Spencer Steeves's Blog: The Fantasy Collective. - Posts Tagged "fantasy"

Romance has long been an interesting subject for me. For as long as I can remember, I avoided it like the plague. Due to my own identity as an aromantic male(Someone who doesn't really believe in love, and doesn't plan to get involved with it ever) I never understood the appeal of romance novels. That being said, I'm a huge fan of Fantasy books, and I am hard-pressed to recall books in that genre that haven't involved love in some way, even if it was rather obscure. Before, I found this annoying, but ever since beginning to write my own stories, I've realized its importance, and a few key stories have developed my understanding of that particular element.
As I've come to see it, having characters falling in love, or being in relationships helps make them more relatable to the audience, as it's something they know happens in the real world. And as a writer, it helps you get a better feel of the world too.
One of my all-time favorite book series is the Obsidian Mountain Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey. During the course of that book, the main characters, Kellyn, is placed under an oath of celibacy and chastity for a year and a day. Then, over the course of the trilogy, he is faced with a beautiful woman who saves his life, and immediately makes him question whether he can complete this task, and a burgeoning relationship and temptation by another ally whose life Kellyn saves. This tense relationship, where the characters know they are falling in love, but can't act on it, and are occasionally thrown into situations where their control is limited and their attraction almost costs them the war, was impressively wrought, and taught me a lot about how to write love.
But it wasn't until I started a series I only just recently finished that I really got a true picture of love.
As I mentioned before, I avoided romance stories at all costs. But on my shelf, I had a series called the Symphony of Ages, which was a fantasy tale with a compelling blurb and a beautiful cover. But, I also knew rather quickly that it was a romance tale. Despite this, I decided to read it. I figured that I'd seen enough relationships in stories that I could accept it and move on.
The story was heavily steeped in the love between the characters, and there were quite a few very graphic sex scenes within. While those things didn't appeal to me, the story still dragged me in. The love was weaved into the story with a master's touch, every kiss meaning something for the characters, whether it be salvation or damnation. I loved the series, and it found itself a place as #2 on my top series list(Keep an eye out for that soon.) Before ever picking up that series, I'd read the Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo, which, though on a much tamer level, also dealt with romance, particularly the contest between a childhood friend love interest, and a new, darkly handsome(and slightly murderous) suitor. These series have helped me see love as an important literary element, even if I don't ascribe to the idea in person. While I won't seek out raunchy tales, no longer will I inwardly cringe every time two characters kiss.
Books are the best material for teaching you things you never knew you needed to learn and I thank this wonderful medium for helping me evolve as a person and(hopefully) as a writer.