#heroine's journey

[high-quality-tiktoks]

Love spotting the heroine's journey in film & hoping to see it in barbie

#video #tiktok #tiktoks #movie #movies #film #films #barbie #barbie movie #barbie the movie #hero's journey #heroine's journey #writing #jstoobs

[love-too-believe]

Why Namor x Shuri makes sense in terms of story structure

So if we go off context, Nashuri was already planned by the writers, as seen in interviews and the og script. Which isn't surprising because viewers picked up on their chemistry and romantic undertones in the movie already. The only reason this was changed is because they wanted to focus on the theme of grief and dealing with loss. Which has been the main theme for phase 4 in general since we're moving on to new heroes.

Also not sure if people are aware of this but the choice to kill Ramonda was more or less a last minute decision by Ryan. Angela only agreed to it after Ryan brought up how often it is for characters to come back.

So this could mean Ramonda's coming back to life or will continue to make appearances. If she does come back to life this more or less weakens the "but he killed her mom!" Argument.

Now let's talk about Shuri's story and Namor's role in it. Because at the end of the day this is Shuri's story.

Shuri's story in WF is her journey from childhood to adulthood. Tenoch has said this is his favorite thing about her story.

In the beginning she is a girl by the end she is a woman.

The particular kind of story structure Ryan used is called "The Heroine's Journey" a popular method to use in storytelling with female leads.

You'll find similar stories following this method in movies like "Star Wars, Labyrinth, The Hunger Games, The Wizard of Oz etc."

"The Heroine's Journey" is a female version of "The Hero's Journey" which is used for male leads. T'Challa actually goes through his hero's journey during "Civil War" and "BP" so im not suprised Ryan used the female version for his sister.

If you look at the structure of the heroine's journey Shuri pretty much hits all of these.

Distancing herself from her mother, venturing out of Wakanda (both in America and in Talokan) aka leaving the nest, and having her time to shine.

Both the hero and heroine's journies are a method to mature your lead in a way that makes sense and is relatable since hey, we all gotta grow up some times.

Also a subtle thing Ryan incorporated was how both Ramonda and Okoye treat Shuri like she's a child while Namor treats her like an adult, because she is.

Now something that is not always included but is common in both, is the hero or heroine's being presented with sexual incitement, at times for the first time. This signifies them coming into sexual maturity which is why you won't see it in every story or may just get subtle hits of it.

Now if it wasn't obvious Namor is ment to be Shuri's expirence with sexual enticement. Possibly her first encounter since we don't know her history.

And this isn't a "maybe" situation he literally just is. Firstly, this role usually is presented when the hero leaves the nest, not to mention Namor takes up every single trope of this role.

-Invades the hero's space (hut scene)

-whispers to them (again hut scene)

-touches or caresses them (First holding her hand then putting his mother's bracelet on her)

-shows them something new and exciting (Talokan)

-Is usually older then the hero (20s vs 500)

-Often times wears clothing that is either tight fitted or very little clothing (bro is literally walking around in nothing but jewelry and booty shorts)

Secondly, sometimes you'll straight up get subtle hints and/or introductions of sex it's self.

-In Star Wars there's a scene where Leia has to sit on Han's lap and the ship starts bouncing up and down...

-Again, in Star Wars Kylo Ren wipes his mouth which we see has water on it after meeting with Rey through the force...

-With Shuri in Namor, their fight has a weird amount of grappling and holding, not to mention the back scratching...

Namor treats and speaks to Shuri like she's a grown woman. He doesn't handle her with kid gloves like everyone else, he respects her as an adult who can make her own decisions.

In a dark sense even when it comes to either raging war after Ramonda's death or the alliance. He leaves it up to her to decide.

Also Riri, just isn't this to Shuri. This is not to say people can't ship it cause you can ship whatever you want, their all fictional. But Shuri refers to Riri as "a kid", "a child" or "a girl" depending on what translations you watch. This is to show the audience that Shuri does not view Riri as an adult. They're confirmed to have a sisterly bond. Shuri lost a sibling and gained a sibling.

