Alright, now that I have your attention with all this talk of seduction, I think it's time we flirted with the idea of romanticizing the idea of romance. Stories have always been way of relating ideas and thoughts to one another and most of us would be lying if we said we didn't think about how we connect to others on more intimate levels.
As sappy as it can be, there are a lot of people who love the notion of intimacy and its presentation in the world of literature. And there are some of us who have been around the block enough times to know a bad love story when we see one. So today, I want to talk about romantic stories and how our preconceived notions allow us to examine, not just romance but the idea of intimacy. After all, reading someone's work is in itself a very intimate act.
Whenever I talk about being a writer with people I'm just getting know, the subject always comes up of what kind of things have I written so far. And of course, sometimes they go so far as to ask if they can read any of it. Now let me be clear about something; I encourage everyone to take an interest in your friend's passions to the point of getting them to go public to some degree with their enthusiasm. Sharing is caring after all and what kind of writer would I be if I didn't let people read my work at some point? I'd be a writer without an audience for one thing, and that's not nearly as fun as someone taking an interest in what you're doing. In stories, the audience is always as fascinating to discover as the person narrating the story.
But at the end of the day, I honestly can't help but get a little coy when someone wants to read my innermost thoughts. To me, it's just too intimate an act to share such early drafts of my work. Maybe it's the perfectionist in me (who only shows up with my hobbies) or maybe it's the introvert in me, or maybe it's the romantic in me who only wants to share how he feels with that special someone.
I know what you're thinking, "But don't you write mostly fiction? How can something made up be an accurate indication of who you are as a person?" The answer to the first question is; yes I do, dear reader, I love making up things all the time. But that doesn't mean those made up ideas don't reflect something about me in the long run. My high school (Go Hawks!) English teacher once told me that everything I would ever write would in some way be, autobiographical. And in a way she was right but you're also right dear reader (Go You!). What I write doesn't necessarily say something about me but authorial intent has always been a popular and demanding portion of every literary review course. I think I speak for a lot of my still in high school friends when I say, "Sometimes the curtains are just freaking blue, that's it, nothing deep here!"
If you haven't already, I'd recommend looking up the book/play, Sex with Strangers (By Laura Eason). She has a fascinating preface that talks about what it's like to share yourself with another person with regards to intellectual intimacy. One of her two characters, Olivia, straight up turns down a chance for someone to read her new novel even though they've just had sex. For me, that really nailed how I've always felt about my writing; it's something special that, good or bad, will always feel like it's a part of me that I'm giving away.
I've recently shared a lot of my work with a really close friend of mine, and honestly, it's a thrilling feeling. She usually has pretty flattering things to say about my stuff but I had to trust her enough to get to that point. And now it's kind of like she's in my head to some degree and that's insanely cool! It was getting pretty quiet up there anyways.
But the relationship a writer has with his/her reader is a tenuous one at best. You shouldn't try to please them all the time but you should be thinking about them when you're writing. In a good mystery, you want to trust your reader is smart enough to figure out all the clues. But you also don't want to give away the mystery before the big climax. I've said it before but its worth repeating; communication is key. A good relationship is based on good communication and you've got to have a fun amount of give and take to keep things engaging.
I have long had a strict rule of thumb when it comes to writing romances. My rule is; I need to make sure the reader wants it to happen long before the romance actually comes to fruition. Like a good horror story; it's about building suspense and like a good mystery; it's also about letting the reader fill in some of the gaps.
If I can make it so the audience desperately wants two characters to be together and time it so perfectly that they end up in each other's arms right when you can't take it anymore, I've succeeded in telling you the first half of a good love story. Because at that point, you as the reader have thought over whether or not these two people should be together and whether or not they can make it. You're making judgments like you would in a real life situation and in an instant you've just found yourself relating to a fictional story.
I know what I'm about to say may sound like beating a dead horse but unfortunately it's my go to example of a love story that could've been so much better in the long run. The Twilight Saga (By Stephanie Meyer) is something that in a lot of ways, lost some real chances for people to relate to a contemporary love story. One of the biggest mistakes Twilight made, in my opinion, was that the first novel was too fueled by a bizarre and somehow instant attraction that didn't feel the need to explain itself.
A vampire comes out of nowhere to meet a lonely Bella Swan and I'm supposed to just believe they've fallen in love within the first half of the movie on the simple basis that he's a vampire and she's... interesting? Bella's most fascinating quality is that other vampire's powers don't work on her and it's hardly ever explained why to a satisfactory degree (in the first novel at least). If you can't explain why two people need to desperately be together, then you're going to have trouble making me believe in the relationship's authenticity.
