My top three things to avoid when writing romance
Are you an author (or aspiring author)? Does your story include any romance? There are some common mistakes that can take away from a book with romance, whether it’s the main plot or a subplot. Take note to avoid some of the following issues when writing romance so your story doesn’t fall flat.
Unrealistic romance
This may be subjective, depending on who you ask, but the biggest unrealistic romance concept that comes to mind for me is instant romance.
It is incredibly unrealistic to have two people immediately fall in love and live happily ever after.
It also causes us to miss out on tension and suspense. Tension is what helps drive your story, so don’t miss out on building your characters’ relationship through necessary tension.
Note: Instant romance can be used to serve a purpose, like with Anna and Hans in Frozen or in Romeo and Juliet. But as we know, neither of those stories had a happily ever after romance. So proceed with caution.
Using clichés
Clichés are clichés because they are commonly used and understood phrases--and they work! However, they tend to be overused and lack originality. You can certainly choose to use a cliché, but I would recommend using them sparingly and instead focus on using your original voice and descriptions to explain feelings and experiences.
Common romance clichés:
“You had me at hello.”
“It was love at first sight.”
“I can’t live without you.”
“You complete me.”
“He was the missing piece of her puzzle.”
“They were destined to be.”
“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
“There are plenty of fish in the sea.”
“It was the first day of the rest of my life.”
“Every rose has its thorn.”
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
If a cliché comes to mind as you’re writing, take the idea behind that phrase but express it in your own words, making it specific to your character and the plot.
Eternal honeymoon phase
When it comes to reading a book, zero conflict is BORING because it’s not realistic. Your characters can’t live in a “honeymoon phase” forever. That doesn’t mean the conflict has to stem directly from your characters (although that can make for some great storytelling, if each of the characters’ internal conflicts are causing issues for the relationship).
The conflict can also be from external forces, such as an obstacle, danger looming, unsupportive friends/family, or one of your characters being faced with a big life decision that jeopardizes their relationship.
Remember, conflict helps create tension which makes your story interesting. Readers want characters who feel real and vulnerable.
These were the top three things that came to mind for me when thinking about writing romance. What are your thoughts? What else would you add to this list? Let me know :)