But back to Namor, he also is noticeably kinder to her then he is to literally anyone else in the movie besides his people. Not to mention it's canon that he finds her charming and interesting. He also likes her smile.

It's confirmed by Ryan that he never wanted to kill her even during their fight which some fans noticed, he never tries to kill her even when he has an obvious chance.

And lastly, he sees Shuri as an equal by the end of the movie, showing he has respect for her as a protector of her nation and possibly even views her as a god now but we have to wait and see on that one.

As quoted by Ryan, Namor is ment to be a Peter Pan archetype and when you think about it he really is. He's black and white way of thinking is very childish, he's incredible stubborn, he's arrogant and cocky, yet at the same time, curious and charming. Like Peter he's a father to his people (he literally refers to them as his children) and their sole protector.

There's innocence to his character that's very compelling and shows how young he is in mind.

-he collects (maybe steals, very Killmonger of him) Mayan artifacts from the surface since he never got to see Ancient Maya.

-speaking of collecting things, he even collects random surface world stuff. He has 2 gramophones in his hut, which he most likely got from a ship back in the day.

-he's suprised and charmed by Shuri's kindness. Which makes session since she's the first surface person he's ever spent time with.

-and hey, he got his love of drawing from his mama.

Now what does all this mean for Namor and Shuri in the future? Well for one you got a good amount of back up for them no longer being enemies.

1. Shuri's heroine's journey is over now.

2. Namor was the one who forced her into womanhood.

3. We concluded the story at her finalizing her grief

4. It's canon that Namor was humbled by Shuri after their fight.

5. Wakanda and Talokan will be working with each other.

6. Namor may play a mentor like role with Shuri

7. Dispite many romance scenes being removed they still chose to keep enough hints for people to pick up on.

8. Their fight is described as "intimate" by both writers.

9. Namor and Shuri are described as "two sides of the same coin" and "twin flames" (these are the same descriptions that were used for Rey and Ben Solo in Star Wars)

Why does them having a possible relationship make sense? Well the most basic answer? They're the only two people that can understand what the other is going through.

Their both protectors of great nations that are centered around a resource unique to their land and have a culture and ancestry untouched by colonization. They both know grief of losing people they love. (Namor's mother and his two handmaids, Shuri's brother and mother) Their both EXTREMELY intelligent. (Namor build a vibranium sun underwater and I don't remember where I read it but he learned English in a week.) They both find each other interesting. They both see each other as equals. They both have alot of growing to do.

So will they have some kind of relationship? Most likely. Will it be romantic or platonic? Who knows. But we know they won't be enemies so we have to wait and see.

#namor #shuri #shuri udaku #namor meta #shuri meta #wakanda forever meta #wakanda forever #black panther wakanda forever #black panther #nashuri #namuri #story analysis #heroine's journey

[innervoiceartblog]

Vasilisa Goes Into the Woods by Forest Rogers

#vasilisa #heart and soul #Vasilisa Goes Into the Woods #Forest Rogers #journey #once upon a time #myth #Baba Yaga #art and soul #Imagika #heroine's journey

[fortunatefires]

I could be crazy but Fang Runin follows the heroine's journey when it comes to her culture

Separation starts even before the story began. She is a war orphan raised completely separate without any knowledge of her culture.

Then there is identification with her colonizers, recognizing that they are the only way she can escape her life.

She is kicked out of her classes for her dark skin and social class. But Jiang soon recognizes her dedication and trains her.

But instead of healing there is only rage. She breaks away from the culture that has bound her.

#Text #Text post #The poppy war #Bookblr #Booktok #fang runin #rf kuang #hero's journey #Heroine's journey

[someonetookmyawesomename]

Character Analysis of Liir Thropp

From the Wicked book Series by Gregory Maguire

By: ThePlotMurderer

Writer of Pilgrim Souls. A 16,000 word fanfic detailing how Liir and Trism reunite after all they've been through

#wicked #wicked the life and times of the wicked witch of the west #liir #liir thropp #son of a witch #SOAW #Out of Oz #OoOz #Gregory Maguire #Maureen Murdock #Heroine's Journey #Character Analysis #Female Gender Roles in literature

[castielsdeadlyparasol]

Listen, I watched The Magnificent Seven (1960) so I could see if it fit the heroine's journey (it does) and tell my dad about it. But like, that is the queerest movie I think I have ever seen. How is there only 230 fics on AO3 for it? Yul Brynner spends the entire film in light black jeans and Steve McQueen wears a gay little bandana around his neck and pops his hip every chance he gets.

