Hello ladies! (And other gentlefolks!)
I'm a long, long way from my usual writing habits at this end of the board. I might need a hunting dog and an ouija board to find my way back...
But while I'm here, I'm totally going to solicit some suggestions for 1) solid material for writing sympathetic relationships, and 2) shorthand ways of selling a reader on an established couple's relationship.
TL;DR, my current WIP involves a married couple who run afoul of a nasty creature who has nefarious plans for him and mostly just wants to get rid of her, but can't immediately for Plot Reasons. The nasty creature employs what is apparently a too-effective gaslighting campaign and splits them apart... ...to the point where my crit partners hate him, want her to leave him, think he should die, etc.
Thus item #2. Are there general strategies you've employed in the past or seen done very effectively somewhere that cement a relationship mentally for you really early on?
I'm a long, long way from my usual writing habits at this end of the board. I might need a hunting dog and an ouija board to find my way back...
But while I'm here, I'm totally going to solicit some suggestions for 1) solid material for writing sympathetic relationships, and 2) shorthand ways of selling a reader on an established couple's relationship.
TL;DR, my current WIP involves a married couple who run afoul of a nasty creature who has nefarious plans for him and mostly just wants to get rid of her, but can't immediately for Plot Reasons. The nasty creature employs what is apparently a too-effective gaslighting campaign and splits them apart... ...to the point where my crit partners hate him, want her to leave him, think he should die, etc.
Thus item #2. Are there general strategies you've employed in the past or seen done very effectively somewhere that cement a relationship mentally for you really early on?