Interview with EmilyMorgans
Author of Bowstrings & Velvet, first place Romance
What inspired you to write Bowstrings & Velvet, and how did you shape the world and create its characters?
Bowstrings & Velvet is part of a series all set in the same world, and the world is an amalgamation of several old fantasy worlds of mine. Some of the characters are old ones as well, while others are new. The idea of Felix's and Shae's situation actually came from the ending of a video game where my character wasn't allowed to marry the guy she'd romanced. It made me wonder what would happen when he eventually married someone else.
What was the hardest part of the story to write and why? How did you overcome it?
The ending. It was rushed and I'm still not happy with it. So, I guess I didn't overcome it? I'm actually planning to go back and change it, extending the story a bit further so I can give it a better, less-rushed, ending.
Do you have any advice you'd like to share for writers in the Romance genre?
Building well-rounded characters is important in every story, but you have to pay extra attention in a romance. You need to make the readers understand why these characters fall in love, and make them root for them to make it through whatever the obstacle is (whether internal or external). Show us their personalities and how they match, how they fall in love.
There's a mistake new writers do where they tell us a character is a certain way by other characters describing them as such, rather than showing us scenes where they are. Like, everyone saying what a brave and strong woman character X is. Great! But it means nothing if we never see her have a backbone.