Topic of the Day: What is your ocs favorite thing about their sweetheart? : The romance/relationship writing thread (all romance, all the time) (but sfw tho.)

Leyelle 2024-01-17 22:55:34 UTC #1

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I'll start us off with today's topic: If your male lead was on of the three types of guys described in "That Don't Impress Me Much" - Shania Twain, which one would he be?

Kattar (Damsel in the Red Dress) is definitely verse 2 (the pretty boy/dandy)

Aaron (Lion Proof) is verse 1, the smart guy.

Aaron

Previous Topics:
1. Arranged marriage/marriage contract tropes
2. Is it possible to write a "realistic" whirlwind romance
3. Describing romantic emotions without seeming corny
4. 1-10 how good are your leads at flirting
5. Perfect strangers or friends to lovers? which do you prefer to write?
6. Um, wall slam, impromptu kiss, xyz
7. Coming up with reasons WHY your leads like each other
8. writing the first meeting
9. Writing healthy arguments and disagreements between couples
10. Are confession scenes inherently corny? how do you write them?
11. Secondary Male Leads. Does anybody do them right?
12. Conflict? Why are your couple not together already? I mean really
13. Kuuderes or Cuddle bears? (affection leads or icy ones?)
14. Do your OCs compliment their crushes/sweethearts a lot, or do they try to hide their feelings?
15. Do you find that your various romance leads tend to have a lot of features in common?
16. Hints and signs that your characters like each other (SFW)
17. Secondary female leads?
18. Love triangles, and harem-ish plots
19. Who or what inspired your leads?
20. What are your leads biggest problems with each other?
21. Regret! If your OCs could undo one thing that happened between them and their love what?
22. Does it ruin the drama/tension for your leads to figure out each other's feelings before the confession?
23. In your opinion, what's the appeal of reading (or writing) romance? what do you like or dislike about it?
24. Impulsive or overthinkers? Would your leads ever fall prey to the fish-eye kiss trope?
25. All things blushy/blushes (blushing moments, what makes your OCs flustered, are blushes cheesy?)
26. Do your leads flirt a lot with their loves? If not, why?
27. Do you have trouble making your characters all speak to their sweethearts differently?
28. What song best describes how your OC feels about their love interest?
29. Have you written your OCs' first kiss yet? Was it an important scene or a bygone?
29. Do your couple have 'their song,' inside jokes, or any special things they share between the two of them?
30. Opposites attract type couples? Or do your OCs and their crushes have lots in common?
31. What's the hardest part of writing romance?
32. Show don't tell? When should you make it clear to your readers how your characters feel about each other?
33. Friend's to lovers or whirlwind romances?
34. Writing flirting? Are flirts always bad characters?
35. Childhood Friend Romances?
36. Who made the first move in your romances?
37. How long have your love birds known each other?
38. Your favorite romance tropes?
39. Bad boys vs. the guys who worship the FL
40. Shy shy shy (about romance) Male and female characters
41. What are your leads ways of showing love and affection?
42. Shy female leads VS. assertive ones
43. First Loves anyone?
44. Jealousy?
45. Parents and married couples
46. Exes
47. Your OCs on a scale from one to ten
48. Just for fun. Your OCs on a scale from one to ten?
49. first kiss scene
50. Do you think it's more romantic for characters to NOT end up together?
51. Does anybody else have trouble deciding on the best place to put the first kiss XD?
52. Are your romances more sweet or emotional?
53. What makes a romance 'romantic' in your opinion?
54. What is the most pivotal part in your story's confession scene? What brought it to the moment of confession?

Leyelle 2024-01-18 15:59:48 UTC #2

What is the height gap between your male and female lead?

Mine is a full 12 inches, which I know is pretty drastic, but while Kattar isn't very tall, Alicia is CRAZY short (4'9.) (Which is why Mrs. Moon told her any many she ever wanted to kiss would need a high-tolerance for back pain. Some unfortunate foreshadowing there...)

Maybe this is just me writing myself into the character lol, though I'm not THAT 'vertically challenged.'

The gap between Aaron and Eliza is about four inches, so not that unreasonable.

I'm just super curious about the gap between Zack and Kyara, and Otto x Chrystal.

pjthetoonaddict 2024-01-23 00:50:27 UTC #3

OKAY...so my general height for Crystal is that her forehead is up to Otto's chin (I use this cute diagram to help-I know they look very different now, but this still helps)

HOWEVER, I noticed that when I get people to do commissions of them, they like to exaggerate the height difference a liiiiiiiitle more (not complaining! There's something kinda charming about the huge dude, tiny lady dynamic)

KevinReijnders 2024-01-23 09:03:08 UTC #4

At the start of the story Kyara is slightly taller than Zack. Though both are relatively small compared to the rest of the characters. As the story progresses the two of them get a bit of a growth spurt (not entirely a realistic one at the age they're at, but I wanted to physically show their growth and maturity.) with Zack becoming slightly taller than Kyara.

