30-Day Writing Meme

16. Do you write romantic relationships? How do you do with these, and how "far" are you willing to go in your writing? ;)

Infrequently in my own original writing, but I do have some couples. Michael and Orla are a good example of this, despite being a bit odd in form. Uriel has had some romantic relationships in his past which I've written some about, though currently he's single. However, overwhelmingly my characters are void of current, active romantic relationships.

I think this is in part due to my "literature upbringing." Despite loving to read of romantic relationships in books, some of my all-time favorite characters are in the least single if not entirely unattached by choice. Paksenarrion for example is single throughout her adventures, by choice and necessity of her own personality. So too Firekeeper (who I wrote of yesterday) remains unattached by human standards, though she does have a sort of wolf-mate.

I guess I prefer my characters to be equally unattached. I will admit this can be a bit of a failing sometimes, as it makes my characters a little difficult to relate to. I can relate fine as I am of a very similar mindset, and in that respect my characters are reflections of myself. However at times you can only see part of a person through their relationships, so I try to develop their other interpersonal relationships (family, friends, etc.) as much as possible.

As for how far I'll go, as far as the piece allows. I'm not squeamish about writing love scenes in as much detail as possible. I think done right they can be very intense and involved writing. However that doesn't mean I include them in everything for all audiences. Not every piece needs a sex scene, even if it does involve a couple. Also, the more detailed and involved scenes can sometimes be a hindrance. In certain stories a long passage may be fitting, or conversely a few words that suggest what is happening may be enough. It's very story-dependent.