9 Different Kinds of Love to Use in Your Novel
Most of us have read about all of the different kinds of love. They're very neatly defined with scholarly greek names, most of them approved of or thought up by some prestigious philosopher or dude with a PhD. So what am I doing adding to that pile?
I think we all know that I'm not about to write a blog post about those kinds of love. Nope. This is Hannah's list of the main kinds of love that I've observed in novels. Some are overused, some underused, some are horrible, some are great.
1. Sibling LoveSibling love can be a somewhat elusive thing, which is why it doesn't appear in books as often as one would expect. That being said, it is almost always a readers favorite because there is something incredibly touching about a well-written sibling relationship. Love between brothers and sisters can be characterized in many different ways, but I think it's unique in that dialogue between siblings is often very short, because they know each other so well they rely mostly on posture, facial expression, and setting to communicate. There's also the fact that siblings can call each other on their crap or tease the heck out of each other when others would feel uncomfortable doing so, which can make for some fun scenes. Sibling love is also one of the few types of love in which the characters involved are allowed to be exactly who they are, which is good for character development. Because of it's fierce, loyal quality and the fact that it shifts as characters mature, this love can be difficult to write, but is beyond worth it. The Connolly siblings from The Scorpio Races are a great example of sibling love done right, as are the March sisters from Little Women. Loki and Thor's relationship is also an interesting one.
Suggested? YES!
2. Till The End of the Line LoveAlso known as loyal love, this one has a lot of possibilities. While it can mean a character that worships another and doesn't think he can do any wrong, it can also mean a character who sees her friends flaws but sticks by her anyway. It can be the super nice character who wouldn't never hurt a fly unless you mess with his friend, in which case he'll rip out your heart and make you eat it. Or it can be the character who loves only one person and will stop at nothing to help that person reach his goal, even if that means using unscrupulous means. Suggested? Yes.
3. "Been Through Horrible Things Together" LoveThis kind of love doesn't happen overnight. Often, it's something that is developed over the entire course of your novel. These are characters who were slightly chummy at first or perhaps didn't like each other at all, but end up learning to respect and lean on each other by making it through some hard ordeal together. Suggested? Yes.
4. "Just Kiss!" LoveThe two characters that will end up romantically involved at some point, but are fighting it super hard. This is an acquired taste. Some readers love it, while other people like me hope that the couple will die so they'll stop ruining a perfectly good plot. Just don't have the characters constantly at odds over something completely absurd and don't drag it out. Avoid these problems and you should be fine. Suggested? Sure. Fine.
5. "You're a Dollophead" LoveNone do this better than Merlin and Arthur. This is the sarcastic, teasing friendship-type love that comes from two people who think the other is an absolute moron while also grudgingly admitting to kind of enjoying said moron's company. It's an easy, non-demanding relationship that can be fun to write as well as read. Suggested? Yep.
6. "My Precious" LoveThis is something that shows up often in Creeper Romance. It's passionate and jealous and destructive and often borderline abusive. But the guy is cute with his brooding eyes and the girl is lonely and needs somebody to love her, which totally makes it okay. Suggested? Absolutely not.
7. Parental LoveThis is a conveniently avoided type of love, as parents are often tragically dead, dying, or missing in many novels. Parental love can be a tough thing to write, often because 1) If it's a YA novel, the teenagers are written incorrectly, which throws off any hope of a well-written parental love 2) It's not considered cool. Why are parents and their love not considered cool? Seriously. Let me tell you about some awesome fictional parents: Molly Weasley and her fiercely protective love for her rowdy kids, Atticus Finch and his desire to raise his kids correctly, the Cuthberts and their different ways of showing love to Anne in Anne of Green Gables, Marmee from Little Women working to keep her family glued together. And those are just a few. Parental love, while complex and maybe a bit difficult to write about, is not one that should ever be overlooked. Suggested? YES!
8. Dumb Romantic LoveI'm really not sure how else to describe this love except by using the word dumb. Because it is. Dumb characters do dumb things because they think they love another dumb character and it's just...dumb. Some people try to say, "Oh, but it's love! You don't think straight when you're in love!" Um. Okay. But there's a line between madly in love and dumbly in love. Find it. Go over it with a red highlighter. Don't ever forget it's there. Suggested? Ha-ha-ha-ha. Ha. Ha. NO.
9. Free Hugs LoveThe character who has empathy for everyone. Please note: Empathetic love doesn't mean that the giver of this love doesn't see the flaws in another person. It doesn't mean he (or she) is weak, naive, or dumb. It just means that the giver's heart is big enough and strong enough to love all people whether or not they receive anything in turn. Suggested? Yep.
10. Misguided LoveOften found among villains or anti-heroes, these are the characters who just want to love and be loved and go about reaching this goal in all the wrong ways. Friend wants a horse? Let's steal one for her. Dad doesn't appreciate me? I'll engineer his near-death and then save him so he can see what a great guy I am. This is a very tumultuous love that can quickly turn into hate. It can be written incorrectly or in a damaging way more often than not, so approach with caution. Redemption is always a good direction to move with this one.Suggested? Sometimes, in the right hands.
These are some of the kinds of love that show up most commonly in novels (or that I wished showed up commonly in novels). They can be mixed and matched to form nuanced, deeper kinds of love, like the way you mix together paints to come up with unique colors.
What do you think? Are there other kinds of love you'd like to include into this list? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this post! And don't forget to tell me about a fiction couple (romantic or nonromantic) that you thought was well-written.
Related articles:
8 Different Kinds of Strength to Give Your Characters
Romance in YA Novels: The Good, The Bad, and The Stupid8 Tips for Developing a Strong Theme in Your Novel
Enjoy this post? Take a look around. If you like what you see, please don't forget to subscribe by email for a new post every week!
