I wouldn't call it the driving force of narration, but it's so ingrained in media that I can see where people get it twisted.
Love stories are really good -side- plots, but if they become the main plot everything tends to get boring quickly. Really good, epic storylines have really good epic romance behind them as well. Behind them, is the key. Love stories help emphasis an already strong plot, making it more emotionally impacting.
Even some of the better romance novels out there have a driving plot, putting the romance secondary to it (See: Dark Hunters)
BUT, there are those people in the world who like their Twilights (Plot doesn't start till like page 300), their Harlequin romances, and their silly rom-coms*. These things don't tend to work in RP though, since it's an ongoing storyline and never ending, just doing romance is boring to MOST rpers because we aren't in a 2 hour movie or a 200 page book.
My character is involved in a romance, she tends to write about it in her journal a lot (Because who wouldn't) but she's also embroiled in some very dangerous plotlines that, when they are active, take the forefront of the story. She also has friends that she talks to regularly, trains to be good with a sword, writes music, all kinds of things. She wants to be better for herself and not for anyone else.
I think that's the best way to do it. It's a bit discouraging when some people believe having a romance is the only thing that matters. It's like "My character is your friend... how does that not matter?" but alas...
*For the record I love a good rom-com.
Love stories are really good -side- plots, but if they become the main plot everything tends to get boring quickly. Really good, epic storylines have really good epic romance behind them as well. Behind them, is the key. Love stories help emphasis an already strong plot, making it more emotionally impacting.
Even some of the better romance novels out there have a driving plot, putting the romance secondary to it (See: Dark Hunters)
BUT, there are those people in the world who like their Twilights (Plot doesn't start till like page 300), their Harlequin romances, and their silly rom-coms*. These things don't tend to work in RP though, since it's an ongoing storyline and never ending, just doing romance is boring to MOST rpers because we aren't in a 2 hour movie or a 200 page book.
My character is involved in a romance, she tends to write about it in her journal a lot (Because who wouldn't) but she's also embroiled in some very dangerous plotlines that, when they are active, take the forefront of the story. She also has friends that she talks to regularly, trains to be good with a sword, writes music, all kinds of things. She wants to be better for herself and not for anyone else.
I think that's the best way to do it. It's a bit discouraging when some people believe having a romance is the only thing that matters. It's like "My character is your friend... how does that not matter?" but alas...
*For the record I love a good rom-com.
![[Image: tumblr_n92fndN0EH1rujdn8o1_500.gif]](https://33.media.tumblr.com/449e130ac31106ec8aeda3d0f121d76b/tumblr_n92fndN0EH1rujdn8o1_500.gif)
