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bring this emote back : ^.^... it's always been genuine

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me: i love slow burn

also me, on chapter 2: kiss or i’m setting the house on fire

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You bear witness to a horror beyond your comprehension. However, because you don't comprehend it, you....just don't get it. The horror in question is terrified by this.

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reblog if you’re a sick fuck

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SO MUCH MIZISUA???? WITH THE MADOKA AHH AESTHETIC AND RELIGIOUS SYMBOLISM??? OH WE ARE BEING FED

THANK YOU KARMA

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I need to be more disciplined starting tomorrow

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jarboe update

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(literature girl summer) we're back to finishing a book in two days

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Do you have a favorite way to develop characters? In especially romance novels, I feel like the characters in the story have more weight than the plot itself.

I think you are absolutely right. The story in a romance is important, of course, but we have to really get invested in the characters to then get invested in their love story.

I try to give all my characters one trait (sometimes even a piece of myself) that feels real and true. I'll use Finding the Troll's Heart as an example, because Jar'kel and Simka are probably some of my most beloved characters.

Jar'kel is a grumpy old man who wants to rest more than anything. He's from the desert, so the winter wonderland of the north is like a nightmare to him. (Relatable.) And who doesn't just want to take a nap? I think it helps to put a character directly into a situation where they are being tested early on, so starting out Jar'kel in the snow tells us so much about him so quickly.

He's also got some worries and fears that make sense for a character like him. (Harsh reality checks are great for developing characters.) He's getting up there in years, so once he finds himself paired with Simka, he's terrified of that age difference. What if he gets her pregnant? How long would he get to be around once he put a whelp in her? A natural question to ask, I think, in an age gap romance.

Simka is a fan fave, too, which I think is just because she's so damned admirable. She's courageous, determined, and loving, which are sometimes contradictory traits in other characters. But she has flaws, too—like her temper—which bring her down to earth and make her both relatable and conflicted.

CONFLICTS are so important to developing strong characters! We need to understand what's driving them and what's in their way to really love them—and then we need to see how those characteristics can help or hurt the character. A really compelling conflict (in this case, Simka searching for her missing sister at any expense) makes a character more likable and the reader more invested in their story.

(Finding the Troll's Heart is a standalone book in my Trollkin Lovers series.)

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Silly me, I almost forgot—this is the whole point. Book that trip. Order the extra appetizers. Laugh a little louder. Dance a little freer. Never stop learning. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Stop waiting for perfection or permission, neither make a difference. Look with wonder. Lead with love. Lean in with excitement for what's next.

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Clingy

More things on P👀treon

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