Introducing a love interest.

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cgsmith

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When introducing a character that will become the main characters love interest how do you guys go about it?

In the past I have pointed out that the mc finds the love interest attractive or whatever but it just seems obvious and clumsy when I do it. Particularly in this case because my mc has just completed a long journey and had a bit of a brush with death.

I feel it's unlikely that he will be like "oh, ain't she pretty." Or taken with her unique and beautiful looks or whatever. The love interest character does have the opportunity to show herself to be kind to his sister though (because she has just completed the same journey.) I thought that perhaps the way the love interest acts around the sister might leave an impression on the mc that starts things off.

idk
 
Unless you're going for the whole "love at first sight" thing (which I usually find pretty silly) I think you should just have the characters interact in whatever way feels natural to the story and not really try and force the romance angle right away. From my, admittedly limited, experience from romance novels I find it rather boring when you know from the first meeting that two characters will fall in love. It's far more interesting when it comes as more of a surprise.
 
It might be better to write her as an actual character. You know, someone who has her own interests, ideas and aims. That way, perhaps, she might decide she doesn't want to be your protagonist's simpering, kind-to-animals, waiting-to-be-noticed love interest, but after she's done what she needs to do to further her own goals, she might condescend to allow him to be hers.
 
All characters have a function, and you can't get away from that, because this is a work of fiction with a plot. The trick, so far as I can tell, is to avoid making that function too obvious, or at least too crudely obvious. So what I would suggest is to give her something to do that (a) isn't related to her role as romantic interest and (b) doesn't lead the hero to (constanly) be struck by how attractive she is (physically in particular but also otherwise). Thus, if she is master gunner on a spaceship, having her do some actual master gunning would help move her away from being a plot token (you could say the same thing about villains who do nothing but villainy, I suppose). To put it a different way, I would make her The Master Gunner Who Happens To Become The Romantic Interest rather than having them as two separate people.

In terms of first meeting, perhaps don't mention the romantic thing at all, beyond some casual observation from the hero's point of view that she was fairly good-looking or something brief like that. Then she can do various things that happen to appeal to the hero in the course of doing other stuff in the story. I'd also suggest giving her some traits that don't specifically dump her into that obvious role. At an event I attended recently, someone pointed out that all characters have a life outside the story. So she might have hobbies or interests that are nothing to do with being the romantic interest (and don't appeal to the hero in some way - an unexpected liking of geeky stuff doesn't count!).

I hope that's of some use.
 
I think it can be good if the mc notices something about her -- it mightn't even be general attractiveness, but it could be something he finds weird or annoying -- like an irritating laugh or a habit of bouncing on her toes when she's talking. Something that shows he's paying attention to her without telegraphing that he finds her fabulously attractive and can't look away.

And I guess it's good if the reader finds her interesting or attractive as well, so you're not basing the love story on this fabulous and mysterious physical attraction. If she's funny or cross or stands up to him when no one else will -- if she's a real person, in other words, and a real person we can like for herself. People in difficult situations are normally sympathetic, so that might be an easy way to make everyone like her? (as long as she's trying to do something about the situation -- not just waiting to be rescued).
 
I pretty much agree with many of the assessments given. The character needs to have depth. Though I could see that there might be some initial something that draws them together and that it could be any sort of sensory cue; there has to be a moment when the other character sees the depth and finds that which resonates. But that's only if it's meant to be a long relationship.
 
Hi. This is my first post on here.
I had a love interest for one of my characters, and at first that was all she was. But before long I was thinking of her as an actual character and then she took on a life of her own and became an equal to the other character. It also brought about a lot more plot points for the story. When I thought of her as just a love interest, she was limited, but when I began to think about her as an actual person she became 3D. So my advice would just be to give them some time to come to life, and then whatever follows will feel natural.
 
I have been quite excited by the character from the start. In a nut shell she is a bit of a wimpy girl. Small in stature but quite bubbly and good natured. Sort of the opposite of strong female lead character type. She struggles to find much respect in her group of peers (a sort of bunch of cadets learning together bonding type thing) but she turns out to be an extremely determined person with a seemingly endless fountain of inner strength.

I was thinking that the time where the lovey part will really begin to develop was going to be when she achieves a great personal best, i was thinking that she might outperform the group as well, idk. The mc was going to see how truly great she was then. At the moment the group will be climbing a mountain and she, not that they are racing, has the best pace and gets to the top first.

I am going to go with what you are saying though for the first encounter and so far its proving to be quite natural. the mc is far to distracted by survival to be thinking about mating.

