Yeah, I know that's a weird title. Allow me to explain.
Last night, I was watching Lark Rise to Candleford (a really great period drama TV show that any Austen/Gaskell fans should check out) and the conflict for one of the characters was the question above. What is love? She was kinda freaking out about it. Anyway, when she asked that question the first time, one of my characters answered her in my head. "Love is giving your life for someone else's." Now, this doesn't fit the Lark Rise episode in any way, shape, or form, but I was intrigued. Viola, my character, answered what love is to her. So, I decided to see what some of my other characters had to say.
Marius: Love is accepting/loving someone despite their past.
Bev: Love is being accepted for who you are.
Joy: .... Is this a trick question?
Silla: Love is being accepted, even when you're not what was wanted.
Gwen: Love is working hard for the good of others.
Chad: See Shakespeare's sonnet 116. I painted it on the side of the abandoned crematorium.
Farold: Love is protecting your loved ones from the past.
Henley Sayer: Love is avenging your family.
Lizzie: Ooh, I should ask my characters that....
I'm not sure some of these even make sense, but I thought it was interesting to see how differently the characters reacted. And thank heaven they reacted differently, or I would have some serious character development to do for everybody.
As you may or may not be able to see, some of these characters have insecurities that affect their view of this subject (Marius, Bev, Silla...). Hopefully, that makes them more like chocolate lava cakes and less like cardboard.
If you're a writer (and I assume most of my few readers are), how did your characters react to this question? And I'd love to hear input from all the non-writers too.
A good evening/morning/day/whatever to you.
Showing posts with label Romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Romance. Show all posts
Friday, April 26, 2013
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Taking the Axe to Juliet
I've decided to cut out almost all the romance in my novel. I can just hear my friend Beryllium Potassium (not her real name) gasping in horror. Don't worry, Beryllium Dearest, it's not gone for good. It will come back. Most likely. If not, I promise to write you a romance in the future.
My motives are thus: as is, Lizzie (my main character)'s relationship with her boyfriend can't move forward without them getting engaged (which would mess things up). It will be much better if I start them out as good friends, and slowly progress them toward boyfriend/girlfriend. This will add more to the plot and to character development. Plus, the boyfriend, Jim, is REALLY boring. And he doesn't really have a good place in the story. He's basically there just to be Lizzie's boyfriend. It's kinda like the Doctor Who episode where Donna gets "saved" into the big computer thing in the Library, and her "children" tell her "when you're not here, it's like we just...stop." That's what happens to Jim. If Lizzie isn't with him or thinking about him (which, come to think of it, she doesn't really. I'll need to fix that), Jim just stops existing. The guy needs a life of his own, and this way it will be easier for me to give it to him.
I could have their relationship move backward, make them fight, miscommunicate, etc. But who wants to read a story where the characters are so insecure they won't just break up already? Or accept/work out their problems and move on? Not I, my friends, not I. Plus, since I intend to make this novel the first of a series, I will have loads of time to develop the characters and progress the romance. And the longer I take to make them romantic, the more time I have to have my own romantic experiences (that's a scary thought) and therefore I will know what I'm talking about.
I am somewhat saddened to see the romance go, but am mostly relieved. The romance was the most awkward thing in the novel, and everything will be better if the romance goes on vacation. And, for some reason, now that I have something to remove, editing doesn't seem so bad now. I think what bugged me about it before was that I was just rereading, and I had no exact purpose. Now I have a purpose. A mission. A dragon to slay. Scratch that, I like dragons. Anyway, editing isn't so daunting anymore.
Enjoy your day, and if anyone sees Editors Block, tell him his days are numbered.
My motives are thus: as is, Lizzie (my main character)'s relationship with her boyfriend can't move forward without them getting engaged (which would mess things up). It will be much better if I start them out as good friends, and slowly progress them toward boyfriend/girlfriend. This will add more to the plot and to character development. Plus, the boyfriend, Jim, is REALLY boring. And he doesn't really have a good place in the story. He's basically there just to be Lizzie's boyfriend. It's kinda like the Doctor Who episode where Donna gets "saved" into the big computer thing in the Library, and her "children" tell her "when you're not here, it's like we just...stop." That's what happens to Jim. If Lizzie isn't with him or thinking about him (which, come to think of it, she doesn't really. I'll need to fix that), Jim just stops existing. The guy needs a life of his own, and this way it will be easier for me to give it to him.
I could have their relationship move backward, make them fight, miscommunicate, etc. But who wants to read a story where the characters are so insecure they won't just break up already? Or accept/work out their problems and move on? Not I, my friends, not I. Plus, since I intend to make this novel the first of a series, I will have loads of time to develop the characters and progress the romance. And the longer I take to make them romantic, the more time I have to have my own romantic experiences (that's a scary thought) and therefore I will know what I'm talking about.
I am somewhat saddened to see the romance go, but am mostly relieved. The romance was the most awkward thing in the novel, and everything will be better if the romance goes on vacation. And, for some reason, now that I have something to remove, editing doesn't seem so bad now. I think what bugged me about it before was that I was just rereading, and I had no exact purpose. Now I have a purpose. A mission. A dragon to slay. Scratch that, I like dragons. Anyway, editing isn't so daunting anymore.
Enjoy your day, and if anyone sees Editors Block, tell him his days are numbered.
