Many romance authors focus on the relationship between the two protagonists as they want the story to focus on their growing love story. But as in Real Life romance, there are some obstacles that characters have to face in order for the story to be interesting. In many regards, the story has to be as realistic as possible without the challenges being a mortgage payment or cleaning the house. Readers are reading romance because they want to escape their everyday troubles and hear a story about couples fighting through obstacles to prove their love for one another.
Sometimes, authors choose obstacles that seem impossible to relate to as it could be continuous cheating scandals. Or perhaps an author is writing about an overly emotional character that people wouldn't spend time with in real life. Of course, some stories are exaggerated for the sake of the novel as real-life romance can be too boring. Luckily, there's a way to lighten the mood to make the obstacles relatable and perhaps a bit more fun.
Munchkins add the comedy
Since romance novels often focused on the relationship between two people, the topic of family and Children will probably surface at some point throughout your story. Perhaps one of your characters has children or maybe there's a desire to start a family and have kids.
Regardless of your approach, talking about children in your novel will result in some cute scenes that readers simply can't ignore.
Some love stories can be quite heavy when it comes to the storyline. Cheating, death, insecurities, and sexual obstacles can all seem very heavy in a lighthearted romance. Adding children to a few scenes, even if it's the protagonist's niece or nephew will lighten the mood a bit.
There's a sense of innocence about children that readers can relate to and even though readers may not have children of their own, children can be used as a way of lightening the mood if you feel your novel has some serious issues.
Part of the storyline
Some romance novels are about the obstacles of having kids and finding happiness or with the decision not to have children.
The idea of incorporating kids into your storyline could have something to do with the way your characters are dealing with the topic matter but if you find that children aren't even on your mind when you're writing a novel, it may be best to leave them out. They don't have to be a focus in your storyline to be a part of your novel, but you can add them a few times for the sake of adding a few lighter scenes or perhaps some humor. Since we're always thinking about how each character adds something to the story, the kids in your novel could provide the comic relief or some stress relief that your protagonist needs at that particular point in time.
Have you ever used kids as part of your novel? How did you think it went?
