Hellooo, everybody!
If you're a reader you've probably read your fair share of romances and
romantic subplots, which means you've probably read some god awful love interests. The writer
tries so hard to make them swoon worthy and lovable, but holy crap! This is what lovable
looks like to you? What was your childhood like? But you know, it's not always the writer's fault.
Well I mean it is, but not entirely. There's a lot of shitty advice when it comes to writing love interests.
Advice that revolves around popularity and trends, and less so around logic and common sense.
Let's bring basic thought and reason back to writing shall we? Because I care so deeply
about your work in progress, and because I'm tired of reading your shitty writing, I am breaking
down the ten worst tips I have seen in regard to writing love interests. These tips are prevalent,
they're persistent, and they result in some really obnoxious love interests that no one with half a
brain cell has any interest in reading about. Point number seven is the one that really annoys me.
When I see this advice in action, I DNF on the spot. Let me know which tips grind your gears
in the comments below. But more than anything, don't follow any of this advice! Please!
You're scaring the children. It's me. I'm the children.
(The sound of a pen scratching. LOGO.)
Before we get started, a huge thank you to ProWritingAid for sponsoring today's video. If you've been
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definitely pick up some copies. They’re number one bestsellers, they got romance, they got bloodshed.
What more could you want? They're linked below. Now here are the ten worst tips, in my opinion,
for writing a love interest in your book. Whether you're writing a romance or a romantic subplot,
these tips suck. A quick disclaimer: these tips are in regard to writing a love interest that's
supposed to be part of the OTP. That means your goal is for readers to root for this pairing
to fall in love and live happily ever after. If that's the case, these tips are gonna
fuck your book right up, so maybe you don't do any of them. Ever. Number One (1): They're just the
love interest, nothing more. If you're writing a contemporary romance, this may seem logical. It’s
a romance, they’re the romantic lead, hellooo! But say you're writing a fantasy romance, or a sci-fi
romance. Say you're writing speculative fiction, with a romantic subplot. This motherfucker can't
just be a love interest. Yes, you should create them swoony and sexy. Yes, they should target your
readers' heartstrings. But if that's literally all they do, I promise you they're just going to annoy
the reader because people like this don't exist in real life. No one walks into your life simply to
make your dick tickle. People have plans, goals and dreams. And even in a contemporary romance,
guess what? Your love interest needs plans, goals and dreams. This is probably the piece of advice
I see most often in writing groups. People talk about love interests, as if their only role is
to bring the thirst. And then they're shocked when it doesn't work. No one's buying it because
real people are a whole lot more compelling to read about than blow up dolls. Number
Two (2): They're the conventional ideal. If she's a female love interest, written for your male MC,
that means she's about five foot five—you know, taller than average, but not tall enough to
threaten his fragile masculinity. She's blond, blue or green eyed, with flushed cheeks, full
lips and even fuller titties. She's kind, she's generous, she listens to everything the MC says,
she does everything he asks, and she's always down to fuck. This advice crosses gender lines,
and ultimately the goal is simple. The writer is writing their version of the romantic ideal.
Don't get me wrong. The point of a love interest is for readers to fall in love with them. But your
definition of perfection isn't universal. It's a wet dream you should keep to yourself. No one
needs to see that shit. We can tell when you've written a character solely for your spank bank.
It's extremely uncomfortable. Instead focus on creating a character who, while still attractive
and entrancing, could realistically exist in the real world. On a related note, Number
Three (3): It's all about the boner. When writing a love interest, the first step is, make them hot.
The second step is there are no more steps. This unfortunately is unbearably common among writers.
Make the love interest hot, make them sexy, make them one giant nocturnal emission. If I've said it
once, I've said it a thousand times. I am all for sexy love interests, but sexy is not the be all
end all of love interests. A majority of people, at least people with more depth than a puddle,
have standards beyond six packs and juicy doubles. Is the love interest funny? Are
they kind? For God's sake are they sentient? And remember books are made up of words, we can't
actually see this motherfucker. If all you can do is remind the reader how sexy this character is,
your romance is doomed to fail. Number Four (4): Friction. Plots revolve around conflict,
that's the entire basis of storytelling. But as we all know, friction in a romance can only be
reflected in infidelity, betrayal, manipulation, gaslighting, and pretty much all forms of abuse.
A lot of advice out there proclaims that this is the only kind of drama you can give to your love
interest because and I quote, a love interest isn't hot unless the romance is dysfunctional.
What if I told you that maybe, you need therapy. Yes, conflict is necessary to a plot, but conflict
doesn't mean toxicity. You can write a strong love interest without making them a poisonous leech.
A lot of the biggest issues in romantic relationships are outside forces. Things like
financial standing, conflicting customs, distance or dysfunctional and disapproving families.
