Love interest

Have you been in love? Well, use your own experience to make these romantic moments real. And if you know your characters so well, you should have no problem getting them involved and interact with each other the way they should -- now, if they are not in love with each other, I don't see how you can "force" them to without sounding fake.

althrasher said:

OK, let me start this off by saying that I know all the characters involved very well. We have chatted, had coffee, killed bandits together. But whenever I try to write about any sort of love interest (something I'm sure you all would agree gets pretty important when all your characters spend so much time together,) it seems very flat.

Does anyone have any suggestions about making any sort of romance more realistic? I can't very well just cut it out.

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Sexual tension. Lots and lots of sexual tension.

Devil Ledbetter said:

Sexual tension. Lots and lots of sexual tension.

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Agreed, but beware the angst overload. It's a fine line between telling and pitiful.

They could systematically push each other away.

If you want a serious answer, I'd say that with reserved people, it's all about the little things. Small touches, glances, subtle changes in body language.

Make it awkward. Make them say the wrong things at the wrong times. Have tons of misunderstandings. Have them fight over petty things.

That's the reality of romance, unromantic as it may be.

althrasher said:

They are both very reserved, suspicious people carrying a lot of baggage. But they do love each other, I'm sure of that.

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In my experience, reserved people (especially with baggage) would not show a lot of affection, would not say "I love you" all the time... but they will show it, however subtle. Just the act of "getting physically close" would be an act of showing affection... and more often than not they choose more indirect ways, choosing "practical action" (such as buying you nice paper because you're a writer, or giving you the last meatball on the plate, or watching you cross the street because they care) to express it instead of fluffy stuff like flowers or chocolates or poetry or fancy dinners. They probably won't say the right things either, but expect the others to understand them. When it doesn't happen, it can be very frustrating.

And sexual tension is a must. Reserved people probably don't flirt, but it doesn't mean they don't have that electricity between them. What they choose to do with that electricity would be different than people who are more open and flirtatious. And that can work to your advantage to show that hesitancy and sexual tension and internal conflict.

and use a dangerous situation to throw them together. If there is any sort of emotion involvement, then some sort of protective instinct will override caution when they are in danger...like getting shot at by bandits, for example. Good luck

I wouldn't actually agree that just because characters spend a lot of time together they must necessarily fall in love, or that a 'love interest' improves a story.

I'm not even going to begin listing the books that work very well, thank you, without anybody panting into anybody else's ear.

So.
First off.
Why, in story terms, do you want a love interest?

Is it that you want to end up with a love relationship between a particular pair?
Is it necessary for some plot purpose that they be in love?
Do you need the process itself for some section of the story?

Is it that you think a love interest will make the story more marketable?

Having determined why you want your folks to fall in love ...
what kind of love are you talking about?

althrasher said:

OK, let me start this off by saying that I know all the characters involved very well. We have chatted, had coffee, killed bandits together. But whenever I try to write about any sort of love interest (something I'm sure you all would agree gets pretty important when all your characters spend so much time together,) it seems very flat.

Does anyone have any suggestions about making any sort of romance more realistic? I can't very well just cut it out.

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Assuming you're not trying to force incompatible people into a relationship together, is it possible you're trying to change the natural way they express their feelings? I wasn't happy when my main romantic couple began having sex in the second chapter after knowing each other for less than a day. So much for my plan of sexual tension which leads to a perfect 'romance' love scene. But trying to make the characters do anything differently just screwed everything up. The trick is to let go of your own preconceptions about how love should be, both in life and on the page.

This is such a hard area to give advice in because each and every couple is different. Sometimes they fall in love in a single day, sometimes it takes years. Some people will readily accept and affectionately express love, others will fight the emotion and be reserved in their expression. Some couples scream and throw things at each other when they're mad, others simply go to separate rooms. I have one couple who regularly get into physical confrontations, and another where she screams and he does his best not to start laughing at how ridiculous it all is.

My characters are allowed to do absolutely whatever they want when it comes to relationships. I will revise the plot as necessary, and write whatever they do, no matter how shortsighted, hurtful, and downright wrong it is (yes, I'm talking about YOU, Rose). If I try to control them the scenes always come out flat and emotionless, and I'm too lazy to write the same chapter twice.

Is the 'love interest' also a character or just an accesory for one?

I had the same problem at one point, but then I realized I was trying to force the interaction too much between characters rather than letting it evolve naturally. I may end up leaving this point for a later part in the story, as the intimacy is not necessary to further the immediate plot. Spend some time thinking about why these characters should even be together -- I'm not talking a pro's and con's list -- just a few simple reasons why their ivolvement would work (or not) to further the story/character development.

I'm writing a romance and I'm having this problem too. Since I've never actually be in love before I can't go off my own experiences but I am what you call a good listener to my friends who have men problems. I go off from what they tell me, and I put my own little twist on it. Writing romance is difficult. Yes. VERY!

Keep in mind that the readers enjoy filling in a few blanks for themselves, and romantic relationships are one of the areas where readers will do a lot of "reading between the lines." If these are very reserved people, a few subtle suggestions of affection, shared glances, touches, etc., will have the readers well-aware of what's going on. No need to force anything.

Longing is the key, the relationship dies if you make it work out to early.

althrasher said:

They are both very reserved, suspicious people carrying a lot of baggage. But they do love each other, I'm sure of that.

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Oooh, this is the best kind. I love unrequited love and anxious, uncertain romances.

I'm not sure what kind of advice to give you except perhaps to re-read Jane Eyre or other similar books. (Talk about two suspicious people carrying baggage!) I also echo ClaudiaGray's comment... LESS is MORE. When it comes to romantic situations, I think this is almost always true. I can remember reading a book when I was about 15 where there was ONE LINE in which my two favorite characters (not the MC's) made love for the first time. I sat there reading that line over and over, and let me tell you, my imagination did more than the author ever could! The key is to make the one line really sing.

althrasher said:

To answer your question, yes, I have been in love, but the two characters in question are absolutely nothing like my bf or me. My other two characters, who are a bit more similar to me, have a much more realistic realationship. They are both very reserved, suspicious people carrying a lot of baggage. But they do love each other, I'm sure of that.

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Personally, I wouldn't focus on their feelings for each other nearly as much as I'd display the conflict. It's my experience that introverted, shy people have a near constant dialog going on in their head when it comes to making a move. Saying the right thing, making the right move, that sort of thing, it seems to consume them.

Killing bandits makes it sound something like a fantasy (or a hell of an interesting modern romance). Give the time they'd have alone, lit by firelight or candles, my romance would be the description of wringing, strained hands and how they clamor for one another, graping each other desperately when they can, and sheen-filled eyes that can't bare to hold a gaze.

But if that doesn't work for you, for sure, sexual tension. Side-boob is always a good choice.