Creating Longing – What’s the Problem?

Elements of Romance -> Longing -> Problems

This is the latest installment in a blog series on the elements of romance. We’re currently discussing Longing – what does it mean, how does it drive  characters’ behavior, how does it affect the events of the story? Now that we’ve gone over the importance of creating breathless attraction between characters, it’s time to look at the next aspect of Longing, and that’s the Problem. A story isn’t a story without some conflict, an obstacle to overcome – and a romance isn’t a romance unless that conflict threatens to keep your lovers apart.

Let’s take a look at the Problems in a few famous romances, shall we?

The Princess Bride – Buttercup is engaged to marry a conniving asshole. Her first love, Westley, isn’t sure he can trust her love for him, but he’s going to try and stop the wedding anyway…

The Thorn Birds – Aside from their significant age difference, Ralph and Meggie are kept apart by his role as a man of the cloth.

Antony and Cleopatra – Powerful enemy leaders fall in love and marry, but war, violence and politics bring about a tragic end.

Gone With The Wind - Shallow, materialistic Scarlett is too busy chasing after her first crush to recognize the value of Rhett’s love.

Jane Eyre – Shy governess Jane falls in love for her dark and mysterious employer, only to discover that Rochester’s hiding his mentally-ill first wife in the attic.

When Harry Met Sally – College friends Harry and Sally are determined not to let romance ruin their friendship.

Titanic – Wealthy Rose is captivated by the roguish, artistic, poor-boy Jack. The difference in their social roles, her arrogant fiance, and an enormous sinking ship keep them from being together.

Each of these is an example of a Problem – a conflict or barrier that must be overcome if a happy-ever-after is going to be reached. Interestingly enough, there are more sad-ending stories listed here than there are happy-ending ones- and that discussion is a whole other blog in and of itself. For the purposes of writing in the contemporary romance genre, though, a happy ending — or at least one that’s more positive than negative — is pretty much a requirement. So whatever Problem you dream up for your characters, you have to make sure you’re going to be able to solve it in a believable way by the end of the book.

There are a few typical categories for Problems:

SOCIAL

This usually manifests in a difference in social class, cultural background or economic status, where the two worlds that the characters come from are not accepting of the other or do not mesh well. It could also involve the interference of another person or group of people (like a parent, family group, or another admirer). Less commonly seen are the social “taboos” – falling in love with an adopted or step-sibling; falling in love with someone of the same gender; falling in love with more than one person at a time, and so on.

SITUATIONAL

“Acts of God”, like the sinking Titanic, or situations of war and violence fall under this category, as do long-distance separations, vocations that prevent or forbid romantic partners, physical disabilities or anomalies, and even possibly the death of one of the partners (think The Notebook or Ghost.)

INTERNAL

This category is very broad, and essentially encapsulates any Problem that stems from a character’s mental or emotional state. It could be that the character is afraid of being vulnerable, or is hiding a secret that they fear will cause their love interest to despise them. It could be fear of ruining a friendship, as mentioned above, or grief over the death of a prior partner, or an obsession with winning the heart of someone else. There might be a need for one character to forgive the other and learn to trust them again. It might be something as simple as pride, or as complex as abandonment issues rooted in childhood. It could be that the character themselves believes their feelings are inappropriate.

A truly gripping romance usually has intertwining Problems that come from all three of these categories… so in our next set of blogs we’ll explore them in greater detail. Until next time…