tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post3714716104914122197..comments2024-03-05T13:51:24.898-07:00Comments on Spacefreighters Lounge : TITLES AND TROPES, TAKE TWOUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-57411964860963161172017-04-08T17:12:29.475-06:002017-04-08T17:12:29.475-06:00Yes, OzMerry, the credibility question is at the h...Yes, OzMerry, the credibility question is at the heart of all of this, isn't it? For some SF readers, ANY romance in the story (never mind the title or the cover) "spoils" the purity of their beloved genre. And we're back at the issue of whether romance writing is a legitimate endeavor. The argument is circular. Readers like what they like. If we hope to sell anything, we have to figure that out. Then we make the compromises we're willing to make with our own sense of "art."Donna S. Frelickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16431686010313020234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-29698746052288117722017-04-08T01:08:54.640-06:002017-04-08T01:08:54.640-06:00Well said, Donna! I guess we're stuck with the...Well said, Donna! I guess we're stuck with the status quo and gender stereotypes being part of the equation, but from what I've read in the SFR genre, there has been commendably little compromise by female authors who have boldly taken on the challenge of previously male-domimated science fiction. Just so long as they're not doing it to prove their writing is as good as the men's. It should never be a competition between the genders. Perhaps it's just a case of finding a comfortable balance between writing (and genre) integrity and popularity/sales.<br /><br />As a reader, I'm ALWAYS looking for a great grown-up SF story first, which includes romance and/or sexy times essential to the plot, where a committed relationship develops between the main characters as a result of their journey to an HEA/HFN. Sexual tension with no consummation in between lots of action is highly enjoyable to read too, I hasten to add. But: NO insta-love/sex for this gal, please! Likewise for huge dollops of romance set in space, no thanks. I've read a couple of stories where, despite dire circumstances, the H/h still can't keep their hands off of each other. Yeah, a pleasant distraction, but not particularly relatable. <br /><br />I've never read, nor will I read contemporary romance, but I would hesitate to label any writing "trashy" or "rubbish" because we humans like different things and the sales figures prove it. My main focus for raising the issue of SFR titles was on the large number of similar/identical titles and whether this was too much of a compromise for the genre to bear and simultaneously maintain credibility. The fact that SFR and RSF tend to be lumped together blurs the view somewhat, too.OzMerryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07433489540953072260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-65261655040953053502017-04-07T13:38:56.053-06:002017-04-07T13:38:56.053-06:00Since I'm equally interested in the science/te...Since I'm equally interested in the science/tech/civilization factors in SFR, I'm looking more for the "true" SFR that blends both sci-fi and romance into a great story. Not just a romance that happens to be set in a space/other world/advance civilization though the setting is clearly in the background. (Which, unfortunately is exactly the kind of SFR that RWA is championing with it's "romance-centered" definition.)<br /><br />I think you hit the nail on the head here: "Science fiction romance, in fact, is a victim of its own success, attracting more and more authors and more readers who are still learning what the subgenre is all about." As more popular authors cross over from the Paranormal and other romance realms, I'm seeing a definite division in the idea of just what SFR should be.<br /><br />And I'm with you both. I don't do "cookie cutter." It's not what I read and my packaging and titles are definitely apart from the norm. The sex and romance is always important and integral to the plot, but it's not the ONLY THING the story is about. Hence, I don't slap bare-chested males and couples in the traditional romance "clinch"--with a starry background. (Okay, granted I did have one exception to that but it was one of the covers of a serialized novel, so I experimented a bit.)L. A. Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01198035351359321392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-65731238077545878342017-04-07T13:19:04.362-06:002017-04-07T13:19:04.362-06:00I have to agree with you, Donna. I would not be li...I have to agree with you, Donna. I would not be likely to read a novel in that title category unless a friend recommended it to me. That type of title makes me think "cookie cutter," and I can't help making assumptions about the story accordingly. Same for the type of cover art that generally goes with those titles. Sharon Lynn Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11886205665048406062noreply@blogger.com