Avoiding love interest

Not sure if this what you're asking but -- if you don't want to put romance in your book, and your book isn't a romance, then...you just don't put it in. People can be around each other without falling in love...we do it all the time, eh?

Hi! Nice job on your first post I think you'll like it here.

Since you're just in the planning stages, I wouldn't stress to much about this. At least in my experience, as you get deeper and deeper into writing the book, the entire story will evolve, as will the characters. They'll end up going directions you didn't really expect. So I would say, go ahead and throw Alex in there even if he's undeveloped for now, and as your story grows, he will naturally find his right place.

And I'll stay off my soapbox, but don't worry about archetypes. That's the last thing we need more of. Let the character grow naturally as you explore him further.

inkstar said:

So, how can I avoid a love interest. Are there other great archetypes.

Click to expand...

Hi, fellow plotter here.

How can you avoid a love interest? Don't write one. You don't have to have your character fall in love unless you're writing a romance.

I don't know about great archetypes, but there are some great characters who never fall in love or have a love interest. Gandalf came to mind right away.

You can also have a relationship between characters that is not at the absolute center of the plot.

inkstar said:

@Toto Too Well! I’m a plotter. So...

Click to expand...

Oh, so am I! I had everything planned out in my WIP, but it still evolved a great deal after the initial drafts.

Toto Too said:

Oh, so am I! I had everything planned out in my WIP, but it still evolved a great deal after the initial drafts.

Click to expand...

This^^

Originally in my WIP, I had a boyfriend for my FMC, but he was an annoying character who did nothing, so out he went. Later, I tried to add a new boyfriend, but it wasn't right for my story, so now the second boyfriend is just some guy who shows up for a couple of scenes and you'd only hint at something between them if you really paid attention. But my FMC's too busy dealing with plot stuff to deal with boys.

On love interests, if the story doesn't need it, id you don't need it, and the characters don't need it, then don't have it.

inkstar said:

@indianroads So, could you explain me that if it’s gonna be like Shadowhunters?! :-?

Click to expand...

I have no idea what a shadowhunter is. AH - ok, I just googled it. In a word, NO. My WIP is a SciFi novel about the last survivors of Earth escaping aboard an armada of ships (think Batttlestar Galactica). The MMC is a military guy, and one FMC is also a soldier but their relationship is more older brother to little sister, the other FMC is an engineer and the MMC and her develop a relationship. However, that dynamic is just a side bar that adds dimension to the story.

^^^ same

this is where I THRIVE (I'm aro and always fail at writing romances). I feel like if the central relationship was more along the lines of best friendship, many people could get down with that (and it could also leave room for anyone thirsty for romance to non-canonically ship them)

I have no idea what Shadowhunters is, but I wanted to address avoiding having a love interest.

If there's no love interest, that's great. Not every story needs one.

But you don't need to actively *avoid* it. Some stories naturally touch on a romantic element, and some don't. I guess my caution is to simply let the story be the story without forcing elements in or out.

And as Sage said, don't rely too heavily on another storyline. (Unless you're writing fanfiction??)

Lastly, being a plotter doesn't mean things won't crop up that you don't expect. It's your first novel. Don't worry about the details and the rules, and don't try to force your story into being something it might not be.


Lastly - for real this time - welcome to AW!

^^ agreed.

Most genres can have a love interest: James Herbert's, Survivor, still has a theme of following the main guy in his relationship ( and cheating on her), even though it's a horror novel. Romance is a part of life, and either you have it in your life or you don't. It's the same for your characters: a live-in lover as a cop will still set out to catch a killer in a crime story, a factory worker will still out to get to work on time and get caught on a terrorrist plot in a thriller. The guy in a relationship may react differently to a single guy who has little to lose, but they'll still have to go through the main plot, with ties back to the stresses and strains it may/may not have on any budding lovers relationship. Don't feel as though love has to be avoided; the flip side could be that with having no characters in a relationship, you don't end up reflecting the realities of life.

If I understand you post, you don't want a love interest because it's too close to the Shadowhunter series that way. Have you considered that you're mimicking Shadowhunter too closely if having a love interest would confuse readers?

Besides, not writing a love interest is as simple as not writing a love interest. Kind of like not writing a mystery is as easy as not writing a mystery, or not eating meat is as easy as not eating meat. So, forgive me if I really don't understand your problem.

Jeff

Almost none of my stories revolve around love interests. Instead, my characters have intense inner-battles to deal with. If the story doesn't need romance, it just doesn't need romance. That's fine.

For what it's worth, my first novel was largely about a male and female character together on the run and had no romance elements at all.

