How to Write Inclusive Rom-Coms

November 23, 2020 | 12:30 PM

How to Write Inclusive Rom-Coms

By Aminah Mae Safi
How to Write Inclusive Rom-Coms
Friends to lovers, forbidden love, enemies to lovers, meet-cutes... who doesn't love a great rom-com? There is just so much to swoon over. As part of this month's Read Fierce book club, we asked author Aminah Mae Safi to give us some tips on how to write a rom-com. For all, you romance lovers and writers out there, keep reading for Aminah Mae Safi's 10 tips on How to Write Inclusive Rom-Coms and be sure to tune in to our book club discussion of Aminah's lovable enemies to lovers novel, Tell Me How You Really Feel at the end of November. Visit here for more details.
 
  1. What is a Rom-Com?:  I teach a class on the rom-com, and I start every class with this question. I think it's an important one to have an answer to. What is the rom-com to you? What do you think of it? Why? The more defined your answer to this, the better your rom-com will be. Your answer might be slightly different than mine, and that's okay. But it's important to know this from the get-go.
  2. Start with Characters: Characters are the backbone of every great rom-com. You want two romantic leads that your reader can root for. The more you understand who they are and what makes them tick, the more your reader can understand them, understand the choices that they make, and dive into watching them fall in love. I make mood boards and playlists for this. But you could also answer character sheets, fill in their personal background, or just sit down and do a mock interview with your characters. The sky's the limit here.
  3. Know Thy Tropes: Tropes are one of those words that are so often used in a negative connotation, but I believe they are essential to the rom-com. Tropes are the sign posts along the way that allow a reader to process the story quickly and, you guessed it, dive further into the characters you've developed. Tropes actually give your story boundaries. They're constraints, but they're the good kind of constraints. They let you focus on what's the most essential and most important and allow room for themes and the b and c plotlines of your story.
  4. Be Subversive: Ah, here's where the tropes really become fun. A good, inclusive rom-com is subversive. Gender dynamics, romantic politics, cultural norms— these are all up for grabs because of the structure of the rom-com. The beauty of those tropes and their structure is— you can now use the rules to upend them. The call is coming from inside the house on this one— it's a great way to maintain fun while also tackle all manner of social commentary.
  5. The Rom-Com is Self-Aware: Perhaps not exclusive to inclusive rom-coms, but I think all great rom coms have meta-awareness. The moments in Sleepless in Seattle where the characters continually reference An Affair to Remember. The winks at Shakespeare throughout 10 Things I Hate About You. The number of times a character in Set It Up thinks it’s a real shame no one knows what a Cyrano story is anymore. People who read rom-coms are almost always lovers of the genre. They're repeat readers. These kinds of easter eggs can make us feel included in the story and wink the heightened nature of the rom-com.
  6. Build a Cast of Characters: Don't forget your supporting characters! And a fun thing to do is use the normal romantic leads and make them the best friends. In Tell Me How You Really Feel, I went with the bro-iest boy jock because that guy is often the lead. I thought it would be fun to make him the best friend. I was right. Diesel was a delight.
  7. Inclusivity Isn't Singular: This will sound obvious, but there are all kinds of people in this world: different abilities, neuro-typicalities, different races, ethnicities, religions, different genders, different sexual orientations. Human beings are a rich tapestry, and bringing that to the entire story will make sure that you do not see inclusivity through a single lens. Inclusivity is intersectional and multidimensional. Don't lose sight of that.
  8. Know What You Love: Write what you love. Really. I love enemies to lovers, so that's what I wrote. But if you love childhood sweethearts, go for that. If you love the trope, it will shine because you will be having fun with it. If you're having fun, the reader will have fun.
  9. Who does the Happily Ever After belong to?: Who gets a happily ever after (or a happy for now, as is so much more often the case in YA) is not apolitical. There are so many people who are denied this kind of happiness in our world today. So writing a story where someone who is not normally front and center gets to be front and center— and gets a happy ending— that means something. Never forget this.
  10. Go forth and write: Finally, just sit down and do it. That's how rom-coms get made.

Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi

Tell Me How You Really Feel is an ode to romantic comedies, following two girls on opposite sides of the social scale as they work together to make a movie and try very hard not to fall in love. The first time Sana Khan asked out a girl–Rachel Recht—it went so badly that she never did it again. Rachel is a film buff and aspiring director, and she’s seen Carrie enough times to learn you can never trust cheerleaders (and beautiful people). Rachel was furious that Sana tried to prank her by asking her on a date. But when it comes time for Rachel to cast her senior project, she realizes that there’s no more perfect lead than Sana—the girl she's sneered at in the halls for the past three years. And poor Sana—she says yes. She never did really get over that first crush, even if Rachel can barely stand to be in the same room as her. Told in alternative viewpoints and set against the backdrop of Los Angeles in the springtime, when the rainy season rolls in and the Santa Ana's can still blow—these two girls are about to learn that in the city of dreams, anything is possible—even love. And check out Aminah Mae Safi's other books, Not the Girls You're Looking For, and her latest book, This Is All Your Fault, out now.

Blog