Young Writers Society

*in the process of rewriting*

I'm going to tell you all about love triangles, why they're used, why they shouldn't be used, etc.

Love triangle purposes:

1). To create friction in a relationship that developed too fast. If a writer chooses to have a romance in their plot, often they make the mistake of letting the romance take the whole show, and if the characters fall in love too fast... it gets boring... thus the common use of love triangles.

2). To keep people reading. Love triangles are the lazy writer's way of kid napping innocent hormonal teens/preteens, and forcing them to read. It's very sad.

3). To mess with peoples emotions. Writers are sons of female dogs, by nature... but there's other ways people. Honestly, it's dub to mess with your readers when it comes to love triangles, because you'll lose peoples faith ( above all, write what you enjoy... ).


Why you should not write love triangles:


As I said above, it's lazy to use love triangles. Why's that? Because if your story needs a love triangle, you probably didn't either keep your characters apart long enough, or the romance is, well, lame and cheesy. There's also other ways to create friction ( which in my opinion are just as lazy ). One way is to just have a real conflict... nothing says conflict like conflict! For intense, people often make their characters have a big fight about whatever, and they stop talking to one another... I find that completely ridiculous, because I've only ever known five year olds to do that... But if you keep that as an alternative, and if you don't use the typical example that I just explained to you, then it can work, I would imagine.

But let's step back for a minute, and ask ourselves- Why does my story have a romance? If you're answer is because my characters are meant to be together, Or every story needs a love story, Or that's kind of the foundation of my story... then you might want to reconsider your plot!

Alright, the genre romance is actually not too bad, there actually is some pretty good books that fall into that category... but that's because they're interesting and original. The kind of love stories I see these days, are all the same: Some girl thinks she's not good enough for this really hot guy, said guy apparently really does like her, and after a long amount of second guessing ones self, they all get together and lives happily to the end of the book.

Even if you have a remotely interesting idea, your love story should never steal the show! Unless it's a romance...

Just don't use love triangles, or romance to control your audience, because it's rude... and if anyone else is like me, they'll find themselves a bit angry at the end of your story! Not sure why this is, but you know, it feels like you just got robed. Robed of what you thought would be a good read, robed of your time, robed of your patience, etc.

I haven't seen too many love triangles floating around YWS, but I just felt the need to post this... it's kind of a rant I guess!

When you started explaining hat most teen romances are about, I laughed, because it's completely true. In fact, you described them in a way that is nearly identical to my own; girl likes hot dude, hot dude likes girl, way too much second-guessing and lame exchanges, and they get together. Then someone tells them to make a sequel about the EXACT SAME THING. (now I'm ranting XD ) It's why I hate the majority of the romance genre; The whole time I'm suffering through a young adult romance that comes in free on BookBub for Kindle... geeze.
Anyways! Thanks for writing this It was a good read, especially for a fellow anti-cliche-romantic-novel-person. XD
Also, no offense to romance lovers/writers. I've read a few very good ones, but a lot of them follow the same plot and it gets irritating!

Okay.

First off,

1). To create friction in a relationship that developed too fast.

I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but another relationship developing too fast has absolutely nothing to do with a love triangle. I've read several books wherin the love triangles were between two people who had been together for years, and someone new.

Love triangles are the lazy writer's way of kid napping innocent hormonal teens/preteens,

There are a lot of love triangles in classics and adult fiction as well.

To mess with peoples emotions. Writers are sons of female dogs, by nature... but there's other ways people.

Okay I really don't like how you're saying that love triangles are the easy way out. Writing isn't easy, no matter what kind of writing it is. And please, share what these other ways are. Writers want to people to read their books and to make people feel something. If love triangles make people feel something, then it's not the writer's fault. It's the readers.

it's lazy to use love triangles. Why's that? Because if your story needs a love triangle, you probably didn't either keep your characters apart long enough, or the romance is, well, lame and cheesy.

