How many times have you read a romance novel or seen a love scene in a movie where the characters fall in love seemingly overnight? It can be frustrating, especially if you’re looking for a good love story to fall in love with. Well, not to worry! Here are some tips on how to write characters who slowly fall in love. By taking things slowly, you’ll create a believable connection that will keep your readers hooked until the end. So, here we go!
Don’t Rush Your Characters
The process of falling in love is a complex one, and it can take some time for two people to develop a strong connection.
In fiction, this process is often abbreviated or skipped altogether. However, if you take the time to write a slow love story, it can be incredibly rewarding for both writers and readers. Not only does it allow for more complex character development, but it also creates a more believable and credible romance story.
One of the most important things to remember when writing romance novels isn’t to rush your characters. It’s important that you take the time to develop their relationship gradually. This means that you need to show small moments of connection, but also conflict.
Also, it’s important that you give your characters space to grow and change. Taking the time to write a slow love story will create a nuanced and believable love story that readers will remember long after the book is over.
Understand what makes people fall in love. What makes a person fall in love is a complex topic that’s been written about and studied for thousands of years, and there’s still no clear answer! However, there are some key factors that increase the likelihood of someone falling in love with another person:
- Similar interests
- Respectful behavior
- Physical attraction
- Shared values and beliefs
- Time spent together
Each of these factors can be built into your story to make it seem more believable that your characters actually have feelings for each other. While these aren’t the only ways to have a character develop feelings, they’re among the most common.
Get the Dating Right
One of the most important aspects of writing a believable and compelling love story is finding the right romantic interest and partner.
This can be difficult, especially if you want to write a slow love story where the characters slowly fall in love with each other over time. To make this kind of relationship believable, it’s important that you get a few key details right.
First, it’s important to capture the awkwardness and uncertainty that exists in the early stages of a relationship. Characters should doubt themselves, worry about what the other person is thinking, and generally feel a bit overwhelmed.
But there should also be small moments of connection and intimacy that hint at the deeper feelings that are developing between them. It’s these small moments – a shared laugh, a long late-night conversation, a gentle touch – that make the reader believe in the romance that’s slowly blossoming.
Another important element is to show how the characters change and grow through their romantic relationship. When they fall in love, they should see the world through different eyes; things that once seemed trivial now take on new meaning, and minor disagreements can suddenly seem like major obstacles.
It can be difficult to capture this heightened emotional state without descending into the melodramatic, but it’s possible with a bit of careful thought and planning ahead of time.
Balance the Physical and Emotional Attractions
One of the hardest things to balance when writing a story about characters who slowly fall in love is the physical and emotional attraction between them.
On the one hand, you want to convey the physical attraction they feel for each other the way their bodies crave closeness, and the way they can’t help but touch each other. On the other hand, you don’t want it to seem like they’re all about sex. So how do you find the right balance?
One approach is to focus on the small moments – the little ways they express their physical attraction to each other. A stolen kiss in a moment of vulnerability, a gentle touch on the arm, a lingering glance across the room.
These small moments can speak volumes about their feelings without going into detail.
Another approach is to focus on the emotional connection between the two – what attracts them and makes them want to be with each other. What do they share? What do they understand about each other that no one else does? This can be conveyed through dialog, body language, and descriptions.
Ultimately, it’s up to you, the writer, to decide how much physical and emotional attraction you want to show in your characters.
- Make sure the physical and emotional aspects are balanced.
- It’s not just about sex, but it’s important to have some. You don’t want it to turn into an insta-love or love at first sight. Allow the sexual tension to build.
- You need to build a friendship and get closer on many levels before falling in love.
- Look for ways your characters can interact without dialog, such as gentle kisses, hugs, blushing, body language, looking into the other person’s eyes…
Make Sure the Love Interest Is Flawed in Some Way
A love story is always more exciting when the two characters aren’t a perfect match. This is because we as readers can see the potential for conflict and growth. We root for the two as they overcome their differences, and we share in their journey to a happy ending.
