Author Archives: Seriah Black Sheep

Complex Plotting: Zero = Four

Posted by Seriah Black Sheep on

For months—maybe even over a year—I have been frustrated with my first book, because I could not find a plot in it. With all the fiction I’ve read over the course of my life, and all the stories read to me before I could even read, and all those classes where teachers made me analyze and chart plot structures, how in the world could I create a book without a plot?! The possibility had never even occurred to me. And once I began to scrutinize the possibility, I was even more disheartened to find it true. Because what else could be the problem?

But after my sixth attempt to outline my plot points—always getting stuck in the same place—I tried a new approach, and finally realized my problem. It’s not that I don’t have a plot. It’s that I have four plots running concurrently, and the primary focus is the romantic one, so no traditional plotline gets the limelight enough to emerge as the official identifiable plot. In fact, you might argue that all four of these plotlines are actually story arcs—meaning they span at least part of the series, rather than being resolved in a single book.

So if you’re a “pantser,” and you’re having trouble unearthing that plot that seems like it’s hiding or nonexistent, I suggest writing out a play-by-play outline, and then an extremely vague outline of points, and see if you can divide things up by topic.

If you can’t abide pinning down your work like that, write down your ideas in different colored pens, and then take a look at what kinds of things ended up in each color. Surprise! You’ve drawn yourself a mind map, and now all you need to do is draw up the key. That’s what I did. Sometimes you just need to look at your thoughts differently to understand what’s going on and roll with it.

These are my plots, as I discovered them when I tried separating them out into categories (as defined by the parties involved):

  • Pandora
  • Temple
  • Noble
  • Romance

I suppose I could split “Romance” again, into “Gian & Labriella” and “Rome & Labriella“…but I would actually prefer to stick with a triangular effect. I want to use Gian to enhance and/or force out a definition of Rome and Labriella’s relationship, and use the nobles (and Pandora, and the temple) to further force it out of the shadows. That probably means I need to scatter Gian’s parts throughout the timeline a bit more, instead of having so many chapters between him and Labriella in the first book.

In my case, does the solution to having four plots entail untangling those plots? Or maybe picking just one per book? Ummm….Ew. I mean, I could do that, but I wove all those plots together subconsciously for a reason; they add depth to one another. At first glance it appears that there is no plot, because you’re walking through the characters’ lives. It’s those elements in their lives that brought them together, and that make up all those plots. Each is a festering issue that needs to be dealt with–and each starts out very small.

Part of the reason I’m so set on revising my first book again, is because I want to resolve either the noble plot or the temple plot (or both) by the end of the first book. I now suspect the noble plot will be more of an undercurrent that will come to a head on several supporting occasions. So I’m fixing my attention on the temple plot. If I start book one with the temple, then I should end book one with the temple. Otherwise, Labriella being considered a “runaway” becomes old news and eventually feels buried or ignored.

Previously the first book revolved around the question of whether Rome would allow Labriella to stay with him. But a few of my readers complained that they were running so many insecure circles around one another that it was slowing down and lengthening the story. And I agree. At least one set of circumstances needs to be sealed in by the end of the first book.

I feel like I’m trying to cram in a lot of things. But maybe, if I eliminate lengthy descriptions, consolidate scenes, and get rid of reflective dialogue, I might still be able to shorten things up. After all, my goal for revising this time around is to keep the plot moving.

Beasts, Alphas, Doms, and the BDSM Line

Posted by Seriah Black Sheep on

First, I’d like to thank my anonymous reviewer for their compliment, in saying that my story was well-written. But second, I would like to address some concerns that this reviewer brought up.

For those of you who haven’t read the review, the subject is the mentality behind alphas and dominants, and what that tendency actually says about the person in question. This begs the question of whether an alpha can ever be considered a well-rounded character. Since one of my two main characters is a beast character, and he is the focal point, this tension makes up the crux of my story.

