How to prevent “they're falling in love” tropeIs there a description of location required in intense moments of the story like in a love storyHow can I get my romance through a two-year breakup?How to determine if a story would benefit from multiple first-person POVs?Are there ways to help stick to character traits?Is it good to repeat the same form of event?Pregnancy in writing - A bit difficultHow to refer to a group having 3 men and 1 womanHow do you make two characters fall in love?How to write internally emotional characters?Choosing between two people in a romance?

How can I prevent hyper evolved versions of regular creatures from wiping out their cousins?

Is a tag line useful on a cover?

How do we improve the relationship with a client software team that performs poorly and is becoming less collaborative?

Is it possible to do 50 km distance without any previous training?

LaTeX closing $ signs makes cursor jump

Modeling an IP Address

Which models of the Boeing 737 are still in production?

What defenses are there against being summoned by the Gate spell?

String Manipulation Interpreter

Why was the small council so happy for Tyrion to become the Master of Coin?

What's the output of a record cartridge playing an out-of-speed record

How can bays and straits be determined in a procedurally generated map?

Do I have a twin with permutated remainders?

Show that if two triangles built on parallel lines, with equal bases have the same perimeter only if they are congruent.

How much RAM could one put in a typical 80386 setup?

Can I make popcorn with any corn?

Why Is Death Allowed In the Matrix?

What is the word for reserving something for yourself before others do?

How is it possible to have an ability score that is less than 3?

Writing rule stating superpower from different root cause is bad writing

How did the USSR manage to innovate in an environment characterized by government censorship and high bureaucracy?

Why, historically, did Gödel think CH was false?

Why not use SQL instead of GraphQL?

Is a conference paper whose proceedings will be published in IEEE Xplore counted as a publication?



How to prevent “they're falling in love” trope


Is there a description of location required in intense moments of the story like in a love storyHow can I get my romance through a two-year breakup?How to determine if a story would benefit from multiple first-person POVs?Are there ways to help stick to character traits?Is it good to repeat the same form of event?Pregnancy in writing - A bit difficultHow to refer to a group having 3 men and 1 womanHow do you make two characters fall in love?How to write internally emotional characters?Choosing between two people in a romance?













25















I have two characters, the male being sort of a jerk, but lightening up later in the story, and the female is...very hateful. But a person who read the first chapter asked me if they were going to get together. I mean, I planned that for way later, but I want to be able to hide that better. How do I go about making the two characters seem less likely to be together?










share|improve this question



















  • 34





    perhaps a better title would be how to hide they're falling in love trope

    – BKlassen
    Apr 2 at 20:04






  • 26





    Eligible bachelor and bachelorette in the first chapter? That's a Chekhov's gun!

    – Alexander
    Apr 2 at 21:47






  • 1





    Ok, so the title is Remember my Name, from a quote by another characters. And in fact, there are multiple bachelorettes in the novel. And a homosexual pairing.

    – Kale Slade
    Apr 2 at 22:12






  • 16





    Make them siblings.

    – LarsTech
    Apr 3 at 16:27






  • 3





    Add other characters that seem equally or more likely to end up with them?

    – Random832
    Apr 3 at 20:18















25















I have two characters, the male being sort of a jerk, but lightening up later in the story, and the female is...very hateful. But a person who read the first chapter asked me if they were going to get together. I mean, I planned that for way later, but I want to be able to hide that better. How do I go about making the two characters seem less likely to be together?










share|improve this question



















  • 34





    perhaps a better title would be how to hide they're falling in love trope

    – BKlassen
    Apr 2 at 20:04






  • 26





    Eligible bachelor and bachelorette in the first chapter? That's a Chekhov's gun!

    – Alexander
    Apr 2 at 21:47






  • 1





    Ok, so the title is Remember my Name, from a quote by another characters. And in fact, there are multiple bachelorettes in the novel. And a homosexual pairing.

    – Kale Slade
    Apr 2 at 22:12






  • 16





    Make them siblings.

    – LarsTech
    Apr 3 at 16:27






  • 3





    Add other characters that seem equally or more likely to end up with them?

    – Random832
    Apr 3 at 20:18













25












25








25


6






I have two characters, the male being sort of a jerk, but lightening up later in the story, and the female is...very hateful. But a person who read the first chapter asked me if they were going to get together. I mean, I planned that for way later, but I want to be able to hide that better. How do I go about making the two characters seem less likely to be together?










share|improve this question
















I have two characters, the male being sort of a jerk, but lightening up later in the story, and the female is...very hateful. But a person who read the first chapter asked me if they were going to get together. I mean, I planned that for way later, but I want to be able to hide that better. How do I go about making the two characters seem less likely to be together?







fiction characters planning romance






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Apr 2 at 21:46









Cyn

17.4k13781




17.4k13781










asked Apr 2 at 19:09









Kale SladeKale Slade

1,033426




1,033426







  • 34





    perhaps a better title would be how to hide they're falling in love trope

    – BKlassen
    Apr 2 at 20:04






  • 26





    Eligible bachelor and bachelorette in the first chapter? That's a Chekhov's gun!

    – Alexander
    Apr 2 at 21:47






  • 1





    Ok, so the title is Remember my Name, from a quote by another characters. And in fact, there are multiple bachelorettes in the novel. And a homosexual pairing.

    – Kale Slade
    Apr 2 at 22:12






  • 16





    Make them siblings.

    – LarsTech
    Apr 3 at 16:27






  • 3





    Add other characters that seem equally or more likely to end up with them?

    – Random832
    Apr 3 at 20:18












  • 34





    perhaps a better title would be how to hide they're falling in love trope

    – BKlassen
    Apr 2 at 20:04






  • 26





    Eligible bachelor and bachelorette in the first chapter? That's a Chekhov's gun!

    – Alexander
    Apr 2 at 21:47






  • 1





    Ok, so the title is Remember my Name, from a quote by another characters. And in fact, there are multiple bachelorettes in the novel. And a homosexual pairing.

    – Kale Slade
    Apr 2 at 22:12






  • 16





    Make them siblings.

    – LarsTech
    Apr 3 at 16:27






  • 3





    Add other characters that seem equally or more likely to end up with them?

    – Random832
    Apr 3 at 20:18







34




34





perhaps a better title would be how to hide they're falling in love trope

– BKlassen
Apr 2 at 20:04





perhaps a better title would be how to hide they're falling in love trope

– BKlassen
Apr 2 at 20:04




26




26





Eligible bachelor and bachelorette in the first chapter? That's a Chekhov's gun!

– Alexander
Apr 2 at 21:47





Eligible bachelor and bachelorette in the first chapter? That's a Chekhov's gun!

– Alexander
Apr 2 at 21:47




1




1





Ok, so the title is Remember my Name, from a quote by another characters. And in fact, there are multiple bachelorettes in the novel. And a homosexual pairing.

– Kale Slade
Apr 2 at 22:12





Ok, so the title is Remember my Name, from a quote by another characters. And in fact, there are multiple bachelorettes in the novel. And a homosexual pairing.

– Kale Slade
Apr 2 at 22:12




16




16





Make them siblings.

– LarsTech
Apr 3 at 16:27





Make them siblings.

– LarsTech
Apr 3 at 16:27




3




3





Add other characters that seem equally or more likely to end up with them?

– Random832
Apr 3 at 20:18





Add other characters that seem equally or more likely to end up with them?

– Random832
Apr 3 at 20:18










11 Answers
11






active

oldest

votes


















30














You cannot prevent that suspicion altogether; especially because that is your plan. Which means your two characters are heterosexual; so you can't really use homosexuality as a show-stopper.



I would suggest you make it clear that one of them is already in love, and the other one knows it. If your guy is a jerk, that may be because he is unhappy, the woman he loves is not really in love with him, and he needs to learn in the course of the book that what he was feeling isn't really love at all.



If your girl is hateful; same thing, and same lesson: Maybe she is hateful because the guy she loves is a player, using her, and she has mistaken something else for "love". Something like dependency, or the lies of a player that convinced her they were in love but just uses her for sex.



Other than sociopaths (who cannot fall in love) people are not jerks, or hateful, for nothing. Those traits grow out of psychic trauma of some sort. Start them out in the midst of their respective traumas, already clearly thinking they are in love, and it may defeat the reader's instinct to ship them.



But you cannot prevent shipping altogether, even Batman and Robin have been shipped!






share|improve this answer




















  • 4





    Batman has been shipped with every single character in his franchise (and most of the DC universe), in fact they created Batgirl as a smokescreen to avoid Batman X Robin gay relationship criticism.

    – Mindwin
    Apr 3 at 13:07






  • 2





    @Mindwin That's my point; an author cannot totally prevent shipping of any two characters. But they can leave little justification for it, or point in the other direction.

    – Amadeus
    Apr 3 at 13:22











  • I'd say the author shouldn't prevent shipping and maybe even foster it if it won't compromise the story. After all, generating buzz about media is a key factor in increasing popularity, views and finally revenue.

    – Mindwin
    Apr 3 at 16:31











  • @Mindwin Except the author clearly states they wish to keep this hookup a surprise for later in the story. We have to play the game given to us by the OP. Either that, or explain why their game is unwinnable, which I also covered in my answer.

    – Amadeus
    Apr 3 at 17:22


















15














It is possible that this reader is one of thse who likes to pair characters in relationships that need not even be telegraphed.



There are several ways to do this. Introduce other potential love interests as red herrings. Man dates a couple of them, coming to realize that the first woman is really a better match for him. She has been checking out the cute bartender and dating him. Timing is off, but she sees ex-Jerk and reconsiders.



One or both are focusing on careers. No time for socializing except with colleagues - which they are not.



A cousin of mine who is reading my piece asked me if my MC and Secondary Protagonist were going to fall in love. I told her that MC thinks any woman worth knowing except for those he works with (who are off limits as colleagues) would run for the hills. Secondary Protagonist likes to dominate her SOs, which she cannot do with the MC, so for them to get together, she has to either grow up or let go of this control issue she has.



You could give one or both of your characters personal issues they must resolve before they can connect. Perhaps he wants a wife who will be traditional and realizes that HW will never be that. Later, he sees her as a perfect partner and reassesses his priorities.



Maybe one travels and is out of touch. Perhaps HW is pursuing an advanced degree and will not entertain the idea of dating until she has her PHD. Too many old jokes about the MRS degree for her to even let the thought cross her mind.






share|improve this answer
































    12














    If your genre or subgenre is "Romance", then it's ALMOST impossible to do so.



    What you're presenting is a request for something that romance authors are always trying to do. The only ways to really skirt around people suspecting Alice and Bob will wind up together is as follows:



    1. Don't genre your story as a romance. People are privy to romance genre tropes and can figure out who is supposed to get together at the end. Even in non-romance stories, people will assume "main guy and main gal", but that can be influenced by how you write other details. Harry Potter...


      ...had a lot of people suspecting Harry x Hermione at the beginning, but we were shown in the end that wasn't the case. People were looking at it like it'd include a high school romance plotline, and it kiiiinda did, but not quite really. As a result, J.K. Rowling was able to pull the pairings away from the initial assumptions of the audience without it feeling forced, and she could have still left it as Harry x Hermione if she wanted without it feeling too trite. Harry winding up with who he did came as a shock to HH-shippers, but didn't to those who looked at the stories and relationships as they developed.




    2. Don't push the focus on Alice and Bob. Introduce Caitlin to the story as another main female character in order to split the romantic attention between her and Alice. Even better, Main Boy (MB) is a jerk and Main Girl (MG) is hateful, so include Side Girl (SG) as being the mediating factor. Let MG come across as an antagonist to MB while SG is trying to change MB and help him lighten up. She can even be a friend of MG's and aid in making MG a bit less hateful also. This way you solve the issue of their personalities by having one person who is helping MB and MG take active steps in changing themselves for the better. It is through this that MB and MG can get more exposure to one another and start growing on each other despite you initially writing the story with the idea of convincing the audience MB and SG will be together, but MG is trying to ruin that. People don't expect the hero to wind up with the presumed villain after all. It throws a wrench in both the typical formula and allows for you to surprise the audience.

