On Writing Romance_ How to Craft a Novel That Sells - Leigh Michaels [42]
3. Outside influences conspire to keep them in close proximity. He's inherited a piece of property and has to do something with it; she's under pressure to acquire the property by any means. Or, they're trapped together by an ice storm in an isolated cabin.
The strength of the force required to keep the characters together will depend on the intensity of the conflict. The more painful the circumstances are, the more eager a person will be to escape. So, if the conflict is very intense and very personal, the force will need to be correspondingly strong to make the character stay in that situation. If the conflict is less threatening, then less force is required.
How can you raise the stakes for your hero and heroine so they can't possibly walk away?
In this example from her short contemporary The Italian's Price, Diana Hamilton's hero makes it clear that her heroine has no option but to cooperate—or go to jail:
It was all too real.
He turned and headed for the door, his stride lithe and totally assured, his shoulders straight and elegant. He opened the door, admitting damp air. "I will collect you at six in the morning. Be ready. If you attempt to disappear again, be sure that I will find you. Be very sure of that."
He turned then, his stunning eyes hard and cold. "In the event of your non-compliance to my demands, I shall have no hesitation in hauling you through the courts and seeing you behind bars. My desire to protect my grandmother from the pain of
discovering that the hired companion she had grown to trust, rely on and love was nothing more than a devious thief is strong. But even that has its limits."
Hamilton chooses the second of the three possibilities for creating force—the hero in this case believes that the heroine is a thief and is forcing her to make good.
Resolving Your Story's Conflict
It's important to remember that the problem your characters face must be solvable in the end so you can create a satisfying conclusion. That sounds painfully obvious, but occasionally an inexperienced writer comes up with a problem so real and so complex that a truly happy ending—a believable compromise or agreement between the characters—is inconceivable.
What kind of problem will create real disagreement between your main characters for the entire length of the book, yet allow them to find a solution or compromise that will satisfy both of them—and the readers, too? What type of solution will achieve your happy ending without being so obvious that your heroic pair look like dorks for not seeing it immediately?
1. Consider the romance novels you've been studying. In each book, what was the heroine's short-term problem? Her long-term problem?
2. What was the hero's short-term problem? Long-term problem?
3. What was the story element forcing them to stay together? How did their problems relate to each other?
1. What is your heroine's short-term problem?
2. What is your hero's short-term problem?
3. How are the two problems related?
4. How do these problems come to the readers' attention?
5. How does your heroine's short-term problem grow worse?
6. How does your hero's short-term problem grow worse?
7. What is your heroine's long-term problem?
8. What is your hero's long-term problem?
9. How are the two problems related to each other?
10. How are the long-term problems of each character related to their short-term problems?
The core of the romance novel is the developing love story—the key word being developing. The readers pick up a romance because they want to watch the hero and heroine fall in love. They don't want the old treat-each-other-like-crap-then-declare-mutual-love-on-the-last-page gimmick. They want to follow along as these people get acquainted, as they discover and nourish warm feelings for each other, as they realize they are in love.
The love story isn't the same as the plot (which is unfolding at the same time, in parallel), but it's connected to the plot. Each event shows the lovers to each other in a new light and lets them