“I have always found over-the-top ‘alphas’ or ‘doms’ to be more than a little repugnant…”

Alphas and dominants certainly cater to a particular taste. The stories that revolve around them often center around the issue of control. This is because being an alpha means being at the top of the food chain, and therefore usually at the top of a societal structure. Think “natural leader” who’s got the fate of his clan or community or business in his hands. (Note that when most fantasy or paranormal readers see the word “alpha,” they typically think “werewolf pack leader.”)

Control for an alpha is a double-edged sword. On the one edge, he has to keep control of his pack—settling squabbles, administering justice, appeasing offended parties, protecting against outside forces. He’s the politician and the ranking military commander at the same time. On the other edge, he has to keep control of himself; he’s the most powerful member of his community, and he’s accountable for how he handles that power. Theoretically, he has the ability to bring down the whole pack with him. Not to mention every life he is responsible for is on his conscience.

Now, let’s move on to beasts. If you’ve snooped around Beauty and the Beast stories and TV shows, you’ve probably noticed that there are two types of beast characters that writers present: the man who is beastly on the outside, and the man who is beastly on the inside. Often beastly characters end up ugly on the outside as a reflection of being ugly on the inside (i.e., by a curse or a spell). But there are exceptions where a kindly man is unfortunate enough to end up with a repulsive appearance by no fault of his own. The woman who can see through that guise is richly rewarded—either by the amazing character of the man underneath it all, or by a more material peeling back of the ugliness to grant the heroine a physical representation of the beautiful man she knew him to be all along.

Now let’s look at my alpha beast character specifically.

My reviewer is right: Rome is incomplete, and he is damaged. His parents were murdered when he was a child, leaving him orphaned, and he didn’t cope well. Then he got a beast persona shoved into his already-existing personality. And then his best friend and crush dumped him, and he doesn’t know the whole story of why. He’s been abandoned most of his life, he’s in a constant psychological battle for his sanity, and he doesn’t understand love.

What he does understand is that he has issues—the kind that make him unsafe for people to be around. He feels a very strong connection to Labriella, but he doesn’t know what to do about it. He doesn’t trust himself to do the right thing, but he can’t bring himself to stay away from her either.

Labriella, for her part, does not stick around for the pain and pleasure of the experience. She sticks around because she feels the deep connection too. She sticks around because she wants Rome himself—even if that is impossible for him to comprehend. And she’s willing to demonstrate that by putting up with a lot.

If you think Labriella is the type to just “roll over” once she’s comfortable, though, you’re greatly mistaken. Rome has a way of bringing out the adventurous side of her. You’ve only had snippets of it so far. Remember, she’s used to that spark inside her being extinguished by the temple. Once she learns that Rome’s baiting her (rather than just trying to push her buttons)…well, let’s just say things’ll get a little steamy. Just give the tables time to turn.

What kind of relationship does that make this? Is it BDSM?
Well, Rome’s an alpha beast, so we’ve already got the “D” for “Dominance.” I did consider putting some light bondage into the story—the handcuffed or tied-wrists kind, not much beyond that. I’m still undecided as to whether that’s a good idea, though, because that might give you the idea that Rome has to tie her down to make her stay. And while he may think that, it doesn’t make it true. As for SM…well, the only pain between the main characters in this story should be incidental. Hurting one another isn’t going to make them happy or satisfied. In fact, Rome is deathly afraid of hurting her. Only a few love-bites might be on purpose.

The idea is that letting one person in can change everything. (…Well, that’s one of the ideas, anyway.) So, you’re right: Aggressive posturing is not the way. But my intent is not to glorify Rome’s aggressive posturing. The intent is to introduce a new element to soften it, and bring balance to the equation. And that element is Labriella.

So I would ask you this about Rome: Is he immature because he is an alpha? Or is he an immature alpha?

