I may be wrong, but generally speaking, romance relies the most on it's characters out of any genre or media. The plot can be as simple as a cashier and a regular at your local convenience store bouncing off of each other, or an epic about bringing a country down and falling in love while you're at it; so long as the main leads click with each other and the audience, ANY premise can be made interesting and/or entertaining. Loved the video ❤
Really appreciate the point on changes in behavior. It’s something I try to have in the forefront of my mind because it seems the most authentic. Whether consciously or subconsciously, we do behave differently around people we’re in.
Honestly sad that we're at a point that you've got to apologise for preferring storytelling over simply putting tropes one after another 🙈 thank you for another great video!
this is like the best and most concise breakdown of solid romance writing advice 🌟🌟 i used to dislike writing romance bc the push and pull of tension, conflict and sincerity used to be really hard for me to find lol but this about sums it up. 10/10 video!!!
thank you so much kris! 100% agree, I definitely felt intimidated by it all at first, since SO MUCH goes into writing a good romance, but thinking about it from different angles definitely helped!
Love the content! As an Asian American sci-fi/fantasy writer writing a story where romance is central, this content huge for me. Thank you for your content!
thanks for sharing this info. I feel it's relatable. I am trying to write my own college romance ( since I didnt have one may as well write a cute fun one)
I'm getting back into writing. I wrote a crappy romance novel/fanfiction that did okay on wattpad but I was just a horny teenager when I wrote it. I want to really give it my best try this time as I am an adult and have been through a lot more life experiences. I will consider everything you suggested. Thanks for sharing.
Writting romance seems more daunting to me than writting short sci-fi horror scenes legit man. I have a huge love for romance in anime movies like it hits you in the feels man cause it focuses alot on vulnerability, trust, bonds and not just with the love intrest but the rest of the people in the characters lives. I really wish I could do slice of life and romance story but I'm trying to figure why would two people fall at all? Right now I'm writting two couples that are opposites but one couple does have something in common. I love your tip about first understanding the characters as their own person first. That's actually giving me a way to see how these different persons can bond with each other.
How is your story going? I am also writing a slice of life and romance story, and you're right. How do I convince these two people using my words that they love and need each other? Especially since one person is at the highest point of their life and the other is at their lowest point in their life. But like you said, once you start fleshing out the characters and seeing them as complex, you see all the edges and gaps that will slide in and fill the other. Happy writing!
This is remarkable content and it has all round helped me develop the romance for my novel where I had been having issues because I'm not the most comfortable with actually writing the romance part of my romance novels. Thanks a lot for the notes.
Thank you very much for the help im a sucker for romance but I haven't written one and I would really like to try it out, I already have a few ideas and I think it could work well to develop the characters
have you watched she-ra? coz i think you would LOVE catradora. - characters have backstories and individual arcs - they like each other for more than physical attraction - forbidden love, ofc - complete each other/balance each other - one is an outcast while the other is the hero (8:16) and they're both very lonely you should watch she-ra
I’m sorry, but Catradora is not a good romance. Catra had no problem torturing Adora, and even after her forced “redemption arc”, Catra still treated her like garbage.
yeah, catra was a terrible person in the first 4 seasons, but i feel like the redemption arc wasn't really that forced, and i liked the way they showed her getting better while also making it clear that she didn't transform over night and become an amazing person all of a sudden. she had more to go through, and i think they left it pretty open ended. to each their own, though, and i get your points.@@t1mburt0nsdandruff
Okay i need help. My male character is very insecure but he grew up to be physically strong because of a cult that he accidentally got into, but was able to leave it coz of (plot) reasons. So basically he is at the start of the romance arc a brute guy who thinks very less about social etiquettes and consequences of his actions, coz he believes he can only use his physical strength to dissolve any situation ( basically fear). The woman lead on the other hand also ran away from her educational institution because they were abusive, lived as a vagabond but when she came back home, was supported by her brothers and friends. She again left to live as a vagabond and help people on the way, which however made her like a sanctimonious person. Basically she does do kind stuff, but manipulates people and lies a lot in the process. But she believes that everything she is doing is correct. She knows social etiquettes well and uses the rules of society for her advantage. Her drawback is obviously that she is physically weak and trusts no one (basically tries to do everything by herself and believes her to be superior to everyone). Now my question is; do they seem like a good fit for an enemies to lovers story??? Or is it too random??
The key to writing a successful romance is to make the main characters love interest 3 things. It never. Changes. Ever... Tall Dark Handsome. Nothing else matters.
