In every romance the key is making your characters fall in love, right?  We’ve talked about HOW we fall in love…how we connect to each other’s core values, and how we complement each other and make each other into stronger people. 

However, how do you actually write that journey, step by step?  How do you woo your reader into falling in love with your characters, too? 

You have to date your reader. 

Okay, let’s just analyze this for a moment. 

Remember the last time you fell in love? You saw him or her across the room, and something about their physical appearance intrigued you. It told you something about them—perhaps they were brave, or strong, or creative, or disheveled, or rough-edged. You probably noticed their mannerisms, maybe how they talked, how they smiled, how they handled themselves. Even before you met, their clothing and demeanor gave you a general impression about them.

Then you met them. You found out their name, where they were from. You saw how they treated the waitress, or the hotel clerk, or an employee. Perhaps you saw their habits, their music, their tastes in décor, their car. Hopefully, you also saw how they reacted to situations of joy or stress. This gave you a hint about their internal character, what they were good at, even hinted at their values.

After a first date, you might have discovered their life goals, and perhaps what he or she wants most right now. You maybe have talked about your childhood, or your dreams, and what struggles you have in finding them. You may have gotten a glimpse at a major event that shaped their lives. All of this revealed their purpose in life, the Noble Cause that drove them to make the choices they made.

After a few dates, perhaps you had a first fight. He or she reacted to that fear of getting hurt. In that moment, you saw their history with love, maybe even a hint at their deepest fears, making you think back to the events that shaped them. Suddenly, you felt as if you looked inside their hearts, and if your fight made you a stronger couple, then it made your heart more tender toward him or her as you understood their insecurities and perhaps embraced their dreams.

Finally, you came to the place where you knew you had to go forward or break up. You came to that barrier between dating and true love, and if he struggled to cross it, you saw his darkest fears and his spiritual lies that kept him from finding happiness. Hopefully he or she broke through the barrier with an Epiphany or truth that gave them the courage to declare their love.

Ahh . . . I love falling in love. Seeing the heart of someone else, and embracing it. This is how you fall in love.

And how your reader will, too.

Go Write Something!

Susan May Warren