#the magnificent seven #the magnificent seven (1960) #heroine's journey

[hamliet]

Oscar and Ruby: The Hero and Heroine’s Journeys

I’ve written about the Hero/Heroine’s Journeys before for Tales of Arcadia’s Jim and Aja. Now, it’s time to look at these structures as they apply to RWBY. Note: this isn’t inherently shippy, but Ruby and Oscar’s respective arcs are classic examples of the Heroine and Hero’s Journeys, respectively, and this is probably being deliberately done. 

The hero/heroine’s journeys are structures in storytelling. The hero’s journey was first identified by Joseph Campbell in his The Hero With a Thousand Faces, a well-known work in literary criticism, and was further expounded upon by Northrop Frye (another well-known literary critic). Both Campbell and Frye drew from Jung and therefore from alchemy, but stories that follow the hero/heroine’s journey are not inherently alchemical. A famous example of the Hero’s Journey is Star Wars (original trilogy) which doesn’t really reference alchemy deliberately, though some allusions and structural similarities can be found. The steps of the Hero’s Journey don’t always occur in the exact order described, but there’s a general blueprint. 

The Heroine’s Journey came about a bit later than the Hero’s Journey, at least in recognition. It was first outlined by Maureen Murdock, and is in general much more internal than the Hero’s. In reality, of course, the Heroine’s Journey, much like the Hero’s, is not so much someone putting together a design and declaring it a structure so much as it is a recognition of already present, common patterns in literature/storytelling. The steps also can overlap, so keep that in mind as we chart them out! 

Also, as a side note: the gender binary is sexist, yes, and that’s gonna continue for this post because both journeys reference “masculinity” and “femininity,” but let’s ignore it as a literal take and instead consider it as 1) a dated product of the time period in which it was written, that is not entirely separate from current times either, and 2) sadly, traditional, western ideas about what constitutes these concepts. Please don’t think I’m actually speaking for what hero/heroines should be, nor that I subscribe to the concepts of traditional gender roles, and nor that the writers do either. Again, this is just recognizing a pattern, not offering a moral treatise on it. 

Ruby Rose: The Heroine’s Journey

Separation from the Feminine

This step is often portrayed through the death of the mother. Ever wonder why there are so many dead moms in fairy tales and other fiction involving heroines? Yes, sexism, but also it plays into this trope. Ruby lost Summer Rose very early on in her childhood. There’s also a ton of buildup regarding losing Summer, and Summer’s role in the story, that we have to deal with. Suffice to say, losing her mom is set up as a distinct issue Ruby will have to deal with.

Identification with the Masculine/Gathering of Allies

Ruby was then raised by her father and to an extent by Qrow. She’s even picked for Beacon by Ozpin, another man, who places her as a team leader. The reason she’s chosen is because she’s a good fighter and active rather than passive—both traditionally masculine traits.

Of course, at Beacon Ruby gathers allies: Weiss, Blake, Yang, Jaune, Nora, Ren, Pyrrha, even others like Sun, Neptune, Penny, and Emerald. All these relationships help shape whom Ruby is.

Road of Trials/Meeting Dragons

Do I even need to state how this applies to Ruby? It’s kinda the whole plot. She’s been facing trial after trial, and believes that no matter what, she must press on:

You told me once that bad things just happen. You were angry when you said it, and I didn't want to listen. But you were right. Bad things do happen, all the time, every day. Which is why I'm out here, to do whatever I can, wherever I can, and hopefully do some good.

Boon of Success:

Haven, when Teams RWBY and JNOR defeat Cinder and the others. They enter Atlas on good terms: they win Cordova over eventually, and even achieve Ruby’s initial goal: getting their hunter’s license. Things are going well. But since it’s the middle of the story, not for long. They even manage to save Penny from the virus and give her a human body.

