Writing love stories can be a smart, emotional, and creative outlet for emotions. However, writing a compelling romance requires more than just emotion. To tell a good story, you need to create strong multidimensional characters who must face challenges on their love journey. Use your love story to explore a variety of topics and themes, and help build your own “voice” as a writer.
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Part 1 of 3: Building Character
Step 1. Write down the character or traits you want to see in the main characters
The best characters in love stories are deep characters. Think about the traits or traits you want to see in your character, as well as their significance to the story. After that, make a list for each character and note 5-6 specific characters you want to give. Use this list as a guide as you write your story.
- For example, your list of protagonists might include “stubborn”, “intelligent, but lacks the ability to survive on the streets”, “difficult to trust others, but very loyal after their trust is earned”, “had a tough past, and "frankly". Use these traits or traits to design dialogue and character actions in the scenes or events you write.
- Think of a character or trait that helps develop the story, not just the character's love story. The protagonist of your story may be a strong woman who is going through an emotional wound, but don't just make her able to rise from that wound so she can "open up" to a new relationship. Take advantage of his emotional past to develop a holistic character.
- Think about the story of the third president of the Republic of Indonesia, B. J. Habibie and his wife, Ainun. Their love story was written in memoirs and even filmed. In her film, Ibu Ainun is portrayed as a first lady who not only gives great love to her husband, but also has ambition and talent. The love story is very interesting, just like the characters.
Step 2. Create characters with complementary as well as contradictory traits
The traits in the character must be able to "contrary" with each other. Don't set the story up with two people who are compatible with each other, are in a happy relationship, and never grow or change. This kind of plot is a common form of error that makes the story seem bland.
- For example, your two characters are neurosurgeons on the cusp of success. However, one of the characters has an irritable and serious nature, while the other character has a calmer disposition and is able to see any situation from a humorous point of view.
- Marie and Pierre Curie, for example, share a common interest in their scientific projects. Due to the political conditions at the time, Marie had to work harder to gain recognition and support for her work. Their love story and scientific project are remembered for what they both went through and struggled together.
Step 3. Sketch the main characters
After framing the main characters, design a character sketch to add details. These sketches can be outlines, “specs” pages, drawings, or even short stories to describe character development.
- Character sketches must contain basic physical descriptions, personality, background information and transformative life events, and details of the development or changes of each character in the story.
- The character sketch is a clue. You don't have to include everything on the sketch in the story. You can also change the character if the initial sketch doesn't suit the story development.
Step 4. Create a crush figure while thinking about the existing protagonist
You need to create a protagonist who is engaging and easy to "connect" with the reader. The idol of the heart also needs to be created for the protagonist. It's easy to design a crush that can turn into a fantasy to fulfill a reader's desire, but such characters usually don't “challenge” the protagonist or encourage story development.
- Think about everyday relationships. The things you want or don't want to receive from your partner may differ from those of your friends or neighbors. Therefore, create an idol who is suitable for your protagonist, not for all readers.
- Design the right match for the main character, but don't let the conflict seem forced. Consider real-life relationships. People in romantic relationships sometimes fight, fight, or question their relationship. Therefore, create the right partner, not the perfect one.
Step 5. Avoid clichéd character archetypes
Compared to other types of fiction, love stories are more "vulnerable" to the repeated use of the same type of character. Avoid clichéd characters that you've read about in other love stories. If you want to use archetypes, surprise them by changing one or more of their main characters. Some of the more common character archetypes in love stories are:
- The protagonist who is difficult to deal with and only wants to open up when he needs the help of a hero due to his enemy.
- Another woman who is evil (eg ex-lover or partner) and wants to destroy the protagonist's chances of finding her true love.
- An "insensitive" protagonist who doesn't realize that his true love has entered his life.
- A character who does not believe in the meaning of love and his heart has been petrified until the protagonist enters his life.
Part 2 of 3: Defining the Flow
Step 1. Decide whether the existing love story will serve as the main story
A love story can be the main focus or part of a larger story. Decide if you want to make the love story the main focus of your writing, or use it to enrich the main story.
- Using a love story as part of a larger story can create a more realistic and easy-to-feel feel for your writing. Meanwhile, by focusing on romance, it can form a great story that takes the reader in the plot, or even become a kind of "escape from reality". Neither is better or worse than the two options. The two are just different writing styles.
- For example, the film Di Balik 98 is colored by the love story of its two protagonists. However, the film also features themes of social, racial, political, and family strife. The plot is also not only emphasized by the love story, but also by the description of the political situation and the riots that occurred in May 1998.
Step 2. Select the desired genre for your story
Love stories don't have to be "present" in the form of romance novels. Stories like these depict the daily lives of characters and can be written in any genre. Decide if you want to write a more “classic” romance or frame a story that is done in another genre.
- To get an idea of framing love stories in different genres, read books and short stories from the genres that interest you.
- Noir, science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, and comedy are just a few of the genres to explore. Pay attention to how writers from these genres develop various rules for working love stories.
Step 3. Determine the desired emotional ending
Do you want the characters to have a happy ending? Will they learn that love is not enough? Do you want to create a "fuzzy" ending or open up various opinions? By determining the emotional resolution at the end of the story, you can design the plot and narrative.
