It's not a romance, it's a love story

At the moment I'm working on a short story called Harvest Moon, which should be ready for publication next week (I really wanted to write something for Halloween, and whilst this isn't technically a Halloween story, it's very "of the season." Or at least, I think so). When I started it, I was sure it was going to be a romance. But it's not. It's a love story.

The difference, you ask?

Romance has a happily ever after (HEA). This is one of the things that makes it a romance. A love story does not necessarily have a HEA. Think Cinderella v Titanic. In Cinderella, the girl marries her prince, overcomes her wicked stepsisters and gets to live in a castle with a handsome, loving husband forever. In Titanic, Rose survives but loses Jack. She goes on to have a wonderful, fulfilling life, but there's no HEA for her and Jack because she was too selfish to share her stupid wardrobe door with him.

In Harvest Moon, I was sure that Rowen and Blake would end up with a HEA, despite rather insurmountable odds. But the further into the story I get, the more I realise it's just impossible. If I want to stick to the rules of their little world and keep the story believable, they can't have a HEA. They can have love and they can have happiness, but they can't have a romantic ending.

This makes me sad in a way, but in another, it's quite exciting. It changes things for the characters. It changes the decisions they make and the way they feel about them. It challenges them to move forward and make new plans. I don't want to give any spoilers, so I'll say no more, but now I've resigned myself to giving up on the HEA, I'm looking forward to writing a bittersweet yet hopeful story of love. Just don't expect a fairy tale ending.