Monday, February 6, 2012
TCWT! February Blog Chain: Ramblings on Romance
First off, let me define the kind of romance I like and write: The clean kind that makes your heart do pirouettes and makes you say "AWW!", where all parties are honorable and well behaved, but not cheesy. I don't like the icky physical attraction kind where both parties can't keep their hands off of each other, or the super dramatic kind worthy of Katherine and Heathcliff or Romeo and Juliet. We all know how those ended. My feelings for romance covers all genres.
When I read, I prefer romance and mystery/adventure in a 1:2 ratio, so that's how I write it. The majority of the story is centered on the mystery, with a few sweet spots in between. In my Lizzie Evans series there is only a little romance. Lizzie's boyfriend, Jim, is such a gentleman. *sigh* I have three couples and only a little romance between them. Not enough to overwhelm the mystery, but enough to be realistic and charming. I think the most romantic thing that happens in The Black Cat Diamond (the first Lizzie book) is Jim going with Lizzie to eavesdrop on a black market meeting. No dramatic rescues, no messy get-together-break-up-get-together-again cycles, just my characters being themselves and loving each other for it.
In my opinion, romance can be overdone. For instance, the following scene is overdoing it:
"My Darling, Patricia, I love you more than my house in Paris!"
"Oh, Baron, you know my heart belongs only to you!"
"How long we have waited for this! But please, call me Pollard. Your Pollard."
"Oh, Pollard!"
"We shall ride into the sunset, ours souls harmonizing with the song in our hearts!"
"Oh, Pollard!"
"We shall live in my mansion, and your presence, the presence of my angel, will dispel the evil presence my father left behind!"
"Oh, Pollard!"
"Our love will seep into the walls and create a paradise of warmth and happiness!"
"Kiss me Pollard!"
The couple kissed. All the love they had ever felt was there at their lips. They lived happily ever after blah blah blah.
Ick. I apologize if that made you throw up. This is overly sweet. Like rotten fruit. Or anything made by Little Debbie. A good romance should be like a good curry or red bean ice cream. There has to be flavor, the more complex the better, and not just sugar. The lovers have to be compatible and complicated, like red curry with cilantro and pineapple, not just a waxy chocolate icing over a sawdust-like cake.
Okay, enough with weird food analogies. This is what good romance looks like in my eyes:
I blinked. I was free. Free to run away. Free to live my life with the one I loved.
It had worked. The court had found Prince Jack guilty. I didn't have to marry him, and there was no potential war hanging over my head. I could marry George with a clean conscience.
My parents had lost. I was sad for them. They were losing their youngest daughter, a princess, to a gardener.
I caught sight of George, and the smile on his face clearly expressed his happiness.
As soon as I got back to the palace, I met him in the gazebo. He was still smiling.
"We did it. We can marry." His smile fell. I let mine drop. "What's the matter?"
"I want to marry you, but I do not want to force you to live a life as a peasant. You have been royalty all your life. If you marry me, you'll have to give it all up, and I don't want you to be miserable. I won't sacrifice your happiness for mine."
"What makes you think I'll be miserable? I'd rather be a chambermaid and married to you than be forced to marry someone of my parent's choice and be a queen. It will be a learning curve and take some getting used to, certainly, but I will do it. I will only be under the tyranny of my parents as a subject, not a daughter. I will be free to make my own decisions and choices. And my first choice is you."
His smile returned, making his eyes shine. "And my choice is you, Princess."
"Do not call me Princess. From now on I am simply Odessia, your Odessia."
We were married that fall. It did take me a while to get used to life as a peasant, but I got it. My sisters may look down on me now, and I may no longer be glamorous, but I am happy, and free. We have lived happily ever after, so far.
Still a bit sappy and cliche, but also adorable and charming, and the message of freedom and happiness makes the sappiness more tolerable. Notice how both the upper-class lovers in each scene ditch their titles, but Odessia doesn't sound nearly as pompous as Pollard.
So that's my two cents worth. Want to follow our blog tour? Here are the participating parties, day by day
February 5-- http://noveljourneys.wordpress.com --Novel Journeys
February 6-- http://lilyjenness.blogspot.com --Lily's Notes in the Margins
February 7-- http://kirstenwrites.wordpress.com --Kirsten Writes!
February 8-- http://correctingpenswelcome.wordpress.com -- Comfy Sweaters, Writing and Fish
February 9-- http://delorfinde.wordpress.com --A Farewell to Sanity
February 10-- http://thewordasylum.wordpress.com --The Word Asylum
February 11-- http://weirdalocity.wordpress.com --From My Head
February 12-- http://estherstar1996.wordpress.com --Esther Victoria1996
February 13-- http://alohathemuse.wordpress.com --Embracing Insanity
February 14-- http://greatlakessocialist.wordpress.com --Red Herring Online
February 15-- http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com --Go Teen Writers (Honorary Participant)
February 16-- http://insideliamsbrain.wordpress.com --This Page Intentionally Left Blank
February 17-- http://oyeahwrite.wordpress.com --Oh Yeah, Write!
February 18-- http://incessantdroningofaboredwriter.wordpress.com --The Incessant Droning of a Bored Writer
February 19-- http://herestous.wordpress.com --Here's To Us
February 20-- http://teenscanwritetoo.wordpress.com --Teens Can Write Too! (We will be announcing the topic for next month's chain)
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