Monday, February 7, 2011

Day Sixteen

Day sixteen: Do you write romantic relationships? How do you do with those and how “far” are you willing to go in your writing?

 

The easiest answer here is yes, I write romantic relationships. My opinion when it comes to romantic relationships is it helps in build the world of the characters. I have several different relationships and struggles involved around those relationships that are part of the story line, not necessarily the main plot line but usually something that goes hand in hand with it.

 

When we get in to more detailed answers here in regards to writing romantic relationships, many of those relationships are build ups and part of the growing process of my characters. Their relationships are a part of the story and grow alongside the actual conflict and story line. What I want to do is talk about the different character relationships I have going in this story and then I will go on to the second part of the story.

 

Noah and Atarah – These two characters are from the first part of the “series” on the family I focus on. I wouldn’t really call it a series, because even though parts are mentioned in each of the book, the story lines are individual. But I digress so let’s get back to the point of this. Noah and Atarah’s relationship is sweet and simple. The fall in love and stay in love. Granted, like any relationship there are speed bumps in that road to bliss, but this is one relationship meant to last. Noah is the son of a monarch and Atarah is a simple girl. Both of the Cat race, and both are trying to make it on their own. They meet each other and connect and the story for Noah is focused heavily on this relationship as a sub plot to the actual conflict of the story. These two characters are a relatively new story I am telling and I am riding the relationship with them and seeing how they react.

 

Nadine and Cadeyrn – This relationship is a new idea of mine. Nadine is the twin sister of Noah. Cadeyrn is/will be a faction leader of the Dallions. Nadine ends up being “kidnapped” in the beginning of Noah’s story and this is what starts much of the conflict in his story – him trying to find her and bring her home. Since Nadine is so young when she is kidnapped, much of her life is spent in the Dallion world and culture, and because of this she meets and falls in love with a Dallion. Their relationship is going to be conflicting and mentally abusive. I want the drama of this relationship to add to who Cadeyrn is and will become.

 

Selene and Micah – Selene is the main character of the second part of the book on this family. She is actually the oldest character I have written and has been with me from the beginning of this writing adventure. Granted her story has changed from the beginning as I actually start to listen to her, but she has been constant with the times. Micah is a relatively new concept of a character. He has is the mate of Selene, but he has gone through changes through the years and is no starting to really become a part of the story. Selene is the daughter of Noah and Atarah and Micah is a demi-god born of the Voice (or Ezra) and they are put together when Selene becomes bound to the Voice and starts to become tortured. Micah trains her from a young age to withstand the powers that his mother has over her and survive and on that journey the two take together there is blood, sweat and tears but they fall in love despite the world around them. This relationship ends up facing many challenges: her family’s hatred of who he represents, the fact that their relationship is based around pain and survival, and the anger of a very mean goddess. I like who Micah and Selene have become through the years as they’ve “grown up” and I am enjoying telling their story in the book that Selene is a part of.

 

Vanessa and Luke – Vanessa is the twin sister of Selene. Luke is a man that was chosen to be her husband by her mother and father from a family that was their friend. Their relationship develops in Selene’s story and is continued is Aislynn’s. Since their relationship is arranged, things are not as smooth as a normal relationship. Vanessa is attracted to him right away but Luke is standoffish during the beginning causing both to try and avoid each other. Since Vanessa and Luke are both considered minor characters most of their relationship is developed through snippets that happen in the story. They do grow to respect and then love each other which become a lot more evident in Aislynn’s story then Selene’s. I’ve enjoyed figuring out how to write about arranged marriages and the like and how they take effect in our world, and since these people live in a different world, there have been new changes to the world of arranged marriages when it comes to my world.

 

Aislynn and Douglas and Conall – This relationship is a triangle like all other triangles. One thing about writing this triangle is that I’ve made sure each side of the triangle gets its own share of time in the writing and I make sure to try and develop both sides of that triangle because I’ve made it become a big part of who Aislynn becomes. Its been a lot of fun writing this triangle as a side line to the main conflict.

  • Aislynn and Douglas – This relationship is a giant rollercoaster. When the two of them first meet they are instantly attracted to each other. Aislynn is hesitant, mostly because she is feeling manipulated and pulled in to it. Douglas is persistent and eventually they get together. Things aren’t all sunshine and roses when they are together because many things are discovered when they are brought together. They are both part of the Elementai – the protectors of their people – and in essence are meant to be together because of it. I’ve enjoyed writing this relationship, exploring Aislynn naïveté in regards to how relationships work and seeing her be less confident. I have a part that I’m thinking about writing in that is bound to really strain this relationship and I am looking forward to seeing how both these characters respond.

  • Aislynn and Conall – This relationship is heat. Its warm and passionate and life changing for Aislynn. The way this relationship develops has been fun. To Aislynn he is a visitor in her dreams, and same goes for Conall. Neither know the other truly exist anywhere besides their dreams. It’s a friendship at first, Conall becomes someone that Aislynn confides to in this story but soon it becomes more. All the doubt that Aislynn feels when she is with Douglas is alleviated here in this dream relationship. But nothing is ever easy or perfect, they have their share of fights and things go up and down as well. When things finally become revealed that its more then a dream, that is when the triangle stops.


 

Silvanius and Haizea – This relationship has evolved with my book. At first it was something that was known but not really developed, now since I divided my stories, I wanted to work their parts of the story a lot differently. With that, I decided one thing I wanted to work on more was the way their relationship works and how it plays a part in the story. Parts of their relationship are going to cause a lot of conflict in the story at certain places which I needed because these character were slightly lopsided, not quite flat but not as round as should have been. (I just got a name for that type of character, a half deflated balloon character … don’t mock me, I’m sleepy and I enjoy that name). One of the main reason I decided to round out their relationship in this story is I decided that in my head the four Elementai would be a group of four people – two boys and two girls – and part of the strength of the group would be the relationships and how their power heightens when they work together. So since I had Douglas and Aislynn I decided to do Haizea and Silvanius together as well – or at least defined that relationship more.

 

So those are my main romantic relationships that I have going right now. Granted there are other relationships in the story but they are completely flat and undefined. Minor characters and their spouses and other familial relationships that are in the story but are not necessarily part of the story.

 

Now on to the second part of this question: How far do my characters go in their relationships when I write? And this is surprisingly a hard question. As I write my stories now, there is definite kissing and definite scenes of sex. I’ve never been very good at writing a sex scene where it is tame enough to not make you blush but not so boring as to make it bland. I’ve been working on it but its one of those areas that my I need to teach myself the limits of what is acceptable or not. I don’t really have any boundaries when it comes to what I write, but if I don’t think its good writing then I kick it out as I should. I want to be comfortable with what I write.

 

Well, I’ve talked a lot more then I thought I was going to talk in regards to this, so I think I will just end it right here. Hope I didn’t bore any of you to tears reading this one.

 

Past Entries:

Day One
Day Two
Day Three
Day Four
Day Five
Day Six
Day Seven
Day Eight
Day Nine
Day Ten
Day Eleven
Day Twelve
Day Thirteen
Day Fourteen
Day Fifteen

 


Cara Mia Amore

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