Thanks
 
You could do the antithesis thing if you want it to surface from under the radar with a slow build-up.
Have something about her antagonize him. And he baits her and is unsympathetic. While the rest of the peer group cannot see how he is determining that she is unappealing. In fact later you could have her seeming to hang around (to the point of pairing up) with a rival. He could be derisive about her appealing features. i.e.;
"Don't look at me with those big blue puppydog eyes and pretend to be helpless, expecting me to do it for you if you pout kissy lips at me! You are holding back the entire group, here. Tiny little girls like you expecting favours for having a nice pair upstairs don't belong on this course! If you want a workout so bad why don't you get that little bubble butt of yours back to pole dancing and stop trying to play at being a marine with the big boys!" Jams a fiver into the sleeve of her camo vest."Here, Hon, take a taxi and take off!"
She made an inarticulate sound of fury. Riping the five pound note from her vest and throwing it at his feet, she pulled on her pack and hies up and off, heading into the woods alone.
Everyone stared at Jack. "What? She was holding us back! I'm not losing this because some little cheer bear wants a few laughs, here! Who the frack brings perfume and a straightening iron on a hike anyways?" Jack rejoindered defensively, feeling a little ashamed of his actions now the primary source of his irritation had stormed off into the woods.
Donovan spits into the fire. "Ya mon, but we are to finish as a team. That means we have to produce her. We cannot do that if she is stuck right up to her wonderbra in quicksand, and that's where she is heading right for. I suggest you go get her back."
"Bloody hell! Why me?" Jack snarled.
Sarisarto smirked, her crew cut standing straight up with sweat like a sharks fin, matching the now deadly glare upon her chiseled features. "You broke rank Jackie. You bought yourself a little volunteer babysitting duty. And you better return our little Cheer bear there with every goldilocks curl intact." The fifty pound high powered scoper lazer rifle Sarisarto was flipping around like a matchstick only emphasized the threat in her demeanor. She tossed him a communicator ribbon. "Tag up so we can keep you on scope." She patted her gun fondly, "Mama will be watching."
With a look of contempt, Jacobi threw a weighty field pack stolidly at Jack, catching him square in the sternum and winding him, instead of answering.
Jack snarled, heaving up his pack. It was a clear consensis. Bring back the Bane or get burned.
 
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Maybe try to look at your mc, as well as the love interest. What is it about him that is drawn to her besting the cadet group? Does he like being challenged to improve himself, or is he the kind of person to destroy competition? in the latter case it would be a fairly long game to get them together, and would have to be treated very well.
 
how would your character react? how would she react if she liked someone?

I would try to make it feel real with a dash of the romantised parts depend on what kind of novel you are writing. If shes the wimpy shy type, then the man must impress himself onto her, make her feel wanted etc, and god forbid, maybe the protaganist has the ability to flirt? maybe could even do it clumsily to make it a more humourous encounter.

Another natural way that isn't too cheesy is to have a situation where they are both forced to interact, there is conflict (maybe heated) which turns into interest.
 
Zebra Wizard said:
how would your character react? how would she react if she liked someone?

I would try to make it feel real with a dash of the romantised parts depend on what kind of novel you are writing. If shes the wimpy shy type, then the man must impress himself onto her, make her feel wanted etc, and god forbid, maybe the protaganist has the ability to flirt? maybe could even do it clumsily to make it a more humourous encounter.

Another natural way that isn't too cheesy is to have a situation where they are both forced to interact, there is conflict (maybe heated) which turns into interest.
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If only I knew how to flirt in real life.
 
Not really sure real life flirting techniques work too well in books, though. If your character spends her time playing with her hair and touching your mc, it'll come over as fake and awful. It's probably that techniques that are spotted are not very successful, and since your readers aren't actually there smelling the young love in the air, they need something more substantial, like a sense of humour or vaguely similar interests or something more.
 
Like the others said make the love interest a person and have them interact with each other - don't worry about finding her attractive but make her attractive.

My most successful with readers love interest began when she noticed he had large ears, his mother really should have done something about, and then threw a rock at him. He was so beneath her socially she wasn't interested until he sat and helped her peel potatoes.

Let it build from a handshake into something more.
 
I've never been too sure about the conflict-turning-to-interest trope. Does that actually happen in real life? Personally, the people I've hated at first sight, I've continued to hate thereafter.

By the way, it may be stating the obvious, but it's possible for your MC to look at the girl not as a love interest, but as a sex interest. It's my understanding of young men in dangerous situations that once they've survived, the adrenalin high pretty quickly turns their thoughts to... um... other athletic pursuits, and for a heterosexual, that means any remotely attractive woman in the vicinity is likely to be regarded as fair game a potential bedmate.


NB The only woman I've ever seen doing the flirty playing-with-her-hair thing in real life was at a breakfast in a hotel, where the gentleman concerned looked like a Russian wannabe-plutocrat and the woman herself looked like she was paid by the hour and was doing her (unsuccessful) best to persuade him to keep her on for another day.
 
For me the key is having two characters your readers are rooting for - then the clichés can happen but the readers have to care first. In a way have your love interest flirt with the reader instead of the MC. Give them reasons for them to want the characters to be together.
 
The Judge said:
NB The only woman I've ever seen doing the flirty playing-with-her-hair thing in real life was at a breakfast in a hotel, where the gentleman concerned looked like a Russian wannabe-plutocrat and the woman herself looked like she was paid by the hour and was doing her (unsuccessful) best to persuade him to keep her on for another day.
Click to expand...

Lucky you ;)

I've seen it done well, but mostly not.
 
cgsmith said:
If only I knew how to flirt in real life.
Click to expand...
But... You're Scottish. Not able to flirt? Can't be possible. Look at Sean Connery, David Tennant, Ewan MacGregor.. Its genetic.
 
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