Awakening to Death/Spirituality

Atlas falling, realizing that her mother was almost certainly turned into a Grimm and that’s what Salem wants to do to her as well, Penny’s death, and more. The volume 9 teaser even starts off by saying precisely this:

This is the story of a girl who had many problems. Before the girl went back home she had a great many questions to ponder: after all the lessons she’d learned, and the friends she had made and lost, who had she become?

But facing death is vital for any heroine, especially one with a past littered with death as well (Summer).

Initiation and Descent to the Goddess

This is where we are now, in volume 9. Descent is exactly what happened to RWBY—literally. Ruby herself is going to have to figure out just what she is/who she is, as I wrote here, in volume 9. As @aspoonofsugar theorized, the clip and teaser seem to indicate whatever world they’re in is tied to Ruby’s psychological state. She is stuck, so she can’t move forward; she is crying, and it rains.

Yearning to Reconnect with the Feminine

This is for the future, but it will probably come from dealing with Summer’s death.

Healing the Mother/Daughter Split

Again, this probably concerns facing what exactly happened to Summer, and also making her own choices, as I theorized here. This could be where Ruby chooses to save Cinder from the fate of her mother (the arm going out of control seems like clear foreshadowing), but it could be later as well, and I’m inclined to think it will in fact be later. 

Healing the Wounded Masculine Within

I honestly think there’s a good deal of this part that will have to do with Ruby helping Qrow finish his arc, quite possibly through helping Mercury. He’s the most obvious wounded masculine character, and is directly tied to Ruby because she basically moms him already.

Integration of the Masculine and Feminine

This could also be where Ruby chooses to save Cinder. The reason I think this step is more likely is because Mercury should be saved before Cinder, and I also think that it fits for the climax of Ruby’s arc to be saving, healing, rather than just fighting. In other words… integrating the feminine (healing) with the masculine (stopping Cinder).  Ruby’s compassion may also help set the stage for Salem’s defeat.

Oscar Pine: The Hero’s Journey

Stage One: Departure

Ordinary World

The Hero’s Journey always begins with an ordinary person receiving an invitation to an adventure and declining, only to later embark on the quest. Oscar is just an ordinary farmer.

Call to Adventure

Oscar receives a literal call to adventure... coming from inside him! 

Refusal of the Call

But Oscar isn’t eager to leave. He fears what’s ahead and refuses Ozpin’s call to adventure at first, delaying and delaying (in contrast to Ruby’s eagerness to leap into any adventure).

Meeting the Mentor/Supernatural Aid

I mean, Ozpin literally lives in his head. You can see here where the steps kind of overlap. 

Crossing the Threshold

Oscar leaves his family farm. He’s also shown literally crossing a threshold when he meets RJNR in a doorway. He actually notably does not come inside until Ruby appears and he notices she has silver eyes.  

Belly of the Whale

The moment of no return, really, where suddenly it’s all very, very real. This would be the fight at Haven for Oscar.

Stage Two: Initiation

Road of Trials/Tears

Here is where the hero meets enemies, allies, and encounters obstacles. Again, I think this overlaps with crossing the threshold/belly of the whale. Clearly, Oscar meets teams RWBY and JNR, Hazel, etc. Plus, Oscar then literally goes on the road to travel to Atlas, involving numerous obstacles such as the Apathy, the train disaster, and of course, Cordova. Plus, he loses access to Ozpin and gets blamed for it--with his new allies even confusing Ozpin and Oscar, which is Oscar’s worst fear (losing his identity). 

Meeting the Goddess

Allies to help with their journey--we’ll see exactly who this is, if it is anyone in particular. It’s a positive influence and often either maternal or romantic. The goddess is supposed to encourage the hero to be true to who they are (think Leia in Star Wars). This pretty clearly seems to be Ruby—she always tells Oscar “you’re your own person.”

Approach the Inmost Cave

Here things get darker and darker. I also think a variety of the next steps are combined/not chronological. Oscar encounters Hazel and Leonhart, Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury. He succeeds, and he fails. He bonds with new friends and witnesses them lash out at him because Ozpin is tied to him. As things get darker and darker, Oscar loses access to Ozpin for a time… but the end goal of the quest isn’t quite here yet. 

