What makes you fall in love with a LI?

chicgeek · Jan 23, 2013

wampuscat said:
WARNING off topic

Is this common? I only know of the one, which was published on the writer's website. I know I've heard many people talk about writing scenes from different POVs for development reasons or just plain old dual POV novels, but I'm not familiar with other examples of writing a whole story and publishing it as a seperate (1.5) book. Just curious

On topic so I don't get fired from the thread: I also liked Rowan from Wanderlove. Kind of mysterious, bohemian-ish, etc. Not because he's my type, but because he was like unraveling a mystery.

Apparently YA series writers are often contractually obligated to write some sort of extra book.

Forgive me for not remembering any of these book titles (they're typically simple, like the name of the character who's narrating). Stephanie Meyer wrote Twilight from Edward's perspective. Veronica Roth wrote Divergent from Four's (the LI) perspective. Scott Westerfeld wrote Uglies from the best friend's perspective -- Shae. Veronica Rossi wrote a book about two ancillary characters from Under the Never Sky. These are just some examples.

EmilyBrooke · Jan 23, 2013

I wish I had something substantial to add to this thread, but basically everything I love about a love interest has been stated already. I still think there's too much of the typical bad-boy in today's YA, but I'm also pretty behind on what's new these days.

I also greatly dislike knowing automatically who the love interest in. I'm reading THE DIVINERS and I adore that Libba Bray made it so that it's pretty unpredictable. I'm more than halfway through it and I still don't know if there even is a true love interest.

And FRIENDSHIPS PLEASE! I really really really really want to see more relationships that started out as friendships. I'm so sick of the lovers meeting in chapter one and saying 'I love you' in chapter three. Get to know each other, become friends, maybe save the world, then have the sexytimes.

I turned this into a 'what makes me cringe and/or love the romance', didn't I? So, to answer the original question: If the love interest has a fantastic personality, contributes to the plot as more than someone to stand there and look pretty, and is actually a good match for the main character, then yay I think you have a great LI. Also, if he's a silly, energetic nerd that is ridiculously sarcastic, he's automatically my favorite and we'll have to figure out how to get him from paper to flesh so I can keep him in my bedroom.

Brishen · Jan 23, 2013

Gah, I think I'm happy as long as their not "rapey," (to quote thebloodfiend) which says a lot about the state of literary romance, doesn't it?

I loved Peeta. He was quick and clever and endearingly vulnerable. (But I loved Katniss more.) I love a LI the MC can trust, someone who invites confidence, warmth, and is never in danger of being cruel. I understand, though, that there's no conflict there, but that's a LI who would make a great subplot. Or maybe a main plot if the book was about the MC overcoming fears of intimacy, etc.

But that's boys. If I was writing my Big Gay Romance, I would probably look for something different.

Renee Collins · Jan 23, 2013

Becca C. said:
I don't take "fall in love with the LI" literally. I'm not ACTUALLY in love with the LI I find swoony. When a LI succeeds with me, I get butterflies for the MC. It's a relationship I can get on board with because I can see and understand what makes this LI so exciting for the MC. The lovey-dovey feelings come from that, not from wanting the LI for myself.

Okay, except maybe Etienne. And Draco Malfoy (I know he's not the LI, shut up...). There are very few literary characters I actually have crushes on but there are a few.

That's a good way to look at it. I get that way too. The butterflies for the couple. And it does make it even more so if the LI has a personality I'm attracted to.

Also, Draco, huh? I can get behind that.

maggi90w1 · Jan 24, 2013

Also, Draco, huh? I can get behind that.

I never understood the Draco love (or the Snape love). I can't find one good character trait in him. He's arrogant, spoiled, deceitful, craven, racist, cruel... ok he'd didn't killed Dumbledore (because he got scared, not because he was brave and it was the right thing to do), so he's not a murderer, but what else?

Becca C. · Jan 24, 2013

maggi90w1 said:
I never understood the Draco love (or the Snape love). I can't find one good character trait in him. He's arrogant, spoiled, deceitful, craven, racist, cruel... ok he'd didn't killed Dumbledore (because he got scared, not because he was brave and it was the right thing to do), so he's not a murderer, but what else?

He's secretly very vulnerable and he's terrified to show it. He covers up a lot of insecurity. One of the reasons he's hated Harry since first year is because Harry basically spurned his offer of friendship in front of a huge crowd and I think he always carries that hurt. He wants to look a lot tougher than he really is, especially in front of his father (who is a pretty crappy dad, no unconditional love there). I dunno, I just like characters who put up a front but are secretly a lot more of an emotional mess than they let on.

