Building trust b/w characters

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JuliePgh

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Hi, I'm fairly new to writing Romance, and I'm having trouble building emotional trust between the H/h. The h comes from a background wherein she was emotionally abused. She's come to trust the H physically, but can't truly trust him in her heart, for fear that things will turn out the way they did with former lover.

So, I guess I'm looking for some examples of how others have achieved/ built trust between H/h, preferably over a short period.

Thank you!
 

kkbe

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Context is everything. And definition: how do you define 'trust of the heart'? If I had to suggest something, I guess I'd say,

Try to put yourself in the shoes of your mc. She's guarding her heart because it was stomped on before. If you intend to have her trust her lover in short order, he can not be calloused, or indifferent. Instead, he must be keenly attuned to her uncertainty. He will tread lightly, allowing her time to acclimate to the idea that he loves her, he would never hurt her, he understands her, he's willing to wait. . .

But at every opportunity, he demonstrates his devotion. Not heavy-handedly, but in small ways. You can show this: a brief but gentle touch, a reassuring smile, a tender kiss. There are a myriad of ways he might do this, and every time he does, she feels a little less afraid because he makes her feel so and then, something *significant* happens, and she finds herself on the cusp: trust, or lose him; trust him, or lose herself--

Such would be my suggestion, if I were so bold as to offer such a thing. . .:)
 
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SelmaW

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You say you're new to writing romance; have you read a lot of it? I'd suggest reading with an eye for how authors build trust between their main characters. There's nothing so useful as seeing it in action.
 

job

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Why do you want to resolve the emotional trust issue quickly?
Why not deal with this for the whole story? It has the potential to be a great internal conflict.

We're not dealing with a specific fear here, like a fear of mice or of the sex act, which can be overcome with familiarity. The 'do I trust people' is part of one's basic make up.
It's not just that she doesn't trust -- it's that she's the kind of person who doesn't trust.
It's not the behavior that has to change; it's the whole person.

If the character has suffered a lifetime of emotional abuse and betrayal, I don't think it gets mended in a week. I think it hangs around, causing problems, for years.
It's questionable characterization to wave a wand and heal major emotional scarring.

When we have been ambitious and burdened the heroine with a Horrible Past and Serious Emotional Problems, we have to respect those problems. We have to give them weight and power in the story. We have to let these strong emotions shape the plot . . . yes, right to the end.

The upside of this is powerful emotion makes great story.
 
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JuliePgh

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You say you're new to writing romance; have you read a lot of it? I'd suggest reading with an eye for how authors build trust between their main characters. There's nothing so useful as seeing it in action.

Yes, I've read a lot of romance, but unfortunately I usually get caught up in the reading that I'm not as observant as I should be to the nuances. (A sign that the author's I read have done their jobs!).



Why do you want to resolve the emotional trust issue quickly?
Why not deal with this for the whole story? It has the potential to be a great internal conflict.


If the character has suffered a lifetime of emotional abuse and betrayal, I don't think it gets mended in a week. I think it hangs around, causing problems, for years.
It's questionable characterization to wave a wand and heal major emotional scarring.

When we have been ambitious and burdened the heroine with a Horrible Past and Serious Emotional Problems, we have to respect those problems. We have to give them weight and power in the story. We have to let these strong emotions shape the plot . . . yes, right to the end.

The upside of this is powerful emotion makes great story.

Agreed on all points. Unfortunately, the story (it's a short story) takes place over an eight day period. I don't need for the h's issues to be fully resolved, at least I don't think I do, as long as I have her make some progress in the trust department by the ending, to show her growth and the eventuality of a HEA.

So, yes, I guess what I'm looking for are the 'little things' like a gentle kiss here and there, a squeeze of the hand for support, etc, to help build the trust.
 

Stacia Kane

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Well...why does she trust him? Why is he trustworthy?

Show us that. :)


It's going to be a little different for everyone, really, as far as trusting someone romantically. There are the basic things like calling when he says he will, or arriving on time, but there are deeper issues, too.

My Downside books aren't romance (they're UF) but one of the things that leads the heroine to really trust the hero is how much he understands without being told, and how he reacts to things. He doesn't judge her. She also had an abusive childhood; at one point she shares a story about that with him, which is kind of a big thing for her (he already knows, because he just does/figured it out, but she's never really discussed it with him--one of the reasons she trusts him enough to tell the story in the first place is because she knows he's figured it out and understands). And his response is basically just to say, "Shit, Chess," and not really much else (her name is Chess).

For some women that may be a sign that he doesn't care, but for her it's him just accepting it, accepting her, not pushing for more information or trying to make a big deal out of it or trying to get her to open up about her feelings or whatever. Something awful happened to her; he's clearly sorry for it but it doesn't change how he sees her or feels about her and he's not going to make her talk more about it. That makes her feel like it's okay for her to tell him anything in safety, and not worry that he'll see her differently or make her say or do anything she doesn't want to do. He lets her deal with telling him in her own way, basically, and doesn't try to make it about him or his feelings about it.

But again, that's her, because I'm sure there are women out there for whom "Shit, Chess" would be a cold or unfeeling response. I'm sure there are women out there who would expect him to say something more about it or try to tell her it's okay or whatever, but that would have been a bad response for her and would have made her feel more uncomfortable.