    3. Don't write the characters to be romantic towards each other, especially not early on. A lot of people like to assume Monkey D. Luffy will wind up with Robin or Nami in the series One Piece. In reality, Luffy doesn't care about that and will likely not end up in a relationship with anyone when the series inevitably concludes in another 15-50 years. This of course works better with slow-burn romance stories like Let's Play, but as the story goes on, it allows you to adjust who ends up with who based on how the story develops. In Let's Play...


      we all pretty much know that Sam is going to end up with Markiplier Marshall, but they haven't really had any romantic moments yet. On the other hand, both have had such moments with other characters and it really makes you wonder how they will wind up together in the end. It turns what is a slice-of-life romance story into being, on a meta level, a mystery series as well as the audience tries to predict how Mongie will pull the pairing off. And, who knows, maybe Mongie actually plans on pulling a Harry Potter with the pairings in the end after all?




    If you want them to wind up together, that's fine. People will try to figure it out in the end, though, because that's how genre-savvy readers are, and the tropes are pretty common now. The best thing you can do is use misinformation from the beginning in order to confuse the audience. At the same time though, you may not be able to pull off the desired pairing by the end of your first book as a side effect. You have to weigh the risks of trying to be sneaky. It may simply be better to just let the audience figure out the pairing from the start and question how you plan on bringing them together in the end.






    share|improve this answer























    • "include Side Girl (SG) as being the mediating factor." That's a dead giveaway. (Even, I recognize it, and I try to avoid figuring things out too early when I'm enjoying a plot.)

      – jpaugh
      yesterday



















    8














    Pride and Prejudice – After a very brief encounter that goes badly, the MC Elizabeth spends the entire novel explaining why she won't get married, thinks all her sisters and friends are simps or sellouts for chasing men, and how she can't stand Mr Darcy specifically for being such a prejudiced snob. The first 3/4ths of the novel only compound and affirm Elizabeth's reasons.



    The novel is sympathetic to the MC's intelligence and independence, but also towards the nice sister who is sweet but passive and without agency. The novel also clearly shows the man-chasing women as ridiculous or mean. Meanwhile, "real love" is something that gets discarded for security (her best friend), or is exploited for financial gain (almost every other relationship). While the male characters are not very substantial, the many female characters present a range of approaches to love and marriage, all of which seem flawed. The novel is firmly on Elizabeth's side criticizing romance – it's viewed as satire, but it's really something more: almost a compendium of how marriage is about everything except honest love.



    The twist is not that Darcy and Elizabeth get together, instead the twist is that Elizabeth is confronted by evidence that she is the one whose pride and prejudice has caused her to misread the situation. By doubling-down on her dislike for Darcy, she elevated the real villain Wickham, who is Darcy's enemy. But knowing the truth doesn't lead to them instantly getting together, rather this self-realization feels like the climax of the novel. Had she acted differently, it's unlikely she would have prevented the events in the novel or the other women's scheming. She probably still would have thought Darcy is a snob, but her sympathies would have been completely turned around.



    It's not a "Hero's Journey" of leveling up through experience, it's an "Inanna's Journey" of being stripped of her "pride and prejudice" – her whole value system. She's happy that one relationship is working out for her "good" sister, but Elizabeth knows that was just luck and "feminine attributes" like beauty and passivity. Lizzie's best option would be to settle (like her friend) but seeing as how she's already turned that down her prospects are at zero.



    Elizabeth doesn't "win the millionaire" until she is confronted by the powerful aunt who controls Darcy's fortune. Her habitual (opinionated) nature kicks in, and she refuses to be a simp or a schemer, but she doesn't allow her pride (and prejudice) to shut down possibilities either. Smarter and wiser through her shared experience with the other young women, Elizabeth realizes she can't control what will happen or how other people will behave, she can only be honest with herself. It's this wiser, less-reactionary identity that makes her truly independent, and sets her apart from all the other women in the story.



    Conveniently, this is the exact character trait that attracts Darcy so it all works out in the end, but that's the structure of an Inanna's Journey: Elizabeth is left with only the things that matter, after everything else has been stripped away. The climactic confrontation with the aunt isn't treated as a triumphant turn, instead Lizzie feels like "her nose is being rubbed in it", it's her lowest point. After declaring for so long how she can't stand Darcy, everyone in the novel, her family included, conspire to keep them apart. Even after their engagement, no one congratulates her. In comic reversal, her family believes the worst possible thing has happened to her.






    share|improve this answer
































      6














      Embrace it instead, and make the reader suffer for having even thought of it



      What you have there is a reader's commitment to a goal. They expect two characters to get together from page 1, and in the first few pages you should perhaps give them some hints that it may occur. Once the reader is emotionally invested in it, rooting for this particular outcome, don't deliver it. Put struggles, doubts, conflict, issues, anything to make it harder and harder; at the same time make it clear "how great it would have been if they had been together".



      Et voilà. You used a trope to engage your reader, but you didn't step immediately into it, perhaps you won't step into it at all. You can use it to propel your story forward, and recall it wisely with some false alarms to awaken the reader's attention every now and then. Just because a trope exists it is not necessarily a bad thing to exploit the expectations it creates.






      share|improve this answer






























        3















        He was a boy

        She was a girl

        Can I make it any more obvious?



        -Sk8er Boi, Avril Lavigne




        Romance is deeply ingrained into Western literature



        Audiences have been trained to expect that if there are two primary characters of opposite genders, they will end up in a romantic relationship, no matter their starting attitudes. This is backed up by centuries of literature, and is not an assumption that can easily be shaken.



        "The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference."



        -Elie Wiesel



        Romance is fueled by strong emotions. Hate and dislike are just as strong as attraction and affection, even if they're coming from the opposite direction. Indifference is much more effective at appearing unromantic than opposition is.



        Add other characters and romantic false leads



        If there are two main characters, readers will assume that they will end up together. But if there are many characters of similar importance, mapping the romantic arcs becomes a lot more complicated, and you'll have a much greater chance of slipping a slow burn by your readers.



        If the character that you plan to end up together start out in relationships with other people, that can deepen the effect. Be careful when doing this, though. I've read a series (name omitted to avoid spoilers) where an early romantic arc was completely ruined for me because a later romance was telegraphed too obviously, and I spent all of the first romance waiting for it to end so that they could move on to the 'real' romance. Obviously, you want to avoid that.



        There are other ways you can indicate a non-romance, but those are largely unavailable to you



        Incompatible orientations (i.e. make one of the characters gay), familial affection (even if they're not actually related), and similar tricks can make it clear that a pair will never be in a romantic relationship. That said, these tools work by indicating that the romance in question is impossible, and later introducing that romance would be a betrayal of your readers, so they mostly don't work in this case.



        If you're really good, you might lead your readers into assuming that one of the characters is gay (when in fact they're actually bi or pan), but be very, very careful when doing something like this. Tricking the readers is fine, but lying to them makes readers extremely unhappy. And the author doesn't always get to decide the difference.



        No matter what you do, some readers will ship them



        If Harry Potter fanfic has taught us anything, it's that given enough readers, everything gets shipped. No matter how many false leads you try to lay, some people will pair them together.



        The trick is not to make these readers think that the pair won't happen, but to instill enough doubt that they are extremely excited once they discover that it is happening.






        share|improve this answer






























          2














          Have them go out and have sex, then break up over something significant. Have the relationship itself seem unpleasant enough that it seems like a bad idea for them to revisit it later. Then let their mutual character development later eventually make that relationship not such a bad idea after all, and let that development sneak up on the narrative.



          tl;dr snap the sexual tension right at the get-go. It'll fade into the backdrop.






          share|improve this answer








          New contributor




          Regress.arg is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
          Check out our Code of Conduct.



























            2














            One possible answer might be to forge through the question immediately with a conclusion, so that you can redress the question later, unexpectedly. That is, don't skirt around the issue - plow through it and treat it as done with.



            As a teen growing up, the thought of 'could this person be my future partner' always crossed my mind at least once with every acquaintance, regardless of attraction. Sometimes the answer was an immediate no, sometimes it was less certain. My wife confirms this happened with herself.



            So it's highly believable your characters would ask themselves if they are attracted to the other at some stage, and you can have them draw conclusions - either (in their mind) permanent or fluid. Conclusions which they, as normal human beings, may change their mind on later.






            share|improve this answer








            New contributor




            Matman Brock is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.



























              2














              All these answers are great, but if I could maybe give a more general suggestion: I think you need to set up an obstacle between them that's so significant the reader doesn't consider that the romance could ever be possible.



              The barrier could be anything: Their two families are at war; She's a mermaid, he's a human; She's a Republican, he's a Democrat; whatever. Then then the challenge of course is to find a way to believably remove that obstacle.



              The bonus is that even if the reader does see the romance coming, they will also enjoy seeing how that relationship barrier is removed.






              share|improve this answer








              New contributor




              pseudodennis is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
              Check out our Code of Conduct.



























                2














                You can prevent love, just like many sci-fi fictions, otherwise you should prevent trope, not love. But how? Well, you should know these tropes first, that's why authors keep reading, then avoid them.



                First.



                It is not necessarily a bad thing that readers guessed their love. Of course, we need add unexpected.



                The 1st chapter



                How many characters are introduced in the beginning? If two, well, even two man or two woman, we would doubt they will mess... That is the opening of adult movies.



                I would just introduce one protagonist, then people around he/she. Or, I will write a bunch of people to introduce the background of the story, these characters won't appear beyond 2nd chapters, how the readers are able to guess the love when the protagonist have not yet performed?



                Character later



                Try to set up a hook first, in many drama, there is a mini story/scene/plot in the beginning to attract the audience. This scene keeps the readers away from the boring daily life, including romantic tropes.



                Try to give the mood/background/story first could avoid some tropes.



                Character inner



                Sooner or later, we have to let our boys and girls on the stage, if we can make readers believe these characters are live, they have their ideas. It would be hard to predicate them.



                It should be combined with the plot, if our story is just office works, schooling, drinking coffee, the romantic is inevitable, what else after all. If they are running away from zombies, they don't have time to fall in love even they are well-matched.






                share|improve this answer










                New contributor




                Jacob is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                Check out our Code of Conduct.















                • 1





                  Welcome to Writing.SE! I'm afraid I don't see how this answers the question. OP wants to know how to avoid making it obvious that two characters are going to fall in love by the end of the novel. Could you explain how they could do that?

                  – F1Krazy
                  Apr 3 at 11:11


















                1














                • Kill one off (the other can fall in love with the ghost)

                • Show one dying alone in the future and set up the whole story as a flashback

                • Put them on impossibly different locations (planets) or time (like centuries apart, aka: time traveling or back to the ghost thing)

                • Put one or both in a relationship with someone else

                • Make them mortal enemies (cultural, values, political)

                • Have more than 2 characters





                share|improve this answer








                New contributor




                layton s is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                Check out our Code of Conduct.




















                  Your Answer








                  StackExchange.ready(function()
                  var channelOptions =
                  tags: "".split(" "),
                  id: "166"
                  ;
                  initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

                  StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
                  // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
                  if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
                  StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
                  createEditor();
                  );

                  else
                  createEditor();

                  );

                  function createEditor()
                  StackExchange.prepareEditor(
                  heartbeatType: 'answer',
                  autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
                  convertImagesToLinks: false,
                  noModals: true,
                  showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
                  reputationToPostImages: null,
                  bindNavPrevention: true,
                  postfix: "",
                  imageUploader:
                  brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
                  contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
                  allowUrls: true
                  ,
                  noCode: true, onDemand: true,
                  discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
                  ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
                  );



                  );













                  draft saved

                  draft discarded


















                  StackExchange.ready(
                  function ()
                  StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fwriting.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f44297%2fhow-to-prevent-theyre-falling-in-love-trope%23new-answer', 'question_page');

                  );

                  Post as a guest















                  Required, but never shown

























                  11 Answers
                  11






                  active

                  oldest

                  votes








                  11 Answers
                  11






                  active

                  oldest

                  votes









                  active

                  oldest

                  votes






                  active

                  oldest

                  votes









                  30














                  You cannot prevent that suspicion altogether; especially because that is your plan. Which means your two characters are heterosexual; so you can't really use homosexuality as a show-stopper.



                  I would suggest you make it clear that one of them is already in love, and the other one knows it. If your guy is a jerk, that may be because he is unhappy, the woman he loves is not really in love with him, and he needs to learn in the course of the book that what he was feeling isn't really love at all.



                  If your girl is hateful; same thing, and same lesson: Maybe she is hateful because the guy she loves is a player, using her, and she has mistaken something else for "love". Something like dependency, or the lies of a player that convinced her they were in love but just uses her for sex.



                  Other than sociopaths (who cannot fall in love) people are not jerks, or hateful, for nothing. Those traits grow out of psychic trauma of some sort. Start them out in the midst of their respective traumas, already clearly thinking they are in love, and it may defeat the reader's instinct to ship them.