OMG SHUT UP NO ONE CARES ABOUT UR DAMN ZODIAC JESUS CHRIST!!! “Oh im a _” “ oh us _ turn up” ALL U HAD TO SAY WAS U CAN RELATE DAMN NOT EVERYTHING IS ABT UR ZODIAC ☠️☠️☠️☠️
Friendly reminder, if you use love language resources pick polyam/queer/neurodiverse friendly ones because the original is horribly misogynistic and was basically written as a tool to convince wives to submit and shut up. But the 2.0 versions turned out to be really great and insightful and awesome for character building
@@lynndjung For anyone who isn't following advice with blind-ish trust it shouldn't be an issue, one is very "lay back and think of the queen instead of complaining that he didn't take out the trash", and the other is mostly "pay attention to each other and be considerate". But some people (like me) can easily fall into the trap of skipping the critical thinking part when they stress about improving in something 😅
The reason I no longer enjoy reading romance or romantasy are self-inserts. You can tell the author digested several stories from other people and wanted to experience the best parts of them, so they wrote a self-insert and copied what they liked. Self-inserts very often turn into Mary Sue characters, the "chosen ones". Incredibly boring to read to begin with! But Mary Sue characters automatically come with certain faults that will drag the story's quality down significantly and mainly those who crave attention genuinely enjoy such stories. But to me, they are shallow, flat and boring and everything just comes together because it has to. Pretty often with such stories, everything between the sexual tension scenes feels rushed and uncared for as well. Or you can tell from which source it's stolen. Cheap conflicts get cheap solutions and there are rarely consequences - unless they suddenly need them for a twist. Kinda difficult to add "the sizzle" to that generic self-insert-experience, right? I'm done with such stories. Although, if there are some good recommendations for (historical) romance/romantasy stories with character depth, I'm always happy if you want to share the title! Yes to "the sizzle" and subtext.
Here is how I look at it. Two people in real life or in fiction who were not meant to be together will not stay together. Full stop, in every universe. Even as a pantser, I have to decide up front if these two people are going to be together or not in the end. If you decide they are, then you have a romance, if not you have a drama or a tragedy, maybe a comedy. There is no such thing as a romance where the couple does not end up together. That is basically step one. If you are going to write a romance, then the couple needs to be meant to be together. Barring physical obstruction, if these two people end up in the same space for more than 5 minutes, they will stay together. This is where other characters come in. In real life, in real relationships, there is always someone, frequently several someones, that do not want a couple to be together and they will get busy trying to make them never meet, or break up once they are together. Which leads me to my biggest issue with most romances. If you have never been in love, particularly an all consuming love (with another human being that returned that love), do not write love stories and definitely don't write romances because they will be nonsense. You will create problems that are not problems, not recognize when there is a problem. The sex will just be surreal, so just don't do it. In order for problems to crop up for our wouldbe couple, they need to be things that would actually happen to them in the universe they live in. The most mundane things can keep a couple apart against their will, but this is only if your characters are 3-dimensional people. Pro tip, fights, arguments over stupid shxt, like 99% of the things you see in romances do not ever keep real people apart. Sex overcomes all of that really fast. Real people have stayed together for no other reason than sex for 25 or 30 years, the entire time arguing at every other moment. What does not work is enemies to lovers. This is a completely ridiculous concept. It's really a taboo which does not happen in real life so people get turned on when it happens in fiction, but any time you do it, its deus ex machina and completely not believable. Enemies to lovers can only be comedy. If you are not intending it to be funny, don't do enemies to lovers. Lover to enemies works, all day every day, just not as a romance. lol I do have to say I am not a slow burn person though. That requires an almost Victorian belief system that my mind won't wrap around. I like visceral needs and desires trying to be met and not quite making it no matter what happens until they get it right.
i disagree. i think the essence of enemies to lovers (and its appeal) is an unconventional love. someone seeing all your worst traits and being attracted to you anyway. there’s a rawness to it, knowing you’ve shown this person your worst and they’ve found the good in you. this happens in reality too, ive been involved myself. the thing is, enemies doesn’t have to be fighting or even dislike. it can be opposite ends of an argument, or a war. hate is a feeling, tho negative. if you “hate” someone, you’re thinking about them just as much as if you were to love them. enemies to lovers is usually coupled with a forced proximity trope, forcing the characters to realize their judgment of each other was uncalled for/incorrect. they establish respect, perhaps friendship, and then have a stronger romantic connection because they rose from a negative situation. i personally don’t write enemies to lovers just bc im no good at it, but i do consume it sometimes if it’s done well!