If you want to write a love story that captivates your readers, you’ve to make sure that the person you love is flawed in some way.
One way to write a flawed love story is to give her a secret past that she’s having a hard time hiding. This can be something as sinister as a criminal record or something more innocuous like an embarrassing high school photo that still haunts her. Either way, this secret brings tension to the relationship and gives the characters something to overcome together.
Another way to create a flawed love triangle is to put them in a difficult situation. Perhaps they’re having financial difficulties or they’ve just lost a loved one. Whatever the case may be, this inner turmoil will make it difficult for them to open up to the other person. Therefore, it’ll take time and patience for the two people to fall in love with each other.
Whatever flaw you have for your protagonist, make sure to bring it to light as soon as possible.
However, make sure the person you love isn’t too flawed, or you risk making them unlikable to readers (or at least the main character).
For example, if the worst quality of a love interest is that she’s a bit selfish at times, you mightn’t have a problem. But if she’s emotionally abusive or manipulative or doesn’t respect boundaries, then your main character would be better off without her!
It’s also important to know that the weaknesses of romantic partners don’t necessarily have to be something the main character struggles with as well. For example, if both characters are extremely insecure about their appearance and constantly make self-deprecating jokes about themselves, their relationship will likely be more toxic than sweet or inspiring.
Make Sure the Romance Fits Into the Main Plot
One of the hardest things about writing a story is finding the balance between the romance and the main plot. If the romance is too prominent, it can overshadow the rest of the story and make the characters seem one-dimensional. On the other hand, if the romance is too subtle, readers may not even realize that the characters are falling in love.
So how can you find the right balance?
One important point is that romance should always be motivated by the story, not the other way around. In other words, the characters should fall in love because it makes sense for their story, not because you as the author want them to.
For example, if your story is about two detectives solving a crime, their relationship should develop as they work together and get to know each other better. They shouldn’t suddenly fall in love with each other for no reason.
A good way to incorporate your characters’ relationship into the main plot is to give them a common goal. For example, if you’re writing a story about two boys who want to get revenge on someone who wronged them, they could form an alliance in which they help each other get revenge on the person without knowing that they’re also romantically interested in each other.
Another way to incorporate both storylines into your story is if a character has a personal goal for which they need help (such as overcoming a fear of clowns or learning another language). Your characters could help each other with their individual goals before they fall in love.
Another important point you should keep in mind is that slow love stories are often more believable and realistic than fast love stories. So don’t be afraid to take your time and let the relationship develop organically. Generally, with love stories, it’s better to show something than tell something. Readers should be able to see the characters.
The main plot of your story is much more important than the romance between your characters. If the romance isn’t connected to the main plot, it’s not a romance!
Start Off With a Meet-Cute
A meet-cute is a scene in which the two romantic leads first meet and (usually) fall in love. It’s a staple of romantic comedies, but can also be found in other genres, including dramas, fantasy, and even some action movies.
Meet-cutes often involve some sort of mistaken identity or misunderstanding that puts the characters at odds with each other before they realize they’re perfect for each other. It’s the start of a journey of romantic tension between the characters.
When it comes to writing a meet-cute for characters who are slowly falling in love, there are a few things to keep in mind.
- First, the meet-cute should be organic and believable – it shouldn’t feel like you’re forcing the characters together just for the sake of having a meet-cute.
- Second, the meet-cute should be relevant to the story you’re telling – it should help to introduce the characters and set up their relationship.
- And finally, the meet-cute should be fun – it should give the reader a little taste of the romance to come.
The trick to writing a get-to-know-you is to think of their first interaction as a funny or awkward moment. This not only helps introduce the characters to each other but also establishes the type of relationship they’ll have throughout the story.
Getting to know each other can be the first time two characters meet, but it doesn’t have to be. It can also happen when they’ve known each other for a while and something happens that changes everything between them (like a kiss between best friends).
