Writing Couples

Happy Valentine's Day! Today is the day that a lot of people will be bringing their loved ones out for dinner, or surprising them with jewelry and oversized teddy bears. Valentine's day is a day where I normally think about couples, and today I'm thinking of couples in books. I'm currently editing Hair Of The Wolf, an urban fantasy with an element of romance. The main character, Anyssa, is still recovering from an abusive relationship (inspired by the one I was in). Writing Anyssa was hard because it sometimes brought up memories or things that I was struggling with (such as the idea of dating after being in such a relationship). Anyssa has a love interest, which may or may not turn into a relationship, and I found myself writing that plot line with care. He knew about what happened to Anyssa, but some elements were the same as writing the start of a new relationship. I don't think I'll ever write about an abusive relationship again, but I'm sure that I will write about the start of new relationships again. With the character of Anyssa it made sense for her to go through that and come out as the person she is in the book.