The Nanowrimo forums don't usually pick up until October when sign-ups open, but I can't help but pick on one of the topics being discussed currently--i.e., the presence of romance in fantasy.
Now don't get me wrong, I hate the cliches including romantic ones in fantasy as much as the next person. But I don't think that's reason enough to ban all romance from fantasy. Reading "pure" fantasy, as it were, would be as interesting as a moldy brick. Fantasy, for me, is a story with fantastic elements. Any other genre can intrude (and should!) as it makes a story more interesting. Mixing genres (be it romance, mystery, horror, sci-fi, etc.) in different combinations push the genre boundries and is bound to create something unique and enjoyable for the reader.
Oh, and I should also mention this: Nanowrimo 2006 - a LiveJournal community for this year's Nanowrimo.
