Wattitude Magazine - September 2012

8 - NERDS

Nerds: A Best-Selling Character in Romance Novels

The title says it all. By @AnalyticDecoder

     NERDS.

     Who are they? Why do we love to read about them? What makes them so darn interesting that they make readers smile at the mention of their name?

     Well then, to answer your questions in the easiest way possible, let's take a look back at reality. Back to the place where it all started: at school. School- stressful, and way too much drama. But guess what folks? That's what we spend almost all of our time on. We make friends there, and experience things that we don't in our homes.

     According to Wiki Answers (external link available), we spend about "180 days per year, 13 years in school", adding up to "2,340 days in school, about 19,000 hours or so (if they are in school 8 hours, some schools are more and some are less)". In simpler terms, we spend a lot of time in school. So now that we got that done, what's next?

     Well, duh! The students.

     I'm sure that all of us can relate to the NERD in the story- if not, then you must be pretty lucky! But most of us have experienced the feeling of being left out. The feeling that you don't belong anywhere. You know what I'm talking about, people. Being different isn't bad, but school politics can be rough. So if you're not in with the "cool kids", then expect the worst. Of course, not all schools are like this- but there are some...

     So as you can see, that is what makes nerds so popular- we can relate to them. We feel the emotions they feel. We smile when the nerd owns the mean cheerleader or football captain. We laugh when they do something humiliating that we might have done once or twice in our life. It makes the story all so real- like we're the person in the story.

     Plus who doesn't love stories where the nerdy girl gets the Prince Charming, or when the good guy gets the girl of his dreams? When I read books like that, and occasional "Aww" is always expected.

     As you might have guessed, I'm another one of them hopeless romantics. *Hearts all around :)* Any hopeless romantics here too? Raise your hands! Anyways, I'm getting off-topic here. There are tons more reasons why nerds are a popular character choice.

     But then again, it all depends on the reader's preferred genre. You may prefer stories about vampires or werewolves, or the occasional teacher-student relationship. The main point is that you enjoy what you're reading- let your imagination soar!

     As I like to say, "To be able to read is to be able to fly. You can go to places only you can imagine with just a flip of the page."

     Now I must bid farewell. Goodbye, Wattpadders. Till the next article- take care and God bless!

~C.C. Innocence