As I work through tightening up the characters in my WiP, I have stumbled on an unexpected twist. My two main characters (Trevor and Mara) are a romantic couple waiting to happen. And I'm not really sure how to get them there.
See, when I first created Trevor I did not envision him falling for Mara. I guess I was so focused on telling his part in the story that I didn't think about the dynamics between the two of them. As I further solidify them both however, it just makes perfect sense.
Now comes the difficult part. While I consider myself a fairly sensitive guy, I'm not sure I know how to write a good romantic scene (let alone build a relationship between these two). Trevor isn't necessarily charismatic, and he doesn't have that <em>natural</em> ability that some guys have to just draw a woman in. In fact, he's more along the lines of being socially inept which doesn't leave me a ton of ideas.
If anyone out there has some ideas, I'd really appreciate it. I'm going to continue working on other parts of the story, but at some point I'll need to address this.
So how do you write the building of a relationship between two characters?
5 comments:
I think you could use his social ineptness as a way to increase conflict in the relationship (or at least give it time to build slowly). He may be attracted to her and not know how to approach her. Or it may take him a while to recognize what he feels for her.
I don't know your characters, and I'm no expert on writing romance. What I personally like to see is two characters getting to know each other first before falling in love with each other. But you have to decide what's most natural for them. Good luck!
I agree with Sandra. With Trevor as socially inept, it opens the door with so many possibilities. He's like the wall flower at the party staring at the debutante surrounded by friends.
He's thinking about her, thinking about how he must appear to her, and building up the courage to approach and say something. I'm imagining her already liking him, and just waiting for him to make the first move.
I agree with the other two posters. Trevor being socially inept does provide you with some great possibilities. May I ask how do they know each other? That would help me better understand.
Sandra - Your idea about them getting to know each other sounds like what I need, especially considering the extreme difference in their backgrounds.
Michelle - You've hit on some good points regarding how he should act. I can see some benefits to expanding on who he is and how that affects their relationship.
MsMariah - To answer your question, they don't know anything at all about each other. They are two people from distinctly different cultures, thrown together by forces outside of their control. Trevor meets Mara as a part of his search for the truth about who he is, so while he is attracted to her, his focus is split between getting closer to her and solving the problems he's embroiled in. And he knows the latter is more important, no matter how he feels inside.
All of the above, and draw on your own inner self.
Good luck!
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