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Romantic Relationships



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Sun Jan 28, 2018 9:17 pm
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jimss23 says...



Most romantic relationships in stories/books occur over the course of the work. I want to start mine at the beginning of the book, like an already established thing. I am worried that one, readers won't be as engaged in it as they might be with a romance that develops over time, and two, that if I start wrong, that people might get bored with the characters and the relationships and not be interested in reading more.

Info: Two of the MC's are "dating" at the beginning of the book and they have just been reunited after an event takes one of them away for a while.

Does this qualify as an "instant romance" as they are already doing couple things in the first two chapters?

Any help would be awesome.
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Sun Jan 28, 2018 11:31 pm
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Queentera40 says...



I don't know how to describe it, but I'll try. I think its more of a gradual relationship if they were separated for a long time and were just reunited. If the connection is quickly "resumed" the moment, the book starts then I think it´s classified as an instant relationship or just a relationship. Instant would mean that they JUST met while in your book we are aware that they were together for quite some time.
  





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Mon Jan 29, 2018 1:39 am
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neptune says...



Hey, @jimss23! Although I haven't written a novel before, I saw this post and thought I could try and give my input!

I am worried that one, readers won't be as engaged in it as they might be with a romance that develops over time, and two, that if I start wrong, that people might get bored with the characters and the relationships and not be interested in reading more.

If you're worried about starting out "right", that's a completely normal fear. I think in order to keep the reader engaged and interested, you have to also have engaging things happening to the characters. What makes this relationship unique? What happens in the story that suggests the relationship is serious? Even though this relationship you are writing about may be already established, it is new to the reader at the very beginning. In reality, after an established romantic relationship, the two people are still developing and growing together.

So to summarize and answer your question (and this is just my opinion):
When a reader is thrust into a world, any relationship (new or old) is considered new to the reader. I don't think it would be considered an "instant romance" though. To add on to what @Queentera40 said -- it's really just a gradual relationship. A pause in a relationship isn't necessarily an altogether stop. If the reader is growing along with the characters/relationship, then it is gradually turning into a romance. The relationship just has to grow through at least several chapters in order for the reader to be familiar, and that's what it sounds like you have.

I hope this helped! You had some good questions and I hope my viewpoint and opinions clarified some things! <3
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Mon Jan 29, 2018 4:33 am
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Rosendorn says...



Alright, a few things here:

1- If you don't establish that this is a reuniting and/or have them thinking about each other, talking about each other, why are they together? Serious question.

If this is an established relationship, they need to be in love. This means being excited to see each other again, talking regularly (not like, all the time, cause that's unhealthy, but definitely open lines of communication and this sense of "you're the first person I wanted to tell!"), and talking about each other.

If you don't show that they're a presence in each other's lives even when they're apart, the relationship will come off as forced. Readers will be wondering why they're even together if they don't seem to care about each other.

2- People are not static. You pick a relationship because you grow together, and change together, and encourage the other to improve.

If something as committed as a long term relationship is "boring", then the relationship isn't healthy. You don't stop having adventures, changing, or becoming a new person when you're in a relationship. Relationships are about having somebody to go through life with. It's not a "I am in love with this list of traits and we will do the same thing all the time."

So if they're not continuing to go on adventures together, not continuing to have fun together, and not growing as people, then the relationship is forced and static and probably should be cut.

There's a deep comfort in existing relationships. One of the reasons I enjoyed Raven Boys so much is the sense of history among the friends. There was one new friendship that started, but a lot of the book was on old friends, on old relationships. I personally start my novel off with old friends, and another one will be an old relationship.

New isn't synonymous with interesting. Books are about people's lives, and those in a relationship have lives just as interesting as those without.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  





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Mon Jan 29, 2018 1:11 pm
Lightsong says...



Two words: cute moments!

Well, for me, that's how I keep shipping a couple. You make the fact that two people are a couple still interesting by showing how they express their endearment to each other, and how each moment is important when they're sharing it. Of course, you can also take the serious route where they have to be emotional/melodramatic/feeling deep to each other for the sake of emotional impact.

Also, don't be mistaken that just because they are officially a couple, their relationship doesn't develop! Though I'm not experience in couple stuff (single since born here >.>), I've seen how a couple can go through difficult times that test the strength of their bond, and each time I feel like, 'You can do it! You guys are fated to be together forever!). So, people know they're a couple, but it doesn't mean it's everlasting happiness for them. Couple fight, become sad, etc.

For the 'instant romance' example, I think the key here isn't to tell us clearly they're a couple, but more to showing us they're a couple. Obviously, a couple is more comfortable displaying their affection than when they aren't officially couple. In giving us a picture this is how they act as couple, you've convinced us they are a couple without telling it outright.

Hope this helps! Good luck! c:
"Writing, though, belongs first to the writer, and then to the reader, to the world.

The subject is a catalyst, a character, but our responsibility is, has to be, to the work."

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Mon Feb 05, 2018 1:18 am
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Megrim says...



The elephant in the room for me is whether this is a romance story, or a story with romance in it? Those are two different playing fields.

If it's a capital R Romance, those are like their own world with rules and expectations I barely understand. You could definitely check out some of the romance writer websites/forums/hashtags--they will be more help than anything we can give you. I would say, you simply need a *different* source of conflict between them. Instead of "will they end up together?" the story needs a different question that keeps us wondering and turning pages. It could be, "Will she find out about x, and if she does, will she ever forgive him?" It could be, "Y has come out in the open. How will they get through this--or will their relationship even survive it?" It could be, "Z is going to cause a permanent change in their lives. How do they deal with it? What will they do?"

If it's just a romance inside a main plot, and doesn't NEED conflict, then just have fun with them! Let the couple get along and make each other stronger for once! There's not enough of that in fiction. Like everyone else has said, give them cute moments, things in common, thinking about each other, doing little things for each other. A strange example that I think does this really well is the relationship with Rey and the stormtrooper dude in The Force Awakens. The usual trope is for two characters like that to be constantly bickering and resentful of each other, but they are just plain great friends. They are excited to tell each other things, and show concern for each other, and for once, their relationship ISN'T a source of tension and conflict.

Short version being: The relationship may not need to have conflict. If it does, then you just have to pick a different source of tension than the will-they-won't-they falling-in-love tension of a brand new couple.
  








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