(The sound of a pen scratching.) LOGO.
Hellooo everybody! It's OFFICIALLY the release
month for my dark fantasy novel The Savior’s Sister, which means
BIG things are in the works! First up, now's the time to sign up for The Savior’s
Sister release day blitz! A release day blitz is when a bunch of people
sign up to receive marketing material, as well as
information about an upcoming book release
so they can celebrate it all together! You can share all of the goodies on
social media, your blog, YouTube, Instagram, wherever!
If you're interested in participating, the sign up is in the description below!
Check it out! Second, if you haven't heard already, I am hosting a virtual book tour
here on YouTube to celebrate the release of TSS. No one
can leave the house right now, so we're bringing the tour to your computer!
I am holding a series of live streams. We're gonna have some
friends involved. We're going to answer questions,
play games, hand out prizes! It's awesome! Be sure to tune in! The easiest
way to get updates is to subscribe to my channel
and ring that bell, that way you are always
notified! Last but not least, my presale giveaway
for The Savior's Sister is still underway! The Savior's Sister is
available for pre-order in ebook, hardback, and paperback, and everyone who
pre-orders is eligible to enter the giveaway!
Entrants will receive a five (5) chapter teaser of TSS just for participating, but
I'm also handing out over thirty-five (35) mini prizes, as
well as three HUGE grand prizes! I am handing out
one of the bonus prizes at the end of today's video.
Someone is walking away with a signed copy of Barefoot on the
Beach by Katlyn Duncan! Katlyn Duncan is a hybrid author,
as well as a YouTuber! I have her information below,
so definitely check her out! I'm gonna announce the winner at the end of
today's video, but first we've got a spicy topic to cover! The love interest,
in MY opinion, is one of the MOST important characters in a book, and it's
really frustrating when they're written like shit.
Thus, I am breaking down the ten (10) most important tips to writing a compelling,
swoon-worthy love interest. I've covered this topic eons ago, but I have
WAY more tips to add to the bunch, so we're goin’ over them today!
These tips apply to male love interests, female love interests,
non-binary love interests, ALL kinds of love interests. Let's break down
my ten (10) tips in three, two, one, go! Number One (1): Give them a life! There are
few things more annoying than a love interest who exists
solely to tantalize the main character. “But Jenna,
isn't that the point of a love interest?” Bitch, did I stutter?
As a reader, the love interest is usually my favorite character in the book, and I
am hardly alone on this. That means you should craft them with
the care required of an extremely valuable character. Understand their
backstory, their likes and dislikes. Know their personality inside
and out. Make them a REAL, LIVING person - not just some blow up doll
for your main character to fondle. Not only will this make it easier to write
them, it'll also make them a lot more
interesting to the reader, and interesting characters are likable
characters! Number Two (2): Make them matter. Unless you're writing
single genre romance or erotica, the love interest needs to play a bigger
role in the story than JUST being the love interest. They
have to do more to the plot than give the main
character heart flutters. For starters, it's clunky. The character will feel
shoehorned in for the sake of a romantic subplot.
It's also boring! As we already covered, characters who exist for the sole
purpose of being the love interest typically lack depth, which makes them
not so interesting to read. But the most important reason is the
plot. If the love interest matters to the plot, that means they will serve
a vital purpose to MOST of the scenes, if not
ALL of the scenes in the story. This gives you SO many
opportunities to flesh out their layers, and promote
a deeper bond between them and the MC. It's an
ASSET to you as the writer to make the love interest vital to the plot. It
increases their page time, endears them to the reader,
AND gives you ample room for cute moments in the story.
Number Three (3): First impressions matter. I'm not saying the first time your
couple meets needs to be special... Okay, that's EXACTLY what I'm saying! They
don't call it a ‘meet-cute’ for nothin’! It doesn't have to be perfect. Lord KNOWS
the universe ADORES enemies to lovers. It just has to be MEMORABLE. Something
that will stand out and make readers excited for future
interactions. It's very frustrating to read a book,
be introduced to a character, and then realize six chapters later,
“Oh, they're the love interest? Okay, I guess?”
Be mindful and strategic when writing that introduction, because it could very
well dictate whether or not readers root for that couple. Number Four (4):
Make ‘em flawed. Perfection is not realistic or
attainable, which means it's not likable. Flaws and mistakes
humanize your love interest. It makes them realistic,
and potentially endearing. “But Jenna, what if their flaws make readers
hate them?” That's a valid concern, but it really depends on the depiction of the
flaw. If a love interest makes a forgivable
mistake and appropriately apologizes, that's humanizing. There are also plenty
of flaws that can be seen as cute, quirky, or even lovable. Maybe the
character is a chatterbox, or socially awkward?
Maybe they're clumsy or fickle? All of these are considered flaws, but many
times they're adorable - or even funny! Ultimately, the goal is to make the
character an imperfect person trying to do their best. Number Five (5): But
not TOO flawed. I know I told you to make them flawed, but that doesn't mean you
have to turn them into a dumpster fire! “I know!
