EMOTION! And you raise an interesting point–it’s the emotional connection to the characters that really gets our motors running, when we truly believe that “holy crap, they may NOT end up together!” Hard to do in romance in particular, but when it’s done well, it’s amazing!
Thanks for your post!
Jenn
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Laurie,
So we’ve got HERO with a chaser of desire here–and I’m right there with you. A great, compelling hero who will move heaven and earth for his mate? What’s not to like??
Thanks for stopping by!
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Maureen and Daphne,
Two votes for CONFLICT! I tend to be pretty conflict-avoidant in real life,
but finding really well-done (or original) conflict in fiction is not only refreshing, but highly memorable. So great call on that!
June 23rd, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Shelley,
End of the World (or of the World as We Know It) High Stakes are an interesting addition to the list, and a very valid one. If it doesn’t MATTER why the hero is fighting, well, really… who cares? Part of what makes a hero so compelling is that HIS battles are highly personal–and highly important. A great layer to consider in our own work, too. Thank you!
June 23rd, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Claudia and L.A., two consecutive posts on the interaction between the hero and heroine certainly makes me think! Is this character? Hero? or literally the magical combination of the two… and just like HIGH STAKES, it seems like you almost can’t have one without the other…
Then again, I could watch Zsadist type a grocery list and be intrigued. But I’m not well.
Truly, though, I think you both are on to something with acknowledging that zing that makes all the difference… and I’m picking up the vote for EMOTION as well.
June 23rd, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Theresa and Michelle, two CHARACTER votes are added to the tally! Isn’t it amazing how much we remember the ones that truly matter to us, who are sympathetic and yet challenging, really jumping off the page. (Jenn sighs, eyeing her TBR stack longingly…)
Thanks for the post!
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Great blog and great question, Jenn! If I had to throw in my number one favorite thing, it would be a strong heroine. When a strong hero meets his match, that’s just plain fun reading.
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:06 pm
It’s emotions all the way. I have to fall in love with both the hero and the heroine. In order to do that I have to be able to relate on some level to the heroine. If the plot is weak I can overlook it if I love the characters. But a great plot can’t save a book with weak or dispassionate characters.
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:09 pm
Great post! I agree about the unforgettable hero, the emotion, and the compelling story–but for me, it’s all about the quality of the writing. If the writing isn’t good, no other story elements will keep me interested in the book.
Best of luck!
Adele Dubois
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Wow, there are so many elements that go into making a memorable story, the heroine, the emotion and even a great setting plays a part, but for me it’s the hero that tips the scale. Give me a strong hero who gets baffled by what he feels and thinks about the heroine and I’m hooked.
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:03 pm
What a great blog! For me it’s characters that go thru trials I connect with – in whatever way – and triumph together. I have loved so many books by SEP, Judy McNaught, Lorraine Heath and others. Humor, emotion, and characters who could live down the street. Ahhhhh!
Thanks for the post and the memories!
Light,
Nancy Haddock
nancy@nancyhaddock.com
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:28 pm
I love character, rather than plot driven stories. I don’t need much of a plot as long as the characters are compelling. The heroine’s/protagonist’s voice is a biggy for me. I’ve read some really slow paced, lightly plotted books because I fell in love with the voice, usually a witty sense of humor.
Great topic Jenn!
Beth
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Great topic! Romance and humor.
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Hey, Jenn,
Loved your thoughts here since my hero and I have been struggling to come to a meeting of the minds before said hero needs put in an appearance at National. I’d really like him to be in fighting trim BEFORE I send him to be devoured by editors and agents.
Flawed heroes are the best, but too much emotional angst can be annoying. It’s like, “Would you just get over it already?” LOL Give me the ‘Take on the world with one arm tied behind my back’ hero–even if he’s a bit over confident. He’ll get smashed, sure, but he’ll get back up and try again.
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:03 pm
I like a spunky, unforgettable heroine. Like Sandra Bullock in Speed. Like Staphanie Plum in the Plum mysteries.
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:40 pm
I so love a book that I just don’t want to put down. Scenes will remain with me a long time and the emotions will be high reading it and long after. Too, I love a romance that too has the intensity of the romance that you so know they are in love and it indeed is a HEA!
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Thanks for all the posts, everyone! I’ll announce the winner tomorrow morning–I’m about to fade away.
Caffey, great comment and I’ll add your thought to the mix as PACE and EMOTION. Tina Russo also chimes in on EMOTION.
Amy is a pushover for ROMANCE and HUMOR (thanks for your post, Amy!)
And it looks like we have some dueling Heroes and Heroines!
Kay (Hi, Kay!) and Kelly are giving thumbs up to terrific HEROINES.
GwynLyn and Tina a holding out for a HERO (women after my own heart!) with Adele agreeing too but adding that STRONG WRITING has to be there, too.
And score another one for CHARACTER(IZATION), Beth and Nancy, although Nancy I’ll add you in for CONFLICT, too!
Whew! Some great elements to consider and I sincerely appreciate everyone’s participation! Keep those comments coming if you chime in late, I’ll make an official announcement to end the contest before 9 a.m. tomorrow.
(oh, the excitement!)
Thanks again!
June 24th, 2009 at 4:36 am
Chiming in late but I really like proper chemistry between the hero and heroine. Sizzle and spark and a touch of fun that feels like that giddy falling in love feeling. Which I guess boils down to truth about the emotion.
I find in TV it only takes a hint of that (TV loves their URST) and I’ll be hooked into a show. Books and movies I’m harder to please. And woe betide any of the three that screws up and doesn’t deliver the HEA after promising it!
June 24th, 2009 at 7:03 am
Thanks, Melanie, for your post! SIZZLE AND SPARK is exactly what I need for an early mid-week morning. Check out our latest blog and say hello!
Thanks, too to everyone who participated. I am happy to announce that Carla Kempert is the winner of the B&N gift certificate! Carla, I’ll be contacting you offline.
Happy Wednesday!
Jenn
June 24th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Hey Jenn! Sorry I’m late to the party, we spent all day with no phone or internet yesterday!
I love your topic. I have to say I want it all! But characterization and emotional pay off are my absolute favorites.
June 24th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Egad! Late I am…again. Fabulous topic and wonderful reamrks. Jenn, your closing comment nailed it for me: in romance, it’s all about the hero. When I finish a book and subsequently wander around with a dreamy smile plastered on my face, it’s not because I’m thinking about the heroine or a clever plot