Because I would say that an alpha is supposed to take care of others. He shows his maturity by fulfilling this responsibility. But living alone does not facilitate relating to people. An alpha without at least one person to depend on him…How can he possibly learn how to be a good leader? How to be a good husband? How to be a good friend?

As for the kinds of women who are attracted to this kind of male character…

I theorize that there are 4 common draws to fictional alpha characters:

  1. the quest for power
  2. the desire to not be responsible for once
  3. sympathy for the emotional plight
  4. curiosity

Quest for Power. I’m talking about that man or woman who always has to be in control, be the best there is, or come out on top. They don’t care who they have to step on to get there. In fact, stepping on certain people might make them feel more powerful. And that’s good, because it’s all about them. They want to be that alpha. They’re jealous of him, so they’re studying him. One day, they’ll have more; they’ll be better. Or one day, they’ll have someone like him, to love and control. He’s the top dog, so they’ll make him submit, to prove that they are the only one who can do it.

Desire Not to be Responsible. Some people just plain get tired of being in control. They have to make all the hard decisions all day, every day. They always have to look out for themself, because nobody else will. They have to take care of their entire family, and they want to know who’s going to take care of them. Or they realize that they’re reserved or reclusive or socially awkward, or will always say “maybe later” to the person they’re actually dying to be with. To these people, an alpha male looks like the perfect solution. Maybe they’d push back in real life. But in the safety of their own head? He brings out their repressed wild side. And maybe, just maybe, they can trust him.

Sympathy for the Emotional Plight. It’s not about control at all; it’s about the person on the other end of it. The alpha has the weight of the world on his shoulders, and he may or may not know how to handle it. Who’s going to help him? Who’s going to care for his heart, when everyone else just cares about what he is or isn’t doing for them? Who’s going to hold him when he comes home exhausted and broken at the end of a long day? Who’s going to be his sidekick when nobody wants to follow his lead, or when he doesn’t believe in himself, or when the problem’s too big for him to face alone? “I’LL DO IT!” scream ten million fangirls. Because it’s not just about where he has the power and the prowess and the bravado; it’s about where he doesn’t. (Otherwise, he would be a hatable character.)

Or maybe they look at the alpha male, and say, “Hey, that reminds me weirdly of me…or how accomplished I wish I was. Where’s my sidekick love-interest?”

Curiosity. These are the outsiders looking in. They’re not really sure what’s going on, or how they feel about it, but they’re interested to see a new-to-them concept play out. “To each his/her own” is their motto. They’re just wondering what some people’s “own” looks like. They want to see something new and exciting. They can’t wait to see what happens next, because it doesn’t play according to the usual rules of engagement. They want to dip their toe into the forbidden pool. Or they just want to slake their curiosity so they can stop wondering what all the fuss is about.

Feel free to chime in with another reason to add to my theory. Or if you’re thinking, ‘Heeeey, that’s not right!’, feel free to correct. What good is a theory, if it’s not perfected?

I will end by saying that I by no means think alpha males should appeal to everyone. I myself am rather on-the-fence about it. I don’t like a character to be too strong, but I don’t like them to be too weak either. For me, it comes down to what that character does with what is given to them—them learning how to use it, what they learn from having it, and watching them grow from it.

The Boring Agony of Book Shopping

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I think I’ve come to hate book-shopping. Which is really, really sad, because I absolutely LOVE reading. It’s just that there are so many things out there that I don’t want to read, that searching for the right story becomes a chore. This is why I only read series: Because if I’m going to go through all that effort to finally find the story I want to read, it better be awhile before I have to do it again. After the series I like ends, I’ll try to stick with the author. But usually when the author writes another series, I just can’t get into it. Maybe that’s just part of having a “book hangover,” like that quote I related to on Pinterest—inability to move on due to still being stuck in the last book’s world. Or maybe all that really matters to me is the story. I would call myself a book-whore, except I’m probably far too selective to merit such a promiscuous title.

