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<\/h3>\nThe emotional story pattern of a Romantic Comedy goes something like this–<\/p>\n
Two people are thrown together or “meet cute” unexpectedly. \u00a0They don’t get along. They are completely different. \u00a0They don’t particularly like or accept the other.<\/p>\n
Over the course of the film, being forced to interact, they develop a grudging respect for each other. \u00a0Perhaps. they gain skills from each other, the insights each bring are helpful to the other, and they begin to form a bond. \u00a0They become a team or form a real relationship.<\/p>\n
Each changes to accommodate the other. \u00a0They grow as individuals through their interaction but they face the question: how much must I compromise or adapt to be together? \u00a0AND How much can I demand the other change or compromise to be with me. \u00a0Ultimately, each asks: How much can I alter myself before losing the essence of who I am?<\/p>\n
That’s the story of immigration and assimilation. The immigrant does not particularly want to come to a new place– but war, lack of opportunity, impossible political or social conditions at home drive them to a new place. \u00a0The current residents don’t particularly welcome these newcomers.<\/p>\n
Both are forced by circumstances to accommodate each other. Each learns from the other. Each change. The immigrants bring new skills, new food, and new cultures. The residents require a certain amount of assimilation to adapt. They both wrestle with issues of identity. They find a compromise and both are richer for it.<\/p>\n
Imagine America without\u00a0General Tso’s Chicken, Pizza, Sushi, or Taco Tuesday. \u00a0American dining would be so much poorer without these immigrant foods.<\/p>\n
Imagine England without Chicken Tikka Masala, Chinese Stir Fry, Kebabs, or Peri Peri Sauce. \u00a0Impossible!<\/p>\n
Romance Writers know this instinctively. \u00a0This is from a website called The Conversation<\/a><\/p>\n Faced with rejection and ridicule from other writing groups in the 1970s, romance writers formed their own professional association, Romance Writers of America<\/a>. It now has some 10,000 members.<\/p>\n From its start in 1980, the group embraced newcomers. Unlike other major author groups \u2013 and most professional associations \u2013 this one welcomes anyone seriously pursuing a career in the field. Newcomers may join once they\u2019ve completed an unpublished romance manuscript<\/a>….<\/p>\n …Unlike Romance Writers of America, most traditional guilds, unions and trade associations only admit established professionals.<\/p>\n These barriers to entry can stultify and stagnate industries, especially with today\u2019s transitions. Network theorists Walter Powell and Jason Owen-Smith, for instance, found that the most successful biotech companies in the 1990s<\/a> formed strategic alliances with newcomers.<\/p>\n This phenomenon isn\u2019t new.<\/p>\nWelcoming newcomers<\/h5>\n