Picked a romance plot over a murder mystery for my novel and I'm regretting it

I had to choose between a stolen family heirloom mystery and a slow burn love story between two rival florists in Portland. Went with the romance because it felt safer, but now 40 pages in and nothing happens besides them staring at each other over tulips. Has anyone else chosen the wrong genre and ended up with a boring mess?

2 comments

2 Comments

ray_patel2722d ago

Ain't that the truth? I once scrapped a whole plot about a con artist running a fake charity just to write a "cozy" story about a baker finding love in a small town. Got 60 pages in and realized the most exciting thing that happened was the baker arguing with her cat. I swear slow burn romances are just excuses for nothing happening, you know?

williamt4422d ago

Nothing happening" is exactly the point though, isn't it? Slow burn romances aren't about car chases or con artists, they're about the little moments like the baker arguing with her cat or the way she folds her apron. In my experience, @ray_patel27, the best love stories come from those quiet, everyday scenes that let you sit with the characters and feel what they're feeling. Your mileage may vary, but I'd rather read about a baker and her cat than a charity scam any day.