I think we all know that I'm not about to write a blog post about those kinds of love. Nope. This is Hannah's list of the main kinds of love that I've observed in novels. Some are overused, some underused, some are horrible, some are great.
1. Sibling LoveSibling love can be a somewhat elusive thing, which is why it doesn't appear in books as often as one would expect. That being said, it is almost always a readers favorite because there is something incredibly touching about a well-written sibling relationship. Love between brothers and sisters can be characterized in many different ways, but I think it's unique in that dialogue between siblings is often very short, because they know each other so well they rely mostly on posture, facial expression, and setting to communicate. There's also the fact that siblings can call each other on their crap or tease the heck out of each other when others would feel uncomfortable doing so, which can make for some fun scenes. Sibling love is also one of the few types of love in which the characters involved are allowed to be exactly who they are, which is good for character development. Because of it's fierce, loyal quality and the fact that it shifts as characters mature, this love can be difficult to write, but is beyond worth it. The Connolly siblings from The Scorpio Races are a great example of sibling love done right, as are the March sisters from Little Women. Loki and Thor's relationship is also an interesting one.Suggested? YES!
2. Till The End of the Line LoveAlso known as loyal love, this one has a lot of possibilities. While it can mean a character that worships another and doesn't think he can do any wrong, it can also mean a character who sees her friends flaws but sticks by her anyway. It can be the super nice character who wouldn't never hurt a fly unless you mess with his friend, in which case he'll rip out your heart and make you eat it. Or it can be the character who loves only one person and will stop at nothing to help that person reach his goal, even if that means using unscrupulous means. Suggested? Yes.
3. "Been Through Horrible Things Together" LoveThis kind of love doesn't happen overnight. Often, it's something that is developed over the entire course of your novel. These are characters who were slightly chummy at first or perhaps didn't like each other at all, but end up learning to respect and lean on each other by making it through some hard ordeal together. Suggested? Yes.
4. "Just Kiss!" LoveThe two characters that will end up romantically involved at some point, but are fighting it super hard. This is an acquired taste. Some readers love it, while other people like me hope that the couple will die so they'll stop ruining a perfectly good plot. Just don't have the characters constantly at odds over something completely absurd and don't drag it out. Avoid these problems and you should be fine. Suggested? Sure. Fine.
5. "You're a Dollophead" LoveNone do this better than Merlin and Arthur. This is the sarcastic, teasing friendship-type love that comes from two people who think the other is an absolute moron while also grudgingly admitting to kind of enjoying said moron's company. It's an easy, non-demanding relationship that can be fun to write as well as read. Suggested? Yep.
6. "My Precious" LoveThis is something that shows up often in Creeper Romance. It's passionate and jealous and destructive and often borderline abusive. But the guy is cute with his brooding eyes and the girl is lonely and needs somebody to love her, which totally makes it okay. Suggested? Absolutely not.
7. Parental LoveThis is a conveniently avoided type of love, as parents are often tragically dead, dying, or missing in many novels. Parental love can be a tough thing to write, often because 1) If it's a YA novel, the teenagers are written incorrectly, which throws off any hope of a well-written parental love 2) It's not considered cool. Why are parents and their love not considered cool? Seriously. Let me tell you about some awesome fictional parents: Molly Weasley and her fiercely protective love for her rowdy kids, Atticus Finch and his desire to raise his kids correctly, the Cuthberts and their different ways of showing love to Anne in Anne of Green Gables, Marmee from Little Women working to keep her family glued together. And those are just a few. Parental love, while complex and maybe a bit difficult to write about, is not one that should ever be overlooked. Suggested? YES!
8. Dumb Romantic LoveI'm really not sure how else to describe this love except by using the word dumb. Because it is. Dumb characters do dumb things because they think they love another dumb character and it's just...dumb. Some people try to say, "Oh, but it's love! You don't think straight when you're in love!" Um. Okay. But there's a line between madly in love and dumbly in love. Find it. Go over it with a red highlighter. Don't ever forget it's there. Suggested? Ha-ha-ha-ha. Ha. Ha. NO.
9. Free Hugs LoveThe character who has empathy for everyone. Please note: Empathetic love doesn't mean that the giver of this love doesn't see the flaws in another person. It doesn't mean he (or she) is weak, naive, or dumb. It just means that the giver's heart is big enough and strong enough to love all people whether or not they receive anything in turn. Suggested? Yep.
10. Misguided LoveOften found among villains or anti-heroes, these are the characters who just want to love and be loved and go about reaching this goal in all the wrong ways. Friend wants a horse? Let's steal one for her. Dad doesn't appreciate me? I'll engineer his near-death and then save him so he can see what a great guy I am. This is a very tumultuous love that can quickly turn into hate. It can be written incorrectly or in a damaging way more often than not, so approach with caution. Redemption is always a good direction to move with this one.Suggested? Sometimes, in the right hands.
These are some of the kinds of love that show up most commonly in novels (or that I wished showed up commonly in novels). They can be mixed and matched to form nuanced, deeper kinds of love, like the way you mix together paints to come up with unique colors.
What do you think? Are there other kinds of love you'd like to include into this list? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this post! And don't forget to tell me about a fiction couple (romantic or nonromantic) that you thought was well-written.
Related articles:
8 Different Kinds of Strength to Give Your Characters
Romance in YA Novels: The Good, The Bad, and The Stupid8 Tips for Developing a Strong Theme in Your Novel
Enjoy this post? Take a look around. If you like what you see, please don't forget to subscribe by email for a new post every week!
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