Romance. Horror. Mystery. Suspense. Action.
You name the genre, they’re all love stories. Well . . . to some extent.
In this video, Raymond and I discuss this very topic. A little tipsy, I might add . . . so this conversation is interestingly peculiar. Usually, we disagree just on about everything writing-related. He writes dark fiction; I write urban fantasy and other romance. But on this? We finally found common ground. Not to say we didn’t have completely different views of why every story is a love story, but . . . well, you’ll see. If you like laughing, I invite you to check it out. 12 minutes of your time, and it might even make your day!
As you saw, I feel that love happens to be like survival. It’s just one of those basic instincts that would make you move mountains and cross oceans. It’s what makes things in life matter. It’s what makes a good story, well, good.
I imagine writers out of the romance genre are reading this thinking they dislike romantic stories and feel they couldn’t possibly write them. Men are probably shaking their heads, thinking ‘no way,’ but hear me out. When you read just about any story, you’ll inevitably conclude that it’s a love story. Or at the very they least they’ll all have a love story intertwined. And if not done in dramatic fashion, everyone enjoys it. Don’t believe me? Take Hagrid from the Harry Potter series, for example. Were you angry he was given a chance at love? Nah, I bet you smiled. Unless you’re heartless, then that’s a whole ‘nother issue.
Regardless of your preference, though, you need love to give characters a reason to fight. Or even to break the tension. It’s the driving force behind jumping in front of a monster and sacrifice your life to save someone else. Love is the goal in one form or another. We want it so we can find happiness, connection, and feel like we belong. Heck, it’s even a reason some characters have to kill. As Raymond always says, “Love is a quick death.”
But hey, to me, love is eternal and will live on through every great story ever written.
By
S. Katherine Anthony
Writers After Dark 