How Most Of My Characters End Up Being Polyamorous - A Tale Of Imagination And Author Woe

If you've read anything by me - and I pretty much mean anything - then you quickly discover that my MCs have a tendency to, uh, have more than one romantic partner.And they're pretty shameless about this. Nope, they're not cheating - 90% of the time their primary partner is well aware of what's going on and is A-OK with it. (Or at least, it's talked out beforehand.) For my MCs, this tends to be the norm.

Take Ren'Ai Rensai, for example. One of the core themes of that series is how polyamory affects relationships. That was one time when I knew, going in, that my characters were going to be polyamorous. But before RR, I was writing series that just naturally went that course with the MCs. I never really thought about it until some readers started discussing it. Then I considered why this has become a "thing" of mine. After about five seconds' worth of though, I think I have multiple answers! Oh, look, I'm about to share them~

• Monogamy is boring. From this author's perspective, the idea of writing about the same relationship over and over with no variation in sexual partners makes me groan. There reaches a point when I decide a couple needs a little variation, whether short term or long term Plus, polyamorous couple characters have their own pockets of drama just waiting to be explored. "I'm totally not jealous of your second girlfriend, but I totally am. Here, let's angst." (Sound familiar???) That's just one example that I have been enjoying a lot lately.

• Romance needs more free-lovin. One of the first things you learn as a romance writer is that there are so many "rules" that your head starts spinning. The Golden Rule of Romance that separates the genre from "Love Stories" is the happily ever after, or happily for now. Aside from trying to portray the relationship as healthy as well by the end of the story, this is the only rule I follow. Other "rules" like "MC may not sleep with anyone else, even if they're not in a dedicated relationship with the love interest," and "affairs with other characters is not permitted!" go out the window. B o r i n g. To me, that's just not realistic. And while romance is often seen as fantasies, I wouldn't be me if I wasn't injecting cold-hearted reality into anything. Such as women having sex with more than one person. (Scary!)

• There ain't nothin' wrong with polyamory. There's still this idea even in modern society that polyamory is immoral, impossible, and somehow abusive. This can't be further from the truth. If a couple decides to open their hearts and open their beds to others, they are more than welcome to.Studies have shown that polyamorous families can even be healthier, stronger, and more stable than some monogamous counterparts - families with children included. Pushback is still often seen in romance, but don't polyamorous people deserve romances as well? I enjoy exploring the tickings of such extended relationships, how it changes the people involved, and how it can even make the core relationship stronger.

Apparently, it's a part of my branding now. Will I always have polyamorous MCs? No. After all, I like to portray reality, and the reality is many people consider themselves monogamous. And certainly, some characters just put their foot down and say "I'm a one lover kind of person, Hildred!" Okay, okay! But they will definitely show up in other series I write, and I am excited to write about them and their busy love lives.