I hate to bring anecdotes from my work into threads here--and I'm certainly not saying my way is the best or only way or that I did some great thing--but do you see my point? It's really about what kind of woman your MC is and what she needs or wants from the hero to make her feel safe and cared about. What made Chess feel safe may make your MC feel totally unsafe and uncared about, and vice versa.

Does your heroine need him to listen and ask questions while she cries, or does she need him to change the subject with understanding on his face, or does she need him to get angry or upset when she's angry or upset, or does she need him to just keep calm, or what?

Once you know what makes a man trustworthy to her, it will probably be easier to make him trustworthy. :)
 

Elaine Margarett

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Eighty days is a fast time-line when it comes to resolving life-altering issues like lack of trust. and at some point your audience might turn against your FMC if the poor guy can't catch a break with her.

Might I suggest you have the MMC demonstrate his trustworthiness in a way key to the FMC, even if the act of trustworthiness involves a third party. It can give the heroine her "aha" moment where the barriers come down and she knows he is indeed, the one.

Good luck!
 

JuliePgh

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Well...why does she trust him? Why is he trustworthy?

Show us that. :)


I hate to bring anecdotes from my work into threads here--and I'm certainly not saying my way is the best or only way or that I did some great thing--but do you see my point?


Actually, I love having the anecdotes. What everyone is saying here is great, as I'm rethinking how, what and when I've added items to the story.

Thank you, everyone!
 

sunandshadow

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I'm so distracted by the fact that the hero apparently gets a capital H while the heroine gets a lowercase h... Whut? Is that like D/s where people capitalize dominants and lowercase submissives?
 

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I'm so distracted by the fact that the hero apparently gets a capital H while the heroine gets a lowercase h... Whut? Is that like D/s where people capitalize dominants and lowercase submissives?
It's a long standing tradition.
 

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the story takes place over an eight day period

I'm not sure that such a huge development in character can occur over an eight-day period. As a reader, I'd find it pretty unbelievable.

I agree with what Job said:

If the character has suffered a lifetime of emotional abuse and betrayal, I don't think it gets mended in a week. I think it hangs around, causing problems, for years.
It's questionable characterization to wave a wand and heal major emotional scarring.

Resolving the issues would require a much longer timeframe. Perhaps it would be better to go for a more ambiguous ending - for now, he's gained a small amount of her trust.

One way you could show it would be in a small gesture, one that may be ordinary for a lot of people, but is a big step for the heroine. Maybe she doesn't like people hugging or touching her, but she trusts the hero enough to thank him with a kiss on the cheek.
 

snc84

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Sometimes trust is about knowing someone will disappoint you but their intentions will always be good. From past experience, I've found that the people you trust are the ones that are reliable in their support, acceptance and honesty - even if it's not what I want to hear.
 

sunandshadow

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I think characters can change in a short time if their personal history has prepared them to change. Sometimes people are just waiting for a push to make them make a change they think they ought to do but are afraid or or think it's not worth the effort.

Also, if you like Star Trek, here's a book where a crazy amount of things including a romance happen in about 3 days and it all seems plausible. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FC0VU2/?tag=absowrit-20
 

job

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The h comes from a background wherein she was emotionally abused.

One possible way to handle this ...

What if your FMC comes from a stable and loving environment and was basically a happy and trusting person, but she had a terrible interval that left her traumatized.

Kind of . . . She'd lost all joy and trust since her time with Harold. She didn't know if she'd ever get it back.

What you would have then is not so much,
"Love heals a lifetime of abuse in eight days," as
"Love can be the catalyst that lets you heal a terrible wound,"
which, I think, is still good story material and would fit better into the tight space of a short story.

Adding just a bit here that is my own opinion -- while someone else can help the FMC solve her problems, the one who fixes the FMC is the FMC.
 

JuliePgh

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I think characters can change in a short time if their personal history has prepared them to change. Sometimes people are just waiting for a push to make them make a change they think they ought to do but are afraid or or think it's not worth the effort.

Also, if you like Star Trek, here's a book where a crazy amount of things including a romance happen in about 3 days and it all seems plausible. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FC0VU2/?tag=absowrit-20

In this story, the h has been healing on her own, undergoing change over a period of years, so it's not that she'll all of a sudden trust the H, but that she's a more open to it than previously. His actions will help her clarify some of what she's been struggling with over the past few years. She'll start to view her (and him) with a different perspective, essentially.

As far as the "H/h" notation, it's used a lot on the Amazon forums, and I find it's easier than FMC and MMC. I wouldn't read anything into the capitalization, other than one has to be upper and lower case since both begin with the same letter.

Thanks for the Star Trek ref. Yes, I'm a fan, so I'll check it out.
 

JuliePgh

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One possible way to handle this ...

What if your FMC comes from a stable and loving environment and was basically a happy and trusting person, but she had a terrible interval that left her traumatized.

Kind of . . . She'd lost all joy and trust since her time with Harold. She didn't know if she'd ever get it back.

What you would have then is not so much,
"Love heals a lifetime of abuse in eight days," as
"Love can be the catalyst that lets you heal a terrible wound,"
which, I think, is still good story material and would fit better into the tight space of a short story.

Adding just a bit here that is my own opinion -- while someone else can help the FMC solve her problems, the one who fixes the FMC is the FMC.

You pegged it. Stable/happy childhood. Bad few years with ex, but she got out on her own. The experience left her with emotional scars and healing to do, but she never gave up on the concept of love/being loved. Ultimately, she takes the actions that save her, and helps her let go of the pain of her past. The H is the catalyst which enables her to make that progress.
 
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