Alright, I’ll tell you what my problem is: I like romance, but I don’t like it when the characters hardly even kiss, or when sex is thrown in my face. I mean, sex is welcome in the story, but I’m not reading the story for arousal purposes, so you’re going to have to make me care about the characters and the story and not just the sex. And I do NOT want something about a normal-life couple; I can walk outside to see that…sometimes I don’t even have to walk outside to see that. Give me something with fantasy or paranormal elements, where those things are vital to the story but do not overshadow the romance. I’m here for the depth and complexity, not the flashiness or the “don’t you want me?” One additional stipulation: no zombies or angels/demons, and for now I’m trying to stay away from vampires. What does that leave? Werewolf stories, but hopefully more than that.

Feel free to make some recommendations! I’m fond of mysterious male characters and not-so-chipper heroines, and I’m not afraid of a dark story tone. I do like shifters (mostly because of the mateship and alpha concepts), but I wouldn’t mind branching out of that category. I can do some sci-fi too, I’m just a bit more hesitant.

I’m finally starting to understand where following book reviewers comes in. Looks like it’s time to become a reviewer groupie.

New Adult Resources Wanted

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There are sooooo many people posting writing tips on the internet. So how is it that I cannot find the advice that I actually need?

♦ How to get an idea for a story is not my problem; I have plenty of ideas that pop into my head all the time.

♦ Struggling to reach a 50,000-word count is not my problem. The first book in my current series is at 200,000 words! PLEASE don’t encourage me to multiply my words or tell me how to lengthen my story! I want to know what to condense, what to cut, and what to move to the next book.

“There are plenty of online resources.”

WHERE IS THE NEW ADULT COMMUNITY?!?!?! Seriously, Young Adult is everywhere. But when it comes to New Adult, all a Google search does is turn up lists of NA books, or YA writing resources. Can somebody please point me to where I can research the NA Romance and Fantasy genres specifically? Or where I can find an NA forum community? Or an NA critique partner? Everyone is promoting publishing for NA. Great! But I’m not there yet! I want stuff to help me get there! I want people to point out what I don’t already see. So where are those people?! The writing community is so big, I don’t understand why this is a problem! There is only one book I have been able to find about writing New Adult fiction, by Deborah Halverson, and I own it, and it’s uber helpful. Am I to believe that this is the only book marketed on the subject?

Alright, I’m done ranting. But this isn’t just a rant; it’s a cry for help. I’m mostly past the my-story-is-my-baby-please-don’t-slaughter-it sentiment; now whenever someone offers constructive criticism on my story I’m ecstatic, because it’s so rare. So if you know of a writing community, or a conference, or a workshop, or something that can help me with writing New Adult Paranormal Romance set in a fantasy world, I would LOVE for you to comment. Blog recommendations, book recommendations, forums…anything.

“Throne of Glass”: A FictionPress Success Story

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A couple days ago, I finished reading Sarah Maas’ novel Throne of Glass. Imagine how startled I was when I picked up the book in Barnes & Noble, and saw that the dedication was addressed to FictionPress readers! Not only that, but the author had published several ebooks. I even recognized some of the titles from somebody’s profile I visited awhile back. It was incredibly encouraging to behold her 10-year progression from editing to FictionPress to ebooks on Amazon, and finally to the published, bound paperback in my hands—the first book of at least two.

As a writer myself, I recognize that to an author, their book can feel like their firstborn child. It makes them extremely sensitive toward criticism. But I also believe that criticism can be constructive, whether or not everyone agrees. So with that in mind, this is my opinion of the book, having never read it on FictionPress prior to its publication.

For those of you who haven’t read the book, the story progresses from Chronicles of Riddick, to a gentle interlude of travel (during which the prisoner/assassin is both superstitious and scheming), and then becomes a lot like a medieval Hunger Games (a game of elimination, minus the expectation of senseless killing). The suspense of the games, and the fact that the assassin is the only female contestant, is overlaid by having to conceal her identity and act like a court lady as she moves about a glass castle, trying to understand the forbidden magic therein. There is a classic Cinderella scene (which I applaud), though quite a bit tamer than I expected with all the suspense, but the aftermath is what will keep you smiling and intrigued.