                  But you cannot prevent shipping altogether, even Batman and Robin have been shipped!






                  share|improve this answer




















                  • 4





                    Batman has been shipped with every single character in his franchise (and most of the DC universe), in fact they created Batgirl as a smokescreen to avoid Batman X Robin gay relationship criticism.

                    – Mindwin
                    Apr 3 at 13:07






                  • 2





                    @Mindwin That's my point; an author cannot totally prevent shipping of any two characters. But they can leave little justification for it, or point in the other direction.

                    – Amadeus
                    Apr 3 at 13:22











                  • I'd say the author shouldn't prevent shipping and maybe even foster it if it won't compromise the story. After all, generating buzz about media is a key factor in increasing popularity, views and finally revenue.

                    – Mindwin
                    Apr 3 at 16:31











                  • @Mindwin Except the author clearly states they wish to keep this hookup a surprise for later in the story. We have to play the game given to us by the OP. Either that, or explain why their game is unwinnable, which I also covered in my answer.

                    – Amadeus
                    Apr 3 at 17:22















                  30














                  You cannot prevent that suspicion altogether; especially because that is your plan. Which means your two characters are heterosexual; so you can't really use homosexuality as a show-stopper.



                  I would suggest you make it clear that one of them is already in love, and the other one knows it. If your guy is a jerk, that may be because he is unhappy, the woman he loves is not really in love with him, and he needs to learn in the course of the book that what he was feeling isn't really love at all.



                  If your girl is hateful; same thing, and same lesson: Maybe she is hateful because the guy she loves is a player, using her, and she has mistaken something else for "love". Something like dependency, or the lies of a player that convinced her they were in love but just uses her for sex.



                  Other than sociopaths (who cannot fall in love) people are not jerks, or hateful, for nothing. Those traits grow out of psychic trauma of some sort. Start them out in the midst of their respective traumas, already clearly thinking they are in love, and it may defeat the reader's instinct to ship them.



                  But you cannot prevent shipping altogether, even Batman and Robin have been shipped!






                  share|improve this answer




















                  • 4





                    Batman has been shipped with every single character in his franchise (and most of the DC universe), in fact they created Batgirl as a smokescreen to avoid Batman X Robin gay relationship criticism.

                    – Mindwin
                    Apr 3 at 13:07






                  • 2





                    @Mindwin That's my point; an author cannot totally prevent shipping of any two characters. But they can leave little justification for it, or point in the other direction.

                    – Amadeus
                    Apr 3 at 13:22











                  • I'd say the author shouldn't prevent shipping and maybe even foster it if it won't compromise the story. After all, generating buzz about media is a key factor in increasing popularity, views and finally revenue.

                    – Mindwin
                    Apr 3 at 16:31











                  • @Mindwin Except the author clearly states they wish to keep this hookup a surprise for later in the story. We have to play the game given to us by the OP. Either that, or explain why their game is unwinnable, which I also covered in my answer.

                    – Amadeus
                    Apr 3 at 17:22













                  30












                  30








                  30







                  You cannot prevent that suspicion altogether; especially because that is your plan. Which means your two characters are heterosexual; so you can't really use homosexuality as a show-stopper.



                  I would suggest you make it clear that one of them is already in love, and the other one knows it. If your guy is a jerk, that may be because he is unhappy, the woman he loves is not really in love with him, and he needs to learn in the course of the book that what he was feeling isn't really love at all.



                  If your girl is hateful; same thing, and same lesson: Maybe she is hateful because the guy she loves is a player, using her, and she has mistaken something else for "love". Something like dependency, or the lies of a player that convinced her they were in love but just uses her for sex.



                  Other than sociopaths (who cannot fall in love) people are not jerks, or hateful, for nothing. Those traits grow out of psychic trauma of some sort. Start them out in the midst of their respective traumas, already clearly thinking they are in love, and it may defeat the reader's instinct to ship them.



                  But you cannot prevent shipping altogether, even Batman and Robin have been shipped!






                  share|improve this answer















                  You cannot prevent that suspicion altogether; especially because that is your plan. Which means your two characters are heterosexual; so you can't really use homosexuality as a show-stopper.



                  I would suggest you make it clear that one of them is already in love, and the other one knows it. If your guy is a jerk, that may be because he is unhappy, the woman he loves is not really in love with him, and he needs to learn in the course of the book that what he was feeling isn't really love at all.



                  If your girl is hateful; same thing, and same lesson: Maybe she is hateful because the guy she loves is a player, using her, and she has mistaken something else for "love". Something like dependency, or the lies of a player that convinced her they were in love but just uses her for sex.



                  Other than sociopaths (who cannot fall in love) people are not jerks, or hateful, for nothing. Those traits grow out of psychic trauma of some sort. Start them out in the midst of their respective traumas, already clearly thinking they are in love, and it may defeat the reader's instinct to ship them.



                  But you cannot prevent shipping altogether, even Batman and Robin have been shipped!







                  share|improve this answer














                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer








                  edited Apr 3 at 14:23









                  Angew

                  14916




                  14916










                  answered Apr 2 at 20:41









                  AmadeusAmadeus

                  58k574186




                  58k574186







                  • 4





                    Batman has been shipped with every single character in his franchise (and most of the DC universe), in fact they created Batgirl as a smokescreen to avoid Batman X Robin gay relationship criticism.

                    – Mindwin
                    Apr 3 at 13:07






                  • 2





                    @Mindwin That's my point; an author cannot totally prevent shipping of any two characters. But they can leave little justification for it, or point in the other direction.

                    – Amadeus
                    Apr 3 at 13:22











                  • I'd say the author shouldn't prevent shipping and maybe even foster it if it won't compromise the story. After all, generating buzz about media is a key factor in increasing popularity, views and finally revenue.

                    – Mindwin
                    Apr 3 at 16:31











                  • @Mindwin Except the author clearly states they wish to keep this hookup a surprise for later in the story. We have to play the game given to us by the OP. Either that, or explain why their game is unwinnable, which I also covered in my answer.

                    – Amadeus
                    Apr 3 at 17:22












                  • 4





                    Batman has been shipped with every single character in his franchise (and most of the DC universe), in fact they created Batgirl as a smokescreen to avoid Batman X Robin gay relationship criticism.

                    – Mindwin
                    Apr 3 at 13:07






                  • 2





                    @Mindwin That's my point; an author cannot totally prevent shipping of any two characters. But they can leave little justification for it, or point in the other direction.

                    – Amadeus
                    Apr 3 at 13:22











                  • I'd say the author shouldn't prevent shipping and maybe even foster it if it won't compromise the story. After all, generating buzz about media is a key factor in increasing popularity, views and finally revenue.

                    – Mindwin
                    Apr 3 at 16:31











                  • @Mindwin Except the author clearly states they wish to keep this hookup a surprise for later in the story. We have to play the game given to us by the OP. Either that, or explain why their game is unwinnable, which I also covered in my answer.

                    – Amadeus
                    Apr 3 at 17:22







                  4




                  4





                  Batman has been shipped with every single character in his franchise (and most of the DC universe), in fact they created Batgirl as a smokescreen to avoid Batman X Robin gay relationship criticism.

                  – Mindwin
                  Apr 3 at 13:07





                  Batman has been shipped with every single character in his franchise (and most of the DC universe), in fact they created Batgirl as a smokescreen to avoid Batman X Robin gay relationship criticism.

                  – Mindwin
                  Apr 3 at 13:07




                  2




                  2





                  @Mindwin That's my point; an author cannot totally prevent shipping of any two characters. But they can leave little justification for it, or point in the other direction.

                  – Amadeus
                  Apr 3 at 13:22





                  @Mindwin That's my point; an author cannot totally prevent shipping of any two characters. But they can leave little justification for it, or point in the other direction.

                  – Amadeus
                  Apr 3 at 13:22













                  I'd say the author shouldn't prevent shipping and maybe even foster it if it won't compromise the story. After all, generating buzz about media is a key factor in increasing popularity, views and finally revenue.

                  – Mindwin
                  Apr 3 at 16:31





                  I'd say the author shouldn't prevent shipping and maybe even foster it if it won't compromise the story. After all, generating buzz about media is a key factor in increasing popularity, views and finally revenue.

                  – Mindwin
                  Apr 3 at 16:31













                  @Mindwin Except the author clearly states they wish to keep this hookup a surprise for later in the story. We have to play the game given to us by the OP. Either that, or explain why their game is unwinnable, which I also covered in my answer.

                  – Amadeus
                  Apr 3 at 17:22





                  @Mindwin Except the author clearly states they wish to keep this hookup a surprise for later in the story. We have to play the game given to us by the OP. Either that, or explain why their game is unwinnable, which I also covered in my answer.

                  – Amadeus
                  Apr 3 at 17:22











                  15














                  It is possible that this reader is one of thse who likes to pair characters in relationships that need not even be telegraphed.



                  There are several ways to do this. Introduce other potential love interests as red herrings. Man dates a couple of them, coming to realize that the first woman is really a better match for him. She has been checking out the cute bartender and dating him. Timing is off, but she sees ex-Jerk and reconsiders.



                  One or both are focusing on careers. No time for socializing except with colleagues - which they are not.



                  A cousin of mine who is reading my piece asked me if my MC and Secondary Protagonist were going to fall in love. I told her that MC thinks any woman worth knowing except for those he works with (who are off limits as colleagues) would run for the hills. Secondary Protagonist likes to dominate her SOs, which she cannot do with the MC, so for them to get together, she has to either grow up or let go of this control issue she has.



                  You could give one or both of your characters personal issues they must resolve before they can connect. Perhaps he wants a wife who will be traditional and realizes that HW will never be that. Later, he sees her as a perfect partner and reassesses his priorities.



                  Maybe one travels and is out of touch. Perhaps HW is pursuing an advanced degree and will not entertain the idea of dating until she has her PHD. Too many old jokes about the MRS degree for her to even let the thought cross her mind.






                  share|improve this answer





























                    15














                    It is possible that this reader is one of thse who likes to pair characters in relationships that need not even be telegraphed.



                    There are several ways to do this. Introduce other potential love interests as red herrings. Man dates a couple of them, coming to realize that the first woman is really a better match for him. She has been checking out the cute bartender and dating him. Timing is off, but she sees ex-Jerk and reconsiders.



                    One or both are focusing on careers. No time for socializing except with colleagues - which they are not.



                    A cousin of mine who is reading my piece asked me if my MC and Secondary Protagonist were going to fall in love. I told her that MC thinks any woman worth knowing except for those he works with (who are off limits as colleagues) would run for the hills. Secondary Protagonist likes to dominate her SOs, which she cannot do with the MC, so for them to get together, she has to either grow up or let go of this control issue she has.



                    You could give one or both of your characters personal issues they must resolve before they can connect. Perhaps he wants a wife who will be traditional and realizes that HW will never be that. Later, he sees her as a perfect partner and reassesses his priorities.



                    Maybe one travels and is out of touch. Perhaps HW is pursuing an advanced degree and will not entertain the idea of dating until she has her PHD. Too many old jokes about the MRS degree for her to even let the thought cross her mind.






                    share|improve this answer



























                      15












                      15








                      15







                      It is possible that this reader is one of thse who likes to pair characters in relationships that need not even be telegraphed.



                      There are several ways to do this. Introduce other potential love interests as red herrings. Man dates a couple of them, coming to realize that the first woman is really a better match for him. She has been checking out the cute bartender and dating him. Timing is off, but she sees ex-Jerk and reconsiders.



                      One or both are focusing on careers. No time for socializing except with colleagues - which they are not.



                      A cousin of mine who is reading my piece asked me if my MC and Secondary Protagonist were going to fall in love. I told her that MC thinks any woman worth knowing except for those he works with (who are off limits as colleagues) would run for the hills. Secondary Protagonist likes to dominate her SOs, which she cannot do with the MC, so for them to get together, she has to either grow up or let go of this control issue she has.



                      You could give one or both of your characters personal issues they must resolve before they can connect. Perhaps he wants a wife who will be traditional and realizes that HW will never be that. Later, he sees her as a perfect partner and reassesses his priorities.



                      Maybe one travels and is out of touch. Perhaps HW is pursuing an advanced degree and will not entertain the idea of dating until she has her PHD. Too many old jokes about the MRS degree for her to even let the thought cross her mind.






                      share|improve this answer















                      It is possible that this reader is one of thse who likes to pair characters in relationships that need not even be telegraphed.