These issues are 100% valid, and even better you don't have to write a dirtbag love interest to
make them happen. On the flip side, Number Five (5): Yes, sir, whatever you say, sir.
The opposite of a dysfunctional relationship isn't a relationship with no conflict. People argue,
disagree and upset one another. This is the reality of literally all relationships, functional
or otherwise. But a lot of writers assume that in order to write a healthy love interest,
they need to be a bootlicker. They agree with everything the protagonist says,
they follow all of their plans, they bend to their whim. This isn't a partner.
It's a servant. This advice is very prevalent among writers who want to write healthy romances.
And you guys know the only romance I wanna read is a healthy one. But seriously, this is not healthy.
A love interest agreeing with everything their partner says, first of all isn't realistic and
when it does happen, it's usually because the person is afraid to speak their mind either due
to insecurity or intimidation. Either your love interest isn't currently capable of maintaining
a healthy romantic relationship, or your main character is a dick. Sounds super healthy to
me. Number Six (6): Make him protective. This advice comes up a lot in regard to male love
interests. Whether we're talking about straight or queer romances, the male partner must be
extremely protective. Honestly, it makes sense. A protective partner is both endearing and sexy.
Plus, people are naturally protective of those they love. The problem is, protective is not
synonymous with possessive. And when people go to write these protective love interests,
that's what we get instead. He's watching his partner while they sleep. He follows them
wherever they go. He gets angry when they disobey him, and he threatens anyone who comes near them.
None of this is protective. It's actually really scary. Your love interest can show care
and concern for their partner without being a Joe Goldberg. And if you're not sure the difference,
it's time for some self reflection. Number Seven (7): Add an evil partner. This is a trend I see
among all love interests, every gender, every sub genre, every species. She's got an evil boyfriend,
and the main character just has to save her from him. Doesn't she see how terrible he is?
She doesn't and that should concern you. A lot of writers recommend including this trope because
one, it causes conflict and every story needs a conflict. Two, it gives the MC a hero moment. And
three, it juxtaposes them against the villain. But they forgotten a very important detail. The love
interest is fucking the villain. If someone is willing to fondle the genitals of a trash monster,
that says a lot about their moral compass and integrity, or lack thereof. If they're indeed
blind to their partner's villainy, that says something else entirely. They're fucking stupid.
I'm a huge fan of hero moments and character foils, but you can do this without painting the
love interest in a negative light. Number Eight (8): Make it a triangle. I know,
the love triangle is a decade's old cliche and people are tired of talking about it. I'm tired
of talking about it. But when writers claim their fictional romance is getting stale, what's the
number one piece of advice that's given? Throw in a love triangle. We're still doing this?
Really? Look, trends have peaks and valleys, but the love triangle is still very much in a valley.
And that's because the way it's usually presented, doesn't make any fucking
sense. Two men are competing for the affection of one woman, a thing that has never happened in real
life. At least not within the last century. A lot of people wouldn't tolerate it if their girlfriend
didn't know if she loved them or not. And if said girlfriend did in fact love both people equally,
polyamory is right there. If you need to add another character to your romance in order to make
it interesting, you're just slapping a Band-Aid on a severed limb. Hunky white boy number two
ain't gonna do shit. Number Nine (9): He's gotta be an alpha. (Frustrated Groaning)
This one is exclusive for male love interests, obviously. Overlooking the fact that the entire
notion of the alpha male doesn't actually exist in the wild, look it up. It’s a term that's
been used to define dominance, but actually just sexualizes entitlement and eggshell egos. I don't
have a lot to say on this point that I haven't already said before. If you're into douchebags,
fine. But call it what it is. Stop trying to pretend at some biological hierarchy,
and just admit that you don't understand science. “Fuckin’ magnets, how do they work?” I'm sorry,
your dad's an asshole, but please stop inflicting us with these whiny baby men. They're not hot. You
just don't love yourself. And Number Ten (10): You have to have a love interest. Obviously,
because romance sells, especially when it's terrible and shoehorned in. I know romance is the
best selling fiction genre by miles, and I know romantic subplots are extremely popular. But that
doesn't mean you have to include a love interest, especially if your story doesn't call for one
or if you don't want to write one. You're aware that books without romance exist, right? I mean,
if you only read young adult fiction you might not be aware, but I promise you it's true.
I am both a romance reader and writer, and still only about a third of the books I read feature
any kind of love interest. So the pressure people feel to include one in my opinion,
is unfounded. Popular doesn't mean required, and if someone is telling you otherwise,
they're stupid. Write the story you wanna read. And if that doesn't include a love interest,
that's perfectly fine. So that's all I got for you today. Thanks again to ProWritingAid
for sponsoring this video. I cannot say enough amazing things about them, they are so fantastic.
And right now you can get 20% off their premium platform by clicking the link below. Click the
link, check ‘em out. I said so, so now you gotta do it. Don't forget to subscribe to my channel.
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