1. Introduction
2. Love Isn’t Just for the Romance Writers
   1. Introduction
   2. Types of Love
   3. The Power of Love
   4. Conclusion
3. Writing Tips for the Month: Incorporating Love into Your Story
4. Writing Prompt: Incorporate Love
5. Conclusion

Introduction

Welcome, my nugs, to the February 2024 Myers Fiction newsletter. I hope everyone has had a successful start to the year! Were you able to choose your focus for 2024? If not, what challenges did you run into? I hope the first few posts diving into the differences between Hard and Soft Sci-Fi/Fantasy have been helpful for you. Let me know your favorite lessons learned!

This newsletter will focus on why love isn’t just a romance writer’s domain, a bit on adding a bit of romance to your Science Fiction or Fantasy stories, and a quick exercise to insert some love in your writing.

Love Isn’t Just for the Romance Writers

Introduction

Whether you like to admit it, love is an integral part of fiction. Sometimes it seems a too powerful word, so you may use care to calm it down, but I think many times we restrict our concepts of love to romantic thoughts.

What is love beyond intimate relationships? One example I can think of real quick is from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 when Yondu scene where he tells Peter “He may have been your father, boy, but he wasn’t your daddy.” This is a simple love between a father figure and a boy who’d been kidnapped long ago. The love isn’t romantic, it’s just the love of two people who are willing to sacrifice for each other.

It’s important to remember to embrace all types of love in your story as it will add another layer for your readers to enjoy. The thing is, it is a lot easier to add in, and most of the time, you’ve already put these elements in place. So we’ll start out by defining the four types of love that exist outside of the romantic love so often associated with February. Then we’ll go over the impact love has on mental well-being, building strong communities, and spreading positivity and compassion.

Types of Love

• Familial love: This one’s pretty fun for the word lovers out there. The Ancient Greeks came up with a word for familial love, Storge(STOR-gee, because I was definitely reading it wrong at first.) But Familial love is unique in its behaviors, challenges, and rewards within a family. The other great thing about familial love is that it isn’t restricted to blood. Familial love can appear between formed families whether by adoption or surviving together through tough times. But the familial love is one of the strongest and creates the most loyalty among certain groups.
• Platonic love: Plato conceived platonic love as an ascension from passion for the individual to contemplation of the universal and ideal. Or, in other words, a close relationship where sexual desire has been suppressed or does not exist. This is often where friendships fall, those friends who you’re closest with and trust over any other acquaintance.
• Self-love: Probably one of the hardest challenges for us and our characters we create, self love is regarding one’s own wellbeing and happiness. Or it can be an acceptance that you are whole.
• Love for hobbies or activities: This one is a little different, but it’s still a powerful force that drives someone forward. The love of hobbies or activities not only creates enjoyment for someone internally, but act as a bonding and social aspect for many. How many friends have you made based on hobbies or activities you share? You may never talk beyond sharing the progress of a hobby or activity and then support them in their progress. It’s a pure love that is often forgotten about.

The Power of Love

As we talked about above, there are many ways to love, and one of the greatest impacts is the impact on mental well-being. The various forms of non-romantic love are a great way to help yourself and others find mental health benefits as you share and grow together. Every topic in a conversation can be turned to something the other is interested in and boosts their happiness. Think about the last time you spoke to someone about their passion. How much did they light up? Could they probably going on talking forever about that one thing? It’s those types of moments your friends, families, and self need to find the mental well-being we’re all searching for.

By exercising this different love, we’ll begin building powerful communities rooted in understanding, friendship, and familial bonds. You can scale this approach to the size of community you want to be a part of. The foundational role of love in community-building is clear as it promotes empathy, cooperation, and mutual support among individuals, ultimately leading to the creation of harmonious and resilient societies.

Love spreads more love. There is something powerful when you see a random act of kindness that inspires you to go out and do the same. Though every expression of love is different, the things you do for, to, and with the people you care about continue that stream of love.

Conclusion

Love comes in many forms beyond romantic relationships. Familial, platonic, self, and hobby love all contribute positively to our mental health, community building, and spreading compassion. By embracing love’s diversity, we can boost our own and others’ wellbeing. Through small acts of kindness inspired by care for those around us, we propagate more love. At its core, love is about understanding and supporting one another. When we open our minds to love’s multidimensionality, we unlock its power to uplift humanity.

Writing Tips for the Month: Incorporating Love into Your Story

Incorporating various forms of love into your writing can be a challenge for some and easier for others. This isn’t to say anyone is better, but it more depends on how your brain functions. I realize that emotion is one of the last things I add to my stories because it’s not something I think about in the early drafts. So, let’s talk about how to add this layer of love to create a better story.

When it comes to incorporating romance into your novel, it’s not just for the romance writers. There are subtle ways to incorporate romance to give your readers another dimension to align with in your story. For example, a character’s crush mentioned early on can reappear at the worst moments, emphasizing the character’s embarrassment and adding depth to the narrative.

Beyond romantic love, authors can explore non-romantic relationships by developing side characters and delving into familial bonds, friendships, and the character’s identity. By authentically portraying the impact of losing a loved one or grappling with identity loss, readers can deeply relate to the narrative. Through the exploration of grief, identity crisis, and resilience, the story becomes more meaningful and relatable to readers. Including moments of vulnerability, introspection, and raw emotion can make the non-romantic love themes in the story more powerful, creating emotionally resonant narratives that captivate and move readers on a profound level.

Ask These Questions

• How can I develop the romantic aspect of my story in a way that adds depth to the narrative and resonates with readers?
• What subtle ways can I incorporate romantic elements into my story to create another dimension for readers to connect with?
• How can I portray non-romantic relationships like family, friends, and personal identity in a way that resonates with readers and enhances the emotional depth of the narrative?

Writing Prompt: Incorporate Love

Love Writing Exercise for Sci-Fi/Fantasy Writers

1. Choose a main character in your story. Think about their close familial, platonic, or mentor relationships.
2. Write a scene or a few paragraphs, delving into one of those relationships. Show the emotions between the characters through dialogue, body language, internal thoughts.

For example:

Jax leaned his head against the cold metal wall, fighting to steady his breath. His sister Rya sank down beside him, her presence a comfort to the panic rising in his chest.

“We’re going to figure this out,” Rya said, “together.”

Jax nodded, not trusting his voice. Rya had always been his rock, ever since they were kids. He didn’t know what he would do without her strength, so far from home.

3. Consider how you can raise the stakes for this relationship later in the story, testing the bonds between the characters. Death of a loved one, betrayal, or having to choose between loved ones can deepen the emotional resonance.
4. For self-love – write a passage showcasing your character alone. What are their thoughts, fears, doubts? How do they deal with struggles? Show their resilience despite hardship.

Focusing on these non-romantic relationships and moments of introspection adds layers of love and vulnerability to your Sci-Fi/Fantasy story. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Conclusion

For your writing in February, focus on the idea that love isn’t exclusively confined to romantic relationships. It highlights the significance of platonic, familial, self, and hobby love in fostering positivity, and emphasize the importance of incorporating these elements into storytelling. Remember the four types of non-romantic love and explores their impact on mental well-being, community development, and the promotion of compassion. Consciously integrate romance to add depth, as well as authentically portraying non-romantic relationships to create emotionally resonant stories. Use the week before the next post to practice the writing exercise to showcase familial bonds and moments of introspection that reveal their characters’ vulnerabilities. Ultimately, embrace the diverse forms of love enriches stories with profound layers of humanity that captivate readers.

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