Where would a romance novel be without the Black Moment™? What would romance authors do instead of sitting around dreaming up the worst thing that could happen to our hapless couples? It’s hard, people! Seriously. Writing a book where boy meets girl (or any combination thereof), they date, get to know each other, get married (or not), and live happily ever after is easy. Boring for the reader, though. There has to be conflict. There has to be a modicum of relationship suspense even if the book isn’t a suspense, mystery, or thriller. We want to see a couple fight for each other, fight for their relationship, fight for love. Right? What’s that got to do with our message from the Universer today?
Hearts don’t actually break, Silver, but sometimes they’re forced to grow so fast, it feels like they have.
Sorry about that,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®For every heart ache, Silver, you feel deeper, love greater, and glow brighter. Yeah, which means right about now, you’re blazing.
Heartbreak is at the soul of a romance novel–ie. the Black Moment™. And the Universe is right–whether in fiction or real life. For every hurt of the heart, you do feel deeper, love greater, and glow brighter. And when a couple–real or imagined–come out the other side, that HEA is a blazing moment of glory. And that’s why I write and read romance. Besides, “torturing” a fictional couple in love is so much fun! Bwahahaha
What about y’all? Are you a fan of the Black Moment™ or do you want just a story of two people falling into love and living their lives in an easy-peasy HEA?
Silver James 
Conflict in a romance story is absolutely necessary. Conflict in real romance… not so much. I think conflict in fictional romance not only adds interest, but it gives people hope that whatever conflicts they’re experiencing in real life can work out to a HEA.
I read a cute little Christmas romance the other day that didn’t really have a ‘black’ moment. There was a small misunderstanding, though, which led to a minor argument that they worked out once they talked again. Otherwise, the romance was pretty smooth sailing. And that’s okay, too.
I guess it depends on the story and the writer and how they pull everything off. Some Black Moments are too black and as a reader, I can’t see how the couple could possibly ever be happy together again. Sometimes the writer writes it so the HEA is believable. And sometimes they don’t quite pull it off. :shrug:
I think “misunderstandings” and “not talking about them” is my least favorite and biggest beef with black moments. It’s a cheap and easy way to add conflict and to me, a writer is being lazy to use it. Grown-ups talk things out and I don’t do childish MCs. But that’s me. As a reader, give me something to sink my teeth into, something real and believeable. As I writer, I want to respect my readers and give them same. 🙂
With this one, it happened and then was resolved when they talked the next day, which was totally believable to me. But yeah, I can see what you mean there.
Talking is always good. I don’t mind one/both being in a brief snit, it’s the fact that the misunderstanding could be cleared up with a simple conversation but the characters are too…juvenile to do that. 😉