For a love interest to develop it typically happens when there is down time in the story. During these times either keep your characters focused on their tasks and goals or in a team dynamic without references to romantic emotions or activities between the characters. You could also add a level of dislike, irritation or loathing between the characters to establish a non-romantic relationship.

Hello Inkstar, and welcome!

Romance, when forced, in an otherwise rich story, is played out. If it's not there, then it's not there.

However, to mirror reality, sometimes love, tenderness and romance sneak up on you. Smacks you when you least expect it.
Why don't you let the story unfold. Let the characters get to know each other and the world as you get to know them and the world.

The strain and stress of a journey can bring out the most unexpected bonds.

Maybe I'm biased but a juicy romance thread even if it is despite the character's intentions, is so delicious. I always appreciate it in a story. Even if it's just subtle or ambiguous.

Please consider putting it in or at least being open to your changing your mind. *Gushes*

Good luck!

inkstar said:

Yeah. Romance isn't as easy as it seems. I mean, the best example is Twilight. – Some people love it, but the whole internet hates it.

Click to expand...

Oh, what I'd give to have my work "hated" like Twilight.

inkstar said:

And personally, I don’t like love interest really much. So, how can I avoid a love interest.

Click to expand...

In my experience, readers generally expect some sort of sexual tension. (Not all readers.) I say this from the various critique groups I've participated in.

In my opinion, if a character is introduced with a relatable reason for not wanting to have/be a love interest, then the question of where the romantic tension is in the story goes away.

A recent bad breakup is an obvious possibility. Maybe a better possibility is that some of us really aren't interested in romantic relationships.

I guess a more subtle way to handle this is to make certain the character has some strong relationship that isn't romantic. I think what readers expect is to see the lines drawn between characters, like the sides that people choose to be on. It doesn't have to be love, but again--I was surprised that folks assumed my alternating POV novel would end up with... 'the boy and girl fall in love.'

So when they didn't, people felt it was an unfulfilled promise. Well, I didn't want that either, and the way I addressed the expectation (and the solution seems to work fairly well) was to have the guy fall for another side character earlier in the novel. It's not a major plot line (three or four pages scattered among 380), and it is an organic relationship. Voila, none of the readers expect him to fall for the female POV character anymore.

@ inkstar:

Do you believe that men and woman can be just friends?
I do - but my wife and I debate this from time to time. I think for it to work both parties have to have good boundaries.

As far as romantic relationships in a novel - this might (slightly) go with the 'save the cat' trope that was discussed recently. A romance may not be key to the main plot, but it does add depth to characters, and invests the reader in the outcome. Romance will magnify how much the reader cares about a character or characters, and so when they are placed in peril the reader will have a higher level of interest.

buz said:

Not sure if this what you're asking but -- if you don't want to put romance in your book, and your book isn't a romance, then...you just don't put it in. People can be around each other without falling in love...we do it all the time, eh?

Click to expand...

This. And having characters who exist only to be love interests can result in flat or forced-feeling plots anyway. IMO, the best romantic arcs occur when both characters are critical for other reasons, and both have arcs of their own that intersect.

I am a sucker for well-executed romantic arcs, but I think more stories that emphasize friendships that aren't inevitably romantic or sexual aren't a bad idea either. Men and women can be friends. This is not a matter of opinion, but of fact, as it happens all the time. Of course, it may not be possible for all men and all women, but blanket statements that "men and women can't be non-sexual or non-romantic friends" are easily falsified by examples to the contrary that many of us have in our own lives.

indianroads said:

@ inkstar:

Do you believe that men and woman can be just friends?
I do - but my wife and I debate this from time to time. I think for it to work both parties have to have good boundaries.

As far as romantic relationships in a novel - this might (slightly) go with the 'save the cat' trope that was discussed recently. A romance may not be key to the main plot, but it does add depth to characters, and invests the reader in the outcome. Romance will magnify how much the reader cares about a character or characters, and so when they are placed in peril the reader will have a higher level of interest.

Click to expand...

Is this men/women in general or just straight men and women? Oh Lord, what do bisexual people do? Can you tell I find the idea that men and women can't be friends to be ridiculous on a number of levels?

I also disagree that a romance is often a good way to add depth or investment. Personal bias is at play, of course. I generally groan at the first sign of a romance subplot unless it is very well integrated and executed. Both characters have to stand alone for it to work, imho. This is why endangering the love interest doesn't work for me. If a character I like is in danger I'm invested, but if it's just a character's LI more often than not I'm relieved I don't have to deal with LI anymore. Plus you can get the same scenario by endangering a family member or friend (again, so long as that character is fleshed out).

That said, I do think well done romance subplots can be very compelling and help both characters grow. I have my personal favorite romances, but I am very cautious of the idea that romances are a good default tool for development or audience engagement.