Karen Azinger's Blog: The Silk & Steel Saga - Posts Tagged "love"

It's nearly Valentine's Day, so let's talk about love. The Silk & Steel Saga is set in a medieval world, but the story is very modern, full of political intrigue, fanatical religions, hatred, misogyny, greed, lust, and love, all woven together in complex plots. Of all the emotions portrayed in this saga, love is by far the most challenging to write, because the bar for believability of this emotion is set so very high by readers. Perhaps we are all too cynical and jaded in this modern age. Or perhaps it is because I write epic fantasy, not romance, so my readers are even more skeptical, pushing the believability bar even higher. Either way, as a writer, love is a the most challenging emotion to write convincingly. Readers must not only believe it, they must feel it. And it cannot come across as sappy or corny or clichéd. And the challenge becomes even more difficult when the reader views the relationship from both points-of-view as in the Silk & Steel Saga. But if done well, love adds a deep dimension to any story, especially epic fantasy. In my view, the reward is well worth the risk.