                      There are several ways to do this. Introduce other potential love interests as red herrings. Man dates a couple of them, coming to realize that the first woman is really a better match for him. She has been checking out the cute bartender and dating him. Timing is off, but she sees ex-Jerk and reconsiders.



                      One or both are focusing on careers. No time for socializing except with colleagues - which they are not.



                      A cousin of mine who is reading my piece asked me if my MC and Secondary Protagonist were going to fall in love. I told her that MC thinks any woman worth knowing except for those he works with (who are off limits as colleagues) would run for the hills. Secondary Protagonist likes to dominate her SOs, which she cannot do with the MC, so for them to get together, she has to either grow up or let go of this control issue she has.



                      You could give one or both of your characters personal issues they must resolve before they can connect. Perhaps he wants a wife who will be traditional and realizes that HW will never be that. Later, he sees her as a perfect partner and reassesses his priorities.



                      Maybe one travels and is out of touch. Perhaps HW is pursuing an advanced degree and will not entertain the idea of dating until she has her PHD. Too many old jokes about the MRS degree for her to even let the thought cross her mind.







                      share|improve this answer














                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer








                      edited Apr 2 at 20:34

























                      answered Apr 2 at 19:41









                      RasdashanRasdashan

                      9,5931160




                      9,5931160





















                          12














                          If your genre or subgenre is "Romance", then it's ALMOST impossible to do so.



                          What you're presenting is a request for something that romance authors are always trying to do. The only ways to really skirt around people suspecting Alice and Bob will wind up together is as follows:



                          1. Don't genre your story as a romance. People are privy to romance genre tropes and can figure out who is supposed to get together at the end. Even in non-romance stories, people will assume "main guy and main gal", but that can be influenced by how you write other details. Harry Potter...


                            ...had a lot of people suspecting Harry x Hermione at the beginning, but we were shown in the end that wasn't the case. People were looking at it like it'd include a high school romance plotline, and it kiiiinda did, but not quite really. As a result, J.K. Rowling was able to pull the pairings away from the initial assumptions of the audience without it feeling forced, and she could have still left it as Harry x Hermione if she wanted without it feeling too trite. Harry winding up with who he did came as a shock to HH-shippers, but didn't to those who looked at the stories and relationships as they developed.




                          2. Don't push the focus on Alice and Bob. Introduce Caitlin to the story as another main female character in order to split the romantic attention between her and Alice. Even better, Main Boy (MB) is a jerk and Main Girl (MG) is hateful, so include Side Girl (SG) as being the mediating factor. Let MG come across as an antagonist to MB while SG is trying to change MB and help him lighten up. She can even be a friend of MG's and aid in making MG a bit less hateful also. This way you solve the issue of their personalities by having one person who is helping MB and MG take active steps in changing themselves for the better. It is through this that MB and MG can get more exposure to one another and start growing on each other despite you initially writing the story with the idea of convincing the audience MB and SG will be together, but MG is trying to ruin that. People don't expect the hero to wind up with the presumed villain after all. It throws a wrench in both the typical formula and allows for you to surprise the audience.

                          3. Don't write the characters to be romantic towards each other, especially not early on. A lot of people like to assume Monkey D. Luffy will wind up with Robin or Nami in the series One Piece. In reality, Luffy doesn't care about that and will likely not end up in a relationship with anyone when the series inevitably concludes in another 15-50 years. This of course works better with slow-burn romance stories like Let's Play, but as the story goes on, it allows you to adjust who ends up with who based on how the story develops. In Let's Play...


                            we all pretty much know that Sam is going to end up with Markiplier Marshall, but they haven't really had any romantic moments yet. On the other hand, both have had such moments with other characters and it really makes you wonder how they will wind up together in the end. It turns what is a slice-of-life romance story into being, on a meta level, a mystery series as well as the audience tries to predict how Mongie will pull the pairing off. And, who knows, maybe Mongie actually plans on pulling a Harry Potter with the pairings in the end after all?




                          If you want them to wind up together, that's fine. People will try to figure it out in the end, though, because that's how genre-savvy readers are, and the tropes are pretty common now. The best thing you can do is use misinformation from the beginning in order to confuse the audience. At the same time though, you may not be able to pull off the desired pairing by the end of your first book as a side effect. You have to weigh the risks of trying to be sneaky. It may simply be better to just let the audience figure out the pairing from the start and question how you plan on bringing them together in the end.






                          share|improve this answer























                          • "include Side Girl (SG) as being the mediating factor." That's a dead giveaway. (Even, I recognize it, and I try to avoid figuring things out too early when I'm enjoying a plot.)

                            – jpaugh
                            yesterday
















                          12














                          If your genre or subgenre is "Romance", then it's ALMOST impossible to do so.



                          What you're presenting is a request for something that romance authors are always trying to do. The only ways to really skirt around people suspecting Alice and Bob will wind up together is as follows:



                          1. Don't genre your story as a romance. People are privy to romance genre tropes and can figure out who is supposed to get together at the end. Even in non-romance stories, people will assume "main guy and main gal", but that can be influenced by how you write other details. Harry Potter...


                            ...had a lot of people suspecting Harry x Hermione at the beginning, but we were shown in the end that wasn't the case. People were looking at it like it'd include a high school romance plotline, and it kiiiinda did, but not quite really. As a result, J.K. Rowling was able to pull the pairings away from the initial assumptions of the audience without it feeling forced, and she could have still left it as Harry x Hermione if she wanted without it feeling too trite. Harry winding up with who he did came as a shock to HH-shippers, but didn't to those who looked at the stories and relationships as they developed.




                          2. Don't push the focus on Alice and Bob. Introduce Caitlin to the story as another main female character in order to split the romantic attention between her and Alice. Even better, Main Boy (MB) is a jerk and Main Girl (MG) is hateful, so include Side Girl (SG) as being the mediating factor. Let MG come across as an antagonist to MB while SG is trying to change MB and help him lighten up. She can even be a friend of MG's and aid in making MG a bit less hateful also. This way you solve the issue of their personalities by having one person who is helping MB and MG take active steps in changing themselves for the better. It is through this that MB and MG can get more exposure to one another and start growing on each other despite you initially writing the story with the idea of convincing the audience MB and SG will be together, but MG is trying to ruin that. People don't expect the hero to wind up with the presumed villain after all. It throws a wrench in both the typical formula and allows for you to surprise the audience.

                          3. Don't write the characters to be romantic towards each other, especially not early on. A lot of people like to assume Monkey D. Luffy will wind up with Robin or Nami in the series One Piece. In reality, Luffy doesn't care about that and will likely not end up in a relationship with anyone when the series inevitably concludes in another 15-50 years. This of course works better with slow-burn romance stories like Let's Play, but as the story goes on, it allows you to adjust who ends up with who based on how the story develops. In Let's Play...


                            we all pretty much know that Sam is going to end up with Markiplier Marshall, but they haven't really had any romantic moments yet. On the other hand, both have had such moments with other characters and it really makes you wonder how they will wind up together in the end. It turns what is a slice-of-life romance story into being, on a meta level, a mystery series as well as the audience tries to predict how Mongie will pull the pairing off. And, who knows, maybe Mongie actually plans on pulling a Harry Potter with the pairings in the end after all?




                          If you want them to wind up together, that's fine. People will try to figure it out in the end, though, because that's how genre-savvy readers are, and the tropes are pretty common now. The best thing you can do is use misinformation from the beginning in order to confuse the audience. At the same time though, you may not be able to pull off the desired pairing by the end of your first book as a side effect. You have to weigh the risks of trying to be sneaky. It may simply be better to just let the audience figure out the pairing from the start and question how you plan on bringing them together in the end.






                          share|improve this answer























                          • "include Side Girl (SG) as being the mediating factor." That's a dead giveaway. (Even, I recognize it, and I try to avoid figuring things out too early when I'm enjoying a plot.)

                            – jpaugh
                            yesterday














                          12












                          12








                          12







                          If your genre or subgenre is "Romance", then it's ALMOST impossible to do so.



                          What you're presenting is a request for something that romance authors are always trying to do. The only ways to really skirt around people suspecting Alice and Bob will wind up together is as follows:



                          1. Don't genre your story as a romance. People are privy to romance genre tropes and can figure out who is supposed to get together at the end. Even in non-romance stories, people will assume "main guy and main gal", but that can be influenced by how you write other details. Harry Potter...


                            ...had a lot of people suspecting Harry x Hermione at the beginning, but we were shown in the end that wasn't the case. People were looking at it like it'd include a high school romance plotline, and it kiiiinda did, but not quite really. As a result, J.K. Rowling was able to pull the pairings away from the initial assumptions of the audience without it feeling forced, and she could have still left it as Harry x Hermione if she wanted without it feeling too trite. Harry winding up with who he did came as a shock to HH-shippers, but didn't to those who looked at the stories and relationships as they developed.




                          2. Don't push the focus on Alice and Bob. Introduce Caitlin to the story as another main female character in order to split the romantic attention between her and Alice. Even better, Main Boy (MB) is a jerk and Main Girl (MG) is hateful, so include Side Girl (SG) as being the mediating factor. Let MG come across as an antagonist to MB while SG is trying to change MB and help him lighten up. She can even be a friend of MG's and aid in making MG a bit less hateful also. This way you solve the issue of their personalities by having one person who is helping MB and MG take active steps in changing themselves for the better. It is through this that MB and MG can get more exposure to one another and start growing on each other despite you initially writing the story with the idea of convincing the audience MB and SG will be together, but MG is trying to ruin that. People don't expect the hero to wind up with the presumed villain after all. It throws a wrench in both the typical formula and allows for you to surprise the audience.

                          3. Don't write the characters to be romantic towards each other, especially not early on. A lot of people like to assume Monkey D. Luffy will wind up with Robin or Nami in the series One Piece. In reality, Luffy doesn't care about that and will likely not end up in a relationship with anyone when the series inevitably concludes in another 15-50 years. This of course works better with slow-burn romance stories like Let's Play, but as the story goes on, it allows you to adjust who ends up with who based on how the story develops. In Let's Play...


                            we all pretty much know that Sam is going to end up with Markiplier Marshall, but they haven't really had any romantic moments yet. On the other hand, both have had such moments with other characters and it really makes you wonder how they will wind up together in the end. It turns what is a slice-of-life romance story into being, on a meta level, a mystery series as well as the audience tries to predict how Mongie will pull the pairing off. And, who knows, maybe Mongie actually plans on pulling a Harry Potter with the pairings in the end after all?




                          If you want them to wind up together, that's fine. People will try to figure it out in the end, though, because that's how genre-savvy readers are, and the tropes are pretty common now. The best thing you can do is use misinformation from the beginning in order to confuse the audience. At the same time though, you may not be able to pull off the desired pairing by the end of your first book as a side effect. You have to weigh the risks of trying to be sneaky. It may simply be better to just let the audience figure out the pairing from the start and question how you plan on bringing them together in the end.






                          share|improve this answer













                          If your genre or subgenre is "Romance", then it's ALMOST impossible to do so.



                          What you're presenting is a request for something that romance authors are always trying to do. The only ways to really skirt around people suspecting Alice and Bob will wind up together is as follows:



                          1. Don't genre your story as a romance. People are privy to romance genre tropes and can figure out who is supposed to get together at the end. Even in non-romance stories, people will assume "main guy and main gal", but that can be influenced by how you write other details. Harry Potter...


                            ...had a lot of people suspecting Harry x Hermione at the beginning, but we were shown in the end that wasn't the case. People were looking at it like it'd include a high school romance plotline, and it kiiiinda did, but not quite really. As a result, J.K. Rowling was able to pull the pairings away from the initial assumptions of the audience without it feeling forced, and she could have still left it as Harry x Hermione if she wanted without it feeling too trite. Harry winding up with who he did came as a shock to HH-shippers, but didn't to those who looked at the stories and relationships as they developed.




                          2. Don't push the focus on Alice and Bob. Introduce Caitlin to the story as another main female character in order to split the romantic attention between her and Alice. Even better, Main Boy (MB) is a jerk and Main Girl (MG) is hateful, so include Side Girl (SG) as being the mediating factor. Let MG come across as an antagonist to MB while SG is trying to change MB and help him lighten up. She can even be a friend of MG's and aid in making MG a bit less hateful also. This way you solve the issue of their personalities by having one person who is helping MB and MG take active steps in changing themselves for the better. It is through this that MB and MG can get more exposure to one another and start growing on each other despite you initially writing the story with the idea of convincing the audience MB and SG will be together, but MG is trying to ruin that. People don't expect the hero to wind up with the presumed villain after all. It throws a wrench in both the typical formula and allows for you to surprise the audience.

