Writers workshop
Since some of you don’t just read romance—I know you’d like to write it—let's pull back the curtain a little on the first two chapters of The Bjorn Identity. Let's talk about what’s happening on the page. If you’ve ever wondered, "Can I make all the feels real without slowing the story down?", I’m here to tell you, yes, you can.
Here’s a very basic tutorial on what’s happening beneath the text of the first two chapters.
1. Opposites Do Not Just Attract — They Spark
From the very beginning, Justine and Ash are set up as opposites:
• Justine is all about control, efficiency, and minimalism. Her world is neat, and planned down to the minute.
• Ash is instinct-driven, and honestly a little chaotic, but in a way that hopefully charms the reader, if not Justine.
Their differences aren't just surface-level; they're baked into how they see the world. Stories need conflict. Romance thrives on friction, and the best kind of friction is when two people’s entire way of seeing and being in the world clash.
💡 Writer’s Takeaway: If you want tension to feel natural, build your characters so their core values are at odds and that tension will arrive on the page under its own power. It should give their interactions a crackling, can’t-look-away energy.
2. Setting Isn’t Just a Backdrop — It’s a Mirror
Writers have long used cities as characters in their books. LA was as much the antihero of Raymond Chandler’s noir novels as his detective Philip Marlowe. These early chapters don't use Paris to deepen the character profiles of our two main protagonists.
• Justine’s neighbourhood is a bit shabby and grey. It’s practical and no-frills, just like her. By stepping out of her poor neighbourhood, possibly never to return, she’s signalling to the reader that her life is about to change. (She just doesn't realise how).
• Ash, meanwhile, loves the beautiful, lived-in mystique of the Marais, and his walk through the district doesn’t just showcase his skills, it shows us that part of him that’s open to the world.
This is subtle, but it can be powerful. Where and how characters exist tells us as much about them as their dialogue does. It’s what Tom Wolfe used to call ‘status life’. Plus, it keeps the story rooted in a vivid, believable world without bogging us down in description.
💡 Writer’s Takeaway: Setting can pull double-duty. It can reflect the characters' inner lives and make the world feel real.
3. Use Sharp Dialogue Over Long Conversations
When Justine and Ash meet, they bring the heat. Not because they confess all their feelings (God, no), but because they say barely enough to show how much history and resentment lie under the surface.
“Doops,” he grinned.
“Durham,” she replies, packing five years of rivalry into two syllables.
No big speeches, no “As you know, Bob” exposition. Just a couple of heavily charged lines that hint at everything unspoken between them.
💡 Writer’s Takeaway: Great chemistry isn’t built by saying a lot — it’s built by suggesting a lot with as few words as possible. Trust your readers to read between the lines.
4. Tropes + Genre = Magic
Readers know and love the "fake relationship" trope — it’s a classic for a reason. Not just in books but also in TV, movies, all forms of storytelling. But here, it’s dropped into the middle of a spy thriller, which naturally raises the stakes even higher.
This is a love story in which the characters don’t just have to pretend to be in love—they have to survive extinction-level threats while doing so. And because their lives are literally on the line, every glance, every touch, and every argument comes supercharged with meaning.
💡 Writer’s Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to mash up your genres. Romance thrives when the stakes are high, and action, mystery, or suspense can push those emotional stakes to the limit.
5. Show the Cracks Early
Both Justine and Ash come off as tough, but the story sneaks in early signs that they’re more than their surface personas:
• Justine feels a tug of sadness about leaving her rough neighbourhood behind.
• Ash pauses to enjoy a sunrise, a moment that reminds him of home.
These moments don’t scream vulnerability, but they do whisper it. And those whispers lay the groundwork for the emotional payoff later.
💡 Writer’s Takeaway: Readers fall for characters who aren’t invulnerable. Sprinkle in quiet, human moments that let us see there’s more beneath the surface.
Some Final Thoughts
The Bjorn Identity doesn't reinvent the romance wheel. It uses friction, setting, dialogue, and high-stakes plotting to build a slow burn that should end up feeling both inevitable and surprising when it delivers.
If you’re writing your own romance (spy-themed, romantasy, full o’ furries or otherwise), think about how you can layer these elements: contrasting values, rich settings, fast banter, and just enough vulnerability to give your readers value.
✍️ Try This In Your Writing
Want to build tension like Samantha McAvoy? Here are a few quick exercises:
• Character Contrast Drill: Write a list of core values for each of your leads. Make sure they clash on at least one or two big ones (e.g., order vs. freedom, trust vs. independence).
• Setting As Character: Pick one setting from your story. What does this place say about the character who lives there? How could it reflect (or contrast with) their inner life?
• Subtext Overload: Rewrite a confrontation scene using half as much dialogue. Focus on body language, tone, and what’s not being said.
• Trope Fusion: Take a romance trope you love (fake relationship, rivals-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine) and drop it into a genre you haven’t tried before — thriller, fantasy, horror. See what new tensions emerge.
• Vulnerability Snapshot: Add a quiet moment where your tough character does something unexpectedly soft like admiring a sunrise, caring for a plant, or missing home. Small beats make big impacts.