The image is in metric, every line represents 10cm.

Leyelle 2024-01-23 19:05:29 UTC #5

Hey, maybe they decompressed their spines, allegedly that can let you gain at least an inch.

So does the fact that Zack is now taller than Kyara mean that he had more emotional growth?

KevinReijnders 2024-01-23 19:18:01 UTC #6

Yeah kinda, it shows that he went from the shy little boy he started out as to a confident young man. There's also a bit of Kyara's changing perception of him at play.

Leyelle 2024-01-23 19:53:51 UTC #7

Oh, so she's imagining him into a bigger person/sees him as a bigger person?

KevinReijnders 2024-01-23 19:58:54 UTC #8

Exactly. I had a simular experience with my youngest brother. He drastically changed his look and it made me realize he had grown up a lot more than I thought haha.

Leyelle 2024-01-23 20:24:54 UTC #9

I agree, I don't know why a huge height gap feels like such a romantic dynamic.

Leyelle 2024-01-24 00:56:47 UTC #10

How many chapters did you wait before your leads had their confession scene? (if they were already married when the story starts, you can just answer how many years they were together)

Alicia and Kattar waited fifteen years to confess, but in the realm of the story (which starts in their fifteenth year of friendship) it was 38 chapters which spanned approximately 2 and a half months

pjthetoonaddict 2024-01-24 00:58:25 UTC #11

Tall boys. People like tall boys lol.

pjthetoonaddict 2024-01-24 00:59:16 UTC #12

Well, Otto and Blue are already dating during the events of the first story. I may do a story about how they met later on!

Leyelle 2024-01-24 00:59:50 UTC #13

I was thinking about how a height gap increasing the sense of delicacy in the female lead.

pjthetoonaddict 2024-01-24 01:02:42 UTC #14

OH, yeah! That's kinda sweet, actually. I totally agree!

Lensing 2024-01-24 05:01:02 UTC #15

What is the conflict in your stories?
How do you all create tension?

KevinReijnders 2024-01-24 08:58:10 UTC #16

I mainly use external forces as my source of conflict, usually they are obstacles my characters need to overcome to reach their desired destination. For example in Chapter 01, Kyara wants to go on a little adventure, chasing down the rumors of the old shopkeep, but is prevented by Old Nan from doing so. It's a minor conflict, but it defines the first half of that Chapter.

In later chapters, the internal struggles of the characters comes more into play. Especially since they're stranded in the scrap fields after Chapter 02 and finding a safehaven. From they'll start dealing with guilt, selfconfidance and love.

And while all this is happening, there's an overarching villain plot, slowly building in the background, putting pressure on the story.

Leyelle 2024-01-24 17:24:34 UTC #17

Do you mean in the romance and relational aspect?

In the first book, there are two primary sources of conflict. Alicia's first emotional conflict is trying to force a recovery after the anxiety and depression she falls into due to the car accident. But their relational struggle comes from a number of aspects: 1. Kattar's refusing to express his feelings for Alicia and choosing to lie, and deny it (even at the risk of her feelings) instead. 2. The fact that this struggle kept her from being adopted by his mother, and yet he still didn't ask Alicia out, and more.

I create tension in a lot of ways, but mostly with the way that I utilize silence. Refusing to answer questions. Moments where you are left to question what someone is thinking because they won't say it.

And romantic tension in a number of ways, though my two favorite instances are the scene in "White Hot Sugar" where Alicia notices for the first time that Kattar has gotten really bad at hiding his feelings for her, and the scene in "Burgundy" where he wants to comfort her, but hesitates to do so, because he's in love with her, but she already has a boyfriend.

I think the key for creating romantic tension is along the same lines as emotional tension, things left unsaid, where you just hint toward thoughts and feelings.

Lensing 2024-01-25 07:55:16 UTC #18

Yeah, I mean in a romance / relationshit aspect.
It´s always interesting for me to observe how people use conflict
in that genre.
IMO a romance story can be more exciting and thrilling than
a horror or action story when you do it right. It´s my goal to
write stories like that

Leyelle 2024-01-25 16:56:17 UTC #19

I agree, I want to make people feel the emotions of the characters, and that can be a roller coaster, especially in the context of my story where their relationship is very complicated for a variety if reasons.

Leyelle 2024-01-25 23:20:38 UTC #20

Do you tend to make the conflict you write more emotional or external in your romance stories? (directed to @Lensing but everyone can answer)