Finding True Love in Romance

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     Romance is a huge topic for those of us who sometimes just need a good love story, even though we ourselves don't have any romantic interests!


    I for one found the perfect outlet in actually writing my dream romance. I decided to take the bull by the horns and said, "Why not? If I don't have it in real life, why not make one that reflects what I want my romance to be? Besides, there aren't any good romances anymore. " And that's what I did. I find solace in the great twists and turns found in a relationship, and beauty in the struggles that a couple goes through before truly realizing that they can and will make their relationship something even more than friendship. 

    After all, don't you want to marry your best friend? The person who will love and cherish you through all your flaws, and the man (Or woman in boy's cases) that understands you and knows what makes you, you? You don't want a fake friend who only thinks you look cute, you want the real deal, the person who knows your ins and outs, your faults and gifts, and how much you love God!

    That's why, when you start to write romance, you might be tempted to give your two love birds the perfect life and relationship, I mean, who wants heartache?!

    Well, actually, when you make a 'perfect' romance, it's the total opposite of love, and if you want to develop your character's relationship, then you'll definitely want to avoid the "Happily Ever After" approach. 

    I know this might make you squirm, but the truth is, you need conflict in any good relationship. If you feel stuck, or if your romance seems possibly over the top, and way too happy, then you need to add conflict. 

    Conflict in itself is a very broad definition, but in relation to romance, you definitely need a very specific point of tension. When you start pulling the strings of dissension, you have to pause and ask yourself, what exactly am I going for here?

    Conflict needs to be based on your character's desires and fears, two of the most important, and driving, aspects of a person. You need to draw on their fear to squeeze out strife, and this is where it gets fun.

    I think that one of the best parts of being an author is torturing your reader by building intense and gutwrenching heartache, or cliffhangers. We as authors hate reading books like this, but it is extremely fun to do it yourself. When you do this, you need to make sure that the conflict is up close and personal, truly devastating your characters, and even drawing out the worst in them. This is what makes a romance story pop out and catch your reader's attention.

    When your characters fall in love despite each other's flaws and the bad things that have happened to them, that is inspiring. On the other hand, if everyone is lovey-dovey throughout the whole book, your reader leaves with a false idea of what love is.  

    God has given us a beautiful template of what love should be, in verses from 1 Corinthians, 1 Peter, and many other books of the Bible, and when you write romance stories, be sure to convey every good and perfect thing, along with the tension that comes when life gets hard.

    I hope this helps with your writing, and if you liked this post please fill out the contact form below to receive notifications for new posts! Thank you and God bless!

        -Kiah

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