This week: The Proposal Edited by: Dawn Embers  
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Romance/Love Newsletter by Dawn
Talking some about the right proposal that fits the characters, whether it's for marriage or just proposing a change or giving an option on where to eat. |
As I often do as of late, in particular when I wasn't feeling very well, I tend to rewatch sitcoms that I've seen many times over. One of them, happens to be Everybody Loves Raymond. While the main, somewhat annoying character is married and the focus, there is a lot of time spent also focusing on his brother trying to find the one. In fact, at one time he had three that he couldn't determine who was the one, including an ex-wife. While he was an odd character, I do have to admit that his proposal at long last to the woman who he had an on again, off again bouts of relationships (and yes, one breakup was her fault, not his in my opinion), was one of the best.
So, I guess I should say Spoiler Alert for the rare few who haven't seen the show but want to still. This is his proposal:
Police cars pull up to the woman, Amy, who is out with her best friend Debra as she probably needed a night out away from her husband and kids. Some random officers read her rights that are things like "if you don't have a husband, one will be provided for you" then it gets asked who will cuff her. Robert steps forward in full uniform and proposes. Even though Amy had spent all of the show wanting a husband like her friend had, she was stunned and didn't see it coming. When she mentioned they hadn't even talked about the option, he said the final perfect thing. He said, "I am ready to be happy."
Everything about it was fitting for the characters and their relationship. It's not quite a "she's your lobster" moment but close. While not every romance story is going to include a marriage proposal, if you do decide to write one, there are many options to take. I've already written a few so far since I tend towards novels and it's fairly standard in romance fiction. One thing you have to consider is the how, because you want the method to fit the story and the characters. But you can also consider the who when it comes to popping the question. One one of the seasons of Project Runway, a contestant proposes to his boyfriend after winning a challenge. Before the episode aired, his boyfriend proposed to him literally right after it taped when they had a video call. So, they both proposed, technically.
While it is going to be standard in straight romance, or with bisexual characters who happen to end up with someone from the opposite sex/gender, that the male or masculine one does the proposing. However, it doesn't have to always be that way. There can also be other factors, like age or emotional maturity. I tend to pick different features for the reason since my romance novels are between men. Some will seem more expected but I've also enjoyed having the shy, less secure and younger character do the proposing in the end. It's kind of fun to come up with the different possibilities.
Marriage is not the only type of proposal that can happen. Propose definitions include: 1 - to form or put forward a plan or intention. 2 - to set forth for acceptance or rejection. 3 - to recommend to fill a place or vacancy : NOMINATE. These are taken from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary web site.
So, you have have proposals happen within a story that might relate to romance but it doesn't have to be for marriage. What does your character propose to do? Is it something innocent or a little on the "naughty" side? I would like to know what people have done that might actually have been a non-marriage proposal in one of their romance stories. |
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Have you written a story that included a proposal?
Last month, I wrote a newsletter about whether one finds love by searching for it or if it's something that comes when they least expect it. Here is a comment sent from that topic:
Comment by Sum1  :
Yep, find love when you least expect it. I was in a love-less marriage (at least from my POV), when one night I received an IM on AOL (of all places). Twenty six years later, we're still together, not just together, but married!
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Romance/Love: May 28, 2025 Issue [#13151]
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