The book’s front cover is rather frightening, the back cover haunting, and from the summary on the back one would think that the assassin is on the front and her princess friend is on the back. That is not the case. In fact, after reading the novel, it is my belief that the women on the front and back are actually the same person. Rather misleading.

Another way I felt misled was regarding the assassin herself. In the beginning, the assassin is presented as a hardened criminal who somehow used to attend court, and has mysteriously survived thus far in a prison (concentration) camp. I was reminded strongly in this of The Chronicles of Riddick. However, as soon as she was led out, that was where the similarities ended. Before I knew it, she was a fragile girl with an assassin pretense, attached to her occupation only as a means to an end, and the womanizing crown prince who shrewdly employed her to fight (possibly to her death) was falling in love with her sorrow. I had quite a few “Huh?” moments.

I was excited about WAFF, but when it got there I rejected it and nearly put the book down, because it seemed so disconnected from the previous line of thinking. Why would this hardened assassin who had lost everything and didn’t trust anybody and would rather cut out her own heart than love one of the royal family, suddenly disclose her lost lovelife to the crown prince when he’s infringing on her space? There is a good amount of character depth, but the character development was such that I had to mentally change gears a lot to keep up with the flow of the story.

The weird part to me, I think, was the feeling that the assassin was actually trying to cover up the fact that she was always trying to prove her own worth. Maybe this is a hidden psychological nugget, or maybe this is unintentional; I don’t know. And I expected the crown prince to be stronger somehow, after his bravado in sneakily defying his cruel father’s wishes, but maybe that was the point of his character, and why choosing the assassin was a significant event for him.

It turned out quite a bit lighter than I expected, for how dark its beginning was. I think this is unusual for the first book in a series, as most fantasy novels get progressively darker as they go on (not lighter). I’m still kind of in limbo about this dark-to-light progression, preference-wise…I think I would have liked it better if it picked a tone and stuck with it.

Despite my criticism, I enjoyed the book, and I’m glad I kept reading. But it did enlighten me as to some things to be careful of in my own writing. The whole reason for my rewrite, after all, was to beware of jumps in character development. Still, I applaud Maas for her successful transition to the tangible book world, and I can only hope that my own FictionPress readers will be so supportive if and when I take that leap.

Go read Throne of Glass, or its sister stories, and see what you think! 🙂

Let the Story Begin

Posted by Seriah Black Sheep on

So here’s what I’m thinking:

When is romance/sex most poignant in a novel: when it’s just another nail in the coffin, or when it comes like a thief in the night, sneakily riding the wave of the plot until the perfect time?

I’m going to create another version of the story. I know I’ve been talking about it, but I’m actually going to do it, instead of just moving a few things around, adding in here or there. To me, it’ll still just look like moving things around. But to you, it will probably look like a full story makeover. I’m doing this for the sake of the story. There is a time for Rome and Labriella’s relationship to be hot and heavy. But I rushed it–not because I introduced attraction too early, but because I made attraction the main event. Yes, that attraction is vital, but I don’t have to singularly focus on it for it to come to pass.

I wanted to find out if I could write abruptly instead of detailed.
I could.

I wanted to see if I could write sex scenes.
I can.

I wanted to see if I can get away with detail and gore.
I did.

Now it’s time to write a story.

3 Seasons

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3 Seasons Flow Chart

3 Seasons Flow Chart

Alright, I know this map is a little archaic, but I finally figured out what I’m doing with the seasons! It means a little backtracking to edit out some of the insinuations about winter, but I am totally willing to go there, because I can ascribe a different season per volume!

