Can a 2,500 word romance short story be good?

[Weapon77]

How could such a short story be a good romance when most romances are a whole movie (like 5,000-ish words or more short story), tv series (like 50,000 or so words novel), or an entire play like Taming of the Shrew or Romeo and Juliet?

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

It's all about where you start the story and how you plan to end it. I agree, 2500 words is a very strict length and it doesn't allow for much, but you can still make it good. Don't give it a beginning, middle, and end. Keep it JUST in one portion. Leave the ending open to interpretation if that makes it easier. You don't make it about an entire relationship, you make the story about a singular moment. A moment that leaves an imprint on both people involved in the romance. You can make it about the moment they both fell for each other when they were out somewhere, or you can make it about their struggles together in the middle of the relationship, or you can make it about their ending. There are a lot of different ways you can do this.

[Weapon77]

Appreciate the input! Do you happen to have examples of any stories that might help give me an idea?

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Off the top of my head, the only one I can think of is the stuff I read for a writing class back in college. One person wrote about a woman's perspective of the awkwardness of a one-night-stand where she was trying to leave without waking up the guy she'd been with the night before, another was a supernatural story of two forgotten gods waiting to collect a soul, taking bets on how he would kill himself only for them both to be wrong.

[Weapon77]

Both sound interesting!

[jennifer_bloom]

The way I would do that is write a paragraph and see how many words you average per section and use that to break down your 2500 into sections. Me personally, I know when I write 400 - 500 words, I take up a single spaced page. Which means 2500 words equals between 5-6 pages of a story. Reduce it to 4 pages to allow yourself the freedom to time up loose ends. Then project a plot you can divide into 4.5 sections, along with a 0.5 for extraneous details. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is an example - lovers have obstacles - lovers defy parents - lover plan their life - lovers fail and die.

[Weapon77]

Good idea. I'd like to make it not be forbidden love like Romeo and Juliet though. Just not exactly sure what angle I want. Maybe I'm just having trouble because of my almost 0 romantic experience. Like what even is it? What makes us fall in love to begin with? Hmmm maybe thinking about some famlus romances would help

[bean2k21]

How about 25 words: Two people met, they fell in love, something prevented them from getting together, and then they overcame it to be with each other. The end.

[Weapon77]

Too derivative lmao Needs elaboration and pizazz!

[NathanDavis]

a good writer makes the difference...

[Weapon77]

Ah, but good at what? I'm apparently a great writer for action, fantasy, mystery, and such, but I have no confidence in my romantic writing since I feel like a failure in romance. Like, should someone who can't say the alphabet backwards be teaching the alphabet to anyone else? lol

[NathanDavis]

first of all... I feel personally attacked, since I am a tutor and can't tell the alphabet backwards but I will let that slide...

so, where you always good at action, fantasy, mystery and others? maybe yes, maybe not... maybe it was a learning curve that required adjustment, research, trial and error...

I would find it hard to believe that all good romance writers were that good from the get-go, so, even if you doubt yourself a bit.. go for it anyway, find your own way to it...

[Weapon77]

My bad haha I'm a tutor and I can say it backwards almost as well as forward 😅

The other genres you mention all required plenty of research and such for me, and I read and watched those genres constantly while growing up. But I basically ignored romance until I was around 15 (when I first liked a girl). Still didn't get into it until 2 years ago really. So I'm behind on the research. And then added to that, I was always naturally adventurous, athletic, artistic, and great at solving mysteries and problems, so I was already pretty naturally good at those other genres. I think it's safe to say I've never been naturally romantic or charismatic, so that's tricky for me to write. I think I'm just fixated on the fact that I don't even really know how a romantic relationship can even develop in such a short period of time. Don't those things need weeks or more?

Good point. I doubt all romance writers were always that good. And some of them still suck ass 😂 But people read/watch their stuff anyway. I think part of my hangup is that all of those peoplr had actual romantic relationships to pull from, whereas I don't. I suppose I've never killed a man, but I write about that. It's just that 90& of my readers won't have killed a man to know if I'm not that accurate, but they've almost all had romance and will notice the second I screw up

[LiamJHayden]

A one page story can be good.

[LiamJHayden]

Or more to the point, The Book of Ruth in the Bible is just over 2500 words and is an incredible romance story.

[Weapon77]

I hadn't thought of how short Ruth is! I suppose that could give me some ideas on how to make a short story that is short enough. But I'd have to find a way to make it more romantic though, right? Because I don't think people generally think of Ruth as romantic since Ruth basically just likes Boaz because he is nice, and they only have 2 interactions the whole time I think 🤔