I want to write a bespoke romance.
Now, because I personally find it to be mildly inappropriate at best and potentially perilous at worst to ask directly of this genre of story, I therefore see it as to my advantage and to the advantage of any interested writer to make this LFG post, where said writers can simply peruse and consider at their fullest convenience and in accordance with their own present interests, without the burden of having to say "yes" or "no" to any direct inquiry.
So there's my reasoning behind making this LFG post, somewhat longwinded as it is. Onto the subject itself: romance.
I've spoken on occasion on the Discord about writing romance, and I believe it to be my weakest area of writing. Likely there are others who feel the same. And is it any surprise? Simply put, romance is hard to come by; this for a variety of reasons, but chief among them, I think, is time. There are no shortcuts to a satisfying romance story, even if it is the case that it is meant to be short and sweet. For myself, it also doesn't help that one of my mantras is: "Story first, romance second."
I've come to wanting to give bespoke romance a try first and foremost to practice, but also because of a somewhat funny but very truthful realization. Examine, for a moment, your past and present characters. Categorize them into two groups, roughly speaking, of those who are aiming for romance and those who are, to succinctly if perhaps crudely put it in a phrase, one-night-standers. What's the success rate of your romantics? Now what's the success rate of your one-night-standers? I'll hazard the guess that it's much like my own experience: my one-night-standers, those characters of the more licentious persuasion, have enjoyed smashing success (pun intended), while the romantically-inclined characters have got to walk uphill both ways. The reason for this is obvious upon a moment's reflection: it's just way easier for the one-night-standers because the goal-posts of success are so much closer for them. They're running a 100 yard sprint, the romantics are running a 5k. And, for us writers ourselves, it's expedient. Right? Smut is the fast food of romance, the skipping of dinner to go straight to dessert. And I'm not saying this is wrong. Who doesn't like a little Mickie D's or Taco Bell every now and then? Who doesn't enjoy some cake, ice cream, pie, or whatever dessert suits your fancy? But it does need to be said that, metaphysically speaking, smut represents the sphere of instant, but ultimately hollow, gratification, while romance represents the sphere of long-lasting, but more difficult to obtain, satisfaction.
I want to meet that challenge with some competency. And to this end, some practice is required. Trial and error, failure, even, is required. Let's be honest with ourselves: that shit is nerve-wracking when it comes to romance, isn't it? I'd go so far as to say everyone, to some degree, including myself, doesn't want their character to look like an idiot when it comes to love—obvious caveats for characters who are intended to be that way aside. No other genre of writing in RP has the exquisite ability to pierce right through the fourth wall and affect you personally quite like romance. Even if your fourth wall is made of granite, even if you don't mind at all if your characters are Adonises/Aphrodites or some kind of goofball, still I'm sure you'd agree that practice can never hurt, especially when it comes to the craft of writing.
So that's the gist of it. I'd like to write some romance that's fun and helpful for both myself and my writing partner; an enterprise where we're both free to test ourselves, try new things, and improve. Success is not guaranteed, but that's where both the thrill and the learning come in. It's the familiar exhilaration of "Will they or won't they?" and then all the things which come after that. And it's fine, absolutely fine, if the answer is a resounding "Yes, they will" or a resounding "No, they won't", because that's the spirit of practice. This is something, in that same spirit of practice, I think I will do multiple times down the road, but for now I am most certainly interested in one thread/story like this.
If you've made it all the way to end and didn't find yourself terribly bored, you might just be the writer I'm looking for. Send me a DM on the Discord or reply here if you are interested, and join me, if you would, for the freshness of a new romance.
Edit 1: Closed for now, but if you read all of that, thank you for your time and consideration!
Now, because I personally find it to be mildly inappropriate at best and potentially perilous at worst to ask directly of this genre of story, I therefore see it as to my advantage and to the advantage of any interested writer to make this LFG post, where said writers can simply peruse and consider at their fullest convenience and in accordance with their own present interests, without the burden of having to say "yes" or "no" to any direct inquiry.
So there's my reasoning behind making this LFG post, somewhat longwinded as it is. Onto the subject itself: romance.
I've spoken on occasion on the Discord about writing romance, and I believe it to be my weakest area of writing. Likely there are others who feel the same. And is it any surprise? Simply put, romance is hard to come by; this for a variety of reasons, but chief among them, I think, is time. There are no shortcuts to a satisfying romance story, even if it is the case that it is meant to be short and sweet. For myself, it also doesn't help that one of my mantras is: "Story first, romance second."
I've come to wanting to give bespoke romance a try first and foremost to practice, but also because of a somewhat funny but very truthful realization. Examine, for a moment, your past and present characters. Categorize them into two groups, roughly speaking, of those who are aiming for romance and those who are, to succinctly if perhaps crudely put it in a phrase, one-night-standers. What's the success rate of your romantics? Now what's the success rate of your one-night-standers? I'll hazard the guess that it's much like my own experience: my one-night-standers, those characters of the more licentious persuasion, have enjoyed smashing success (pun intended), while the romantically-inclined characters have got to walk uphill both ways. The reason for this is obvious upon a moment's reflection: it's just way easier for the one-night-standers because the goal-posts of success are so much closer for them. They're running a 100 yard sprint, the romantics are running a 5k. And, for us writers ourselves, it's expedient. Right? Smut is the fast food of romance, the skipping of dinner to go straight to dessert. And I'm not saying this is wrong. Who doesn't like a little Mickie D's or Taco Bell every now and then? Who doesn't enjoy some cake, ice cream, pie, or whatever dessert suits your fancy? But it does need to be said that, metaphysically speaking, smut represents the sphere of instant, but ultimately hollow, gratification, while romance represents the sphere of long-lasting, but more difficult to obtain, satisfaction.
I want to meet that challenge with some competency. And to this end, some practice is required. Trial and error, failure, even, is required. Let's be honest with ourselves: that shit is nerve-wracking when it comes to romance, isn't it? I'd go so far as to say everyone, to some degree, including myself, doesn't want their character to look like an idiot when it comes to love—obvious caveats for characters who are intended to be that way aside. No other genre of writing in RP has the exquisite ability to pierce right through the fourth wall and affect you personally quite like romance. Even if your fourth wall is made of granite, even if you don't mind at all if your characters are Adonises/Aphrodites or some kind of goofball, still I'm sure you'd agree that practice can never hurt, especially when it comes to the craft of writing.
So that's the gist of it. I'd like to write some romance that's fun and helpful for both myself and my writing partner; an enterprise where we're both free to test ourselves, try new things, and improve. Success is not guaranteed, but that's where both the thrill and the learning come in. It's the familiar exhilaration of "Will they or won't they?" and then all the things which come after that. And it's fine, absolutely fine, if the answer is a resounding "Yes, they will" or a resounding "No, they won't", because that's the spirit of practice. This is something, in that same spirit of practice, I think I will do multiple times down the road, but for now I am most certainly interested in one thread/story like this.
If you've made it all the way to end and didn't find yourself terribly bored, you might just be the writer I'm looking for. Send me a DM on the Discord or reply here if you are interested, and join me, if you would, for the freshness of a new romance.
Edit 1: Closed for now, but if you read all of that, thank you for your time and consideration!
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