And Snape (who I also love)... well, he's just a badass. He's an extremely talented wizard. He's super intelligent, witty, and not going to lie, the aura of authority he projects is pretty sexy. Also, he's noble as fuck and he does the right thing, always, even when it goes against his every desire (protecting Harry even though he hates his guts on a personal level).

But take all this with a grain of salt. This is coming from the girl who had a crush on Jafar from Aladdin as a child.

Elenma · Jan 24, 2013

There are two things that need to fall in place for me to fall in love with a LI. 1) They need to be well-written, as in three-dimensional, with flaws and virtues, and plausible as characters within the book. And 2) they need to be they kinds of guys I'd actually like IRL. Therefore, if there's a great, well-rounded LI who's a bad boy, aggressive, a smoker, a hunk, etc. or say, a girl, then I can appreciate and like them as characters, but I won't be developing a fictional crush. And the other way around, if they're funny, smart, geeky, skinny, and kind but written badly, then I won't love them as much as I want to. If that makes sense.

Some LIs I loved were Etienne from Anna and the French Kiss, Peeta from the Hunger Games, and.... um, I can't actually think of anyone else right now. I sometimes have book crushes on male narrators, but that's not what this thread is about.

missesdash · Jan 24, 2013

I had no idea how many people dislike knowing the love interest up front. Does this count if they *start out* as the love interest? I tend to write these ambiguous romance-friendship hybrids that grow over the story. But the interest is always clear.

But I also write small casts.

mickeyDs4 · Jan 24, 2013

I know for me, sometimes I like meeting the LI up front. I love how Sarah Dessen has Dexter meet Remy for the first time. He literally slams into her and tells her that they're going to be together. If I know who he is at the very start, I have more time to root for him to succeed. In my latest project, I have the LI and the MC meet like seven pages into the manuscript. I also like having the LI be the one to have the secret crush but not in that stalkery Police song kind of way. Like Travis and Daphne's relationship on Switched at Birth. It's sweet but not in the sappy kind of way. Give me a relationship to root for.

The_Ink_Goddess · Jan 24, 2013

It just surprised me how few "requirements" I have for a LI. Because I was going to make a post and say how I like witty LIs (but they can't be condescending jerks), how much I like friendship-grows-into-romance (but that can sometimes be cliched), how I like friendly and warm (but some of them can go too far into Nice Guy territory...)

I was even going to go with the safe answer "not rapey." Then I remembered Eric and Lori in TENDERNESS (has anyone read that?) and, well, shit.

thebloodfiend · Jan 24, 2013

missesdash said:
I had no idea how many people dislike knowing the love interest up front. Does this count if they *start out* as the love interest? I tend to write these ambiguous romance-friendship hybrids that grow over the story. But the interest is always clear.

But I also write small casts.

You know the love interest from my queries. I literally spell out from the get go "So and So are going to be in love, they will fuck, and they are supposed to be your OTP." Of course, I write "dark" contemporary romance with psuedo-love triangles, so you'd have to be kind of dense to not know who the love interest is supposed to be.

I don't really care for surprise, tbh. If I'm surprised, you did something wrong.

I actually only have very few requirements. "Just not rapey." Everything else depends on the writing. I like Snape and Draco and Zuko and etc... but in the wrong hands with the wrong writing, they could've come off terribly wrong. IE, like Mako. I don't like Ron, but I do like other funny sidekicks, so it's probably just the writing that makes me dislike the Ron trope, too. It really depends. But, yes, the one universal thing is that I don't like rapists or psuedo-rapists. And that kind of cuts off a lot of PNR LI's.

Rhoda Nightingale · Jan 24, 2013

thebloodfiend said:
You know the love interest from my queries. I literally spell out from the get go "So and So are going to be in love, they will fuck, and they are supposed to be your OTP." Of course, I write "dark" contemporary romance with psuedo-love triangles, so you'd have to be kind of dense to not know who the love interest is supposed to be.

This is an interesting point, because it highlights one of the things that bugs me about love triangles in general--although I don't think you meant it that way. Slightly off-topic, but what's the dramatic appeal of a love triangle in which the OTP is blatantly obvious? I've never understood that. It happens all the time, but I always feel like, as a reader, the FMC (assuming it's the FMC) is just dicking around the Other Guy for no reason, when surely everyone else in the readership knows she's going to eventually wind up with the LI proper.

u.v.ray · Jan 24, 2013

A sizeable percentage of ladies replying in this thread of the mind that they like flawed characters in the target of their affections.