Volume 1 → Planting Season {spring equivalent}
Volume 2 → Mating Season {summer equivalent}
Volume 3 → Frozen Season {winter equivalent}

I know Fall is not on the list. Sorry autumn-lovers, but I’m throwing it out. It’s simply not a romantically productive season. Planting season has to do with birth and rebirth (of both plants and animals), Mating season has to do with heat (both sexual and sunshine), and Frozen season has to do with cold (which necessitates hibernation, staying inside, being under the covers, and sharing body heat). If I put harvest at the end of Planting season, making Planting season literally all about plants (from planting seeds to harvesting crops), and make Mating season the red-hot time when all greenery dies out, that eliminates the need for Fall.

Only three seasons–another little way to remind you that this is a fantasy, and a thematic way to distinguish between volumes. The season doesn’t matter so much to volume 1. But in volumes 2-3…well, you’ll see the difference–psychologically, leading to action.

So…that puts us in Mating Season for volume 2. I seriously hope you can guess from that what is going to transpire.

Which means volume 3 will have battle scenes in the bitter cold. Awesome. Death all around.

(And no, I’m not saying that last bit to be morbid. >_< )

Crayola Colors

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I’m starting to feel like Mistress Healer with all the eye colors I’m drafting up! Suddenly I have a very deep appreciation for Crayola, what with naming their boxes of over 200 crayons. I thought all their crayon names were weird back then—I mean, seriously, Apricot versus Peach? Cerulean versus Cornflower versus Cyan? But now that I’m trying to figure out how many different ways I can say blue, pink, purple, green, or brown, suddenly all those years of coloring books and crayons were good for more than just honing motor skills and precursors to school projects. Who knew I’d end up expanding that expertise to novel-writing—illustrations with words and not just pictures?

Write What’s Not There

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It’s been really encouraging to see people reading, following, and favoriting me as an author. As I’ve been hunting for stories online to read lately, I’ve been reminded of why I began writing my story in the first place. Sure, I was bored and didn’t have a book with me to read. But I also had devoured so many online stories that there were few left in my genre that appealed to me at the time. Exasperated, I realized that I had subconsciously developed an ideal male character in my mind’s eye, somewhere between a fantasy and a character I would want to read about…but he existed nowhere except in my mind.

And so I created him. And somehow, I ended up writing the kind of story that I wanted to read—the kind of story there are so few of. It’s a darker genre, traditional in its culture of men placed over women, but unconventional in its opportunities to flip things on their heads, and in its determination to get inside the characters’ heads.

And really, that’s what I wanted: An angsty fantasy story with graphic romance as both the problem and the solution. I wanted to see two strong main characters fight against themselves, each other, and the world to become one. I wanted to see the woman use her “lower” position in society to become valuable. I wanted to see the strong man have an identity crisis. I wanted to see a beautiful beast who remained beastly. I wanted to see up become down and down become sideways. I wanted to take the “known” (a well-known fairy tale in this case) and turn it into Wonderland (which is illogical/mind-boggling). If I saw one more Superwoman or girly-girl, I thought I would scream…or vomit. If I read one more “let’s get pregnant and have a family,” I was going to throw something. I don’t want to read about a kid; I want to read about the love bunnies. Everybody else can go take a hike. And why do I have to wait until next chapter for a POV change?! What if I want to know what they think now, when it’s most important and fresh in my mind?

And so Beauty and the Beast was born—renamed The BeastKing Chronicles now. A series, but really all one story. A story that could continue on and on for an eternity, because it follows an immortal. A story whose romance doesn’t end in a single volume to trade for another minor-character couple, or end in a family and a happily-ever-after. A story that’s full of trials, just like life—but extraordinary trials, such as you could never actually live. A story full of characters who would be phenomenal or terrible to meet in person—the kind that could make you lust or scream, murder or sex up.

Don’t you want to read that kind of story?

What kind of story do you want to read?
And why aren’t you writing it?

