Somehow Thursday rolled around without warning, and I found myself scrambling to finish things at work, scraping furniture together for the new house, and trying to come up with a blog post. Not to mention The Vampire Diaries and American Idol were on, so of course I had to set everything aside so I could watch those. (Go Haley!)
Okay, topic for this week. Romantic interests. No, not a romantic relationship with your W.I.P., which I already babbled about. My mind’s been on those guys that sweep away our female characters and take them off into the sunset. In my current disaster of a novel, I’ve been trying to find a balance. See, I don’t want the entire story to circle around the romance. There are other aspects I’m incorporating, other things I want to explore as a writer. Grief, friendships, mystery, suspense. Is adding a little spice of boy in there too much?
People want romance, though. It’s what makes our blood pump, our palms tingle. Hey, I include myself in this group. I love love. I’ve been putting this pressure on myself to push the romance in the story. So how far should I take this thing with my main character and this adorable, awkward basketball player? As I dwelled, the answer became clear.
As far as my main characters allows me to take them. Duh, right? I’ll give these two a scene here and there, but the main focus is my main character, and though she likes him, she’s got other things on her mind. Like staying alive. It’s about the story, yes, but it’s mostly about this all-important character I’ve created.
Take The Vampire Diaries. For those of you who haven’t seen it, here’s the lowdown. Elena is in danger, and two brothers who are in love with her are trying to keep her alive. This season, there has been a few tingly moments, yes. But the focus of every single episode has revolved around ways to keep Elena safe. A potion? A witch? Vampire blood? Kidnapping? (If you haven’t seen this show… I highly suggest you get on top of this.)
So, bottom line of my revelation this week. It’s not about what I want, or readers want, it’s about what my main character wants and how it fits into the story.
