Not meeting hero until halfway through?

EmeraldLily23 · Mar 5, 2015

Disclaimer: Though I have long loved and read romance, I have never written it. I do have a WF novel under my belt, and a very poorly written old chick lit manuscript I wrote years prior. It's really not good, and my first attempt at ever writing anything long, but I was looking at it again recently and realized there are some gems inside and I'd like to do something with it. I'm considering taking certain aspects and writing a whole new novel. I'd like to maybe try writing it as a romance.

My question or concern is, the main character goes through two (brief, but important) relationships prior to meeting "the one" so essentially, is this more of a Women's Fiction (I've seen previously defined as where the heroine's journey is more crucial than the relationship itself) or is it still possible to be a romance if she dates these other men first before falling in love with the hero?

Thoughts? I'm not opposed to making it WF but I thought it might be a challenge, although fun, to try something new. I really enjoy reading romance, but it seems most if not all I've read the characters meet near the beginning of the story. Not always fall in love right away of course

but at least meet.

Help?

Thanks!

Marlys · Mar 5, 2015

Yeah, that's late to introduce the hero for romance, in which the relationship needs to be central to the plot. If the couple don't even meet until the second half of the book, it does sound like the heroine's journey is the important part, not the relationship.

There are ways you could restructure the book to make the relationship central. Like, start with the heroine and hero meeting, and put the two previous relationships in flashback (perhaps weaving them in so that the past illuminates what's happening in the present).

Or ask yourself if the two other relationships need to be on screen at all, or whether they can be backstory that gets worked in as necessary to show where the heroine is right now.

ElaineA · Mar 5, 2015

Honestly, I think it might be late even for WF. I realize we're supposed to be focused on the FMC, but if the main relationship starts half way and then becomes the focus of the FMCs journey, the first half risks feeling irrelevant, like a new story has begun at the half-way point. I suppose it works if he story is heavily focused on the FMC such that her relationship-life is basically in the background, but if the FMC/MMC become main storyline, I'd worry about that.

LA*78 · Mar 5, 2015

I think the MC and LI need to meet toward the beginning of the story, however I don't believe a romantic relationship between them necessarily needs to start then.

Perhaps your MC could have some brief encounters (maybe some lustful thoughts about the hottie a few seats over on the train, or the guy that always seems to be in line for coffee at the same time she is etc) with the final LI that allow the reader to be introduced to his character so that when they do officially meet it isn't such a surprise to the reader?

Becky Black · Mar 6, 2015

I've only read one romance that had that pattern. It was a m/m once and started with the main character getting into a relationship with a character who then got killed part way into the novel. Eep! Then he later met the character he ended up having his happy ever after with.

For me, though it was a bit of a "wait, what?" moment, I'm not a long time Romance reader and I'm more tolerant of deviations from the usual forms than some people are. Other readers would toss a book that did that against the wall and then maybe write a horrible review of it. You would definitely take that chance if the book was classified as Romance.

As women's fiction it could be okay, though in that case don't end up making it women's fiction for the first part of the book and romance for the second half, because as ElaineA says, that could make the first part of the book feel pointless. Keep the focus on the main character and make the relationship with the man she ends the book with part of her journey through the story, but not the only part of the story, if you see what I mean.

Cathy C · Mar 6, 2015

I don't think it's too late for WF, depending on how long a span of time the book covers. One concept I've enjoyed in WF books is when the love interest is a different personality type than she usually went for, that wouldn't have interested the heroine at a different point of her life. For example, she was raised very straight-laced and always looked for men who were methodical and careful, but quickly lost interest in them and so couldn't find love. Then she meets "the one"---adventurous, physical, take-your-breath-away type. Think Romancing the Stone or The Mummy. LOVE that sort of book!

Or, there's the reverse, where she's wild and crazy and finds the steady and methodical man at a point in her life when she can appreciate it.

andiwrite · Mar 7, 2015

Marlys said:
There are ways you could restructure the book to make the relationship central. Like, start with the heroine and hero meeting, and put the two previous relationships in flashback (perhaps weaving them in so that the past illuminates what's happening in the present).

^^This

LJD · Mar 8, 2015

In Lisa Kleypas's Sugar Daddy, the heroine meets the hero pretty late in the book, but I think this sort of thing is tough to pull off. For romance, I usually expect them to meet in the first quarter of the book.

ETA: And Kleypas's Travis books do read a bit like women's fic to me...

NonieMaus · Mar 8, 2015

What if the two characters keep just missing each other. The One finishes up a meeting with a man that then leaves to go on a lunch date with the MC. Or The One runs into an old college buddy at a pub, gets an emergency text from his sister and has to leave, holding the door open for the MC as she walks through to meet the college buddy. Their paths intertwine until it's obvious he's the one?

Just a suggestion.

Deb Kinnard · Mar 8, 2015

As a reader, I'm not even okay with the "just missing" scenario. For me to keep reading, there has to be face-to-face chemistry between the Him and the Her, or it doesn't read like a romance. I don't read much WF, so I can't weigh in on how such a scenario would play there. But if I were a third through a book sold as romance, and He and She hadn't met yet, I'd probably wallbang.

EmeraldLily23 · Mar 9, 2015

Thanks for the replies. You have given me some things to consider. I may try weaving in some of the past as opposed to doing everything chronologically. I am going to play around and see what comes up. Either way, I'm excited to dive in! Maybe for fun I'll write a flash fiction romance to get my feet wet.

Brutal Mustang · Mar 9, 2015

What also works is when you show the lives of both characters before they meet. Think Sleepless in Seattle.

Callegro · Mar 15, 2015

I can relate. I had written these great scenes and interesting characters and felt it really helped to deepen the MMC. Of course, then this wonderful forum pointed out it was nothing but backstory dumping. Even though I loved some of that writing, it will not be seen by anyone but me. Talk about a painful realization!

At least it was a useful experience to help me more fully understand and write the character. Heck I might even need to do it for the FMC!

The question is what type of book do you want to write, what story lines are ringing true to you? If you want to write romance, it does seem that that the bulk of the work needs to revolve around the two MC.

Best of luck with your writing!

Not meeting hero until halfway through?

EmeraldLily23

Marlys

Resist. Love. Go outside.

ElaineA

All about that action, boss.

LA*78

Becky Black

Writing my way off the B Ark

Cathy C

Ooo! Shiny new cover!

andiwrite

LJD

NonieMaus

Un Petit Chou

Deb Kinnard

EmeraldLily23

Brutal Mustang

Loves interplanetary chaos.

Callegro