The Beloved Character

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Budding writers are really getting into perspective shifts now. The ability to shift points of view makes writing in first person so much easier a feat, since otherwise it is so limiting. But I must admit, as a reader I tend not to be a fan of POV shifts—usually because I only really care for one particular character. In rare cases, I may care for more than one character, and then I find myself enjoying the current perspective but constantly looking forward to the next shift.

Oftentimes POVs are done by chapter, remaining in one perspective for the duration of a chapter, and then choosing whether or not to switch for the next chapter. But I had just about enough of that with J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings series. 30 pages of one character, and then I wait 100 pages for that character to turn up again? I couldn’t even concentrate on the next chapter because all I cared about was the previous character! Plus he was tracking so many characters, that by the time he came back around to one, I had already forgotten all about them, because I could only keep so many life stories in my head at one time (especially when getting distracted by scenery). Did anybody else have that problem?

The annoying thing about first person in general is that you can only view an event from one person’s perspective. Even with POV changes, most authors I’ve read rarely take the extra pages to recount the same event from a different character’s perspective. Perhaps they find it unnecessary, or overkill. And in some instances, given enough detail, I am sure they are correct. But in other instances, the reader really doesn’t know what a particular character is thinking. Sometimes that just adds to the suspense of the story. But sometimes, not knowing actually becomes a distraction while reading the story; for the next 10 pages you’re still trying to puzzle out one character’s reaction, and every word you read you hope is the secret decoder ring. So until you get that decoder ring, you miss everything that is said in the next several pages. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to flip ahead in a book to find a mini resolution, so I could go back and read the pages in between. (Though, thankfully, I don’t suffer that ailment with actual book endings, mostly because when you’re reading a series, book endings rarely make sense unless you’ve read the book all the way through.)

My story features two strong characters—two main characters. This is unusual. Usually there is only one main character (though they may have a lover or sidekick who is constantly at their side). In the event that there are two, one of the characters is typically “weaker” than the other—for instance, the scrawny geek who is smart enough to think himself out of any situation, or the warrior who calls upon his remarkable strength or strange powers to change the tide of the battle. But most fantasy novels feature a strong hero (who may or may not know they are strong) and a strong villain (who usually knows or figures out that they’re strong enough to oppose the way others want things to be).

However, Beauty and the Beast is by nature a story that defies convention in these respects. Even the title portrays each character as not any more significant than the other. Traditionally, Beauty is physically attractive, practical, self-sacrificial, and strives to see beyond appearances, while the Beast is lonely, defensive, stubborn, and has an appearance that is unacceptable to society. These attributes can take many different forms, and do not have to be dictated by any particular circumstances, which is what makes renditions of the Beauty and the Beast story so unique from one another. Beauty may be smart and well-read, but that doesn’t necessarily make the Beast less so—in fact, usually he has a library with more books than Beauty has ever seen. So Beauty and the Beast are not necessarily opposites. And even the Disney version shows them more than capable of arguing, making Belle quite the rebellious damsel in distress. If Belle wasn’t so stubborn, the Beast would probably have pushed her around all the time, and he might never have fallen for her.

It is very important to me that my Beauty and my Beast are STRONG characters. Strong characters aren’t always going to get along, and there is not always going to be a clear victor when they don’t. But strong characters make for an extremely passionate pairing. In other words, the couple can be counterproductive at times, but when their priorities align, they make a powerful team. The only way to take down such a team is to separate them.

Labriella may seem like a weak character because she gets blown around a lot. But the only reason she gets blown around a lot, is because she cares about Rome, who is not at all an easy person to have any sort of relationship with.

Rome, on the other hand, is extremely indecisive. He has no problem making definitive decisions and sticking to them, but he overthinks things when it comes to Labriella because he cares too much.

But do not make the mistake of thinking that either of these characters is weak. They are human—in soul at least. Good and bad, strong and weak, aren’t so clear-cut.