I mention in an earlier post various ways that romances keep couples temporarily apart at the beginning of the narrative.Similar issues arise when romances reach the climax--a classic narrative arc requires some kind of challenge, split, problem & confrontation. Jane Eyre discovers a wife in the attic. Elizabeth's family troubles convince her that Darcy will never approach her again.
The inherent problem here is why the couple would suddenly fall to pieces if the relationship has been working. Bronte and Austen's solutions work because external problems come up against social pressure as well as internal doubts.
But in contemporary fiction, is the couple truly supposed to fall apart because of a rumor or an obnoxious ex? That suggests an astonishing lack of trust and understanding. Aren't we supposed to believe that these people are sooo right for each other? They've gotten along, figured each other out (as much as people can), expressed affection.
The writing problem here: if there is no "one bad thing"--if, as one hopes in real life, the couple smoothly transitions into the next stage of life--
What happens to the classic narrative arc?
I ran into this problem when creating Star Trek Fan Fiction. I had an entire scene laid-out in my head regarding a particular couple: they would be separated, yet manage to complete a marriage ceremony (that challenges tradition) despite their horrible families--
Until I realized that the characters--and the setting--didn't require so much melodrama. One character ends up hiring a Federation advocate to break the equivalent of a court order. Since he is now an official member of Starfleet, his planet--which is not a member of the Federation--has no power to order him into compliance with a particular tradition.
Pragmatic realism versus heartfelt confrontation: what happens to the climax--how does a writer make the story exciting if the writer is forced to eschew over-the-top melodrama?
This problem is one reason I generally prefer romance-mystery or romance-suspense or romance-sports since the climax is often tied to the mystery or suspense or sporting event.
For pure romance, I find that the internal climax where the characters come to understand, This is who I am works best. Jane Eyre realizes that she'd rather risk scandal with a possibly still married man than hang around St. John Rivers one more second.In other words, romance writers, please stop trying to convince me that Character A seeing Character B being kissed by Character B's ex will ruin Character A and Character B's relationship!
It doesn't convince me that the narrative arc is working. It just makes me tired.