Thank God whoever was chained to the door behind her escaped! That would have otherwise made for an incredibly awkward video on writing swoon-worthy romance arcs. Or are those really large hoop earrings? They could be making a comeback.
why am i trying so hard to make my fanfics so professional? i have no idea but hopefully people end up enjoying it
literally the reason I came here lmao
same lmao
I found my people
Sometimes I find more passion in writing fanfics than writing my own characters.
No worries, I do the same T-T
Lots of oc x canon in my corner
I may be wrong, but generally speaking, romance relies the most on it's characters out of any genre or media. The plot can be as simple as a cashier and a regular at your local convenience store bouncing off of each other, or an epic about bringing a country down and falling in love while you're at it; so long as the main leads click with each other and the audience, ANY premise can be made interesting and/or entertaining.
Loved the video ❤
Great insight, I think you're 100% right!!
I’m a romance author and it’s lovely to see the romance arc appreciated!
it's so crucial and a lot trickier than I imagined!! kudos to you for writing romance
Life doesn't mean much if you don't have someone to share it with. All stories should have an underlying romance arc in my humble opinion.
Really appreciate the point on changes in behavior. It’s something I try to have in the forefront of my mind because it seems the most authentic. Whether consciously or subconsciously, we do behave differently around people we’re in.
Honestly sad that we're at a point that you've got to apologise for preferring storytelling over simply putting tropes one after another 🙈 thank you for another great video!
Haha I just like to cover my bases 😅 ty for watching!
this is like the best and most concise breakdown of solid romance writing advice 🌟🌟 i used to dislike writing romance bc the push and pull of tension, conflict and sincerity used to be really hard for me to find lol but this about sums it up. 10/10 video!!!
thank you so much kris! 100% agree, I definitely felt intimidated by it all at first, since SO MUCH goes into writing a good romance, but thinking about it from different angles definitely helped!
Best video about romance arcs I've ever seen and this is the perfect timing, you're god sent 😭 thank you!
Thank you so much!! this means a lot to hear
For a newbie writer, this is EXTREMELY helpful and full of wisdom❤
Love the content! As an Asian American sci-fi/fantasy writer writing a story where romance is central, this content huge for me. Thank you for your content!
thanks for sharing this info. I feel it's relatable. I am trying to write my own college romance ( since I didnt have one may as well write a cute fun one)
Literally me! I am writing a fun friendship one(mostly) but I like adding some extra romance
Love your presentation style, but more than that you had some fresh ideas I had not heard before-Thank You! --Already watched this three times!
I'm getting back into writing. I wrote a crappy romance novel/fanfiction that did okay on wattpad but I was just a horny teenager when I wrote it. I want to really give it my best try this time as I am an adult and have been through a lot more life experiences. I will consider everything you suggested. Thanks for sharing.
thanks. i really enjoyed the tips, calmness, and humor.
thank you so much!
thank you for the tips! defo going to use some of them.
thank you for watching! I hope you have fun writing romance :)
There's so much I hadn't considered. Thank you for this! ☺
Thank you for watching!!
You worded it so perfectly when you said writing romance is all about context! I couldn’t put my finger on it but you explained it rlly well.
Thank you, this means a lot to hear! I'm always worried I'm not making any sense haha
Writting romance seems more daunting to me than writting short sci-fi horror scenes legit man.
I have a huge love for romance in anime movies like it hits you in the feels man cause it focuses alot on vulnerability, trust, bonds and not just with the love intrest but the rest of the people in the characters lives.
I really wish I could do slice of life and romance story but I'm trying to figure why would two people fall at all?
Right now I'm writting two couples that are opposites but one couple does have something in common.
I love your tip about first understanding the characters as their own person first. That's actually giving me a way to see how these different persons can bond with each other.
How is your story going? I am also writing a slice of life and romance story, and you're right. How do I convince these two people using my words that they love and need each other? Especially since one person is at the highest point of their life and the other is at their lowest point in their life. But like you said, once you start fleshing out the characters and seeing them as complex, you see all the edges and gaps that will slide in and fill the other. Happy writing!
This is remarkable content and it has all round helped me develop the romance for my novel where I had been having issues because I'm not the most comfortable with actually writing the romance part of my romance novels. Thanks a lot for the notes.
i'm so glad to hear that it was helpful-thank you for watching!
What are some things that would make a woman interested in a guy, besides the obvious he's cute, handsome, sexy, wealthy...?
