Today we have Derek Bishop visiting the blog to talk about his latest book, Incendium. Let's give him a unipornian whinny of welcome!
I've just published my first work of romantic fiction. It
does not have a traditional happily-ever-after ending. For this reason, I don't
really have the right to call it a Romance with a capital "R". I'm
still new to the genre, both as a reader and as a writer, so when I was first
told this, my bewildered expression must have resembled the one Catholics show
when Southern Baptists kindly inform them they're not real Christians.
"But―but... it's a love story. It's got sex scenes in
it―"
Nope. Not allowed.
I felt like that awkward girl no one wanted to dance with at
prom.
I don’t mean to criticize the hallowed HEA; I love HEA
endings. I love romances that weather the test of time and endure for decades.
I get teary-eyed from reading or watching them. I want to write other romantic
stories that do have an HEA ending. A typical
happily-ever-after was not the right conclusion for my novella, though. I
certainly appreciate the overwhelming appeal of the HEA, but is this the only
definition of happiness allowed at the close of a love story? A bittersweet
ending can also have satisfying, emotionally-powerful impact. Is there not a
place for it in this market, in this community?
A common response to the critique of HEA sacrosanctness
seems to be, "Well, if I wanted to be sad, I would open a newspaper."
But an ending that is not an HEA does not preclude a happy ending. Among the
Romance genre, the meaning of HEA has shifted from its literal one; it does not
necessitate that the main characters are believably happy, but that they are,
above everything else, together. The mechanisms to deliver the heroine/hero
into this situation sometimes come across as contrived and strain the bounds of
belief. In some novels, it seems as though it's more important for the h/h to
be together than it is for them to find actual happiness. Sometimes a story
just needs a bittersweet ending to make it as good as it's meant to be.
Love stories with tragic endings have always resonated
within the human psyche. There is something about the catharsis of feeling
someone else's heartbreak that leaves us clean and reborn afterwards. Tragedies
are extremely sad, though, which is why they are not Romances in the modern
definition of the term. However, we no longer live in a time when Janus has
only two faces. The human race figured out how to fuse comedy and tragedy long
ago; a motley mix of the two is available. Enter the bittersweet ending―an
ending in which something terrible happens in order for something wonderful to
occur, the best of both worlds.
There are many tremendous love stories that do not end with
the lovers being together, and while they may be romantic,
they are not Romances. They are literary fiction, or some other classification
of fiction. The Romance label or any form of it, guarantees an HEA. I have read
and heard it expressed by several Romance authors that they wanted to write a
different ending to one of their novels, one they thought was better, one the
story deserved, but they had to forgo it in favor of a contrived ending to keep
the characters together. How many great endings have we missed out on because
of the HEA standard?
Many fans would tell me, "Well, if you don't want an
HEA, then just go read another genre." But an HEA ending is not the only
convention of Romance. There are the explicit―arguably extraneous―sex scenes,
but these are only a shallow trapping, and not all Romance stories contain
them. The plot of every Romance, however, is structured around the evolution of
a romantic relationship in a way that is unique to the genre. There is the
significant meeting of the lovers for the first time, the build up to their
first kiss, the first time they say the "L" word to each other, the
resolution of the inner conflict between them, and then the strength of their
bond overcoming the outer conflict that threatens them.
At its core, a Romance is about two people overcoming an
obstacle that keeps them from being happy. It depicts a relationship that is
attacked on two fronts―an internal, emotional conflict within one or both
lovers’ hearts, and an external one keeping them apart through either a
physical or social hindrance. While most non-Romance love stories tend to focus
on one or the other of these two types of conflict, within a Romance, they are
linked. The inner conflict has to be resolved, and the two principal characters
fully realize their love for each other, before this connection can give them
the strength to overcome their outward hardships.
Romance stories are about triumph. The RWA definition
requires that they have, "an emotionally satisfying and optimistic
ending" and that "the lovers who risk and struggle for each other and
their relationship are rewarded with emotional justice and unconditional
love." In a bittersweet ending, the lovers may realize the love they had
for each other separately, at different times, or perhaps one after the other
has died. Even if they are forced, or decide to be apart, for whatever
extenuating circumstances, the reward of their unconditional love can still occur
and emotional justice triumph over the outward conflict. There can still be a
hopeful and optimistic ending, even if they do not end up together.
What is more romantic than someone sacrificing themselves
for their love? Or when a character realizes they cannot be with their lover
without hurting them or putting their life in danger? Or when the protagonist
learns wisdom from a failed relationship and the experience makes them ready to
bond with a more compatible partner?
The HEA will always dominate the genre; that is something
none of us need fear will change. So I would recommend that even if you are an
adamant proponent (or fanatic perhaps?) of the HEA, you should give the
bittersweet ending a chance sometime. Venture out from Romance with a capital
"R" and see how it goes. I know some of you have been hurt before;
you've been betrayed, thinking you were getting an HEA ending, and then did
not. Some standard of categorization should be made to manage readers'
expectations of the endings they will get. But what if you went into the
experience knowing it was going to be something else? What if you were prepared
for the catharsis that waited at the end?
If you're someone who already enjoys bittersweet endings, I
urge you to continue to support authors that offer that kind of experience. It
will increase acceptance for these types of stories in the Romance(ish) market.
For instance, (and I say this completely objectively, with no bias or
self-interest whatsoever:) you might stop by the Storm Moon Press website and
take a look at my novella, Incendium.
GIVEAWAY
OPPORTUNITY
Thanks for joining us on the Incendium blog tour! Be sure to take part in our giveaway! You have several options to be
entered through our Rafflecopter, but you get the most entries by leaving a
comment on this post! Today's question is...
How do you feel about bittersweet endings in
romance?
About the Author: Derek Bishop grew up in a small Virginia
town along the Blue Ridge Mountains. He was raised on Southern Baptism and Star
Trek. The Star Trek was the one that stuck. His parents were both teachers and
imparted a love of literature and wilderness exploration on him. He went to
school at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia where he
learned the joys of studying feminist theory, dancing to techno music, and
grocery shopping side by side with colonial costumed re-enactors. He left one
class short of a Gender Studies major and several classes too far of an English
major. His latest work, Incendium, is now
available from Storm Moon Press.