Might go some way to explaining why so many women write to The Yorkshire Ripper, lounging in his prison cell, with proposals of marriage.

Imprisoned misogynists do appear quite popular with the ladies.

Anyway, on to my point. The object of our desires seems to be deeply rooted in our psychology. It has been said by some psychiatrists that a fully self-satisfied person can not fall in love. A love interest in fiction has to fill the same void within us that anyone in the real world would.

You can't make everyone fall in love with the same character. What you can guarantee, human experience being what it is, is that if one creates a fully fleshed out character he/she will appeal to someone on some level.

I suppose knowing your target audience would go a long way towards being able to create a particular personality type.

But from the Yorkshire Ripper example, I'd say make the character a vicious women killer with awful staring eyes. He apparently gets hundreds of letters a week from the ladies. As did another serial woman killer, Ted Bundy.

Absolutely mystifying - but there we go; you never can tell.

I myself have been called a misogynist - and yet I'm fighting women off with a shitty stick.

wampuscat · Jan 24, 2013

chicgeek said:
Apparently YA series writers are often contractually obligated to write some sort of extra book.

Forgive me for not remembering any of these book titles (they're typically simple, like the name of the character who's narrating). Stephanie Meyer wrote Twilight from Edward's perspective. Veronica Roth wrote Divergent from Four's (the LI) perspective. Scott Westerfeld wrote Uglies from the best friend's perspective -- Shae. Veronica Rossi wrote a book about two ancillary characters from Under the Never Sky. These are just some examples.

Very cool! I think this would be really fun as a writer. I knew about the Twilight thing. I knew about the Four one but had forgotten. The others I hadn't realized. Thanks.

I like both scenarios: the one where you don't know who she's going to fall in love with, etc. and the one where you immediately know who she's going to fall in love with. The difference for me is that usually I like the first one better in books where the romance is a subplot and the second better in a book where the romance is the primary plot.

missesdash · Jan 24, 2013

u.v.ray said:
A sizeable percentage of ladies replying in this thread of the mind that they like flawed characters in the target of their affections.

Might go some way to explaining why so many women write to The Yorkshire Ripper, lounging in his prison cell, with proposals of marriage.

Imprisoned misogynists do appear quite popular with the ladies.

Anyway, on to my point. The object of our desires seems to be deeply rooted in our psychology. It has been said by some psychiatrists that a fully self-satisfied person can not fall in love. A love interest in fiction has to fill the same void within us that anyone in the real world would.

You can't make everyone fall in love with the same character. What you can guarantee, human experience being what it is, is that if one creates a fully fleshed out character he/she will appeal to someone on some level.

I suppose knowing your target audience would go a long way towards being able to create a particular personality type.

But from the Yorkshire Ripper example, I'd say make the character a vicious women killer with awful staring eyes. He apparently gets hundreds of letters a week from the ladies. As did another serial woman killer, Ted Bundy.

Absolutely mystifying - but there we go; you never can tell.

I myself have been called a misogynist - and yet I'm fighting women off with a shitty stick.

Honestly, put anyone on TV that isn't absolutely repulsive physically and he/she will get tons of love letters. Doesn't have anything to do with being a serial killer or a newscaster or a kid who burns down houses. There's someone for everyone but there's lots of someones for everyone on TV.

Also, there's a huge difference between "flawed" (every person on earth) and "serial killer." Saying you like a flawed love interest means you like characters written as real people.

LadyA · Jan 24, 2013

u.v.ray said:
I myself have been called a misogynist - and yet I'm fighting women off with a shitty stick.

I wonder why.

Renee Collins · Jan 24, 2013

maggi90w1 said:
I never understood the Draco love (or the Snape love). I can't find one good character trait in him. He's arrogant, spoiled, deceitful, craven, racist, cruel... ok he'd didn't killed Dumbledore (because he got scared, not because he was brave and it was the right thing to do), so he's not a murderer, but what else?

He's also a fictional character. An interesting, well-written character. I'd never have a crush on him in real life. And I didn't have a "crush" on him as I read it. As I said before, I don't really have literary crushes. But I recognize that Draco is an intriguing character who has his allure.

Becca C. · Jan 24, 2013

Tom Felton's portrayal helps Draco's case too

and Alan Rickman. *Swoon*

Fuchsia Groan · Jan 24, 2013

My favorite LIs seem like they should be played by the young Jude Law. Cocky, playful, teasing, good sense of humor, vain, slutty tendencies. Definitely not psychotic, rapey or obsessive, but not someone to settle down with, either, at least not until she wins his heart (which is more likely to happen in a book than in reality). Rogues and rotters with good hearts, basically.