Once again, you're confusing a fast romance with a love triangle. Love triangles are romances between three people, nothing more, nothing less. There's absolutely no rule about fast moving relationships and if they have anything to do with love triangles.
And once again, climb off your high horse, darling. There's nothing about you that makes you any better than anybody who writes love triangles. Stephanie Meyer has made millions off of Twilight. Have you? No? Then what right do you have to call any other writer lazy? The only lazy writer is the one who never writes.

real conflict... nothing says conflict like conflict!

A love triangle is real conflict, dear. Maybe not the best, but it is real conflict. Especially when used correctly.

For intense, people often make their characters have a big fight about whatever, and they stop talking to one another... I find that completely ridiculous, because I've only ever known five year olds to do that...

Nope, it actually happens. People say things that hurt other people all the time. It's quite realistic actually. And once again, you're confusing other literary tricks with actual love triangles.

But let's step back for a minute, and ask ourselves- Why does my story have a romance? If you're answer is because my characters are meant to be together, Or every story needs a love story, Or that's kind of the foundation of my story... then you might want to reconsider your plot!

All of these are viable answers. What's wrong with a story having romance? What's wrong with characters being meant to be together? Why is it bad if romance is the foundation of your story? The answer? NOTHING. And once again, you're getting things mixed up with love triangles. Your plot having romance does not mean that there are love traingles, and vice versa.



This is a rant. A rant full of useless and ridiculous arguments and absolutely nothing that actually tells us why love triangles shouldn't be used. You've called anyone who uses love triangles lazy, and then you make all these connections which honestly, have nothing to do with each other because, guess what, romance does not equal triangles and triangles do not equal romance. Get off your high horse and realize that love triangles do not equal bad writing, or lazy writing for that matter. Yes, they're cliche. Yes, they're overused in YA. But no, they are not lazy.

@SparkToFlame, I'm sorry if I offended you. This is just what I have found, and leant through reading, and writing. I didn't mean to call anyone lazy, I was trying to say that the technique was lazy... and yes, I forgot to mention that I'm sure there are some good love triangles out there... I just haven't seen any. I'm just sick of it.

Also, I know I'm not published, and maybe I never will get published... but what you're saying gives the indication that I can't dislike any styles of writing or explain why I think they're cliché and badly used.

1). To create friction in a relationship that developed too fast.

I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but another relationship developing too fast has absolutely nothing to do with a love triangle. I've read several books wherin the love triangles were between two people who had been together for years, and someone new.

I don't like how through your whole review, you take pieces of what I said, and rant about them, when indeed, I gave explanations for them, and I was trying to explain why I thought that love triangles were used! I wasn't going off topic there, at least ( though I understand I do go off topic, it wasn't as often or as ridiculous as your comment suggested.

What I was trying to say in that statement, is that a common use of love triangles is to create friction! Friction is needed when ( I've found ) characters fall in love too fast. AKA, the characters have reached the heavy make out stage, and the writer doesn't want to go any further just yet. So they normally either get them to have a fight. Generally they're ridiculous fights that I can't understand being a big deal, that's why I mentioned the five year old thing... but you're right, there are times when people say things that hurt or something, and it happens with everyone. I find that the writer either gets a fight to happen, or a love triangle to happen. Those are the most common. In my opinion those are lazy... at least the way most people write them. The way that I think is a lot harder for a writer to pull off, and that is in the end more rewarding, is to make your characters wait... they don't have to have some cliché magic moment the first time their eyes meet.

I'm sorry that I came across as being full of myself, or on a 'high horse'... I was simply trying to share what I had learnt. I'll try to answer your questions soon, but I'm really busy today and tomorrow.

I don't like how through your whole review, you take pieces of what I said, and rant about them, when indeed, I gave explanations for them, and I was trying to explain why I thought that love triangles were used! I wasn't going off topic there, at least ( though I understand I do go off topic, it wasn't as often or as ridiculous as your comment suggested.

I think this where you and I must disagree. I didn't rant, I pointed out places where you're argument isn't strong enough to hold up the statements you're making. If you're going to say that something is lazy, then you need to have an argument that backs it up that's more than "I don't like it so it must be wrong".

