A couple of years ago I bought the complete series of a BBC adaptation of Dorothy L Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries and I've been working my way through those again. As a writer and reader of romance, I suppose it comes as no surprise that what I love best about Dorothy L Sayers' books is the relationship between Lord Peter and Harriet Vane. And what's struck me, watching the dvds this time, is how much she has to teach a budding romance novelist on the importance of internal conflict. Of course, being crime stories, there's plenty of external conflict in her books to keep the lovers apart - the little matter of Harriet Vane being in gaol on a murder charge for starters - but what really keeps them from each other's arms is the multi-layered internal conflict. Right from the start you can see they are perfect for each other, but Harriet pushes Peter away owing to a crippling inferiority complex: the fact that he's cleared her name and saved her from the gallows means that she'll always feel beholden to him, and that is not a sound foundation for an equal partnership. The fact that Sayers manages to sustain the tension for three books (Strong Poison, Have His Carcase and Gaudy Night) shows just what a master she is at her craft. It just goes to show you don't have to stick with reading romances to learn how to write one :)
