Heroes Insider Weekly

The Character Clinic - Lovesick

Lovesick

          Ah, romance. Chances are that whatever genre your story might be, there will be at least some element of romance in it and why not? Falling in love is a major part of life and there’s no reason this shouldn’t also apply to your fictional characters. However, as with real life, there are many, many ways a fictional romance can go wrong.

        The most important step is making sure your characters fall for the right people. And how do you do that? Well, luckily I have a list of what I consider the top six things vital for making a good love interest. I’ll be mostly referring to male characters throughout (purely because the majority of stories on this site have female main characters) but a lot of this advice can be applied just as easily to female love interests too. That also goes for gay/bi/trans/pansexual etc. characters.

          So without further ado, here are the ingredients for the ideal love potion!

1.     Thou shalt be attractive

          Of all of the rules I’m about to list in this article, this might be the most easily abused one. I am just going to throw this out here now-this rule does not mean I want endless descriptions of how hot your character is. Understand? Far, far too many stories focus solely on the physical traits of a character. Here’s how it usually manifests itself:

       ‘I let out a gasp as a pair of piercing blue eyes met mine. Wow, he was gorgeous! Shaggy blonde hair, mouth curved into an irresistible smirk and those abs! I looked at him shirtless and knew without a doubt that I would be talking about those abs for at least the next 10 chapters. Maybe 20.’

       Now this isn’t to say you can’t have fun with your description the first time the character is introduced. It’s important to get across to the reader just why this person is so attractive after all. But maybe try picking traits that are a little more unique to that character or help showcase their personality. Perhaps they have an interesting way of smiling? Maybe they play with their hair when nervous? If they have tattoos or scars or anything, make sure they’re there for a good reason and not just because they’re ‘cool’. Fleshing out your character will help make them more attractive to the reader as well as having the bonus of strengthening their personality. Remember, no one really wants to fantasize about a cardboard cut-out, no matter how hot it might be. It’s what is lurking underneath those abs which is going to get your readers swooning.

2.     Thou shalt not be a jerk

         Argh, I blame the sudden increase in paranormal romance books for this one. Let’s face it; bad boys have always been favoured in literature. They’re exciting, they’re sexy and they create the opportunity for a lot of emotional drama. But there is a big difference between a bad boy and a downright asshole. Sadly, most of the characters I’ve read about lately tend to fall into the latter category.

        This is one affliction which has a habit of plaguing the werewolf genre in particular. Werewolves usually have that intense, possessive thing going for them and this can be hot when used in small doses. But far too often it crosses the line into abuse. Jealously should not be seen as a sign of a healthy relationship. True, there is likely to be a small amount of jealousy involved at times-that’s natural for humans. But if they fly into a rage or start snarling every time your main character talks to someone else of the opposite gender then you’re doing it wrong. And it isn’t romantic. It’s the sign of an unhealthy obsession and a lack of trust. The whole ‘mine’ mentality is seriously skewed and it’s important to recognise that. People in relationships do not own each other. Your character should still be their own person, even when they are part of a couple. Which brings me to my next point…

3.     Thou shalt not let the romance take over the plot

      Okay, you get a free pass for this one if your book happens to be a romance (although personally I still think you should have some other plot carrying the story and certainly more than two main characters). But for everything else, don’t let the romance become the main focus of the story. There is nothing worse than having a good action/fantasy story derailed by the romantic problems of the main character. This is especially frustrating when you have a main character who is female because let’s face it, there’s enough problems with the way women are portrayed in the media without adding to it by having female characters who lives revolve around their men. Make sure to weave the romance into the story and never lose sight of the main plot. If romance is your main plot and the genre of your book is supposed to be something else, then might I suggest finding a more solid plot?

4.     Thou shalt not be a plot device

         This links to my first point as well as the previous one. If you’re going to write a love interest, make sure they have a personality and role beyond ‘love interest’. I’m not saying they need a super-detailed backstory or even their own side plot (though this can certainly help if your story allows for it) What it comes down to is whether or not you can answer this question-what is your love interest doing when they’re not around their significant other? And nope, ‘pining’ is not a valid answer. Unlike other examples, this tends to get applied to female characters more than male ones I find. Long gone are the days where a female love interest should just wait around patiently looking hot until the time comes for her to help the male character with his problems. The real question is, why would your protagonist want to be with someone who has no life outside of them?

5.     Thou shalt not do a personality 180

         Another thing that happens far too often to love interests is that they receive a personality transplant the second the plot requires there to be some sort of obstacle the lovers need to overcome. Uh oh, suddenly they’re jealous of the friend your main character has been hanging out with all along! They inexplicably want your protagonist to give up their role as the chosen one because it’s too dangerous, even though they were previously fine with the notion! Or worst still, they instantly want to settle down despite being just as action-orientated as your main character before!

          Yeah, please don’t mangle your characters for the sake of cheap tension. Of course it’s alright if they change a little-growth is part of the character/story arc after all. But it should be gradual or at least justified, or else you risk giving your readers whiplash.

6.     Thou shalt complement the main character

          (No, not compliment. Leave your flowery romantic speeches at home!)

          Now this point is open to some interpretation as to how you go about it but basically it bubbles down to the same thing. Your love interest should be someone who is good for your main character—who helps them deal with their problems and/or discover things about themselves. I hate to keep picking on Twilight but since Edward and Bella are so well-known, I’ll use them for one more example. On the whole, Edward probably isn’t good for Bella. He consistently tells her she’s vulnerable and generally puts her down until she’s reliant on him, to the point where she literally can’t function when he leaves. Now let’s compare this to Angel and Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Angel is also a self-loathing vampire similar to Edward, but instead of constantly telling Buffy she’s in danger, he just lets her get on with her own thing and kick ass. This is putting it into simplistic terms but you get the idea. Your couple should complement one another; bring out the best qualities in both of them. Otherwise, why are they together?

         With any luck, hopefully these hints will help you (and your character) find the perfect love interest for them. If you want any more tips on how to fix specific problems or if you want to just check something I’ve mentioned, feel free to leave a comment. If all this talk about love is making you feel nauseous then never fear! Next week shall be filled with dark lairs, evil laughs and plots to take over the world as I tackle the task of creating a good antagonist.

Current Novels:

Lycan Blood (Alex Vane: Demon Stalker #1)

Vixen (Alex Vane: Demon Stalker #2)

The Last Ones Left