Meeting the Shadow Self

Oscar’s confrontation with Ironwood. Oscar tries to get through to Ironwood, who is very much a foil to him, but Ironwood literally sends him descending.

Woman as Temptress 

Salem. I think this is obvious. The Temptress is supposed to tempt the hero to give up on their quest. 

Atonement with the Father

To an extent, Ironwood, and to another extent, Ozpin and Hazel. Oscar is the one who gets through to Hazel, helping Ozpin atone--and helping Hazel atone by sacrificing himself to save Emerald, Oscar, and the other children... which is what Hazel’s sister would have wanted. 

Apotheosis

A high point in development, where the hero understands their next steps and how to win. I don’t think we’re here yet. My guess, though, is that Oscar is going to be instrumental in understanding that they need to save the children--exactly the lesson he learned from Hazel and the “what not to do” from Ironwood--meaning Mercury and Cinder, who are key to stopping Salem. 

Ultimate Boon

Here, the hero receives a reward, the goal of their quest. My guess is this might involve Team RWBY returning from the underworld, or the climax of the Vacuo Arc (which I do think will be a success as opposed to the tragedy of the Atlas Arc, and is probably where Mercury will defect from Salem). 

Third Step: Return

Refusal of Return

Again, we’ll see where this goes. Generally this is the hero being offered the chance to go back to normal life, and they Do Not Want To, because they know the world is so much bigger. In Star Wars: A New Hope, this is when Han decides to leave before the final battle. My guess is that Oscar will be offered something to separate Ozpin from himself, and will face a moment of temptation but ultimately not go through with it.

Realm of Wild Woman/Man  

Not sure, but again, Vacuo seems like a good setting for this, if it overlaps. My guessss is that this might have to do with helping Emerald save Mercury, especially if this overlaps with some of the earlier steps. 

Magic Flight

Afterwards, though, they’re going to literally have to “return” to Beacon, where the final battles will occur. Hero’s still being chased. Seems clear they won’t solve everything in Vacuo, and will have to return to Beacon.

Rescue from Without

An outside force helps them escape. Ozpin? Tai? Who knows. Maybe Qrow? Maybe Ruby helping Oscar? 

Death of Dreams/Dark Night of the Soul

Aaaand it gets even worse. I genuinely think Oscar is going to face the reality that he won’t be able to stay Oscar and probably ask for a moment to say goodbye.

Sacrifice

Oscar is probably going to fully become Ozpin (temporarily!)

Climax

Something about Ozpin and Oscar’s semblance—which will emerge and be distinct from Ozpin—will get through to Salem, along with another sacrifice (like Cinder).

Resurrection

Oscar will return while Ozpin will disappear. This may or may not involve physical resurrection and may or may not involve his semblance.

Master of Worlds 

Generally, this involves being the master of two worlds and may involve having to make a choice about which to stay in (think Harry Potter post death in Deathly Hallows). I’m guessing this might be combined with the resurrection aspect, like it is in Harry Potter.

Freedom to Live 

Oscar will be able to live as Oscar. 

#ruby rose #rwby meta #oscar pine #hero's journey #heroine's journey #rwby theory #rosegarden

[thetoxic35]

While playing Persona 5 Royal, I noticed that Makoto Niijima's character arc had quite a few steps in common with the archetypical Maiden arc, especially her Phantom Thieves alias, "Queen." Naturally, I had to write about this.

For this article, I pulled from K. M. Weiland's writings on the Maiden, Hero and Queen Archetypes and compared the Maiden Arc to Makoto's. I also read Maureen Murdock's The Heroine's Journey, specifically the section "Descent to the Goddess."

Unfortunately, my discussion on Makoto's own "descent to the goddess" will be saved for another article as I wanted to focus on Makoto's journey from Maiden, to Hero, and eventually Queen (in more than just name).

#makoto niijima #persona 5 #persona 5 royal #p5 #p5r #persona 5 queen #maiden #hero #queen #heroine's journey #video game analysis

[gwen-tolios]

I'm working on developing a writer's workshop with @drgnrder82 for NaNo. It started as a compare and contrast exercise between the Hero and Heroine's journey, but the more I read the less clear things get.

