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| Sheep in Wyoming, courtesy of my crappy little camera |
No, I’m not a rebel or a renegade or someone who
strikes off in a wild new direction. That’s not me. BUT, I figure there’s no
sense being a sheep either.
I picked up a book this weekend – a romance novel
the name and writer of which I won’t reveal – and within the thirty some odd
pages I read, I realized the book was quickly going down a path that so many
romance novels do. The main character had been born into a wealthy family – and
I don’t mean successful dry cleaning business wealthy, I mean billionaire
tycoon wealthy – and the author described a setting, without a trace of
sarcasm, full of mansions, polo ponies, BMWs, Land Rovers, designer fashions
and servants. And of course the hero of the story was impressed by the
uber-rich heroine’s sweetness, generosity, backbone and spunk. She was, in a
word, perfect. Completely without flaws, too good for this world…and her only
real challenge in life was deciding which polo pony she wanted to ride that
day.
It was quite funny.
For whatever reason, this kind of decadence is more
tolerable in a historical piece. At least for me: I’d rather read about kings
and queens than wealthy contemporaries. But regardless, I think it’s a trend in
romantic fiction that isn’t relatable to the average reader, and it’s certainly
not relatable to me.
What about characters with REAL struggles? With
broken washing machines and dwindling paychecks? With fields that need sowing
and lawns that need mowing? With crappy jobs and cars that don’t always start?
But characters with good friends and strong families too, with depth and flaws
and self-doubt. What about them? Why does a character have to be extremely
wealthy and unquestionably perfect in order to be interesting? Why does he or
she have to be a brain surgeon or a lawyer or a politician in order to have
merit?
No one is perfect, no one’s life is perfect, and
that’s what I want to write about. Real people with real problems, not
millionaires with trust funds and kinky bondage issues. And I have to believe
that there’s a market out there, that there’s room in romance for a touch of
country and a dash of everyman, that there are readers who want representative
fiction that isn’t complete fantasy.
That’s what I want to read, anyway, so that’s what I’m
putting out there. Do what you love and love what you do…all that sort of
stuff.
I am with you. There is a place for characters from all walks of life, not just the fabulously wealthy. Don't be a sheep even if they are very cute to look at. Beautiful picture! Wish I was there.
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