I think it is well established at this point that I am a sci-fi/fantasy author. I write hard-core alien sci-fi and lighter alternate reality sci-fi. This Christmas, my short story is outside that wheelhouse. Prima is a a Christmas murder mystery romantasy (romantic fantasy).
This may be outside my wheelhouse for writing, but I do have some other aspects of the literary world I'm drawing from. The first full-length novella I wrote was a mystery. It was called Mystery of the Missing Maples. It was never published because it is proving very difficult to solidify the plot. In the realm of romantasy, it is actually my favorite genre of Webtoon. I don't read sci-fi. I read a lot of Webtoons.
Webtoon is an app of comics (from the Korean app Naver). I have found myself reading a lot of romances, and in my experience many, many webtoons are fantasy. When writing Prima, I was inspired by these Webtoons. Interestingly enough, the idea came to me while watching The Nutcracker.
So what are these Webtoons that inspired me?
This one helped me develop the idea of one event changing the FL's entire life and seeking out a powerful noble as a result of that.
This one helped me develop my ML. I wanted an intelligent, powerful nobleman that was more than just a skilled fighter.
This one helped me with the ML/FL dynamic. The FL sought out the ML for aid, but the ML has more in mind for their relationship.
This one also helped me develop my ML. I wanted my ML mission-oriented, but with feelings slowly, and discretely developing.
This one helped in the development of the ML/FL dynamic. I wanted a softer FL and gruffer, but misunderstood, ML.
This one helped with the FL. I wanted her feminine, but calculated and intelligent. I wanted the FL pushing the non-romantic plot forward.
This one helped with general world building and how I imagine the world of Prima. It also helped me figure out the Crown Prince.
I didn't want to write a Webtoon, though, so I had to differentiate mine. Something I noticed was that most male leads are dark-haired, so I made mine blonde. I also don't like how religion is often portrayed as the underlying enemy, so I changed that. Inspiration struck while watching The Nutcracker, so I drew from that story. The ballet aspect comes from that, but so does how Christmas is pulled in. In my opinion, The Nutcracker is a fantasy story set in a Christmas world. I wanted to do that. I've told Christmas stories before (Come Home For Christmas). This time, I wanted to tell a story set in a Christmas world.
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