There's no one version of each, which makes them hard to teach when i know this group of writers we're anticipating needs very clear language and direction. And my analyst brain is engaged now, trying to find patterns and structure between things.

Does the Hero's Journey play with plot outlines from MICE? Does the Virgin's Journey (a version of the Heroine's) work with the Three Act Structure or a Save The Cat beat structure?

The Hero and The Virgin are different archetypes, and if they each have their own journey, do other archetypes too?

So many thoughts, and they'll probably circle for awhile because this could be the stuff of a thesis i feel - needing lots of research and structure to understand - but it's so fascinating!

#writing #writblr #hero's journey #heroine's journey

[lamaraloon]

A fanart for The Daughter of the Knight tales written and published by Varvara Popova. My piece depicts the main heroine and her shadow self, with whom they are alike and opposite, one and the same, they exchange most valuable gifts and reflect each other.

The tales themselves and a lot of useful materials on Jungian psychology and the heroine’s journey in the author’s group in VK (rus)

#heroine's journey #shadow self #jungian #The Daughter of the Knight #my art

[someonetookmyawesomename]

Character Analysis of Liir Thropp, Son of Elphaba Thropp

Characters from the Wicked Years book series written by Gregory Maguire

by:

ThePlotMurderers

Writer of "Pilgrim Souls" an over 16,000 word long fanfic detailing how Liir and Trism would reunite

Link to Heroine's Journey Full Article

#I love how talking about ships and stuff lead to an analysis of gender norms and roles given to female characters in literature #and how all that relates to liir #wicked #liir #liir thropp #son of a witch #SOAW #wicked the life and times of the wicked witch of the west #Out of Oz #OoOz #character analysis #gender norms in literature #heroine's journey #Maureen Murdock

[mswyrr]

finally saw Lisa Frankenstein

SPOILERS BELOW

i love that this movie is about true love and the writing has no compunction about needing to pretend like true love has to be between moral people - soulmates can be kind of selfish assholes who are nonetheless absolutely perfect for each other and tender and good to each other

and i love, after choking on so many heroines who are so pure it's inhuman in recent YA (which I largely only read for canon f/f) for Lisa to just be... so id-tastic and her story to be driven by the intense feelings of teenage girl coming-of-age stuff that gets prettied up and erased

she was internalizing her pain the way a good girl is "supposed to" -she was hurting so much that she wished she was dead with him. instead, he comes to her and they BOTH come more and more alive as he kills the people who hurt her. in increasingly "unfair" ways because it's not about right & wrong

he's kind of her dark side, speaking to and expressing the things she's shoved down inside along with her will to live - as he acts those things out, as she is complicit and eggs it on, covering for him and feeding him the attempted rapist as a victim, her will to live comes back

but they don't do the "maleficent" (and the whole "bad girl but in a safe way" kind of story) thing of making Lisa's dark side "safe" and her only fairly getting revenge - the darkness the Creature speaks to and acts out is not fair, it is not safe or contained.

instead of internalizing her pain, Lisa shares in externalizing it and making other people hurt and she blossoms into herself. and who she is is a bit cringe in the best possible way? she's embracing her own life energy, or own crazy selfish lustful weird set of desires.

it's about Lisa's feelings and what she WANTS, morals enter nowhere into it. except when it comes to Taffy - the one person who really tried to love her at her most broken. everyone else abandoned Lisa emotionally--including her father--but Taffy tried to be there, as awkward as that could be at times

speaking of which: Taffy and Lisa make an interesting contrast to Needy and Jennifer from Jennifer's Body (also a film by Diablo Cody and she says they both take place in the same storyverse). both Jennifer and Lisa decide that what makes them feel most alive is embracing their inner monster, but Taffy doesn't go all "i have to kill the beast" the way Needy does. i like this much better. Taffy is wearing Lisa's mom's rosary at the end and, by doing so, accepting Lisa's "I love you" despite everything Lisa did. whereas Needy ends up ripping off the BFF necklace and rejecting Jennifer's love. In my mind the two films are a tale of two necklaces now lol - one where the "good" girl rejects the monster girl and the other where she accepts that love and carries it with her.

