@ThePlumbob Haha! No way, cats are the best. Okay, I love dogs too, and I don’t consider myself a cat or dog person, just a general animal lover. I think I would feel incomplete without some kind of pet.
"mercuryfoam;c-17622297" wrote:
Topic: Writing romance.
What are your thoughts on it? What makes a good romance? How do I write a believable romance? Any inspirations I can go read up on? Owh and please don't spoil your stories! I'm shipping almost everyone's cast and I want to see it play out. :love:
Okay, so I wrote a novel, sorry, lol. I like a good romance, and I'm weird because I read a lot of different genres and themes. I love reading dark depressing stuff, but then around Christmastime, I'll binge-watch a bunch of Hallmark movies. There is just something comforting and familiar about them, even though they are cheesy. It's my guilty pleasure, and I've even gotten my SO hooked on them. Okay, so we make fun of them a little as we watch and have joked about making a drinking game out of it, but I digress.
I don't have a lot of romance in my story, at least I try to make it more of a side dish rather than the main course. I like the slow build of romance and romantic tension. I don't want a couple to get together right away, and I want them to have some roadblocks and misunderstandings along the way. Of course, the misunderstandings can't be too great that it would make one or both characters be a toxic romantic partner, unless you want to write a toxic romance story, but I don’t think that was what you were getting at.
I think romance is another thing that is subjective, many people will like different kinds of romance. I personally don’t like hate to love stories and don’t like love triangles, but if they're done well, and there is enough character development to be believable, then I can get on board with them. I like awkward romantic encounters, don’t know why, I just like writing awkwardness, maybe because I’ve always thought I’m slightly awkward. I like trying to write less known tropes like the shy nerdy guy or the underdog character that wouldn't normally be the main love interest; I don't read enough of these stories, but that's not everyone's cup of tea.
I base a lot off of real-life stuff, either in my own experiences or friends that I know. But then I also make stuff up as I go.
I also don't think romance should be the end-all-be-all to the story and shouldn't just automatically fix everyone's problems. There should still be individual character growth and conflicts. I write my characters first, then figure out the romance second. And like @theplumbob said, people would carry their flaws into the relationship and that can add some romantic tension if you are writing an established relationship.
I try to give my romantic interests qualities that complement each other in the long run. Like Ian and Hailey. Hailey is more outgoing and outspoken, and I think this would help Ian come out of his shell. And Ian is a little more methodical and calculating, and I think that would help to ground Hailey, but they also aren't complete opposites. They have a lot in common, so if they do get together (no spoilers, lol) they would have a lot to talk about and would enjoy each other’s company outside of being physically attracted to one another. Opposites attracting could work as long as they have something in common once the honeymoon phase ends.
If you are interested in reading about writing romance, I recommend reading
Romancing the Beat. It is formulaic, but the beauty of it is that you can switch things around, and not necessarily follow it precisely and there are a lot of good tips and ideas in it. It's a short read too.
I think tension is the key as it is to everything in writing. There should be a barrier or problem to overcome and how the character(s) get there is what makes the story enjoyable. It’s the journey, not the destination. Each person should have reasons why they want a relationship to work, but also things that hold them back. Especially internal things, maybe they have low self-esteem or they were hurt in a previous relationship and have hang-ups about getting involved with anyone, or I suppose in Curtis’s case he doesn’t want Athena to get hurt because of his line of work. Those are just some examples, but the list could be endless. And I also think there should external barriers as well, like maybe long-distance or friends/family that are preventing them from getting together. Make your characters work to get the love they deserve. I think in your story there is a lot of good romantic tension and internal and external struggles. I really want to know what will happen with Athena and Curtis in the next story.
I consider myself a very novice writer, and there are a lot of things I can improve on (prose and pacing are my biggest issues at the moment, imo) so take this all with a grain of salt. A lot of my suggestions are coming from my own writing and also as a reader. Really the biggest thing is write for yourself first and the story you want to tell.