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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Romance Mad Libs

Since we had so much fun yesterday we're trying another genre!

Trying to write a novel? Are you stuck? Have no fear, the Fill-in-the-Blank plot game is here!

Circle the answer or fill in the blank as appropriate:



MC - Boy/Girl/Other - longs desperately to ________________, but is thwarted by the cruel/poorly dressed/rich/poor/older/younger ________________ who is related to them by _____________________.


When MC runs away/kills someone/discovers hidden talents/meets a sparklepire/moves to new town MC finds __________________ [verb] [-ly word] [adjective meaning hot or huge] [more verb].


Then MC meets Boy/Girl/Other and they ______________. Later they are forced to ____________________ by _________________ who _______________ because __________________.


Everything goes swimmingly for three pages, and then ______________________.


Suddenly MC is filled with doubt because _________________ and MC realizes Love Interest cannot love them! Oh woes is me!!!


Despite Love Interest's best intentions nothing can be done. MC needs an intervention from SnappyDresser/SassyGayFriend/SarcasticHippy/BossPerson/WiseOldMan/Yoda.


All is saved until the previously unmentioned villain ________________ ! That dastard! Then Villain _______________________ MC reacts with _____________ and __________________ is _______________ until _______________________________.



The ____________ is __________ and MC ____________________.


WAIT!!!! It's page 250, time for the requisite fight. See the happy couple? Smash the happy couple. Choose your weapon:
- Pride
- Forced Stupidity
- Mis-communication
- Refusal to Listen
- Do or Die Scenario that could easily be avoided by telling someone what is going on
- Contrived Scenario that no one will believe (not like we believe the others - but you can't skip the Page 250 fight scene!)


MC runs to ________________ and _______________ while Love Interest _____________ while [verb] [noun] [verb] [-ly] [bonus points for heaving!]


They mope.


More moping.


Villain has one good line.

Sudden pointless revelation!

Page 300! Time to wrap this up!


MC meets Love Interest again at _____________ over ___________ MC realizes she loves Love Interest's ______________. Villain dies of excess love in the air. All is well.

THE END


Now your book is finished go find the erotica short stories you wrote but never published. Do a search for the names, replace with names' of MC and Love Interest. Insert new chapters wherever the book gets dull. Don't worry about making these scenes make sense, no one is reading the parts in between anyhow!

If you need more cliches check out this beautiful flowchart from Carissa Taylor. Remember, if your heroine has personality you are doing it wrong.

*NOTE* This is all in good fun and following this will not necessarily get you a good romance novel - unless you are publishing in 1980, in which case you don't even need to spell check!

4 comments:

  1. Ack! You discovered my formula! :)

    I love mad libs. I'll think of some good fillers...

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  2. By the way, in 1980, you would also add the words "velvety shaft" and "entered her" every other page. Keeps em reading.

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  3. And an arranged marriage. My mind blocked out the horror and I'd forgotten all about arranged marriages and velvety shafts.

    *gags a little*

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  4. I particularly enjoy the [verb][noun][-ly](etc) portions.

    ReplyDelete