                          3. Don't write the characters to be romantic towards each other, especially not early on. A lot of people like to assume Monkey D. Luffy will wind up with Robin or Nami in the series One Piece. In reality, Luffy doesn't care about that and will likely not end up in a relationship with anyone when the series inevitably concludes in another 15-50 years. This of course works better with slow-burn romance stories like Let's Play, but as the story goes on, it allows you to adjust who ends up with who based on how the story develops. In Let's Play...


                            we all pretty much know that Sam is going to end up with Markiplier Marshall, but they haven't really had any romantic moments yet. On the other hand, both have had such moments with other characters and it really makes you wonder how they will wind up together in the end. It turns what is a slice-of-life romance story into being, on a meta level, a mystery series as well as the audience tries to predict how Mongie will pull the pairing off. And, who knows, maybe Mongie actually plans on pulling a Harry Potter with the pairings in the end after all?




                          If you want them to wind up together, that's fine. People will try to figure it out in the end, though, because that's how genre-savvy readers are, and the tropes are pretty common now. The best thing you can do is use misinformation from the beginning in order to confuse the audience. At the same time though, you may not be able to pull off the desired pairing by the end of your first book as a side effect. You have to weigh the risks of trying to be sneaky. It may simply be better to just let the audience figure out the pairing from the start and question how you plan on bringing them together in the end.







                          share|improve this answer












                          share|improve this answer



                          share|improve this answer










                          answered Apr 3 at 1:33









                          Sora TamashiiSora Tamashii

                          2,339217




                          2,339217












                          • "include Side Girl (SG) as being the mediating factor." That's a dead giveaway. (Even, I recognize it, and I try to avoid figuring things out too early when I'm enjoying a plot.)

                            – jpaugh
                            yesterday


















                          • "include Side Girl (SG) as being the mediating factor." That's a dead giveaway. (Even, I recognize it, and I try to avoid figuring things out too early when I'm enjoying a plot.)

                            – jpaugh
                            yesterday

















                          "include Side Girl (SG) as being the mediating factor." That's a dead giveaway. (Even, I recognize it, and I try to avoid figuring things out too early when I'm enjoying a plot.)

                          – jpaugh
                          yesterday






                          "include Side Girl (SG) as being the mediating factor." That's a dead giveaway. (Even, I recognize it, and I try to avoid figuring things out too early when I'm enjoying a plot.)

                          – jpaugh
                          yesterday












                          8














                          Pride and Prejudice – After a very brief encounter that goes badly, the MC Elizabeth spends the entire novel explaining why she won't get married, thinks all her sisters and friends are simps or sellouts for chasing men, and how she can't stand Mr Darcy specifically for being such a prejudiced snob. The first 3/4ths of the novel only compound and affirm Elizabeth's reasons.



                          The novel is sympathetic to the MC's intelligence and independence, but also towards the nice sister who is sweet but passive and without agency. The novel also clearly shows the man-chasing women as ridiculous or mean. Meanwhile, "real love" is something that gets discarded for security (her best friend), or is exploited for financial gain (almost every other relationship). While the male characters are not very substantial, the many female characters present a range of approaches to love and marriage, all of which seem flawed. The novel is firmly on Elizabeth's side criticizing romance – it's viewed as satire, but it's really something more: almost a compendium of how marriage is about everything except honest love.



                          The twist is not that Darcy and Elizabeth get together, instead the twist is that Elizabeth is confronted by evidence that she is the one whose pride and prejudice has caused her to misread the situation. By doubling-down on her dislike for Darcy, she elevated the real villain Wickham, who is Darcy's enemy. But knowing the truth doesn't lead to them instantly getting together, rather this self-realization feels like the climax of the novel. Had she acted differently, it's unlikely she would have prevented the events in the novel or the other women's scheming. She probably still would have thought Darcy is a snob, but her sympathies would have been completely turned around.



                          It's not a "Hero's Journey" of leveling up through experience, it's an "Inanna's Journey" of being stripped of her "pride and prejudice" – her whole value system. She's happy that one relationship is working out for her "good" sister, but Elizabeth knows that was just luck and "feminine attributes" like beauty and passivity. Lizzie's best option would be to settle (like her friend) but seeing as how she's already turned that down her prospects are at zero.



                          Elizabeth doesn't "win the millionaire" until she is confronted by the powerful aunt who controls Darcy's fortune. Her habitual (opinionated) nature kicks in, and she refuses to be a simp or a schemer, but she doesn't allow her pride (and prejudice) to shut down possibilities either. Smarter and wiser through her shared experience with the other young women, Elizabeth realizes she can't control what will happen or how other people will behave, she can only be honest with herself. It's this wiser, less-reactionary identity that makes her truly independent, and sets her apart from all the other women in the story.



                          Conveniently, this is the exact character trait that attracts Darcy so it all works out in the end, but that's the structure of an Inanna's Journey: Elizabeth is left with only the things that matter, after everything else has been stripped away. The climactic confrontation with the aunt isn't treated as a triumphant turn, instead Lizzie feels like "her nose is being rubbed in it", it's her lowest point. After declaring for so long how she can't stand Darcy, everyone in the novel, her family included, conspire to keep them apart. Even after their engagement, no one congratulates her. In comic reversal, her family believes the worst possible thing has happened to her.






                          share|improve this answer





























                            8














                            Pride and Prejudice – After a very brief encounter that goes badly, the MC Elizabeth spends the entire novel explaining why she won't get married, thinks all her sisters and friends are simps or sellouts for chasing men, and how she can't stand Mr Darcy specifically for being such a prejudiced snob. The first 3/4ths of the novel only compound and affirm Elizabeth's reasons.



                            The novel is sympathetic to the MC's intelligence and independence, but also towards the nice sister who is sweet but passive and without agency. The novel also clearly shows the man-chasing women as ridiculous or mean. Meanwhile, "real love" is something that gets discarded for security (her best friend), or is exploited for financial gain (almost every other relationship). While the male characters are not very substantial, the many female characters present a range of approaches to love and marriage, all of which seem flawed. The novel is firmly on Elizabeth's side criticizing romance – it's viewed as satire, but it's really something more: almost a compendium of how marriage is about everything except honest love.



                            The twist is not that Darcy and Elizabeth get together, instead the twist is that Elizabeth is confronted by evidence that she is the one whose pride and prejudice has caused her to misread the situation. By doubling-down on her dislike for Darcy, she elevated the real villain Wickham, who is Darcy's enemy. But knowing the truth doesn't lead to them instantly getting together, rather this self-realization feels like the climax of the novel. Had she acted differently, it's unlikely she would have prevented the events in the novel or the other women's scheming. She probably still would have thought Darcy is a snob, but her sympathies would have been completely turned around.



                            It's not a "Hero's Journey" of leveling up through experience, it's an "Inanna's Journey" of being stripped of her "pride and prejudice" – her whole value system. She's happy that one relationship is working out for her "good" sister, but Elizabeth knows that was just luck and "feminine attributes" like beauty and passivity. Lizzie's best option would be to settle (like her friend) but seeing as how she's already turned that down her prospects are at zero.



                            Elizabeth doesn't "win the millionaire" until she is confronted by the powerful aunt who controls Darcy's fortune. Her habitual (opinionated) nature kicks in, and she refuses to be a simp or a schemer, but she doesn't allow her pride (and prejudice) to shut down possibilities either. Smarter and wiser through her shared experience with the other young women, Elizabeth realizes she can't control what will happen or how other people will behave, she can only be honest with herself. It's this wiser, less-reactionary identity that makes her truly independent, and sets her apart from all the other women in the story.



                            Conveniently, this is the exact character trait that attracts Darcy so it all works out in the end, but that's the structure of an Inanna's Journey: Elizabeth is left with only the things that matter, after everything else has been stripped away. The climactic confrontation with the aunt isn't treated as a triumphant turn, instead Lizzie feels like "her nose is being rubbed in it", it's her lowest point. After declaring for so long how she can't stand Darcy, everyone in the novel, her family included, conspire to keep them apart. Even after their engagement, no one congratulates her. In comic reversal, her family believes the worst possible thing has happened to her.






                            share|improve this answer



























                              8












                              8








                              8







                              Pride and Prejudice – After a very brief encounter that goes badly, the MC Elizabeth spends the entire novel explaining why she won't get married, thinks all her sisters and friends are simps or sellouts for chasing men, and how she can't stand Mr Darcy specifically for being such a prejudiced snob. The first 3/4ths of the novel only compound and affirm Elizabeth's reasons.



                              The novel is sympathetic to the MC's intelligence and independence, but also towards the nice sister who is sweet but passive and without agency. The novel also clearly shows the man-chasing women as ridiculous or mean. Meanwhile, "real love" is something that gets discarded for security (her best friend), or is exploited for financial gain (almost every other relationship). While the male characters are not very substantial, the many female characters present a range of approaches to love and marriage, all of which seem flawed. The novel is firmly on Elizabeth's side criticizing romance – it's viewed as satire, but it's really something more: almost a compendium of how marriage is about everything except honest love.



                              The twist is not that Darcy and Elizabeth get together, instead the twist is that Elizabeth is confronted by evidence that she is the one whose pride and prejudice has caused her to misread the situation. By doubling-down on her dislike for Darcy, she elevated the real villain Wickham, who is Darcy's enemy. But knowing the truth doesn't lead to them instantly getting together, rather this self-realization feels like the climax of the novel. Had she acted differently, it's unlikely she would have prevented the events in the novel or the other women's scheming. She probably still would have thought Darcy is a snob, but her sympathies would have been completely turned around.



                              It's not a "Hero's Journey" of leveling up through experience, it's an "Inanna's Journey" of being stripped of her "pride and prejudice" – her whole value system. She's happy that one relationship is working out for her "good" sister, but Elizabeth knows that was just luck and "feminine attributes" like beauty and passivity. Lizzie's best option would be to settle (like her friend) but seeing as how she's already turned that down her prospects are at zero.



                              Elizabeth doesn't "win the millionaire" until she is confronted by the powerful aunt who controls Darcy's fortune. Her habitual (opinionated) nature kicks in, and she refuses to be a simp or a schemer, but she doesn't allow her pride (and prejudice) to shut down possibilities either. Smarter and wiser through her shared experience with the other young women, Elizabeth realizes she can't control what will happen or how other people will behave, she can only be honest with herself. It's this wiser, less-reactionary identity that makes her truly independent, and sets her apart from all the other women in the story.



                              Conveniently, this is the exact character trait that attracts Darcy so it all works out in the end, but that's the structure of an Inanna's Journey: Elizabeth is left with only the things that matter, after everything else has been stripped away. The climactic confrontation with the aunt isn't treated as a triumphant turn, instead Lizzie feels like "her nose is being rubbed in it", it's her lowest point. After declaring for so long how she can't stand Darcy, everyone in the novel, her family included, conspire to keep them apart. Even after their engagement, no one congratulates her. In comic reversal, her family believes the worst possible thing has happened to her.






                              share|improve this answer















                              Pride and Prejudice – After a very brief encounter that goes badly, the MC Elizabeth spends the entire novel explaining why she won't get married, thinks all her sisters and friends are simps or sellouts for chasing men, and how she can't stand Mr Darcy specifically for being such a prejudiced snob. The first 3/4ths of the novel only compound and affirm Elizabeth's reasons.



                              The novel is sympathetic to the MC's intelligence and independence, but also towards the nice sister who is sweet but passive and without agency. The novel also clearly shows the man-chasing women as ridiculous or mean. Meanwhile, "real love" is something that gets discarded for security (her best friend), or is exploited for financial gain (almost every other relationship). While the male characters are not very substantial, the many female characters present a range of approaches to love and marriage, all of which seem flawed. The novel is firmly on Elizabeth's side criticizing romance – it's viewed as satire, but it's really something more: almost a compendium of how marriage is about everything except honest love.



                              The twist is not that Darcy and Elizabeth get together, instead the twist is that Elizabeth is confronted by evidence that she is the one whose pride and prejudice has caused her to misread the situation. By doubling-down on her dislike for Darcy, she elevated the real villain Wickham, who is Darcy's enemy. But knowing the truth doesn't lead to them instantly getting together, rather this self-realization feels like the climax of the novel. Had she acted differently, it's unlikely she would have prevented the events in the novel or the other women's scheming. She probably still would have thought Darcy is a snob, but her sympathies would have been completely turned around.



