BIG DILEMMA MAKES GREAT PAGE TURNER

In this time of pandemic, lockdown, global warming and general mayhem, I find I’m doing a lot of reading. And not, surprisingly, of SFR. For some reason, I don’t want to read about the future, about technology or science or shiny spaceships going to far-off planets. And certainly not about apocalyptic dystopias. I’ve got enough of that right out my front door, thank you very much. No, I choose to lose myself in the past a lot these days, in a time that may not have been any better, or even simpler, but was different enough from today that I can truly escape from the world of computers and cell phones and television news trumpeting the latest inanity 24-7.

I’ve written before of my admiration for historical romance writer Eloisa James, whose work was my entrée into the subgenre, and her incomparable talent for witty dialogue. I’ve blown through her catalogue and I’m anxiously awaiting her next book. Author Kelly Bowen has a way with broody heroes and quirky heroines. Mary Balogh writes beautifully of wounded heroes and heroines and how love heals. But right now I’m in the middle of a long string of books by Grace Burrowes, who is devilishly good at setting up what appears at first to be an insurmountable dilemma for her hero and heroine.

 

One of a series I've been caught up in lately.

This, of course, is the essence of the drama in a romance novel. In the girl-meets-boy, girl-loses-boy, girl-gets-boy-back, happy-ever-after romance arc, the central dilemma is behind the whole loss part. The loss, or black moment, is inevitable, if you’ve set up the dilemma correctly, because the hero and heroine have different goals and motivations, which lead to an underlying conflict of interest. How the lovers resolve the conflict/dilemma and find their happy ending keeps you turning pages. The more seemingly unsolvable the puzzle, the faster you’ll read, even when you know (because this is a romance!) that the story will have a happy ending.

For example, in A Truly Perfect Gentleman, The True Gentlemen Book 6, the hero is a newly minted country earl with lots of brothers and tenants (not to mention a crumbling estate) to support. He needs to marry a wealthy heiress.  But despite the financial pressure, he’s just not the fortune-hunting type. What’s worse, he’s already met and fallen in love with the heroine, a respectable widow who, alas, has not much money. Even she recognizes she’s not the right person for him and tries to bow out gracefully, though she loves him, too. Can they find their HEA, despite disasters at the home estate, uncooperative siblings and several wealthy young ladies who have set their caps at the earl? 

Well, yes, of course they can (and do), but all along it seemed like a narrow thing, thanks to the talent of the author, who keeps putting obstacles in her lovers’ path and reminding her readers that success is just impossible. As a reader, I’m enthralled, devouring the book—all Burrowes’s books—in a fever until the HEA is achieved at last. As a writer, I’m constantly trying to dissect the author’s methods, to see if I can learn her secrets.

One thing, at least, is obvious, if not easy to do: you have to keep up the pressure. My mentor in this business, science fiction author A.C. Crispin, once said you have to chase your protagonist up a tree, set a lion at the base of the tree, then throw rocks at your guy (or gal). In other words, you have to do everything you can to make it hard for your hero and heroine, throw obstacles in their paths, set up roadblocks, pile it on. Make your readers believe their situation is impossible, unresolvable. Only then can you perform the miracle of the happy ever after ending.

Some writers believe the way to do this is to have their heroes and heroines squabble through three-quarters of the book, then just randomly decide to make up for the climax and HEA. That doesn’t work for me. The central dilemma has to be real. It has to arise out of the goals and motivations of each character, which have to conflict in some way. That conflict can be mostly external, as it was in the book I described (the hero’s need for money and the heroine’s lack of it), but it helps if there is an internal component (the hero really couldn’t bring himself to marry solely for money). If the dilemma can be resolved simply by talking about it, it’s not a dilemma.

No danger of that with Grace Burrowes’s books. Every conflict is genuine, every dilemma seems incapable of resolution. Until it isn’t. Because, of course, this is romance, where we are guaranteed a happy ending.

Cheers, Donna

Why I Need That HEA

Mission: Success
Laurie's Journal

Continuing the discussion of HEA/HFN vs. tragic endings in SF...

Putting on my reader's cap, I have expectations that stories will end on a good note. I don't want characters I identify with and root for have to suffer through myriad trials and tribulations only to meet a bleak and morbid end.

What's the point? All that for nothing?

Some argue that that's just how life is. I don't agree. Yes, granted, we'll all die someday and it will be a tragedy, but it's how we live that really counts, que no?

For me, stories are about conflict and struggle, both internal and external, and how the characters  overcome, conquer and resolve those struggles in a positive, satisfying, and especially in a surprising (provided it's a happy surprise) way.

As a writer, I have similar thoughts. I don't want to expend my creative energies on a story that's going to come crashing down on the readers head--and heart--like some rock that fell from the sky. I want the characters to soar. I want readers to soar with them. (Right after that final boot off the proverbial cliff, of course. I also like my endings crafted with high drama.)

So, yeah, I like an "All is lost!" that comes with a "But wait..."

But all that said, I think there are exceptions for when a non-HEA/HFN can work, and that's in the case of a series with a much larger story arch. When the story is building toward an epic climax via multiple books, I think there is room in my universe for a tragic conclusion, provided the series itself ends on a happy note.

Think Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Not exactly an upper of a wrap, was it? Han has been encased in carbonite and taken away by bounty hunters. Luke is re-learning how to use a bionic hand after having his own severed in a battle with Darth Vader and learning about his dubious heritage. The rebellion is losing. Things definitely ended on a big downward spike.

Quite a contrast to the medals being awarded at the conclusion of A New Hope or the big celebration at the end of Return of the Jedi. And it works. Because it leaves the reader wanting to know how all of this woe will be overcome, and still giving them a glimmer of hope that they just might still salvage an HEA.

So when the question is posed, Should non-HEA stories be included under the SFR umbrella, my answer is: Sometimes, yes. The next logical question would be: What's the final outcome?

I think Ann Aguirre's Sirantha Jax series has a couple of novels that fall short of the HEA in the overall story arc. Can you think of others? Do you think it's possible to end every book of a series on an HEA/HFN. (Or a HUS--Happy Until Sequel.)

SFR Under Glass?

There's a new SF miniseries coming to CBS titled Under the Dome. The concept is based on a Stephen King SF novel (or possibly a couple of them) and is reportedly set to premier at 10PM (assuming Eastern?) on June 24th.

From Wikipedia, here's the premise:

Set in the near future, Under the Dome tells the story of the residents of the small town of Chester's Mill, who suddenly find themselves cut off from the rest of the world by a mysterious, impenetrable barrier that surrounds the town. As the town begins to tear itself apart through panic, a small group of people attempt to maintain peace and order while also trying to uncover the truth behind the barrier and how to escape from it.

I love the concept of Near Future, Earth-based SF that doesn't involve zombies or alien invasions. It's a "What would happen if..." kind of story, that makes people start thinking, "What if this happened to me? My family? My town?"

Curious? Here's a clip:


Judging from the preview scenes, there's a good chance some SFR elements will come into play in the story lines (again--depending on the final outcome). It also looks to offer some strong female characters among the cast. (We can only hope.)

I'm intrigued by the previews and plan to tune in. How about you?