WRITING ABOUT LOVE
It’s the month of February so of course everyone is writing about love and reading about love. ‘Tis the season.
Regardless of your preferred genre, romance is always a good idea. When is the last time you read a book in any genre that did not include a romantic relationship? I love character-driven novels, which means that character development and relationships are key. Even if the focus is on family drama there is usually at least one romantic relationship involved. We humans love to read about love. Even in dystopian novels like The Hunger Games, or other plot-driven stories, there is love. These stories are important to us. They uplift us and give us hope that no matter the situation we are loveable and worthy of romance. Don’t we all want to feel that?
This is especially true in Young Adult novels. Relationships are the young adult world, and romantic relationships are new and exciting and scary, sparking every emotion into a firey storm. Literature has the opportunity to showcase consent and help teens feel good about themselves, their bodies, their choices. Writing about love is not frivolous, it’s crucial. It’s a huge responsibility. I recently read a wonderful article about the importance of writing about these relationships, by Maya MacGregor. I hope you’ll check out her heart-felt, informative article on the subject.
Happy writing, whichever genre is your favourite. But please be kind to romance writers. We all need a little love in our lives. I am endlessly impressed and grateful for the level of skill, empathy, compassion and joy that romance writers bring to the world of literature.