                              It's not a "Hero's Journey" of leveling up through experience, it's an "Inanna's Journey" of being stripped of her "pride and prejudice" – her whole value system. She's happy that one relationship is working out for her "good" sister, but Elizabeth knows that was just luck and "feminine attributes" like beauty and passivity. Lizzie's best option would be to settle (like her friend) but seeing as how she's already turned that down her prospects are at zero.



                              Elizabeth doesn't "win the millionaire" until she is confronted by the powerful aunt who controls Darcy's fortune. Her habitual (opinionated) nature kicks in, and she refuses to be a simp or a schemer, but she doesn't allow her pride (and prejudice) to shut down possibilities either. Smarter and wiser through her shared experience with the other young women, Elizabeth realizes she can't control what will happen or how other people will behave, she can only be honest with herself. It's this wiser, less-reactionary identity that makes her truly independent, and sets her apart from all the other women in the story.



                              Conveniently, this is the exact character trait that attracts Darcy so it all works out in the end, but that's the structure of an Inanna's Journey: Elizabeth is left with only the things that matter, after everything else has been stripped away. The climactic confrontation with the aunt isn't treated as a triumphant turn, instead Lizzie feels like "her nose is being rubbed in it", it's her lowest point. After declaring for so long how she can't stand Darcy, everyone in the novel, her family included, conspire to keep them apart. Even after their engagement, no one congratulates her. In comic reversal, her family believes the worst possible thing has happened to her.







                              share|improve this answer














                              share|improve this answer



                              share|improve this answer








                              edited Apr 3 at 13:26

























                              answered Apr 3 at 12:14









                              wetcircuitwetcircuit

                              14.2k22464




                              14.2k22464





















                                  6














                                  Embrace it instead, and make the reader suffer for having even thought of it



                                  What you have there is a reader's commitment to a goal. They expect two characters to get together from page 1, and in the first few pages you should perhaps give them some hints that it may occur. Once the reader is emotionally invested in it, rooting for this particular outcome, don't deliver it. Put struggles, doubts, conflict, issues, anything to make it harder and harder; at the same time make it clear "how great it would have been if they had been together".



                                  Et voilà. You used a trope to engage your reader, but you didn't step immediately into it, perhaps you won't step into it at all. You can use it to propel your story forward, and recall it wisely with some false alarms to awaken the reader's attention every now and then. Just because a trope exists it is not necessarily a bad thing to exploit the expectations it creates.






                                  share|improve this answer



























                                    6














                                    Embrace it instead, and make the reader suffer for having even thought of it



                                    What you have there is a reader's commitment to a goal. They expect two characters to get together from page 1, and in the first few pages you should perhaps give them some hints that it may occur. Once the reader is emotionally invested in it, rooting for this particular outcome, don't deliver it. Put struggles, doubts, conflict, issues, anything to make it harder and harder; at the same time make it clear "how great it would have been if they had been together".



                                    Et voilà. You used a trope to engage your reader, but you didn't step immediately into it, perhaps you won't step into it at all. You can use it to propel your story forward, and recall it wisely with some false alarms to awaken the reader's attention every now and then. Just because a trope exists it is not necessarily a bad thing to exploit the expectations it creates.






                                    share|improve this answer

























                                      6












                                      6








                                      6







                                      Embrace it instead, and make the reader suffer for having even thought of it



                                      What you have there is a reader's commitment to a goal. They expect two characters to get together from page 1, and in the first few pages you should perhaps give them some hints that it may occur. Once the reader is emotionally invested in it, rooting for this particular outcome, don't deliver it. Put struggles, doubts, conflict, issues, anything to make it harder and harder; at the same time make it clear "how great it would have been if they had been together".



                                      Et voilà. You used a trope to engage your reader, but you didn't step immediately into it, perhaps you won't step into it at all. You can use it to propel your story forward, and recall it wisely with some false alarms to awaken the reader's attention every now and then. Just because a trope exists it is not necessarily a bad thing to exploit the expectations it creates.






                                      share|improve this answer













                                      Embrace it instead, and make the reader suffer for having even thought of it



                                      What you have there is a reader's commitment to a goal. They expect two characters to get together from page 1, and in the first few pages you should perhaps give them some hints that it may occur. Once the reader is emotionally invested in it, rooting for this particular outcome, don't deliver it. Put struggles, doubts, conflict, issues, anything to make it harder and harder; at the same time make it clear "how great it would have been if they had been together".



                                      Et voilà. You used a trope to engage your reader, but you didn't step immediately into it, perhaps you won't step into it at all. You can use it to propel your story forward, and recall it wisely with some false alarms to awaken the reader's attention every now and then. Just because a trope exists it is not necessarily a bad thing to exploit the expectations it creates.







                                      share|improve this answer












                                      share|improve this answer



                                      share|improve this answer










                                      answered Apr 3 at 8:51









                                      NofPNofP

                                      3,042224




                                      3,042224





















                                          3















                                          He was a boy

                                          She was a girl

                                          Can I make it any more obvious?



                                          -Sk8er Boi, Avril Lavigne




                                          Romance is deeply ingrained into Western literature



                                          Audiences have been trained to expect that if there are two primary characters of opposite genders, they will end up in a romantic relationship, no matter their starting attitudes. This is backed up by centuries of literature, and is not an assumption that can easily be shaken.



                                          "The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference."



                                          -Elie Wiesel



                                          Romance is fueled by strong emotions. Hate and dislike are just as strong as attraction and affection, even if they're coming from the opposite direction. Indifference is much more effective at appearing unromantic than opposition is.



                                          Add other characters and romantic false leads



                                          If there are two main characters, readers will assume that they will end up together. But if there are many characters of similar importance, mapping the romantic arcs becomes a lot more complicated, and you'll have a much greater chance of slipping a slow burn by your readers.



                                          If the character that you plan to end up together start out in relationships with other people, that can deepen the effect. Be careful when doing this, though. I've read a series (name omitted to avoid spoilers) where an early romantic arc was completely ruined for me because a later romance was telegraphed too obviously, and I spent all of the first romance waiting for it to end so that they could move on to the 'real' romance. Obviously, you want to avoid that.



                                          There are other ways you can indicate a non-romance, but those are largely unavailable to you



                                          Incompatible orientations (i.e. make one of the characters gay), familial affection (even if they're not actually related), and similar tricks can make it clear that a pair will never be in a romantic relationship. That said, these tools work by indicating that the romance in question is impossible, and later introducing that romance would be a betrayal of your readers, so they mostly don't work in this case.



                                          If you're really good, you might lead your readers into assuming that one of the characters is gay (when in fact they're actually bi or pan), but be very, very careful when doing something like this. Tricking the readers is fine, but lying to them makes readers extremely unhappy. And the author doesn't always get to decide the difference.



                                          No matter what you do, some readers will ship them



                                          If Harry Potter fanfic has taught us anything, it's that given enough readers, everything gets shipped. No matter how many false leads you try to lay, some people will pair them together.



                                          The trick is not to make these readers think that the pair won't happen, but to instill enough doubt that they are extremely excited once they discover that it is happening.






                                          share|improve this answer



























                                            3















                                            He was a boy

                                            She was a girl

                                            Can I make it any more obvious?



                                            -Sk8er Boi, Avril Lavigne




                                            Romance is deeply ingrained into Western literature



                                            Audiences have been trained to expect that if there are two primary characters of opposite genders, they will end up in a romantic relationship, no matter their starting attitudes. This is backed up by centuries of literature, and is not an assumption that can easily be shaken.



                                            "The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference."



                                            -Elie Wiesel



                                            Romance is fueled by strong emotions. Hate and dislike are just as strong as attraction and affection, even if they're coming from the opposite direction. Indifference is much more effective at appearing unromantic than opposition is.



                                            Add other characters and romantic false leads



                                            If there are two main characters, readers will assume that they will end up together. But if there are many characters of similar importance, mapping the romantic arcs becomes a lot more complicated, and you'll have a much greater chance of slipping a slow burn by your readers.



                                            If the character that you plan to end up together start out in relationships with other people, that can deepen the effect. Be careful when doing this, though. I've read a series (name omitted to avoid spoilers) where an early romantic arc was completely ruined for me because a later romance was telegraphed too obviously, and I spent all of the first romance waiting for it to end so that they could move on to the 'real' romance. Obviously, you want to avoid that.



                                            There are other ways you can indicate a non-romance, but those are largely unavailable to you



                                            Incompatible orientations (i.e. make one of the characters gay), familial affection (even if they're not actually related), and similar tricks can make it clear that a pair will never be in a romantic relationship. That said, these tools work by indicating that the romance in question is impossible, and later introducing that romance would be a betrayal of your readers, so they mostly don't work in this case.



                                            If you're really good, you might lead your readers into assuming that one of the characters is gay (when in fact they're actually bi or pan), but be very, very careful when doing something like this. Tricking the readers is fine, but lying to them makes readers extremely unhappy. And the author doesn't always get to decide the difference.



                                            No matter what you do, some readers will ship them



                                            If Harry Potter fanfic has taught us anything, it's that given enough readers, everything gets shipped. No matter how many false leads you try to lay, some people will pair them together.



                                            The trick is not to make these readers think that the pair won't happen, but to instill enough doubt that they are extremely excited once they discover that it is happening.






                                            share|improve this answer

























                                              3












                                              3








                                              3








                                              He was a boy

                                              She was a girl

                                              Can I make it any more obvious?



                                              -Sk8er Boi, Avril Lavigne




                                              Romance is deeply ingrained into Western literature



                                              Audiences have been trained to expect that if there are two primary characters of opposite genders, they will end up in a romantic relationship, no matter their starting attitudes. This is backed up by centuries of literature, and is not an assumption that can easily be shaken.



                                              "The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference."



                                              -Elie Wiesel



                                              Romance is fueled by strong emotions. Hate and dislike are just as strong as attraction and affection, even if they're coming from the opposite direction. Indifference is much more effective at appearing unromantic than opposition is.



                                              Add other characters and romantic false leads



                                              If there are two main characters, readers will assume that they will end up together. But if there are many characters of similar importance, mapping the romantic arcs becomes a lot more complicated, and you'll have a much greater chance of slipping a slow burn by your readers.



                                              If the character that you plan to end up together start out in relationships with other people, that can deepen the effect. Be careful when doing this, though. I've read a series (name omitted to avoid spoilers) where an early romantic arc was completely ruined for me because a later romance was telegraphed too obviously, and I spent all of the first romance waiting for it to end so that they could move on to the 'real' romance. Obviously, you want to avoid that.



                                              There are other ways you can indicate a non-romance, but those are largely unavailable to you



                                              Incompatible orientations (i.e. make one of the characters gay), familial affection (even if they're not actually related), and similar tricks can make it clear that a pair will never be in a romantic relationship. That said, these tools work by indicating that the romance in question is impossible, and later introducing that romance would be a betrayal of your readers, so they mostly don't work in this case.



                                              If you're really good, you might lead your readers into assuming that one of the characters is gay (when in fact they're actually bi or pan), but be very, very careful when doing something like this. Tricking the readers is fine, but lying to them makes readers extremely unhappy. And the author doesn't always get to decide the difference.



                                              No matter what you do, some readers will ship them



                                              If Harry Potter fanfic has taught us anything, it's that given enough readers, everything gets shipped. No matter how many false leads you try to lay, some people will pair them together.



                                              The trick is not to make these readers think that the pair won't happen, but to instill enough doubt that they are extremely excited once they discover that it is happening.






                                              share|improve this answer














                                              He was a boy

                                              She was a girl

                                              Can I make it any more obvious?



                                              -Sk8er Boi, Avril Lavigne




                                              Romance is deeply ingrained into Western literature



                                              Audiences have been trained to expect that if there are two primary characters of opposite genders, they will end up in a romantic relationship, no matter their starting attitudes. This is backed up by centuries of literature, and is not an assumption that can easily be shaken.



                                              "The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference."



                                              -Elie Wiesel



                                              Romance is fueled by strong emotions. Hate and dislike are just as strong as attraction and affection, even if they're coming from the opposite direction. Indifference is much more effective at appearing unromantic than opposition is.



                                              Add other characters and romantic false leads



                                              If there are two main characters, readers will assume that they will end up together. But if there are many characters of similar importance, mapping the romantic arcs becomes a lot more complicated, and you'll have a much greater chance of slipping a slow burn by your readers.



