Tag Archives: romance

The Draw of the Alpha Hero: Cognitive Dissonance and the Modern Woman

Posted on February 2, 2015 by J. Sevick

I consider myself to be an independent, intelligent, feminist woman, and am proud to call myself these things. While not romantically inclined in my personal life, I find myself attracted to romantic fantasies in my reading habits—sometimes I struggle with … Continue reading →

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Random Thoughts on Writing Romance

Posted on January 21, 2015 by J. Sevick

Exactly what it says on the tin. 🙂 Romance plots come in three types: Major plotline (sometimes only plotline)—the conflict generated by this romance, as well as the scene time dedicated to resolving the conflict, makes up a major portion … Continue reading →

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Exploring the Wish Fulfillment Romance: Writing One

Posted on October 31, 2014 by J. Sevick

Last time I discussed how the intrinsic elements of a wish fulfillment romance—the sexist gender hierarchy, the clichĂ©s and overused tropes—are pretty much guaranteed to be problematic. And I suppose that’s the core of my issue. If I’m honest about … Continue reading →

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Exploring the Wish Fulfillment Romance: Power Fantasies

Posted on October 29, 2014 by J. Sevick

In non-romance-centered stories, such as female-driven fantasy epics, the heroines gain their power through transformations and tragic backstories much like their male counterparts. But they very rarely begin as super-powered, famous, wealthy badasses like some male heroes (again, Iron Man, … Continue reading →

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Exploring the Wish Fulfillment Romance: The Ordinary Heroine

Posted on October 27, 2014 by J. Sevick

I’ve written at length about my relationship with the romance genre, as well as my perceptions of the relationship between feminism and the romance genre. The core of my fascination is the dichotomy I see within myself—on the one hand, … Continue reading →

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Couple Development Worksheet

Posted on October 13, 2014 by J. Sevick

Once all factors have been determined and calibrated, what should result is a couple that interests you and the answer to the question: Why can they not be together and happy/safe/committed? The story that you write will answer the question: … Continue reading →

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Romantic vs. Problematic Tropes

Posted on September 16, 2014 by J. Sevick

I’ve written in the past about my love/hate-to-love relationship with the romance genre. The problem is that romance novels can be so problematic—and it’s the problematic elements that are often the most fun! Take those away, and the story is … Continue reading →

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Why I Hate the Idea of the Friendzone

Posted on August 28, 2014 by J. Sevick

Here’s why I hate the whole “men are only friends with women to have sex with them” idea—even if it’s true, which it shouldn’t be: Because it reduces a woman’s value as a person to sex. You can’t possibly want … Continue reading →

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The Friendzone and The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Posted on July 21, 2014 by J. Sevick

[I posted this on Tumblr, where it was promptly ignored, so I figured I’d put it here to be ignored as well. Just some random thoughts I had…] So, on a whim, I watched the Disney movie The Hunchback of … Continue reading →

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Sexism in Romance

Posted on June 25, 2014 by J. Sevick

I’ve written a few times about my relationship with romance and stories like Twilight… it’s complicated. But I saw this Tumblr thread the other day about John Green’s defense of Twilight and others who took issue with that defense, and it … Continue reading →

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