 Romance/Love: November 15, 2023 Issue [#12276] |
This week: Avoiding the Breakup Pitfall Edited by: Dawn Embers  
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Romance/Love Newsletter by Dawn
Some thoughts over a common near end of book conflict that can be found in romance stories. There is a place and need for the choice at times but there may be other options to consider. |
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"We can't be together."
"Let's take a break."
"This won't work."
"I can't do this."
All common things said near the end of a romance novel. When it comes to conflict in a romance novels, there is a certain element of expectation that is particular for the genre. Since most readers prefer the happy ending, even though they know it's probably going to happen, there has to be something that causes doubt or represents a big prompt in the story. Whether the relationship starts off real or not (fake relationships/marriages can be fun stories) doesn't matter. The main point of the story is if the romance and love is going to work out and the couple (or more) will be together at the end. Which means, the main conflict tends to be the question if they can be together. Hence the common used, third act break up.
It works in many different settings and types of characters. Doesn't matter if the couple started off as friends or enemies. The relationship could even start as fake, whether from need to make someone else believe they were a couple or for a financial gain. Doesn't matter why the couple came together or the way they interact. It is very often, that near the end of the book where the couple are trying to make things work but something creates a breaking point.
There are also many reason for the couple to end things. It could have to do with blackmail or bribery. It could be out of fear that they will make a mistake and cause the other more pain down the road. One of the stories I've listened to over the last month included a fear of losing the person because their previous partner had died in an accident. There are many emotions that could make someone decide it was a better choice to end things at a given point instead of trying to keep up with the relationship.
And this doesn't always happen at the end of the book, though that is the far more common time frame. There was one so far in my 100+ list of recent stories read/listened to that involved a "we are done" conflict in the first half of the book. However, that might be a different situation considering the book wasn't a couple but a triad, so things were ended in the moment with one while the other two remained together. Easy enough to say "it's complicated" when it comes to that story. That breakup lasted a whole, maybe 10 minutes. Other stories have it where things end for a long time. Or in the case of a fake turned real engagement where the rich family doesn't approve, it looks like it ended for weeks when it actually didn't last more than a few hours.
At the end of the day, the breakup is a common factor found within the romance genre enough that there are times when it feels overdone. After five books in a row where there was a breakup, I start to hope that the next one will use something else. it's okay if the story requires a break up. I've got a few that are going that way as well, including book 2 of the series I'm working on for NaNoWriMo 2023. However, there are also different options one can take with a story that doesn't involve one character walking away.
One option could be that they take a little bit of space. It's similar to the breakup but without the relationship ending. Instead, the one character makes it clear that something needs to be decided for them to stay together, but they don't say that they aren't together or don't love them. Instead, they step away to give space and let the other decide what it is they want or need.
There are also dramatic situations that cause a conflict, including accidents or near death experiences. Or course, those should make sense in the scope of the story and not be used lightly. You don't just throw in a car accident out of the blue even though it technically is something that happens at random. You don't want to blindside reader to where they wonder if it even makes sense in the story. You build things up over hundreds or thousands of words, take the reader on a journey and when they get to that step, you give them something to worry about and the relief/happiness when things work out in the end.
And there are the stories where the couple isn't even together for most of the time. They might skirt around each other, do some things together and even have some levels of intimacy but they aren't actually a couple. The good part about those stories, when it comes to conflict topics like this one, is they can't break up because they aren't together yet. And the reader gets the happiness when they decide to be together at the end. This doesn't work for all stories, but it does work for some. They don't have to be together right away. It's one option of many to consider when coming up with a story.
What will be the problem in your story? How will you fix it? Do your characters need to lose the love in order to appreciate what they had? Is there another way? Figure that out and have fun writing. |
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A brief encounter and a misunderstanding sends kara and Jamie down a comical journey.
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Is there a way to have a big conflict in romance with the couple breaking up near act three?
Since I don't have any feedback to showcase, I'm going to offer you a prompt. If you want to send me a link, I will showcase the item in a future newsletter (as long as the rating is appropriate for such). It has to be a romance story and any length is welcome.
Prompt: Write a romance story where, instead of breaking up, the love interest gives the main character space and options. They are given the choice but not in a Friends "we were on a break" type of mentality. They still have to technically be together, with an option to end everything.
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