                                              If the character that you plan to end up together start out in relationships with other people, that can deepen the effect. Be careful when doing this, though. I've read a series (name omitted to avoid spoilers) where an early romantic arc was completely ruined for me because a later romance was telegraphed too obviously, and I spent all of the first romance waiting for it to end so that they could move on to the 'real' romance. Obviously, you want to avoid that.



                                              There are other ways you can indicate a non-romance, but those are largely unavailable to you



                                              Incompatible orientations (i.e. make one of the characters gay), familial affection (even if they're not actually related), and similar tricks can make it clear that a pair will never be in a romantic relationship. That said, these tools work by indicating that the romance in question is impossible, and later introducing that romance would be a betrayal of your readers, so they mostly don't work in this case.



                                              If you're really good, you might lead your readers into assuming that one of the characters is gay (when in fact they're actually bi or pan), but be very, very careful when doing something like this. Tricking the readers is fine, but lying to them makes readers extremely unhappy. And the author doesn't always get to decide the difference.



                                              No matter what you do, some readers will ship them



                                              If Harry Potter fanfic has taught us anything, it's that given enough readers, everything gets shipped. No matter how many false leads you try to lay, some people will pair them together.



                                              The trick is not to make these readers think that the pair won't happen, but to instill enough doubt that they are extremely excited once they discover that it is happening.







                                              share|improve this answer












                                              share|improve this answer



                                              share|improve this answer










                                              answered 2 days ago









                                              Arcanist LupusArcanist Lupus

                                              6,9681129




                                              6,9681129





















                                                  2














                                                  Have them go out and have sex, then break up over something significant. Have the relationship itself seem unpleasant enough that it seems like a bad idea for them to revisit it later. Then let their mutual character development later eventually make that relationship not such a bad idea after all, and let that development sneak up on the narrative.



                                                  tl;dr snap the sexual tension right at the get-go. It'll fade into the backdrop.






                                                  share|improve this answer








                                                  New contributor




                                                  Regress.arg is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.
























                                                    2














                                                    Have them go out and have sex, then break up over something significant. Have the relationship itself seem unpleasant enough that it seems like a bad idea for them to revisit it later. Then let their mutual character development later eventually make that relationship not such a bad idea after all, and let that development sneak up on the narrative.



                                                    tl;dr snap the sexual tension right at the get-go. It'll fade into the backdrop.






                                                    share|improve this answer








                                                    New contributor




                                                    Regress.arg is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                    Check out our Code of Conduct.






















                                                      2












                                                      2








                                                      2







                                                      Have them go out and have sex, then break up over something significant. Have the relationship itself seem unpleasant enough that it seems like a bad idea for them to revisit it later. Then let their mutual character development later eventually make that relationship not such a bad idea after all, and let that development sneak up on the narrative.



                                                      tl;dr snap the sexual tension right at the get-go. It'll fade into the backdrop.






                                                      share|improve this answer








                                                      New contributor




                                                      Regress.arg is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.










                                                      Have them go out and have sex, then break up over something significant. Have the relationship itself seem unpleasant enough that it seems like a bad idea for them to revisit it later. Then let their mutual character development later eventually make that relationship not such a bad idea after all, and let that development sneak up on the narrative.



                                                      tl;dr snap the sexual tension right at the get-go. It'll fade into the backdrop.







                                                      share|improve this answer








                                                      New contributor




                                                      Regress.arg is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                                      share|improve this answer



                                                      share|improve this answer






                                                      New contributor




                                                      Regress.arg is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                                      answered Apr 3 at 17:39









                                                      Regress.argRegress.arg

                                                      1291




                                                      1291




                                                      New contributor




                                                      Regress.arg is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.





                                                      New contributor





                                                      Regress.arg is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.






                                                      Regress.arg is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.





















                                                          2














                                                          One possible answer might be to forge through the question immediately with a conclusion, so that you can redress the question later, unexpectedly. That is, don't skirt around the issue - plow through it and treat it as done with.



                                                          As a teen growing up, the thought of 'could this person be my future partner' always crossed my mind at least once with every acquaintance, regardless of attraction. Sometimes the answer was an immediate no, sometimes it was less certain. My wife confirms this happened with herself.



                                                          So it's highly believable your characters would ask themselves if they are attracted to the other at some stage, and you can have them draw conclusions - either (in their mind) permanent or fluid. Conclusions which they, as normal human beings, may change their mind on later.






                                                          share|improve this answer








                                                          New contributor




                                                          Matman Brock is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.
























                                                            2














                                                            One possible answer might be to forge through the question immediately with a conclusion, so that you can redress the question later, unexpectedly. That is, don't skirt around the issue - plow through it and treat it as done with.



                                                            As a teen growing up, the thought of 'could this person be my future partner' always crossed my mind at least once with every acquaintance, regardless of attraction. Sometimes the answer was an immediate no, sometimes it was less certain. My wife confirms this happened with herself.



                                                            So it's highly believable your characters would ask themselves if they are attracted to the other at some stage, and you can have them draw conclusions - either (in their mind) permanent or fluid. Conclusions which they, as normal human beings, may change their mind on later.






                                                            share|improve this answer








                                                            New contributor




                                                            Matman Brock is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                            Check out our Code of Conduct.






















                                                              2












                                                              2








                                                              2







                                                              One possible answer might be to forge through the question immediately with a conclusion, so that you can redress the question later, unexpectedly. That is, don't skirt around the issue - plow through it and treat it as done with.



                                                              As a teen growing up, the thought of 'could this person be my future partner' always crossed my mind at least once with every acquaintance, regardless of attraction. Sometimes the answer was an immediate no, sometimes it was less certain. My wife confirms this happened with herself.



                                                              So it's highly believable your characters would ask themselves if they are attracted to the other at some stage, and you can have them draw conclusions - either (in their mind) permanent or fluid. Conclusions which they, as normal human beings, may change their mind on later.






                                                              share|improve this answer








                                                              New contributor




                                                              Matman Brock is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.










                                                              One possible answer might be to forge through the question immediately with a conclusion, so that you can redress the question later, unexpectedly. That is, don't skirt around the issue - plow through it and treat it as done with.



                                                              As a teen growing up, the thought of 'could this person be my future partner' always crossed my mind at least once with every acquaintance, regardless of attraction. Sometimes the answer was an immediate no, sometimes it was less certain. My wife confirms this happened with herself.



                                                              So it's highly believable your characters would ask themselves if they are attracted to the other at some stage, and you can have them draw conclusions - either (in their mind) permanent or fluid. Conclusions which they, as normal human beings, may change their mind on later.







                                                              share|improve this answer








                                                              New contributor




                                                              Matman Brock is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                                              share|improve this answer



                                                              share|improve this answer






                                                              New contributor




                                                              Matman Brock is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                                              answered Apr 3 at 20:38









                                                              Matman BrockMatman Brock

                                                              211




                                                              211




                                                              New contributor




                                                              Matman Brock is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.





                                                              New contributor





                                                              Matman Brock is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.






                                                              Matman Brock is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.





















                                                                  2














                                                                  All these answers are great, but if I could maybe give a more general suggestion: I think you need to set up an obstacle between them that's so significant the reader doesn't consider that the romance could ever be possible.



                                                                  The barrier could be anything: Their two families are at war; She's a mermaid, he's a human; She's a Republican, he's a Democrat; whatever. Then then the challenge of course is to find a way to believably remove that obstacle.



                                                                  The bonus is that even if the reader does see the romance coming, they will also enjoy seeing how that relationship barrier is removed.






                                                                  share|improve this answer








                                                                  New contributor




                                                                  pseudodennis is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.
























                                                                    2














                                                                    All these answers are great, but if I could maybe give a more general suggestion: I think you need to set up an obstacle between them that's so significant the reader doesn't consider that the romance could ever be possible.



                                                                    The barrier could be anything: Their two families are at war; She's a mermaid, he's a human; She's a Republican, he's a Democrat; whatever. Then then the challenge of course is to find a way to believably remove that obstacle.



                                                                    The bonus is that even if the reader does see the romance coming, they will also enjoy seeing how that relationship barrier is removed.






                                                                    share|improve this answer








                                                                    New contributor




                                                                    pseudodennis is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                    Check out our Code of Conduct.






















                                                                      2












                                                                      2








                                                                      2







                                                                      All these answers are great, but if I could maybe give a more general suggestion: I think you need to set up an obstacle between them that's so significant the reader doesn't consider that the romance could ever be possible.



                                                                      The barrier could be anything: Their two families are at war; She's a mermaid, he's a human; She's a Republican, he's a Democrat; whatever. Then then the challenge of course is to find a way to believably remove that obstacle.



                                                                      The bonus is that even if the reader does see the romance coming, they will also enjoy seeing how that relationship barrier is removed.






                                                                      share|improve this answer








                                                                      New contributor




                                                                      pseudodennis is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.










                                                                      All these answers are great, but if I could maybe give a more general suggestion: I think you need to set up an obstacle between them that's so significant the reader doesn't consider that the romance could ever be possible.



                                                                      The barrier could be anything: Their two families are at war; She's a mermaid, he's a human; She's a Republican, he's a Democrat; whatever. Then then the challenge of course is to find a way to believably remove that obstacle.



                                                                      The bonus is that even if the reader does see the romance coming, they will also enjoy seeing how that relationship barrier is removed.







                                                                      share|improve this answer








                                                                      New contributor




                                                                      pseudodennis is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                                                      share|improve this answer



                                                                      share|improve this answer






                                                                      New contributor




                                                                      pseudodennis is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                                                      answered 2 days ago









                                                                      pseudodennispseudodennis

                                                                      211




                                                                      211




                                                                      New contributor




                                                                      pseudodennis is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.





                                                                      New contributor





                                                                      pseudodennis is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.






                                                                      pseudodennis is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                      Check out our Code of Conduct.





















                                                                          2














                                                                          You can prevent love, just like many sci-fi fictions, otherwise you should prevent trope, not love. But how? Well, you should know these tropes first, that's why authors keep reading, then avoid them.



                                                                          First.



                                                                          It is not necessarily a bad thing that readers guessed their love. Of course, we need add unexpected.



                                                                          The 1st chapter



                                                                          How many characters are introduced in the beginning? If two, well, even two man or two woman, we would doubt they will mess... That is the opening of adult movies.



                                                                          I would just introduce one protagonist, then people around he/she. Or, I will write a bunch of people to introduce the background of the story, these characters won't appear beyond 2nd chapters, how the readers are able to guess the love when the protagonist have not yet performed?



                                                                          Character later



                                                                          Try to set up a hook first, in many drama, there is a mini story/scene/plot in the beginning to attract the audience. This scene keeps the readers away from the boring daily life, including romantic tropes.



                                                                          Try to give the mood/background/story first could avoid some tropes.



                                                                          Character inner



                                                                          Sooner or later, we have to let our boys and girls on the stage, if we can make readers believe these characters are live, they have their ideas. It would be hard to predicate them.



                                                                          It should be combined with the plot, if our story is just office works, schooling, drinking coffee, the romantic is inevitable, what else after all. If they are running away from zombies, they don't have time to fall in love even they are well-matched.






                                                                          share|improve this answer










                                                                          New contributor




                                                                          Jacob is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.















                                                                          • 1





                                                                            Welcome to Writing.SE! I'm afraid I don't see how this answers the question. OP wants to know how to avoid making it obvious that two characters are going to fall in love by the end of the novel. Could you explain how they could do that?

                                                                            – F1Krazy
                                                                            Apr 3 at 11:11















                                                                          2














                                                                          You can prevent love, just like many sci-fi fictions, otherwise you should prevent trope, not love. But how? Well, you should know these tropes first, that's why authors keep reading, then avoid them.



                                                                          First.



                                                                          It is not necessarily a bad thing that readers guessed their love. Of course, we need add unexpected.



                                                                          The 1st chapter



                                                                          How many characters are introduced in the beginning? If two, well, even two man or two woman, we would doubt they will mess... That is the opening of adult movies.



                                                                          I would just introduce one protagonist, then people around he/she. Or, I will write a bunch of people to introduce the background of the story, these characters won't appear beyond 2nd chapters, how the readers are able to guess the love when the protagonist have not yet performed?



                                                                          Character later



                                                                          Try to set up a hook first, in many drama, there is a mini story/scene/plot in the beginning to attract the audience. This scene keeps the readers away from the boring daily life, including romantic tropes.



