I’m a romance nut. I started off reading teen romances by the time I was 13 or 14 years old. I eventually graduated to he adult romances. The ones I like the most are historical romances set in the UK somewhere, but mostly in London. I also like to read historical romances set in the US. Once in a while I will read a contemporary romance. The point is, I love my romance books.
So, when I had my first book idea pop into my head I was sure that I’d be writing a romance. I began to write my book. What I noticed right away is that the book did have a romance in it but that really wasn’t the focus. The primary focus of the book is about my main female character and the tragedy that befalls her. The problem is that I’m so new to writing I had no earthly clue the genre I was writing in.
I started to hear about women‘s fiction (WF) but really didn’t know what qualified as WF. Then someone finally explained to me what WF is. The basic gist is that if the main story can stand alone without the romance, then it is WF. However, if you take the romance out and you don’t have a story left, then it’s a romance. I had my “Awe Ha” moment. My book was so WF.
The interesting part, or at least I thought, is that I didn’t read WF very often if at all. And we are told as writer‘s to read in the genre that you write, yet here I sat writing in it and understanding it anyway. I feel blessed this genre does come naturally to me.
I have found out recently that Emily Griffin is actually a WF writer although I had no clue. I thought her books were romances. But now that I better understand what WF is I can see how her books are and I love them.
Thank you, Michelle, Sally, and everyone. While we’re on the subject, allow me to throw out a question. Why is Regency England such a popular setting? Right now there are probably more historical romances set in one country during a span of a few decades than there are set in any other part of the world throughout history. And of course, these novels don’t focus on just anyone in Regency England. It’s the ton, the London-based upper crust. I’ve read that the actual ton consisted of only about 400 individuals. A tiny platform on which to build thousands upon thousands of novels. I have a few ideas about why this setting is so popular. But let’s hear it from the experts. What do you say? Thanks!
Mabel, you are so right. I have read so many historical novels set in this specific time period. In fact, these are my favorite ones to read. I think in a way they are the most popular because here in the US we don’t have royals and whatnot like that. We can try to imagine what it would be like to have been part of the group of people.