As you all know, this coming Tuesday is Valentine’s Day (I’m so jealous of Kieryn right now because she gets to post on Valentine’s Day. It’s okay though because I get Flag Day and Thanksgiving. Y’all better expect some awesome holiday posts).
Back to Valentine’s Day. There are a lot of amazing love stories out there. Anna and the French Kiss, Perfect Chemistry, The Notebook (OMG Ryan Gosling is just too attractive for words), A Walk to Remember, the Vow? (I don’t know yet, but I am super excited to watch it since it has Channing Tatum who I loved since he was in She’s the Man because I like Gouda too), Pride and Prejudice and a bunch of others. What do they all have in common? What makes them so amazing? Why no it is not St. Clair, Alex Fuentes, Ryan Gosling, Shane West, Channing Tatum, and Mr. Darcy’s amazing good looks (though they are all very attractive). Then what you my ask? It’s the love that they shared with the MC. A love so strong and so powerful that our hearts skipped a beat between page, that we tear up when something bad endangers their relationship, that sigh you release after finishing the last page and not wanting to leave such an amazing couple. That is love in literature at it’s finest. If a book makes you feel like that, the author has done a fantastic job.
How do you write amazing love like that? It’s definitely not easy. If it was our hearts would implode from all the love and possibly ruin us all from ever finding such a powerful love. Well that’s what I wanna help with.
- Turn Up the Tension: Tension is difficult for me because I’m horrible at plotting (that’s why most of my posts are about characters), but without tension, there is nothing that is keeping your characters from being together. It’s tension that makes you wonder will they be together. Tension keeps you reading. The more tension the more unsure the reader is, and the more they’ll turn the pages to find out. It’s that kind of investment from readers that make them connect and love your characters and their love interests.
- Let them be more than a Hot Piece of Pie: I see this so often. I don’t think I can stress this enough. I’ve talked about plastic characters before but plastic love interests are a major turn off. No guy is perfect. You just write the guy who is perfect for your MC. Your MC and love interest should connect on more than just a physical level. The love interest can be as attractive, mysterious, and brooding as you want, but they need backstory and real quirks. Nobody’s perfect, but the love between your MC and love interest should be so real and imperfect that the love is heart wrenchingly perfect.
- Let Them Grow: The best love interests are the ones who make the other stronger and better. Love shouldn’t be in your story for loves sake. You shouldn’t give your MC a love interest just because it’s a trend. You should give you MC a love interest to develop your MC. I’ve read about a lot of books were most of the book just talks about how they feel a connection. You need more than a connection to be in love. You have to find someone who recognizes your mistakes and makes you stronger for them. Love should make your MC stronger. Your MC should grow and develop and learn to be a better person with love.
- Fight It Out: Everyone gets in fights. Fighting is such an under used technique. Fighting let’s you get everything out in the open. Sometimes you say things you don’t mean. Sometimes you finally realize what you do mean and want. I personally don’t think two people can love each other without fighting. You have to fight for what you want. If you can’t fight for it maybe it’s not worth it. You have to give love your all to be in love. When your MC fights with your love interest it test them to see if their love is worth all the fighting for the possibility of true love.
“You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back.” –Barbara de Angelis
- Let Your Characters Indulge: Most authors hold off the big kiss until ¾ into the book. This indulgence is the point everyone waits for. Every conversation, every smile, and every touch has led up to this moment. Each scene between your MC and their love interest should tantalize and thrill the reader until they are begging for that big kiss. Of course then you have to take it all away and make your readers beg for the next big moment. The indulgence is what you should build up to and make every fight, every weakness and every heartbreak worthwhile.
As an early Valentine’s Day extra, I wrote my soundtrack for love and looking for that imperfectly perfect love.
My Love Soundtrack:
B-e-a-utiful by Megan Nicole
Crush by David Archuletta
Future Love by Varsity Fanclub
Into Your Arms by The Maine
Just a Kiss by Lady Antebellum
Shut Up and Kiss Me by Orianthi
Soulmate by Natasha Bedingfield
Teenage Dream by Katy Perry
You and Me by Lifehouse
1, 2, 3, 4 by The Plain White Ts
Anything by Taylor Swift!
Happy Early Valentine’s Day!