Wow this is such an amazing video!! I totally agree, this is stuff I like to see too and try to write ❤
Aww, thank you so much! i'm glad it resonated 🫶
Thank you very much for the help im a sucker for romance but I haven't written one and I would really like to try it out, I already have a few ideas and I think it could work well to develop the characters
I'm so glad the video was helpful!!
your videos are so relaxing!!!
tysm!!!!
damn this is some good advice. i have never learned more out of videos than this one
thank you so much!!
So helpful. Such great insights. Thanks for this!
Thank you for share this tips. Really appreciated 🙌🏻
Thank u so much love, I've just started my writing journey recently & I did feel as if my Romance was lacking
Im crying ! This was so helpful! thank you😅🙂😂
Loved this. Thank you ❤
thank you for watching!
Lynn you are sooo prettyyyyy
aw you are so sweet
this is really good advice! thank you
Yess love this advice!
have you watched she-ra? coz i think you would LOVE catradora.
- characters have backstories and individual arcs
- they like each other for more than physical attraction
- forbidden love, ofc
- complete each other/balance each other
- one is an outcast while the other is the hero (8:16) and they're both very lonely
you should watch she-ra
I’m sorry, but Catradora is not a good romance. Catra had no problem torturing Adora, and even after her forced “redemption arc”, Catra still treated her like garbage.
yeah, catra was a terrible person in the first 4 seasons, but i feel like the redemption arc wasn't really that forced, and i liked the way they showed her getting better while also making it clear that she didn't transform over night and become an amazing person all of a sudden. she had more to go through, and i think they left it pretty open ended.
to each their own, though, and i get your points.@@t1mburt0nsdandruff
Unrelated topic: I love your voice! It's super relaxing ❤
Thank you so much!!
@@lynndjung ur welcome 🫶🩷
🤣🤣 6:00 "I think that says more about me than it does about writing." 😳😳🤣
thank you so much for this video
thank you for watching!!
"Personally I love it when my love interests are scrungly" finally a woman of taste
Thanks for the helpful information
Anytime! Ty for watching :)
is it too soon for me to say that I love you...'re content 😅 you make everything so comprehensible
haha never ;) thank you, I'm so glad you think so!
Five love languages:
Physical touch
Gift giving
Acts of service
Words of affirmation
Quality time.
prolly the only male in the comments but thanks for all the tips my fav were 2, 9, and 10
thank you for watching!
Nah you're not lol
100% not man
I’m your biggest fan from Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦
that's incredible, thank you for the support and love!
This video is very helpful, thanks
i'm a capricorn trying to feel love by writing about it LMAO
REAL
so little views yet such high quality
I was listening to this, and the entire time, im thinking about how everything you described is me and my boyfriend 😭
A Libra and someone who reminds me of Horimiya🥺
Okay i need help. My male character is very insecure but he grew up to be physically strong because of a cult that he accidentally got into, but was able to leave it coz of (plot) reasons. So basically he is at the start of the romance arc a brute guy who thinks very less about social etiquettes and consequences of his actions, coz he believes he can only use his physical strength to dissolve any situation ( basically fear).
The woman lead on the other hand also ran away from her educational institution because they were abusive, lived as a vagabond but when she came back home, was supported by her brothers and friends. She again left to live as a vagabond and help people on the way, which however made her like a sanctimonious person. Basically she does do kind stuff, but manipulates people and lies a lot in the process. But she believes that everything she is doing is correct. She knows social etiquettes well and uses the rules of society for her advantage. Her drawback is obviously that she is physically weak and trusts no one (basically tries to do everything by herself and believes her to be superior to everyone).
Now my question is; do they seem like a good fit for an enemies to lovers story??? Or is it too random??
great advice!
thank you!
The key to writing a successful romance is to make the main characters love interest 3 things. It never. Changes. Ever...
Tall
Dark
Handsome.
Nothing else matters.
6:30 My idea of conflict: ruclips.net/video/GeEEN0tuSn0/видео.html
I am Libra too and I can relate😂
OMG SHUT UP NO ONE CARES ABOUT UR DAMN ZODIAC JESUS CHRIST!!! “Oh im a _” “ oh us _ turn up” ALL U HAD TO SAY WAS U CAN RELATE DAMN NOT EVERYTHING IS ABT UR ZODIAC ☠️☠️☠️☠️
omg ur so pretty!
ahh tysm!!
@@lynndjung yw!
