Having judged quite a few contests this year, I was very impressed by the calibre of the
entries. Sharp hooks. Nicely textured characters. Clean, strong prose. Why, I wondered
whenever I read a particularly strong entry, was this story sitting in my judging pile, instead
of on the shelf of my local book store. It did seem that something was missing — but what?
I gave that question a lot of thought. Finally when I read Vanessa Grant's book, Writing Romance, it came to me. Discussing suspense and story questions, the author of over twenty contemporary romance novels writes: "When your characters achieve their happy ending, it's important that they sacrifice something to earn their happiness." BINGO! Most of the otherwise wonderful stories I'd read tended to fall short in this area. Looking back, I realized I had no sense of what the hero and heroine sacrificed in order to be together.
In some cases, the initial conflict seemed to evaporate, and the couple decided to act on their longstanding attraction. In other stories, wise secondary characters persuaded the hero and heroine that they belonged together. No compromise. No reevaluating of priorities. No goal shifting. It was like opening a beautifully wrapped package only to find the box empty.
Sacrifice and love have a connection that goes back a long way. For nearly two-thousand years, one of Western civilization's great 'keepers' has contained this passage: "Greater love hath no man than a man lay down his life for his friend." I find the choice of words significant. Why not greater honor hath no man? Or greater righteousness? Perhaps it's because sacrifice -- putting the needs of someone else before our own, is the cornerstone of true love. It's the bench mark by which we separate it from mere attraction or infatuation.
Don't believe me? Then go to your own keeper shelf and revisit some old friends. I'm willing to bet that in the pages of these memorable, treasured books you'll find sacrifice — somewhere between the black moment and the happily ever after. In The Writer's Journey, Christopher Vogler defines the fictional hero in terms of sacrifice. "People commonly think of Heroes as strong or brave, but these qualities are secondary to sacrifice - the true mark of a Hero. Sacrifice is the Hero's willingness to give up something of value, perhaps even his own life on behalf of an ideal or a group."
If you're like me, with four Disney-mad young children, you've probably seen Hercules on video more often than you'd care to think about. Remember the young man's quest to become a hero? He struggles, he trains, he beats up monsters, he gets his own line of merchandise. But it's not enough to get him home to Mount Olympus. He isn't a 'true' hero. Only when he barters his soul for that of his beloved does he achieve genuine hero status. As his father, Zeus, says at the end of the film, "A true hero is measured not by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart." Adult translation — 'by the depth of his sacrifice'.
So, have I beaten you with this stick long enough? Willing to cry, "Uncle!" and concede that sacrifice might have a place in your stories? Good. Then let's explore some aspects of sacrifice as it applies to crafting romance fiction.
This is only part of the scoop on sacrifice. For more insights on this and related topics like character growth, do yourself a favour by checking out The Writer's Journey and Vanessa Grant's book (Writing Romance, Self Counsel Press, ISBN 1-55180-096-9). Try incorporating their suggestions into your work. Then maybe I won't be enjoying your contest entries anymore — I might have to go out and buy your books.
Hey, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.