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Writer's Block: You've got the look
Mar. 24th, 2011 10:05 pm[Error: unknown template qotd]
Nyahaha...of course, I would say, not at all, but that's because I'm Young and Naïve and Inexperienced. Maybe.
The whole point of my current writing project, An Artist of the Heart, is to prove that love should be based on something other than physical attraction. As I was reading Silver Phoenix during spring break, I realized that I was tired of physical attraction as a basis for romance. I had a hard time stomaching the descriptions of how Muscular and Manly Chen Yong was, and how Strong His Jaw was, and How Exotic His Foreign-Looking Amber Eyes were, after a while, when Chen Yong hardly had any personality. On the other hand, I really liked his brother, Li Rong, who was funny and lively; I kind of wished the heroine would end up with him instead of dull Chen Yong. This is also the reason I prefer the kinds of romance depicted by Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters, and Shakespeare in some plays, to most modern romance.
So that's my question: Why does nearly all romance in fiction focus on appearances--how muscular and manly the guys are, and how curvy the girls are--while giving the two romantic leads either clichéd or paper-thin personalities? Why can't we have more romances based on chemistry between personalities, like a clever girl who hooks up with a witty guy? That's the kind of romance I like to read--which probably explains why I usually avoid the romance section in the bookstore.
In terms of my personal preference...if you were to ask me what my ideal partner would be like, I would rattle off a string of personality characteristics before the thought of physical appearance even popped into my head. Sometimes I wonder if it's even possible to find someone with all the characteristics I'd like, ahaha.
Nyahaha...of course, I would say, not at all, but that's because I'm Young and Naïve and Inexperienced. Maybe.
The whole point of my current writing project, An Artist of the Heart, is to prove that love should be based on something other than physical attraction. As I was reading Silver Phoenix during spring break, I realized that I was tired of physical attraction as a basis for romance. I had a hard time stomaching the descriptions of how Muscular and Manly Chen Yong was, and how Strong His Jaw was, and How Exotic His Foreign-Looking Amber Eyes were, after a while, when Chen Yong hardly had any personality. On the other hand, I really liked his brother, Li Rong, who was funny and lively; I kind of wished the heroine would end up with him instead of dull Chen Yong. This is also the reason I prefer the kinds of romance depicted by Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters, and Shakespeare in some plays, to most modern romance.
So that's my question: Why does nearly all romance in fiction focus on appearances--how muscular and manly the guys are, and how curvy the girls are--while giving the two romantic leads either clichéd or paper-thin personalities? Why can't we have more romances based on chemistry between personalities, like a clever girl who hooks up with a witty guy? That's the kind of romance I like to read--which probably explains why I usually avoid the romance section in the bookstore.
In terms of my personal preference...if you were to ask me what my ideal partner would be like, I would rattle off a string of personality characteristics before the thought of physical appearance even popped into my head. Sometimes I wonder if it's even possible to find someone with all the characteristics I'd like, ahaha.
