Romance has so many! Two that I adore are enemies-to-lovers (This Is How Immortals Die put a bit of a spin on it, while Book 3 is a more classic example) and friends-to-lovers (Book 2) - combining both can be amazing too (my #Ashrah fics).
If slow-burn is a trope, then I use that 99% of the time. I avoid love triangle like the plague; Book 4 will feature a polyamory, but none of the triangle bullshit.
The whole series is kind of a take on the forbidden love trope, too!
@Ink_Soul For me, if it isn't slow-burn, then it's like having a meal where all the courses were cooked on HIGH. Kind of like, your toast is ready when the room has filled with smoke. 😆
@CA_Hawthorne lol yeah. Maybe that's the demiromantic in me, but I find it harder to engage in a romance when it happens too fast. I always need my characters to take the time to really get to know each other, and only then the feelings start blooming (and spiralling out of control sometimes!).
@Ink_Soul I know it’s the demi in me. I’m coincidentally editing the scene today where my primary couple finally make their way to one another—but they’ve taken too long and now life is about to have its way with them.
@CA_Hawthorne@Ink_Soul
As an alloromantic I like to scatter romantic moments on there. The characters often don't even know they are romantic till much later.
I would like to say I don't use any formula. But I have written enough to recognize certain patterns I prefer.
Of the three books I have written, each romance follows a different path depending on the plot.
I prefer however to have at least a 1/3 of the book with the relationship established to show post-courtship life. The standard formula for JP yuri is to end soon after a confession is accepted. No true relationship time. This is changing as more Josei yuri is appearing. From what I have seen of Western romances this is also the basic formula. You get courtship and courtship drama and not relationship and relationship drama.
@NaraMoore@Ink_Soul Like you, I’m sure I have patterns. I’m okay with that. I also have romance, but I don’t actually write romances except for a few novellas. E
And I do write romances or a subgenre of romance except in short stories and novellas.
Even when it is"weird tales" my top concern is the romance and character arcs. And jelly triangles and angst about sexual orientation isn't part of those arcs.
@NaraMoore@CA_Hawthorne "You get courtship and courtship drama and not relationship and relationship drama."
This is something I find quite frustrating. Perhaps it's harder to write an "after" story if your genre is strictly romance and the conflict revolves strictly around "will the MCs get together or not?" (We know they will, but anyway.) In my case, since I write fantasy and romance, I like to have the MCs accept their love, and then go face the "fantastic problems" together.
I share that frustration. Among other things it doesn't reflect life. The courtship is just the beginning. I am fortunate in that I don't write Western Romances and write yuri instead. I may be writing out of the mainstream but I am not breaking a hard genre rule.
If slow burn is a trop then my WIP has it in spades. We are a third of the way into the second volume and they haven't managed more than a nice meal and a stolen secondary kiss.
The last book though starts with them together. (Briefly)
Love triangles, if having a vengeful jealous ghost out to kill you is a love triangle then I do them. Among the living, there are some insecurities but no full-blown green-eyed monsters.(Which is very non-trop for yuri.) But that is realistic, I don't know any poly relationships where there hasn't been some insecurity especially when a new partner is entering the scene.
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