That's my personal preference, but it doesn't seem too common in YA. (Howl in Howl's Moving Castle is an example that comes to mind.)

So I tend to gravitate toward the Xander types: flawed, basically kind guys with some insecurities. I'd put Peeta in that category. Much as I love Wuthering Heights, I don't go for the broody characters, because they seem like a watered-down or prettied-up version of something that would be incredibly dark in real life. Put it this way: I love reading books where someone like Raskolnikov or Hamlet is the MC and you're in his head, but as a LI, he would suck. I wouldn't wish him on anyone. (Poor Ophelia!)

I don't care whether the LI is revealed early or later, as long as he's not perfect, and as long as he changes along the way. If he's introduced as the MC's muscular support system and that's what he remains, I can't take it. Maybe I'm cynical, but I don't believe guys like Seth in W1cked Lovely exist, and it gets in the way of my enjoyment.

Windcutter · Jan 24, 2013

I think there is no universal answer, at least when I consider it from my own perspective as a reader. I find certain personality types more attractive and interesting than others. Just having a personality isn't enough. Well-written flaws and such will make me appreciate the effort and the craft, but they won't make me fall in love with a character.

I like them mysterious and awesome. Not being an asshole is also a must. Larger-than-life. It doesn't mean perfection. Flaws are interesting, though not all of them. Also, I like it when they are either totally inaccessible at first or totally obsessed with MC.

I'm also a rare YA reader who will take suave over rough. You know, old school James Bond vs the contemporary variety. xD Awkward never won me over, unless a person happens to be awkward in just this personal area.

In case of male LI and female MC I also love it when LI admires MC being powerful instead of trying to put her behind his back for protection. Unless he wants her to protect his back, of course!

ArachnePhobia · Jan 24, 2013

#1 thing that will make me, personally, fall for a character: He makes me laugh.

The_Ink_Goddess · Jan 24, 2013

u.v.ray said:
I myself have been called a misogynist - and yet I'm fighting women off with a shitty stick.

Is this a joke?

Windcutter · Jan 24, 2013

LadyA said:
Finally, it might just be me but I dislike it that almost all the LIs in YA are really intelligent, straight-A - or straight-A clever but too much of a bad-ass to get the grades - and also are in the football team or busy killing demons or whatever.
What about the boys who struggle at school? Or who just aren't academic, or are loving and funny and kind, but are average intelligence rather than Ivy-League-bound?
Or even better, LI boys who just aren't quite as intelligent/academic as the FMC?

Nothing to do with YA, but it reminded me of my teen years. I watched Pokemon and had a crush on a character named James. If there were dumb blonde jokes about brunette guys in that universe, he'd be the butt of them all day long. He wasn't stupid per se, but such an airhead.

But back on subject.

ArachnePhobia said:
However, since we're on the subject, one thing I wish I'd see more of, if the LI must be "dangerous" somehow, are rival LI's who compete with the heroine, either for her main goal or some minor subplot goal. That way, they'd realistically come into conflict and experience tension without the LI coming across like a serial killer.

This, so much this.
I also like dangerous LI who don't look dangerous. Like, you meet this quirky, sweet, funny boy who looks like a cupcake next to bricks when compared to all the rough and tough boys around--and then he unleashes a storm of battle magic that kills one thousand monsters at the same time. Score!

missesdash · Jan 24, 2013

Renee Collins said:
He's also a fictional character. An interesting, well-written character. I'd never have a crush on him in real life. And I didn't have a "crush" on him as I read it. As I said before, I don't really have literary crushes. But I recognize that Draco is an intriguing character who has his allure.

I don't know, I feel like most of the Draco worship comes from the extensive fan-fics that serve to further develop his character. He's well written in the book, but I never felt he was all that important.

Rhoda Nightingale · Jan 24, 2013

I just want to posit real quick here that the fictional characters I have a tendency to crush on A) don't necessarily reflect the kinds of qualities I find admirable in a real-life human being, and B) don't necessarily indicate that's the character I want the MC to wind up with.

Some of my favorite fictional characters are my favorites because I find them fascinating in some way or other. Does that mean I want them portrayed as romantic leads? Gods no.

I didn't get the "shipping" thing for a long time because of this, by the way. When people declared themselves "Team Jacob!" in the Twi-verse, I assumed it was because they thought Jacob was a more interesting, likeable character--not because they wanted Bella to choose him.

What makes you fall in love with a LI?

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