Why is my story demanding a romance arc between these characters?

[Link the Writer]

...What do you do when the muse is telling you that these two characters *need* to have a romance arc, and *need* to have a gentle, sudden kiss and maybe even an implied sex scene?'Cause in my Colonial historical fiction, these two characters in question are Robin Parrish (son of a doctor) and Emily Maywalker (daughter of a secretly Loyalist consultant) and they're in their late teens/early-20s. Like... Yeah, they're friends but... All I can justify for now is that Emily is being pressured to move to London by her father*, she doesn't want to go. Doesn't want to leave her friends behind, especially not Robin and Amos (well, Amos is the fourteen year old tavern boy that she basically feels protective of.) She has this one rebellious moment where she's all, 'Please, let's just forget the situation, forget ourselves. It's just you and me. Tonight.' It's quite out of character, even Robin is stunned hearing this.Like, my muse *wants* this but I'm like... 'Why?'

• This is Colonial times, circa 1775, so... even if Robin and Emily are of the same social class, I'm pretty sure Emily is about to cause the mother of all scandals if she and Robin go that far. 'Cause they're not married.

• * My idea was that her father is wanting to betroth her to the son of a London banker, take her to London and help secure a footing in Britain regardless of who wins the war. Emily, of course, doesn't want that. Not only does she have friends in the town, but she's been helping her father (and Amos, the man's informant) with the case and she feels going to London will mean she's abandoning everything, especially Amos and Robin.

• 'Cause my muse keeps expanding it with:- Robin does have feelings for Emily, maybe romantic, maybe not. He's exploring that.- Emily is being betrothed/being forced to go with this son of a London banker whom her father wants to help secure a business footing in Britain.- At some point, this son says something smarmy about Amos and Emily, implying her feelings for Amos is... intimate, shall we say. Robin hears this and punches his lights out. Robin is then quickly sent to Cambridge until the heat dies down (or he has a duel with the guy and nearly gets his leg blown off.)- This basically helps to isolate Amos, who by this point, is on thin ice with the tavern owner, and the boy feels like he can fall back on people. Emily is trying to help him.The arcs? Well, Robin learns to monitor his emotions and restrain himself. Emily eventually learns to stand up for herself and fight for what she believes.

The implied sex scene? Dunno why my muse wants that, that's likely never gonna happen, but everything above? Yeah, my muse wants it. Reckon I should listen to it. Maybe that's the story it's trying to tell and I should stop fighting it?

 

[Naomasa298]

You do one of two things. You either put the romance arc in, or you don't.

The story isn't trying to tell you anything. You are telling yourself, and you have the final decision. Story ain't gonna write itself.

 

[JT Woody]

Sometimes the "will they/wont they" is all you need. A little mystery to leave the readers fantasizing.

Its like that in Cozy Mysteries. Often the lead female and her sidekick have a flirtationship going on. Its clear they are interested in some way shape or form. But its not written on the page.

Longer series, they eventually confess or make it official. But the first few books, there is no romance or unprofessional relationship between the 2 characters.

 

[CatrionaGrace]

Tell the muse you have work to do, so s/he should sit down, shut up, or risk being put out into the snow .

 

[Louanne Learning]

What city/town are they in? Do they have different opinions on the troubles between England the colonies? Can this lead to a passionate disagreement? Can you put them in a position of danger that throws them into one another's arms?

 

[Link the Writer]

They're in a fictional town just an hour's carriage ride from Boston. Emily's family is secretly Loyalist while Robin's is neutral/partially siding with the Patriots. I should probably develop this angle a bit more now that I think about it.

 

[Louanne Learning]

They're in a fictional town just an hour's carriage ride from Boston. Emily's family is secretly Loyalist while Robin's is neutral/partially siding with the Patriots. I should probably develop this angle a bit more now that I think about it.

One source of conflict between them might be if Robin starts to express interest in joining the local Committee of Safety:

In the American Revolution, committees of correspondence, committees of inspection, also known as committees of observation and committees of safety, were different local committees of Patriots that became a shadow government; they took control of the Thirteen Colonies away from royal officials, who became increasingly helpless.

By 1775, the committees had become counter-governments that gradually replaced royal authority and took control of local governments.

 

[Link the Writer]

Oooh, that’s a cool idea! I could see him doing that, considering he’s the sort that acts with his heart, doing what he feels is right. He’s always about the common folks, helping the vulnerable.

 

[Louanne Learning]

Oooh, that’s a cool idea! I could see him doing that, considering he’s the sort that acts with his heart, doing what he feels is right. He’s always about the common folks, helping the vulnerable.

Some of the work the Committees of Safety did included surveillance - gathering intel about suspected Loyalists - they had secret agents and spies - maybe Robin could be assigned to gather damaging intel on Emily's family

Here's more reading about these Committees:

Committee of safety (American Revolution)

The Committees of Safety were extralegal organizations formed across the Thirteen Colonies starting in 1774 to coordinate patriot resistance against British colonial authority in the prelude to the American Revolution. Urged by the First Continental Congress, these committees initially enforced...

grokipedia.com

 

[Link the Writer]

Good idea! And also, Robin could mention Amos to them like, “Yeah, they recruited this blind tavern kid to be their informal informant and I don’t like that.”

 

[Link the Writer]

Huh, ok, so I’m reading up on it. Seems like the CoC was an underground movement of men who passed along information relating to the patriot cause, with some taking over as informal leaders of the various towns and villages?

 

[Louanne Learning]

was an underground movement

I think they may have evolved from the Sons of Liberty, but by 1775, I don't think they were underground anymore

 

[Link the Writer]

Good point. I could see Robin’s parents warning him to avoid that lot. Amos’ mother (before she died) blamed them for causing the Boston Massacre and deaths of her husband and brother in law.

I can see tension brewing here…

 

[Louanne Learning]

If you can get it to a passionate confrontation between Robin and Emily, who knows where that can lead?

 

[Link the Writer]

Just got done researching the basics of British colonial government in North America, and provincial governments/committee of correspondence.

In other words, Nathaniel Maywalker (the secretly loyalist consultant) is being told by the provincial government to please investigate Trumidal (merchant) for loyalist leanings. He uses Amos as an informal informant. Trumidal snatches Amos and is all, ‘drop the case or I tell everyone you’re a loyalist, thus tanking your reputation, putting your property on the line, and probably your family at risk lol’

And what’s worse for Nathaniel? Trumidal’s enforcer is a man Nathaniel tangled with in the past, a man who murdered Nathaniel’s informant in a previous case in Salem.

OK, I like this. <3 I like this a lot.