I'll make them a cheater!” Maybe dial it back ten (10) notches...
“What if they're abusive?” Are you okay? Do I need to call someone?
I know the ‘damaged love interest’ is on trend right now, but that's only because
people have SHOCKINGLY low standards. At the end of the day, the love interest
is supposed to be the spot of JOY in the story. The character who makes
readers happy and believe in love! Don't fuck it up by turning that
character into a pile of garbage. Readers with self-esteem WON’T
appreciate that. Number Six (6): We get it, they're hot. It's perfectly
fine to create a physically attractive love interest.
In fact, I encourage it! But there's a big difference between a ‘snack’
and cartoonish self-indulgence. Your leading man is six foot seven (6’7”) with ocean
blue eyes, jet black hair, and bronze skin despite
being a hundred percent caucasian! He also has a chiseled eight pack, adonis
lines, and muscles straight from a bodybuilding convention.
But he lives in 19th century London, and I'm pretty sure they didn't have
CrossFit back then... The one exception would be erotica.
Erotic fiction is a sexual fantasy, which means the characters are
often hyper-sexualized. But for all other genres,
calm down. There's nothing wrong with creating a sexy love interest, but the
leading lady doesn't have to have circus tits, I
promise! Number Seven (7): Consider compliments. Opposites may
attract, but compliments complete one another! ‘To complement’ means to bring to
perfection. It's being opposite in a way that suits or supports one another.
For example, say your main character is an introvert and your love interest is
an extrovert. This could be a pairing that clashes, or
the traits can complement one another, making the pair stronger together. Maybe
the extrovert helps bring the introvert out of their
shell. Maybe the introvert gives the extrovert some peace and understanding.
Create qualities in the love interest that ENHANCE or IMPROVE your main
character, and vice versa. Your couple should be
better when they're together. The relationship should have a POSITIVE
influence. Number Eight (8): Understand romantic tropes.
There are a MILLION romantic tropes, and it helps to understand them when you're
writing your love interest. Enemies to lovers, forbidden romance,
arranged marriages, love triangles.... I could go on. This ISN’T
so you can copy or regurgitate a trope. We're not about cliches in this house!
It's about understanding your likes and dislikes. What you want to convey through
your writing, and what you want to avoid. For example,
I'm not a fan of love triangles, but I LOVE subverted cliches. Thus, it could
potentially be a fun project for me to write a SUBVERTED love triangle.
Similarly, I also enjoy enemies to lovers, but not if the enemies
start off in a violent or abusive space. This type
of analysis will help you craft a love interest you adore,
and will also help you determine who to market your book to. Number Nine (9): Make
‘em step up! If a love interest doesn't get a
moment to shine, are they even a love interest?
People will say this step is antiquated, but they're stupid and wrong.
It doesn't matter if they're male, or female, or somewhere in between,
the love interest should get a hero moment. This doesn't mean they have to be
an ACTUAL hero. Not all stories involve
death or danger. But there needs to be a point where the love interest showcases
how special or important they are. They certainly
CAN save the MC's life, but maybe they save them from getting bullied or fired.
Maybe they throw a huge romantic gesture that sweeps the main character off their
feet. Give ‘em a ‘wow factor’, and it'll add
that extra oomph that makes the character
super appealing! And Number Ten (10): Relationships are a two-way street! A
healthy relationship is based on EQUALITY.
That means both parties put in an equal amount of effort and commitment into the
relationship. That doesn't mean both parties are identical.
Again, we're looking for COMPLIMENTS, not mirror images of one another. But it does
mean the characters should be equally there for one another.
Take for example the hero moment. If my love interest saves the main character's
life, I like to make sure the main character
returns the favor in some way, shape, or form. The idea is to make the
relationship seem mutually beneficial. You don't want one
character DRAGGING the other throughout the
entirety of the novel. Make sure both people are putting equal
amounts of love and care into the relationship!
It'll make the story a LOT more enjoyable, plus the couple will be
very easy to root for! So that's all I got for you today, which means it's time
to hand out a prize! One lucky son of a gun who pre-ordered
The Savior's Sister is walking away with a signed copy of Barefoot on the Beach
by Katlyn Duncan and the winner is...this person! Thank you SO much for
pre-ordering The Savior's Sister! And a huge thank you to Katlyn
for always supporting my channel and my books and my platform! If you guys want
to check her out, I have her linked below in the description. And if YOU want
a chance to win a bunch of amazing prizes, plus if you
want to read a super awesome book, be sure to pre-order The Savior's Sister!
It's available in ebook, paperback, and hardback!
And enter my presale giveaway! All the information is in the description - you
have no excuse! Don't forget to subscribe to my channel!
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Tweet me @JennaMoreci! Bye! (Flippant Male Voice) Hey! Everyone! I'm Flynn! I fuckin’
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we'll have a great fuckin’ time!