SVTSwrites asks: Do you have any tips on writing a romance where the lovers reunite after some time apart? Bonus points if they struggle to realize if they're still in love with each other or not.
I have two experienced guests with me today to tackle this question! Both are brilliant Wattpad Stars who have written second chance romances.
ClarissaNorth is from the UK and has numerous great stories to her name. A link to her second chance romance is in the comments. https://radishfiction.com/stories/14189 Here's what she has to say:
Always remember that when lovers have been apart for a long period of time, their recollection of events which led to a break up can become skewed and false memories can appear. Neither of your characters will be reliable narrators, and that can cause conflict and obstacles they need to overcome. They might view the break up in a negative light or, if they're uncertain of why they were broken up with, they make think that they're an innocent party and that the relationship was flawless.
The latter could lead to some revelations about issues in the relationship which they need to resolve and work on before they have any hope of claiming a happily ever after. Second chance romances usually have secrets and lies woven through them, so have fun thinking about whether your character is someone who might have lied to spare a person's feelings, or if the breakup happened to protect them. Ask yourself if the internal and external struggles that were there the last time are still present, and how your characters will overcome them. As with most romances, the answer should always be 'together'.
Next up is MustangSabby, who is a Canadian romance writer currently releasing a second chance romance. A link to it is in the comments. https://www.wattpad.com/story/285986942-western-flame Here's her advice:
The main technique I use to provide that struggle to reconnect a second-chance couple is memory.
The couple have memories of "before" - before the breakup and the bad parts of what happened between them. The first kiss, the first time they make love, the little pieces about the other that intrude as they get to know one another again. Remembering a favourite food, or how they liked their coffee... a special event they attended together and what that other person was wearing, what they said, etc. Possibilities are endless and fruitful!
Memories resurfacing can be incredibly powerful because it can trigger big emotions! As the writer, you need to show how they affect the couple. Do they make one person clam up and push away, remind them of the reasons they aren't together now? Giving the reader a sense of how those memories are interpreted by the main characters allows you to see the connection that was, and could be again, and sometimes even provide a hurdle to get over due to the roadblock or core trauma associated with the memory.
Plus, the reconciliation that happens can be very visceral. They have to talk about the hurt associated with the memories as they come up, or true intimacy can't happen. Boom, character growth right there. Forgiveness, reconciled misunderstandings, compromise... it can all play a part.
You can employ techniques such as flashback to show those memories, provide a physical thing to trigger a memory in real time, have the character in POV to recount it to someone else in a conversation, go back in time and show the memory as it happened. The choice is up to the writer on how to write that memory in context with the present timeline in the story.
For example, in my book Western Flame that is currently posting on Wattpad, Tanner and Liana are high school sweethearts that break up when Tanner's mother dies. Thirteen years later, they are brought back together by Liana's best friend being engaged to Tanner's brother. Tanner realizes he still has feelings for her; Liana realizes she still cares for him, but they don't voice it, both of them rather proud and stubborn. With both thinking the other person has truly moved on, unsure of where to go from their new beginnings of intimacy, the conflict is front and centre.
It takes an external influence of a situation with another man for both of them to "wake up" to the possibility of each other again, and begin that exploration of memories coalescing as they come together. We run through the gamut of emotion with Liana and Tanner remembering each other as they were, and getting to know one another for who they are now, no longer kids in high school. Little things trigger memories, like a bottle of lotion, grilled cheese, a teddy bear, their unique mannerisms. It is all fodder for them dancing around one another until they clear the air!
In summary, second chance romance can be heady and exciting. The couple know one another already, there is a level of familiarity that can warp-speed the intimacy and depth of feeling for one another. It can also provide for explosive dialogue when they air the grievance of the "before" - So many possibilities! Have fun with it!
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