And I never said that you weren't entitled to your opinion. You did, however post this in writing tips, so this is not the place for an opinion. This is the place for well rounded and thought out articles to help someone write. This is not the place to rant about how you feel about a certain literary trope.

Rather then love triangles, it would likely be better to say, don't write a story about romance. Romance is a wonderful hook, a good thing to use. But only on the side, only as a additional element. Using it by itself is boring. Using it as the main point is boring. There has to be something else going on or there is no reason for the reader to bother.

@Zolen, so in your opinion, if this is the way romance works, how is the romance genre still alive and working? If as you claim, it's boring and not worth reader's time?

Teens

Okay! XD I just reread what I wrote in my original article... got some non-YWSers to read it as well... And well, I came across as a complete know-it-all jerk! :/ Sorry about that... I'm just really tired of every book I read having some sort of, ugh, yeah... But still I was rather offensive:

I'm going to tell you all about love triangles, why they're used, why they shouldn't be used, etc.

Wow... full of myself, much? XD I honestly didn't mean to say that in such a: 'I'm going to teach YOU the RIGHT way, whether you LIKE IT, or NOT!' Way. :/ I used that opening because I wasn't sure how to start an article... so I went with that. :/

Love triangles are the lazy writer's way

Ah, I guess I did call writers that use love triangles lazy! Dx I'm sorry, I didn't mean too... I do think the technique is lazy... but that's just my opinion... and what I have learnt, personally.

To mess with peoples emotions. Writers are sons of female dogs,

Now THAT was uncalled for! XD I have an odd sense of humour sometimes ( which is no excuse but... ), and I often think I'm being funny. Ah, when I said that... I full heartedly knew that if writers were, so am I... but that's still not cool to say, so sorry about that as well!

Over all, I was trying to be helpful... but I worded it in a stupid way... I was frustrated I guess. :/

@SparkToFlame, @Sherri, and @Zolen... I would like to rewrite this article later... and present my thoughts in a more mature fashion... if that's alright ( any tips on how to write the opening to an article? ).

Once again I'm sorry for being so offensive! I didn't mean to... I hope you'll forgive me! >.<

@Zolen so you're saying that the only people who read romance are teenagers?
Do you have any sources to back up this claim? I'd love to read them, because I'm apparently completely misinformed.

As for you, Holy, I was a little hard on you. I appreciate your willingness to try and rewrite your entire article. I don't think you're a know it all jerk, I just think you assumed a lot, which in an article like this--you can't.

Thanks Spark, but I'd like to rewrite it anyway... 'cause I feel like a jerk for writing it... I'm going to get some hard core evidence to support my theory though, so get ready. XP ( we'll see, I'm not sure if I'll find anything to support my argument... but ah, I'll still try!

Edit: Notice I have a bad habit for forgetting to close my brackets! XD

I should change the title to: How NOT to write an Article XD

That's not true! You've got a good start here, it just needs to be less ranty, more facty.

I am somewhat amused by how dramatically my lazy comment is being taken by you Spark, sorry, I partly meant it as a joke when I said teens, and before that, I was giving a opinion to a opinion. I am sure there are plenty of situations where a love triangle is valid, its just in holys eyes there are none, and in my eyes I see no valid reason to make a story based purely on romance.

I just really want to echo what Spark said.
Romance does not equal love triangle.
So let's not use those two interchangeably.

Second thing, lazy comments are fine and all, but this place is called Writing Tips because it's for, well, writing tips. If one's to write an article in it, it should be written in a way that makes it a tip, a how-to on something, to help. If one's to comment on it, that comment should contribute in some way. That's not to say that everyone must be dead serious, but some kinds of jokes can actually discourage people, especially if they don't expect others to joke at all.

As for the article itself... I'd say there really is something about it being overused and used in wrong ways - but even as a trope, it can be used in the right way too. Writers who use love triangles (really though, more like love V's, since it's not like the two love interests usually have anything more than the MC in common) are only lazy when they copy-paste the already-written ideas and tweak it slightly to fit their books instead. They don't have to put it as a sideplot or drop it completely, not at all, but they should think it through more than many seem to be doing.

//quick two cents