Thanks
I writing from enemies to lovers
Friendly reminder, if you use love language resources pick polyam/queer/neurodiverse friendly ones because the original is horribly misogynistic and was basically written as a tool to convince wives to submit and shut up. But the 2.0 versions turned out to be really great and insightful and awesome for character building
I did not know this and will def look more into it, thank you for sharing!
@@lynndjung For anyone who isn't following advice with blind-ish trust it shouldn't be an issue, one is very "lay back and think of the queen instead of complaining that he didn't take out the trash", and the other is mostly "pay attention to each other and be considerate". But some people (like me) can easily fall into the trap of skipping the critical thinking part when they stress about improving in something 😅
The reason I no longer enjoy reading romance or romantasy are self-inserts. You can tell the author digested several stories from other people and wanted to experience the best parts of them, so they wrote a self-insert and copied what they liked.
Self-inserts very often turn into Mary Sue characters, the "chosen ones". Incredibly boring to read to begin with!
But Mary Sue characters automatically come with certain faults that will drag the story's quality down significantly and mainly those who crave attention genuinely enjoy such stories. But to me, they are shallow, flat and boring and everything just comes together because it has to.
Pretty often with such stories, everything between the sexual tension scenes feels rushed and uncared for as well. Or you can tell from which source it's stolen. Cheap conflicts get cheap solutions and there are rarely consequences - unless they suddenly need them for a twist. Kinda difficult to add "the sizzle" to that generic self-insert-experience, right? I'm done with such stories.
Although, if there are some good recommendations for (historical) romance/romantasy stories with character depth, I'm always happy if you want to share the title! Yes to "the sizzle" and subtext.
I hate straight romance. Show me don't tell me they are in love.
6:01 😂😂
Here is how I look at it. Two people in real life or in fiction who were not meant to be together will not stay together. Full stop, in every universe. Even as a pantser, I have to decide up front if these two people are going to be together or not in the end. If you decide they are, then you have a romance, if not you have a drama or a tragedy, maybe a comedy. There is no such thing as a romance where the couple does not end up together.
That is basically step one. If you are going to write a romance, then the couple needs to be meant to be together. Barring physical obstruction, if these two people end up in the same space for more than 5 minutes, they will stay together. This is where other characters come in. In real life, in real relationships, there is always someone, frequently several someones, that do not want a couple to be together and they will get busy trying to make them never meet, or break up once they are together.
Which leads me to my biggest issue with most romances. If you have never been in love, particularly an all consuming love (with another human being that returned that love), do not write love stories and definitely don't write romances because they will be nonsense. You will create problems that are not problems, not recognize when there is a problem. The sex will just be surreal, so just don't do it. In order for problems to crop up for our wouldbe couple, they need to be things that would actually happen to them in the universe they live in. The most mundane things can keep a couple apart against their will, but this is only if your characters are 3-dimensional people. Pro tip, fights, arguments over stupid shxt, like 99% of the things you see in romances do not ever keep real people apart. Sex overcomes all of that really fast. Real people have stayed together for no other reason than sex for 25 or 30 years, the entire time arguing at every other moment.
What does not work is enemies to lovers. This is a completely ridiculous concept. It's really a taboo which does not happen in real life so people get turned on when it happens in fiction, but any time you do it, its deus ex machina and completely not believable. Enemies to lovers can only be comedy. If you are not intending it to be funny, don't do enemies to lovers.
Lover to enemies works, all day every day, just not as a romance. lol
I do have to say I am not a slow burn person though. That requires an almost Victorian belief system that my mind won't wrap around. I like visceral needs and desires trying to be met and not quite making it no matter what happens until they get it right.
i disagree. i think the essence of enemies to lovers (and its appeal) is an unconventional love. someone seeing all your worst traits and being attracted to you anyway. there’s a rawness to it, knowing you’ve shown this person your worst and they’ve found the good in you. this happens in reality too, ive been involved myself. the thing is, enemies doesn’t have to be fighting or even dislike. it can be opposite ends of an argument, or a war.
hate is a feeling, tho negative. if you “hate” someone, you’re thinking about them just as much as if you were to love them.
enemies to lovers is usually coupled with a forced proximity trope, forcing the characters to realize their judgment of each other was uncalled for/incorrect. they establish respect, perhaps friendship, and then have a stronger romantic connection because they rose from a negative situation. i personally don’t write enemies to lovers just bc im no good at it, but i do consume it sometimes if it’s done well!
Thank God whoever was chained to the door behind her escaped! That would have otherwise made for an incredibly awkward video on writing swoon-worthy romance arcs. Or are those really large hoop earrings? They could be making a comeback.