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Writing a love story: 6 steps to get your readers hooked

November 17, 2022
Publishing

Frogs that turn into princes, drinking poison if you can’t be with the one you love, pretending to fly on the railing of a ship together. Everyone will recognize these events from some of the most famous love stories.

There is nothing better than getting lost in a love story. But what about writing one yourself? Follow these 6 steps on writing a love story and hook your readers from the very first line.

1. Start writing a love story by describing the characters

When you are writing a love story, you can use the first part of the story to describe the characters and their lives. Make the way they react to life events typical for their personalities and make the readers fall in love with the characters, too. Of course the two characters are busy doing other stuff before they meet each other. Think this through. What do they do? Define their goals and the obstacles they need to overcome to reach these goals. In many narratives, the characters are busy achieving their goals when they find out these may not be their most important goals. In many love stories, the main characters initially do not know they are looking for love.

2. Think of an original way the characters meet each other

This is an important event in the story: the first time the characters see each other. So make sure you spend enough time on making up this event while writing a love story. Without this moment, there would be no love story to write about. Make it a moment that could happen to anyone. This makes the reader dream about their own life and give them hope: you can meet the love of your life any moment. Also, describe what the characters think of each other when they first meet. Is it love at first sight? Or does their love grow on them?

3. Describe all characters' emotions  

One might think that a love story is all about the emotion ‘of ’being in love’’. But it is not that simple. With love comes hope, fear, pain, disappointment, betrayal and jealousy. Make sure you describe all of these emotions in a way like you can feel it yourself.

4. Create obstacles that do not make the characters' love easier

No famous love stories are about people meeting each other and living happily ever after immediately after that. Think of obstacles their love needs to overcome. One of the characters' family members might be terminally ill, there might be jealous outsiders, the characters might have psychological problems. Describe the internal and external conflicts that come with these obstacles as detailed as possible.

5. Let "reality" separate the characters  

The toughest obstacle for two people who do not want anything else than being together, is separation. Think of something necessary that separates the characters. This could be time, distance or feelings. Describe this event and the last time they see each other. Also write about the feelings of the characters at the moment of and during the separation.

6. Create a grand reunion –– a powerful love scene

After suffering from being separated, of course the characters get back to each other because they belong together. Let them get back together after the reader really feels like it needs to happen, make the reader wait for it. Make it a powerful scene in which destiny plays a big role. Make the reader believe in love and people ending up together when they are supposed to be together. This will leave your readers feeling good when they have finished reading your love story. Making people happy can motivate you to start writing a love story. 

You’ve written a love story or a novel. What now?

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