My first published article came in 1994 and it was published in Romance Writers Journal, the Romance Writers of America’s publication for members. Many people dismiss romance as formulaic but in fact, the basic conflicts that romance portray are all about relationships and how a man and woman who merely from biology are completely different come together and create a new family. These are ancient stories which fascinated the Greeks and Romans and still capture our interest because life is about relationships.
Here are the Top Twenty Classic Romance Conflicts and a few examples contemporary and from the past
1-The Arranged Marriage (Arabian Nights)
2-Lovers from Two Different Worlds (The Book of Esther)
3-Scarred from Past Hurt
4-Revenge Separates Lovers (both in Great Expectations)
5-Mistaken Identity or Masquerade (Oedipus Rex a & Tootsie)
6-Marriage of Convenience–(Every mail order bride story you’ve ever read)
7-A Secret or a Lie Threatens Love-(Hamlet & The Maltese Falcon)
8-Whose Child or Lost Child-(The Scarlett Letter)
9-Finding One’s Own Identity Before Love- (Jane Eyre)
10-Battle of Wills (Taming of the Shrew, Lysistrata & every Tracy/Hepburn movie)
11-Hero and Heroine have Common Enemy from the Past or a Common Goal (The Sun Also Rises-WWI is the enemy)
12-Second Chance at Love (Jezebel with Bette Davis)
13-The Innocent and the Playboy-(That Touch of Mink with Doris Day & Cary Grant)
14-Reversal of Life-(rising or falling in social standing-Sense & Sensibility)
15-Amnesia-(popular on soaps)
16-Cinderella-(Pretty Woman)
17-Selfless Denial-(Tale of Two Cities)
18-A Rival for the Hero or Heroine’s Heart-(Casablanca)
19-Comedy of Errors-(She Stoops to Conquer)
20-Split Loyalties-(Romeo & Juliet)

I hope you all notice that these conflicts aren’t just for romances. Shakespeare and the ancient Greek dramatists used these. Often these are combined. What keeps these fresh? Timeless? We writers of course. From this list of 20, endless combinations, characters, and plot twists can be mined. I hope this inspires you to add to the cavalcade of these stories which are new everyday.

And BTW, which is your favorite conflict and what story do you love it best in? I must say on this list that I love to write # 10 and 11, but I enjoy all the rest. What about you?