#lisa frankenstein #my meta #monster girls #monster romance #lisa frankenstein meta #Lisa's journey reminded me a lot of Heathers (1988) in that the male love interest is the expression of the heroines dark side imo - #unlike Veronica Lisa doesn't want to put limits on her dark side. The only one she sets is that Taffy is off limits. Everything else is ok

[suzannahnatters]

Subplot Romance

Over the years I've created some twitter threads on writing and history and I've decided it's a good time to start compiling and sharing them on this Tumblr. I'm going to tag them "writing".

-

Here's what I've learned about writing subplot romance. (People who write genre romance probably already know this stuff. It's those of us who are mainly leavening romantic subplots into fantasy novels that need this info).

1. Romance = fundamentally character-driven. All internal conflict & internal growth. (Can these two trust each other? Will their character flaws drive them apart?) The more study you put into creating characters and building character arcs, the better your romantic writing.

A romance arc is not the SAME as a character arc, but it 100% NEEDS solid character work undergirding it.

2. Romance needs two ingredients: a compelling reason for the characters to be TOGETHER, & a compelling reason for them to be APART. This forms the conflict in the romance so do not skimp on either.

Eg, a common mistake in male-penned stories: female lead has no compelling reason to want male lead. "He's a good-looking warrior dedicated to winning her throne!" Yeah nah, she's literally surrounded by good-looking warriors dedicated to winning her throne, why's he different?

3. Romance needs chemistry = a believable spark of attraction. Something that blew my mind when I realised it: romantic chemistry =/= sexual chemistry. Sexual chemistry (purely physical attraction) is simply PART of romantic chemistry.

Romantic chemistry is a good deal broader. (Read/watch some good romances to see how chemistry is built by different storytellers. One fave of mine is the Romola Garai EMMA. Peerless friends-to-lovers chemistry. Watch the actors' body language; the way they gravitate to each other; the way their faces light up)

Chemistry tip A: if the driver behind sexual chemistry is lust, the driver behind romantic chemistry is trust. Protag needs/wants someone to trust. It's the way you play with trust/distrust that will create romantic tension.

eg: love interest holds protag's hand. With sexual chemistry, protag simply feels a jolt at the contact. With romantic chemistry, protag feels comforted and trustful - then betrayed when it turns out LI is tracking her pulse to see if she's lying to him (see: MISS SHARP 😇)

Chemistry tip B: if protag is falling for someone, that person should occupy their mind. LI should be mentioned/thought of each scene, even when absent. When present: LI consistently provokes unaccustomed emotion - either positive or negative, depending.

Chemistry tip C: make the characters their best/most lovable/most iconic selves when with each other. Quirkiness, smarts, hilarity. Make these the most fun character scenes in the book & the audience will ship them. Passionately.

4. Build romantic chemistry/attraction through escalating moments of trust and tension. If aiming for happily-ever-after(HEA)/for-now(HFN), then the overall arc is towards greater trust, but you need those moments of tension to give the big payoff scenes appropriate catharsis.

OTOH, if you're writing a tragic/backstabby romance, you need the trust/comfort moments in order to sell the big tragedy/betrayal.

5. Trust, comfort, & happiness are POWERFUL. This is what genre romance thrives upon. Even in dark/spiky stories, the most surprising thing in the story can be the moment when the LI DOESN'T betray the protag. That too can be wildly cathartic. Use it.

6. Just as character-driven skills help you with romance, so if you master romantic writing, you'll be better able to write ALL types of relationship - platonic, friendly, hostile.

OK that's all so far. Two book recs: ROMANCING THE BEAT by Gwen Hayes & THE HEROINE'S JOURNEY by Gail Carriger teach you the rules/expectations of genre romance so you'll know what the rules are for a happy romance subplot & how to break them for a tragic version.

#Writing #writing romance #Miss Sharp's Monsters #Romancing the beat #Gwen Hayes #The heroine's journey #Gail Carriger #romance tropes #writing tip