You can change the resolution as you continue to write if you feel that there is a different ending that suits the plot and character development better. You can take this step as a guide, but it shouldn't be taken as a mandatory rule
Step 4. Decide if your story wants to carry a bigger message
Romance written to describe a love story alone can be a beautiful work if you want to work on it. However, many modern romance writers have begun to incorporate social contexts such as race, gender, and social class in their work. Decide if you want to include a larger message in the story.
- There is no right or wrong answer to this, but it is important that you consider the message you are trying to convey.
- Love stories typically cover topics such as social inequality, body image, gender equality, sexual orientation, class differences, and ethnic identity.
Part 3 of 3: Packing Stories
Step 1. Create a plot outline
Not all writers enjoy plotting, and it's okay if you don't like it either. However, in love stories, outlines help you stay on track, without getting carried away by the romance being written about. Outline your story before you start writing and record important events and plot points in the order you want them to appear in the story.
- You can create a “minimalist” outline or something more detailed. Play with the various details on a character or story to find out the right type of skeleton when you build it.
- Like character sketches, outlines serve as clues, not rules. Your story can develop outside the framework if it feels natural to the plot and characters.
Step 2. Create tension or anticipation
What makes the meeting of the two characters even more “satisfying” for the readers is the emotional tension that precedes the moment of the meeting. Create some sort of anticipation by adding natural obstacles for the main partner to make their romance a satisfying ending to a long emotional journey.
- You don't have to quickly bring the two main characters together, make them fall in love, and make their lives very happy.
- It's good for your love story to explore a variety of emotions. Provide obstacles that can make both of your characters happy, angry, sad, upset, jealous, and more.
Step 3. Separate the couple once they meet
Two people looking for each other, getting into a relationship right away, and being able to stay together doesn't make for an interesting story. After you meet them for the first time, find an excuse to separate them. This not only creates drama, but also provides space for both characters to miss each other and think about the dynamics of their relationship.
If you are a fan of Korean dramas, think about the storyline of the drama Sassy Girl Chun-Hyang. Soon Chun-Hyang and Lee Mong Ryeong's characters were brought together and separated several times. Every time they meet, their feelings change and the two think of each other more and more
Step 4. Create a plausible climax for the two characters and reunite them
The climax scene that arises due to the misunderstanding that previously occurred to the two characters is actually a common "trap" in writing love stories. You may often see climaxes like this in television series and movies. However, exacerbating conflicts due to misunderstandings will only make the existing characters seem irrational and overly emotional. Instead of taking such a step, create real obstacles that make the reader question the future or the relationship between the two characters, then reunite the two characters at the end of the story.
- One of the misconceptions that is quite common and is shown too often is that a character gets annoyed when he sees his ex-girlfriend kissing his new girlfriend. The protagonist feeling angry at the actions that his lover can't control is dramatic and irrational.
- Instead, think of other obstacles that both characters have to face, such as one of the protagonists having to work overseas, or one of the characters wanting to have children, while the other partner doesn't want to have children at all. These kinds of obstacles are often featured in the story, but they can create more real emotional conflicts.
Step 5. Use the figure of speech “as needed”
Love stories are often associated with long prose and a flowery writing style. Feel free to use an emotional writing style. However, the story will feel too long and difficult to follow if you include too many metaphors, symbols, and other figure of speech. Use figure of speech if it can enrich the reader's understanding of the emotions or events in the story. However, don't feel pressured to include it just because you want it to sound more romantic. It's important that you make sure the story content makes sense.
- For example, "He misses her like the sand on the beach longs for the foam of the waves at low tide" reflects the romantic use of simile, but the sentence does not provide clarity. Meanwhile, the phrase “The pain pierced his heart when the shadow of his lover disappeared with the sunset” seemed more familiar to the readers because most people understood that kind of pain in the chest. In this case, the choice of the second sentence is easier to understand.
- When in doubt, ask yourself, “Does this figure of speech help readers understand what is happening?”
Step 6. Give a resolution at the end of the story
Regardless of whether the two characters end up being together or not, give your readers a resolution at the end of your story. The existing characters must develop and grow as the plot progresses, and be able to rise and return to life at the end of the story, either with their partner or alone.
- For example, a sentence like “When Jessica left, despair and fear overtook Jordan to the point that he never left the house or did anything else” is an unsatisfactory ending.
- Instead, give a sweet ending even though what the characters experience is quite bitter. “When Jessica left, Jordan did feel hurt and scared. However, he had to look at the new opportunities that lay in front of him optimistically.
Step 7. Edit the story so you don't overwrite it
When you've finished your story, re-read the draft thoroughly to find and edit any unnecessary and unsupported descriptions and superfluous details that don't support your story.
- Don't use flowery language just because you want to create a romantic love story. Trim sentences that are too long and redundant, unless the adjective or adverb used directly helps the reader understand the events or emotions and the purpose behind the character's actions.
- Don't use words without understanding their connotations. For example, if your character has a goat with black hair, it's a good idea not to call the goat the phrase “scapegoat”. Denotatively, the phrase does mean “black goat”, but connotatively “scapegoat” is usually used to refer to a person who is often blamed. Instead, you can use the phrase “black hairy goat”.
Tips
- Try to imagine yourself as one of the characters. How will you feel? What is your reaction to the events in the story?
- Read love stories written by various authors, as well as romance scenes from various genres to learn how to design and write romances.
- Not all love stories have to have an antagonist. Sometimes, life events or different wants and needs are enough to create conflict in the story. Find out if your story really needs an antagonist, or if the events that are present can create drama.
