Subplot Romance
Over the years I've created some twitter threads on writing and history and I've decided it's a good time to start compiling and sharing them on this Tumblr. I'm going to tag them "writing".
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Here's what I've learned about writing subplot romance. (People who write genre romance probably already know this stuff. It's those of us who are mainly leavening romantic subplots into fantasy novels that need this info).
1. Romance = fundamentally character-driven. All internal conflict & internal growth. (Can these two trust each other? Will their character flaws drive them apart?) The more study you put into creating characters and building character arcs, the better your romantic writing.
A romance arc is not the SAME as a character arc, but it 100% NEEDS solid character work undergirding it.
2. Romance needs two ingredients: a compelling reason for the characters to be TOGETHER, & a compelling reason for them to be APART. This forms the conflict in the romance so do not skimp on either.
Eg, a common mistake in male-penned stories: female lead has no compelling reason to want male lead. "He's a good-looking warrior dedicated to winning her throne!" Yeah nah, she's literally surrounded by good-looking warriors dedicated to winning her throne, why's he different?
3. Romance needs chemistry = a believable spark of attraction. Something that blew my mind when I realised it: romantic chemistry =/= sexual chemistry. Sexual chemistry (purely physical attraction) is simply PART of romantic chemistry.
Romantic chemistry is a good deal broader. (Read/watch some good romances to see how chemistry is built by different storytellers. One fave of mine is the Romola Garai EMMA. Peerless friends-to-lovers chemistry. Watch the actors' body language; the way they gravitate to each other; the way their faces light up)
Chemistry tip A: if the driver behind sexual chemistry is lust, the driver behind romantic chemistry is trust. Protag needs/wants someone to trust. It's the way you play with trust/distrust that will create romantic tension.
eg: love interest holds protag's hand. With sexual chemistry, protag simply feels a jolt at the contact. With romantic chemistry, protag feels comforted and trustful - then betrayed when it turns out LI is tracking her pulse to see if she's lying to him (see: MISS SHARP 😇)
Chemistry tip B: if protag is falling for someone, that person should occupy their mind. LI should be mentioned/thought of each scene, even when absent. When present: LI consistently provokes unaccustomed emotion - either positive or negative, depending.
Chemistry tip C: make the characters their best/most lovable/most iconic selves when with each other. Quirkiness, smarts, hilarity. Make these the most fun character scenes in the book & the audience will ship them. Passionately.
4. Build romantic chemistry/attraction through escalating moments of trust and tension. If aiming for happily-ever-after(HEA)/for-now(HFN), then the overall arc is towards greater trust, but you need those moments of tension to give the big payoff scenes appropriate catharsis.
OTOH, if you're writing a tragic/backstabby romance, you need the trust/comfort moments in order to sell the big tragedy/betrayal.
5. Trust, comfort, & happiness are POWERFUL. This is what genre romance thrives upon. Even in dark/spiky stories, the most surprising thing in the story can be the moment when the LI DOESN'T betray the protag. That too can be wildly cathartic. Use it.
6. Just as character-driven skills help you with romance, so if you master romantic writing, you'll be better able to write ALL types of relationship - platonic, friendly, hostile.
OK that's all so far. Two book recs: ROMANCING THE BEAT by Gwen Hayes & THE HEROINE'S JOURNEY by Gail Carriger teach you the rules/expectations of genre romance so you'll know what the rules are for a happy romance subplot & how to break them for a tragic version.
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Hello🫶 Can you help me with suggestions of redheaded females that have a decent amount of resources? No matter the age! Thank you in advance!
𝙝𝙞 𝙗𝙖𝙧𝙗𝙞𝙚! this is gonna be a looooooooong list, angel, but it's as comprehensive as i could make it! all of these fcs have at least 300 gifs that i could find, so please let me know if you need some help locating resources ♡ **indicates the resources are available as gif icons and not small/medium gifs!
