Romy Sommer

In the build up to Nanowrimo, we had a discussion on the South African romance writers' Yahoo loop about opening scenes and the use of prologues. At least one member admitted to skipping prologues completely. I tend to read them, but then I read everything, even the fine print on cereal boxes. Which is probably why I wear glasses. The discussion reminded me of the one prologue that was not only well worth reading, but a must read. Two friends independently recommended the book to me, and both also commented on the prologue, so of course, I had to read it. The book is Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase. It's the only time a prologue moved me to tears. It gives the back story in a way that hooks you in so completely you cannot put the book down. Don't believe me? Download the sample chapter from Amazon and see for yourself. While I do like a good prologue, don't get me started on epilogues. If the book ends with hero and heroine a year later cooing down at t...

Since this has become a discussion among both the Entangled Smackdown and Minxy groups, I thought today I'd clear up the difference between tropes and archetypes. A trope is a concept, while an archetype relates more to character. So as an example, 'Reformed Rake' might be the trope, while 'Bad Boy' would be the archetype. A cop or sheik might be an archetype, but their story could be any from the lengthy list of tropes , for example, Boy Next Door or Stranded. And this is exactly why I think the romance genre will never be boring or formulaic. There are endless combinations of characters, settings, conflicts and tropes, so every story is different from the one before. Add in the author's own voice and no two stories are ever really the same. However, just as a trope can head into cliché territory if not handled properly, so weak writing can turn an archetype into a stereotype. The line between the two is thin, but very clear. An archetype is a universa...

What's a Trope?  Here's my quick definition and the extensive list of romance tropes I've compiled. Leave a comment to suggest any I may have missed.