Episode Details

The last time we had a show near Valentine’s Day, it was the day after and we did Episode 299 “Love for Love’s Sake” exploring the trappings of a love story. So we’ll start there.

Love stories are universal because they are so versatile. In our previous episode, we went through the types of love per This linkwhich explains it this way: “the comprehensive feeling for the entire cosmos.” From the same link, other types of love:

• Eros – passionate or romantic love
• Philia – goodwill or friendship
• Storge – natural love or familial love, that which you feel for those in your proximity and history
• Ludos – skittish or unreliable love, maybe a crush? Also playful, or those early stages of the fluttering in your belly, giddiness of love
• Pragma – duty or reason-supported love, as in an arranged marriage, of course I love my sister’s dogs…
• Philautia – self-love or love within oneself.
• Mania (from this link) – obsession

If it’s a love story, it might also be a non-romantic love that takes center stage. For example:

• Mother’s love for her child: 1) nurturing and unconditional, 2) fierce and protective, 3) sacrificial, 4) strained or resentful, 5) absent or abandoned – leaving our character wanting more.
• Father’s love for his child: 1) supportive and nurturing, 2) wise and guiding, 3) demanding or disciplining, 4) abusive or neglectful, 5) stoic or unapproachable, 6) absent or wanting, and 7) replacement fathers like mentors, coaches, etc.
• Sibling love: 1) loyalty and protection, 2) competition and rivalry, 3) complex or strained – from the shared experience but different perspectives, think the siblings in The Godfather, 4) supportive or teammate-ish
• Friendship love: 1) deep companionship – shared experiences, mutually supportive, 2) ulterior motives – what can one gain from the other? 3) platonic affection – mutual respect, shared interests and values.

But a romance is not a love story and vice versa. So here’s some compare and contrast so we can differentiate between the two:

Both love stories and romance explore emotional intimacy and will likely also include physical intimacy. Both can elicit strong emotional reactions from readers. Love stories can be the primary plot, but are more often subplots. 

In contrast, romance stories put the love story at the center. It is the plot. How the characters interact with one another, the obstacles they overcome, and how they meet the challenges to come together are the plot. Romance has genre conventions, expectations that writers must meet not only to satisfy readers, but also to be considered a romance at all. For example, romance novels have a Happily Ever After ending. Always. No exceptions.

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