Show me some attractive qualities that complement the characters and why they enjoy or are otherwise thrown off by those qualities in each other. The first movie just didn't do much to build up the suspense between them. The fact that Edward was a vampire was always more fascinating than his attraction to her and the plot used that as a good enough reason to say he's boyfriend material. Likewise, Bella was "different" from other humans and that's enough to start them on their adventure.
Now, I know they become more nuanced and believable (in some respects) in the later films and books but that's a sloppy way of handling the first half of a love story. I myself have tackled the nuances of romance stories and I'm going to admit; it's by no means easy to produce and make believable. With that being said, I would like to present you, dear reader, with my own short story romance. Since I've said my piece about Twilight, I think it's only fair to see if I've done it any better or worse. And before you ask; yes my story has vampires, and yes I was quite embarrassed that I had accidentally tricked myself into making this kind of story.
But as I provide you with the link to the story, let me say one thing first. When I wrote this, I meant for it to be a story about getting rid of old preconceptions, understanding self-worth, and independence. The romance angle was always secondary to that intention. My door is always open to feedback!
Tale of the Dead Night
Okay, did you read it? See, it wasn't all that scary now was it? If you didn't have time for these 19 pages, no worries, I'll be analyzing it down below and if you like what you hear, that link isn't going anywhere.
So, in my version I've made some changes to the vampire formula we just worked with. The human character is a young man named Gale who was also a former slave of some kind. I've left the era (setting) intentionally vague so it could very well take place hundreds of years ago or in some modern, isolated part of the world that still has slavery. The vampire seductress, Celine, is in charge of her own court where other vampires commune and talk politics. Notice, however, that I never once used the word "Vampire" in the story. If this is a story about preconceptions than I didn't want to color your perception of what "a vampire should be." Take that as you will.
Gale is given an opportunity to be Celine's right hand man because the position is currently vacant. The position is given to humans so that their loyalties aren't ruined before they actually become vampires; makes sense? Like the Cullen family, Celine herself is a omnivore of a vampire (in that she prefers to take animal blood rather than indulge too often in human blood). She's also quite odd in some respects, she enjoys teasing and playing with other people's expectations for her own amusement. She is extremely beautiful and is almost always presenting herself as a seductress (its important to remember that vampire myths have always made them appear as tempting figures of sexual freedom).
As a former slave, Gale never really exerts a will of his own unless Celine asks him to. She encourages him to be more assertive because she sees some potential in him. Celine also lets down her guard more as Gale proves more and more loyal. They flirt but it's never more than playful banter between them.
Like Edward in Twilight, Celine starts delaying Gale's transformation into a vampire but she never says why until near the end. Celine hates courtly life and prefers the more casual side of immortality. In fact, Celine often engages in dangerous activities in order to feel more alive. In this story, sunlight affects vampires by making them more human; they become physically weaker, mentally uninhibited, and more emotionally vulnerable. Celine does this so she can level the playing field between herself and Gale and make them equals. She trusts him while she's vulnerable and indulges in being more like him because she admires his patient mortality.
Gale likewise understands that he feels more liberated with Celine's presence and wants to be more like her and retain their friendship. They're both aware of the tension between them but always acknowledge it. The ending then becomes, not about if they love each other, but about trusting each other. It's about having enough independence and confidence to trust your life with people you normally wouldn't trust. Gale transforms into a vampire at the very end but only because he lets Celine decide for him. They've never claimed to be in love but maybe they need each other beyond that. Maybe that's why Celine ultimately changed him. Maybe he'll become Dracula! Who knows? That's the question behind the second half of a good love story; can they make it?
I admit I was worried about writing this story all in one day, but once it was done, I couldn't deny that I touched upon at least one great truth; you can't write a story about intimacy between two people without understanding where they're both coming from. When it comes to romance, when it comes to reading/writing in general, there's an inherent relationship that has to be fleshed out, interwoven, and built upon so that you can get a more fulfilling product. Stories are intimate things and we use them to relate our thoughts, dreams, and desires. You shouldn't judge one by it's cover without at least looking across the binding, the thing that keeps it together.
Of all the stories out there, thanks for reading mine for however long it took you. If you like what you've heard, follow my blog! We've still got ten more posts like this one (and maybe a special post thrown in here and there) so I hope to see you there! If you've got a book, film, or play that pulls at your heartstrings the right way, post it down in the comments below along with any lingering thoughts! Thanks for stopping by folks!
- Pygmalion
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