Or maybe they’re already in love with someone else when all of a sudden they realize that there was only one person who was under our noses the whole time.
Make Them Care About Something Other Than Each Other
One of the hardest things about writing a story is getting your readers interested in something other than the main plot.
It sounds obvious, but when your characters are interested in other things, their romance becomes really exciting. If they’re constantly in love with each other, it seems like they’ve no personalities other than their attraction to each other – a little of that’s enough, but it shouldn’t be the only thing they talk and think about!
Their preoccupation with each other should come across as a natural reaction to their growing physical attraction and emotional connection, not something that just comes out of nowhere and has nothing to do with them.
That’s why it’s important that your characters have interests that are different from each other’s, too. If you want readers to sympathize with your couple, their relationship needs substance so we can empathize with them.
- Are there things or hobbies they’re passionate about?
- How are they related or different from each other?
- Do these interests bring them together or drive them apart?
You don’t need big, dramatic differences – subtle contrasts (maybe she finds llama-whispering ridiculous while he finds it fascinating) can be even more interesting than obvious friction (he’s a Democrat and she’s a Republican).
So here are a few tips on how to get your readers interested in your characters:
- Show instead of tell. Instead of telling your reader that your character is kind, show them a kind act. Instead of saying your character is brave, show them a brave act. This helps the reader connect with your character on a deeper level.
- Make her sympathetic. Everyone has fears and weaknesses, so it’s important to make your characters sympathetic. This helps your reader see them as people and not just fictional beings.
- Slow down the pace. Take time to introduce your characters and their backstory. This gives the reader time to get to know them and understand their motivations.
- Give them something to fight for. Whether it’s a cause or a person, make sure your characters have something worth fighting for. This helps the reader engage in their journey and support their success.
- Write compelling dialog. Dialog is one of the most important aspects of any story, so it’s important to write dialog that’s clear and compelling.
Falling in Love Is Hard. Writing About It Shouldn’t Be.
Falling in love is hard. It’s full of awkward moments, fumbling words, and stolen glances. It’s a process of getting to know someone on a deeper level and learning to open up to them. And it can be difficult to put it all down in writing.
But there are a few things you can do to make it a little easier.
- First, it’s important to get into the mind of your characters. What’re they thinking and feeling? What’re their fears and doubts? What do they find attractive about the other person? What’s the sexual attraction? The better you understand your characters, the easier it’ll be to write about their slowly developing relationship.
- Second, take your time. Don’t try to rush the process or force your characters on each other before they’re ready. Let them take things at their own pace and build the tension gradually. A slow build-up of tension can be just as effective (and sometimes even more effective) than a fast-paced romance.
- Finally, don’t forget the little details. It’s often the little moments that make falling in love so special. A smile, a touch, a quiet conversation – these are the things that your readers will remember long after they’ve read your story.
Your goal is to write characters who’re in love or who fall in love. You want your readers to feel that they know these characters, and share their romantic feelings, so that they can walk up to them and greet them like old friends.
- Try to write about the special things that happen between your characters, like when one of them walks into a room and the other notices his feet first. How do those feet make that person feel? What memories does it bring back? How does this person feel about their feet compared to the rest of their body?
- Use real-life details to make your character feel real. Maybe the two main characters talk about how much they both hate cilantro, or they have a favorite food that one of them always cooks for the other without asking. The more specific you can get, the better! You want readers to fall in love with these characters as if they meet someone at work or on vacation who’s a lot of similarities to them, and only then realize how perfect that person really is! If you want to get inspired about the things that make us fall in love with others (or just give us butterflies in our stomachs), watch some romantic comedies or read through romance novels at your library – even if it’s not something you normally enjoy reading!
- Write a story about people falling in love slowly; don’t force yourself to think that everything has to happen quickly for it to be interesting enough for readers (and you!).