There’s
a small amount of controversy about using soulmates in romance novels. A soulmate
as a feature of life is an abstraction. Writing gurus don’t recommend writing
in the abstract. So what to do? The author either believes in soulmates and/or
wishes the character(s) to believe in it.
We
don’t prefer to write in abstractions because it avoids the senses which is the
best food for any reader. There’s only one solution (for any abstraction, such as
philosophical, religious, political beliefs). The characters can talk about
these abstractions, yes. But, it’s so much better to show the characters in
action living their beliefs.
So
what’s a soulmate? Let the characters find their own way. Be true to their
stories.
Maybe finding that right person is just an accident, or an act of scientific
study (online dating). Maybe when two people meet they just know. Perhaps, for
the most of us, it’s a matter of caring for another person who suits us in many
ways.
ALL OF ME by John Legend, 2013, 5 min.