                                                                          Try to give the mood/background/story first could avoid some tropes.



                                                                          Character inner



                                                                          Sooner or later, we have to let our boys and girls on the stage, if we can make readers believe these characters are live, they have their ideas. It would be hard to predicate them.



                                                                          It should be combined with the plot, if our story is just office works, schooling, drinking coffee, the romantic is inevitable, what else after all. If they are running away from zombies, they don't have time to fall in love even they are well-matched.






                                                                          share|improve this answer










                                                                          New contributor




                                                                          Jacob is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.















                                                                          • 1





                                                                            Welcome to Writing.SE! I'm afraid I don't see how this answers the question. OP wants to know how to avoid making it obvious that two characters are going to fall in love by the end of the novel. Could you explain how they could do that?

                                                                            – F1Krazy
                                                                            Apr 3 at 11:11













                                                                          2












                                                                          2








                                                                          2







                                                                          You can prevent love, just like many sci-fi fictions, otherwise you should prevent trope, not love. But how? Well, you should know these tropes first, that's why authors keep reading, then avoid them.



                                                                          First.



                                                                          It is not necessarily a bad thing that readers guessed their love. Of course, we need add unexpected.



                                                                          The 1st chapter



                                                                          How many characters are introduced in the beginning? If two, well, even two man or two woman, we would doubt they will mess... That is the opening of adult movies.



                                                                          I would just introduce one protagonist, then people around he/she. Or, I will write a bunch of people to introduce the background of the story, these characters won't appear beyond 2nd chapters, how the readers are able to guess the love when the protagonist have not yet performed?



                                                                          Character later



                                                                          Try to set up a hook first, in many drama, there is a mini story/scene/plot in the beginning to attract the audience. This scene keeps the readers away from the boring daily life, including romantic tropes.



                                                                          Try to give the mood/background/story first could avoid some tropes.



                                                                          Character inner



                                                                          Sooner or later, we have to let our boys and girls on the stage, if we can make readers believe these characters are live, they have their ideas. It would be hard to predicate them.



                                                                          It should be combined with the plot, if our story is just office works, schooling, drinking coffee, the romantic is inevitable, what else after all. If they are running away from zombies, they don't have time to fall in love even they are well-matched.






                                                                          share|improve this answer










                                                                          New contributor




                                                                          Jacob is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.










                                                                          You can prevent love, just like many sci-fi fictions, otherwise you should prevent trope, not love. But how? Well, you should know these tropes first, that's why authors keep reading, then avoid them.



                                                                          First.



                                                                          It is not necessarily a bad thing that readers guessed their love. Of course, we need add unexpected.



                                                                          The 1st chapter



                                                                          How many characters are introduced in the beginning? If two, well, even two man or two woman, we would doubt they will mess... That is the opening of adult movies.



                                                                          I would just introduce one protagonist, then people around he/she. Or, I will write a bunch of people to introduce the background of the story, these characters won't appear beyond 2nd chapters, how the readers are able to guess the love when the protagonist have not yet performed?



                                                                          Character later



                                                                          Try to set up a hook first, in many drama, there is a mini story/scene/plot in the beginning to attract the audience. This scene keeps the readers away from the boring daily life, including romantic tropes.



                                                                          Try to give the mood/background/story first could avoid some tropes.



                                                                          Character inner



                                                                          Sooner or later, we have to let our boys and girls on the stage, if we can make readers believe these characters are live, they have their ideas. It would be hard to predicate them.



                                                                          It should be combined with the plot, if our story is just office works, schooling, drinking coffee, the romantic is inevitable, what else after all. If they are running away from zombies, they don't have time to fall in love even they are well-matched.







                                                                          share|improve this answer










                                                                          New contributor




                                                                          Jacob is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                                                          share|improve this answer



                                                                          share|improve this answer








                                                                          edited 15 hours ago





















                                                                          New contributor




                                                                          Jacob is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                                                          answered Apr 3 at 8:19









                                                                          JacobJacob

                                                                          1212




                                                                          1212




                                                                          New contributor




                                                                          Jacob is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.





                                                                          New contributor





                                                                          Jacob is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.






                                                                          Jacob is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.







                                                                          • 1





                                                                            Welcome to Writing.SE! I'm afraid I don't see how this answers the question. OP wants to know how to avoid making it obvious that two characters are going to fall in love by the end of the novel. Could you explain how they could do that?

                                                                            – F1Krazy
                                                                            Apr 3 at 11:11












                                                                          • 1





                                                                            Welcome to Writing.SE! I'm afraid I don't see how this answers the question. OP wants to know how to avoid making it obvious that two characters are going to fall in love by the end of the novel. Could you explain how they could do that?

                                                                            – F1Krazy
                                                                            Apr 3 at 11:11







                                                                          1




                                                                          1





                                                                          Welcome to Writing.SE! I'm afraid I don't see how this answers the question. OP wants to know how to avoid making it obvious that two characters are going to fall in love by the end of the novel. Could you explain how they could do that?

                                                                          – F1Krazy
                                                                          Apr 3 at 11:11





                                                                          Welcome to Writing.SE! I'm afraid I don't see how this answers the question. OP wants to know how to avoid making it obvious that two characters are going to fall in love by the end of the novel. Could you explain how they could do that?

                                                                          – F1Krazy
                                                                          Apr 3 at 11:11











                                                                          1














                                                                          • Kill one off (the other can fall in love with the ghost)

                                                                          • Show one dying alone in the future and set up the whole story as a flashback

                                                                          • Put them on impossibly different locations (planets) or time (like centuries apart, aka: time traveling or back to the ghost thing)

                                                                          • Put one or both in a relationship with someone else

                                                                          • Make them mortal enemies (cultural, values, political)

                                                                          • Have more than 2 characters





                                                                          share|improve this answer








                                                                          New contributor




                                                                          layton s is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.
























                                                                            1














                                                                            • Kill one off (the other can fall in love with the ghost)

                                                                            • Show one dying alone in the future and set up the whole story as a flashback

                                                                            • Put them on impossibly different locations (planets) or time (like centuries apart, aka: time traveling or back to the ghost thing)

                                                                            • Put one or both in a relationship with someone else

                                                                            • Make them mortal enemies (cultural, values, political)

                                                                            • Have more than 2 characters





                                                                            share|improve this answer








                                                                            New contributor




                                                                            layton s is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                            Check out our Code of Conduct.






















                                                                              1












                                                                              1








                                                                              1







                                                                              • Kill one off (the other can fall in love with the ghost)

                                                                              • Show one dying alone in the future and set up the whole story as a flashback

                                                                              • Put them on impossibly different locations (planets) or time (like centuries apart, aka: time traveling or back to the ghost thing)

                                                                              • Put one or both in a relationship with someone else

                                                                              • Make them mortal enemies (cultural, values, political)

                                                                              • Have more than 2 characters





                                                                              share|improve this answer








                                                                              New contributor




                                                                              layton s is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.










                                                                              • Kill one off (the other can fall in love with the ghost)

                                                                              • Show one dying alone in the future and set up the whole story as a flashback

                                                                              • Put them on impossibly different locations (planets) or time (like centuries apart, aka: time traveling or back to the ghost thing)

                                                                              • Put one or both in a relationship with someone else

                                                                              • Make them mortal enemies (cultural, values, political)

                                                                              • Have more than 2 characters






                                                                              share|improve this answer








                                                                              New contributor




                                                                              layton s is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                                                              share|improve this answer



                                                                              share|improve this answer






                                                                              New contributor




                                                                              layton s is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                                                              answered Apr 3 at 17:08









                                                                              layton slayton s

                                                                              111




                                                                              111




                                                                              New contributor




                                                                              layton s is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.





                                                                              New contributor





                                                                              layton s is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.






                                                                              layton s is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.



























                                                                                  draft saved

                                                                                  draft discarded
















































                                                                                  Thanks for contributing an answer to Writing Stack Exchange!


                                                                                  • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

                                                                                  But avoid


                                                                                  • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

                                                                                  • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.

                                                                                  To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




                                                                                  draft saved


                                                                                  draft discarded














                                                                                  StackExchange.ready(
                                                                                  function ()
                                                                                  StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fwriting.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f44297%2fhow-to-prevent-theyre-falling-in-love-trope%23new-answer', 'question_page');

                                                                                  );

                                                                                  Post as a guest















                                                                                  Required, but never shown





















































                                                                                  Required, but never shown














                                                                                  Required, but never shown












                                                                                  Required, but never shown







                                                                                  Required, but never shown

































                                                                                  Required, but never shown














                                                                                  Required, but never shown












                                                                                  Required, but never shown







                                                                                  Required, but never shown







                                                                                  Popular posts from this blog

                                                                                  រឿង រ៉ូមេអូ និង ហ្ស៊ុយលីយេ សង្ខេបរឿង តួអង្គ បញ្ជីណែនាំ

                                                                                  Crop image to path created in TikZ? Announcing the arrival of Valued Associate #679: Cesar Manara Planned maintenance scheduled April 17/18, 2019 at 00:00UTC (8:00pm US/Eastern)Crop an inserted image?TikZ pictures does not appear in posterImage behind and beyond crop marks?Tikz picture as large as possible on A4 PageTransparency vs image compression dilemmaHow to crop background from image automatically?Image does not cropTikzexternal capturing crop marks when externalizing pgfplots?How to include image path that contains a dollar signCrop image with left size given

                                                                                  Romeo and Juliet ContentsCharactersSynopsisSourcesDate and textThemes and motifsCriticism and interpretationLegacyScene by sceneSee alsoNotes and referencesSourcesExternal linksNavigation menu"Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–"10.2307/28710160037-3222287101610.1093/res/II.5.31910.2307/45967845967810.2307/2869925286992510.1525/jams.1982.35.3.03a00050"Dada Masilo: South African dancer who breaks the rules"10.1093/res/os-XV.57.1610.2307/28680942868094"Sweet Sorrow: Mann-Korman's Romeo and Juliet Closes Sept. 5 at MN's Ordway"the original10.2307/45957745957710.1017/CCOL0521570476.009"Ram Leela box office collections hit massive Rs 100 crore, pulverises prediction"Archived"Broadway Revival of Romeo and Juliet, Starring Orlando Bloom and Condola Rashad, Will Close Dec. 8"Archived10.1075/jhp.7.1.04hon"Wherefore art thou, Romeo? To make us laugh at Navy Pier"the original10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.O006772"Ram-leela Review Roundup: Critics Hail Film as Best Adaptation of Romeo and Juliet"Archived10.2307/31946310047-77293194631"Romeo and Juliet get Twitter treatment""Juliet's Nurse by Lois Leveen""Romeo and Juliet: Orlando Bloom's Broadway Debut Released in Theaters for Valentine's Day"Archived"Romeo and Juliet Has No Balcony"10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.O00778110.2307/2867423286742310.1076/enst.82.2.115.959510.1080/00138380601042675"A plague o' both your houses: error in GCSE exam paper forces apology""Juliet of the Five O'Clock Shadow, and Other Wonders"10.2307/33912430027-4321339124310.2307/28487440038-7134284874410.2307/29123140149-661129123144728341M"Weekender Guide: Shakespeare on The Drive""balcony"UK public library membership"romeo"UK public library membership10.1017/CCOL9780521844291"Post-Zionist Critique on Israel and the Palestinians Part III: Popular Culture"10.2307/25379071533-86140377-919X2537907"Capulets and Montagues: UK exam board admit mixing names up in Romeo and Juliet paper"Istoria Novellamente Ritrovata di Due Nobili Amanti2027/mdp.390150822329610820-750X"GCSE exam error: Board accidentally rewrites Shakespeare"10.2307/29176390149-66112917639"Exam board apologises after error in English GCSE paper which confused characters in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet""From Mariotto and Ganozza to Romeo and Guilietta: Metamorphoses of a Renaissance Tale"10.2307/37323537323510.2307/2867455286745510.2307/28678912867891"10 Questions for Taylor Swift"10.2307/28680922868092"Haymarket Theatre""The Zeffirelli Way: Revealing Talk by Florentine Director""Michael Smuin: 1938-2007 / Prolific dance director had showy career"The Life and Art of Edwin BoothRomeo and JulietRomeo and JulietRomeo and JulietRomeo and JulietEasy Read Romeo and JulietRomeo and Julieteeecb12003684p(data)4099369-3n8211610759dbe00d-a9e2-41a3-b2c1-977dd692899302814385X313670221313670221