A few weeks ago, in The SFWA Bulletin #207, I talked about Romance Tropes for SFF Writers. I described at length the current top ten most popular romance tropes and how they can be worked into science fiction and fantasy plotlines in ways that will please romance readers. I also offered the One Rule (there must be a happy ever after (HEA) or happy for now (HFN) conclusion to the romance, along with five guidelines for navigating the contract with the romance reader.
In a subsequent online conversation, I realized I forgot one – a critical one that comes up in SFF fairly often. So I wrote an addendum, which is up on the SFWA blog. Pop on over to check it out!