Abigail Cowen ( 1998, actress, white )
Ahsen Eroglu ( 1994, actress, Turkish )
Alicia Von Rittberg ( 1993, actress, white )
Alina Kovalenko ( 1992, actress, white )
Amy Adams ( 1974, actress, white )
Angourie Rice ( 2001, actress, white )
Anya Taylor Joy ( 1996, actress, white )
Asena Keskinci ( 2001, actress, Turkish )
Bebe Wood ( 2001, actress, white )
Bree Kish** ( 1996, model, one quarter Black, plus size )
Bridget Regan ( 1982, actress, white )
Bridget Satterlee** ( 1997, model, white )
Bryce Dallas Howard ( 1981, actress, white )
Camryn Grimes ( 1990, actress, white )
Charlotte Spencer ( 1991, actress, white )
Christina Hendricks ( 1975, actress, white )
Deborah Ann Woll ( 1985, actress, white )
Elcin Sangu ( 1985, actress, Turkish )
Eleanor Tomlinson ( 1992, actress, white )
Elena Satine ( 1987, actress, Georgian )
Ellie Bamber ( 1997, actress, white )
Emily Carey ( 2003, actress, white )
Evan Rachel Wood ( 1987, actress, white )
Freya Mavor ( 1993, actress, white )
Genevieve Angelson ( 1987, actress, white )
Gozde Turkpence ( 1984, actress, Turkish )
Hannah Einbinder ( 1995, actress, white )
Haley Bennett ( 1988, actress, white )
Hayley Williams ( 1988, musician, white )
Holland Roden ( 1986, actress, white )
Holliday Grainger ( 1988, actress, white )
Huh Yunjin ( 2001, musician, Korean )
Isla Fisher ( 1976, actress, white )
Isolda Dychauk ( 1993, actress, white )
Jane Levy ( 1986, actress, white )
Jessica Barden ( 1992, actress, white )
Jessica Chastain ( 1977, actress, white )
Joey King ( 1999, actress, white/Jewish )
Karen Gillan ( 1987, actress, white )
Kate Walsh ( 1967, actress, white )
Katherine McNamara ( 1995, actress, white )
Kennedy McMann ( 1996, actress, white )
Kennedy Walsh ( 2000, influencer with acting roles, white )
Lee Seo Jeong ( 2000, musician, Korean )
Liv Hewson ( 1995, actor, white, non-binary )
Luca Hollestelle ( 1996, actress, white )
Ludovica Martino ( 1997, actress, white )
Maddison Brown** ( 1997, actress, white )
Madelaine Petsch ( 1994, actress, white )
Madeline Ford ( 1997, model, white )
Maggie Geha ( 1988, actress, white )
Marina Ruy Barbosa ( 1995, actress, Brazilian (white) )
Melis Sezen ( 1997, actress, Turkish )
Millie Bobby Brown ( 2004, actress, white )
Miriam Leone ( 1985, actress, white )
Natasha Lyonne ( 1979, actress, white/Jewish )
Nicola Coughlan ( 1987, actress, white, plus-size )
Nicole Kidman ( 1967, actress, white )
Olivia Cooke ( 1993, actress, white )
Rebecca Ferguson ( 1983, actress, white )
Riley Keough ( 1989, actress, white/Jewish )
Romola Garai ( 1982, actress, white )
Rose Leslie ( 1987, actress, white )
Ruth Connell ( 1979, actress, white )
Sabina Karlsson ( 1988, model, half Black, plus size )
Sadie Sink ( 2002, actress, white )
Sadie Soverall ( 2002, actress, white )
Sarah Drew ( 1980, actress, white )
Sarah Snook ( 1987, actress, white )
Shannon Purser ( 1997, actress, white, plus size )
Sophia Lillis ( 2002, actress, white )
Sophie Skelton ( 1994, actress, white )
Sophie Turner ( 1996, actress, white )
Stephanie Martini ( 1990, actress, white )
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