I saw one of those romantic movies the other day. You know the ones, in which the main character or the person the main character is in love with is getting married to someone. But then, as the movie progresses, they find that they don't want to be with the person they're marrying, so they break things off to be with their new lover. This plot is overdone, and it bothers me (not to mention, no movie ever shows the aftermath in which the new couple really has nothing in common and breaks up after a month or so. at least, that's what I assume would happen).

So this gave me an idea for a new novel. It would start with an engaged couple, and the girl says, "Sorry, I've met someone else. Don't want to marry you." So she goes off with this other guy, who really wasn't all she thought he would be. After a year or so of this not-so-exciting relationship, she runs into her ex fiance. Turns out, he really is everything she's ever wanted in a guy. So she cheats on the new guy with him, and they end up getting back together and getting married. That's really the gist of it.

It probably sounds pretty bad. It will be humorous, though. It will go into all the little embarassing details of relationships that you never see in the romance novels or the romantic comedies. I have also considered having her date several men instead of just the one, so she can really say, "Hey, the dating world just isn't for me."

I haven't even begun writing it yet. I just figured I'd ask some true writers if this is something I should run with, or if I should just scrap it preemptively.

I am a firm believer in that if you feel strongly that you have a story to tell...then you tell it.

It isnt the subject matter that makes a book good...its the way its written :)Good subject matter helps, needless to say, but often times really bad stories make really great books..take for example the movie "Monster" with Charlize Theron.

Here is a character that murders people and yet, because of the way the story is told, I found myself glued to it and caring in some odd way for the character even though I totally would not do what she did.

The magic is in the writing...not the story

So the woman dumps Mr. Right and hooks up with Mr. Cornholio, then dumps Cornholio and winds up with Mr. Right?

How about this, after she dumps cornholio, Mr. Right gets sick of her crap and ignores her and she has to live with the fact that she REALLY messed up in thinking Mr. Right had to prove something to her when all he really owed her was to be himself.

That's a REALLY embarrasing tale about the Dating world! lol.

I don't know -- the dating world is full of one clech'e or another no matter what you do. It's the way that you tell it and the psychology you execute that makes your story worth telling.

"Girl meets boy, girl dumps boy. Girl meets new boy, girl dumps new boy to go back to old boy."

That's pretty much the gist of your idea.

Be honest, does that sound exciting as a simple concept/setup?

Of course, you can make something original out of it and write it brilliantly but don't foget that the potential market will probably only see that same very simply concept. And if it's women you're aiming it at then you'd have a hell of a job convincing them -- they've read just about every angle of romance fiction going since they were young girls.

I've known some people that have had several relationships in which they just find that the other person is perfect for them.

One of them, a female friend of mine, seemed to be deeply in love with every single guy she dated. They were all handsome, successful (relatively, as they were still in college), and had great personalities.

I never understood why she would break up with them. After all, she was very beautiful, and I couldn't understand why they would let her go. She just laughed and told me that's why the relationships worked, that she knew that she was going to move on, and that she would enjoy the time she had with them.

Honestly, at the time I thought she was insane, but she may have been one of the happiest people that I've ever known.

Some people are just lucky, I guess.

Hmm...I'm not really in to romance novels,but I sort of agree with max advantage.The only way I think of it working is, making all the guys she goes out with have these really weird habits like having to play the piano before they kiss you(lame I know).Yeah, it would have to be comedy for what your aiming for.Also, you might want to do it so the girl sees Mr. right ,and tries to avoid him.Then sees Mr. right again,and finds out he's married ,and doesn't want her anymore.He never wants to see her again,and then be ever so evil introduce to a really annoying that wants to ask her out.Even ,then I'm not sure the plot would work unless ,you were a really ,really good writer.