Thanks to a nasty virus, I’ve spent a good amount of the last few weeks on the couch with a box of tissues, a cup of tea, and the television tuned to the Hallmark Channel. When my husband would wander through, he’d ask, “Is this the one where the woman has to save her family business from the evil big city tycoon or the one with the woman who returns to her hometown and reunites with her high school widower boyfriend, and his adorable child loves her?”
After I sneezed and rolled my eyes and told him he was wrong (it was about a travel writer who was stranded in a charming small town and connected with the inn’s owner). But his mocking questions got me thinking about tropes and reader expectations.
In a two-hour movie, at about the one-hour, forty-minute mark, viewers expect a big misunderstanding and a breakup. In a book, the breakup is in the third act.
Because:
- Breakups increase tension.
- Breakups create conflict.
- Breakups raise the stakes.
Breakups are expected. But are they required?
In real life, when partners disagree, do they automatically breakup?
No. They figure out a way to work through the conflict and emerge happier and stronger on the other side.
Our characters can do the same.
What kinds of situations bring conflict, but not cause a breakup? What can our hero and heroine work through and emerge stronger and closer than ever?
Let’s look a few ideas that could work:
- Outside Forces
Family expectations: Romeo and Juliet. Richie Rich vs … Poor but Proud. A needy sibling. An ex who sticks a little too close.
Job/Career Differences: One is content—or needed— in a small town, the other has big, global ambitions. One wants the spotlight, the other avoids it.
Lifestyle Differences: Dream job clashes, country vs city, religious differences.
- Internal Conflicts Between Hero and Heroine
They want to be together but disagree on how to get there. For instance, he wants to get engaged/married right away, but she wants to wait until her mother’s health is stable. They both want to open a restaurant, but she wants to start with a bakery while he wants a sandwich shop. She has the location, he has the funding.
- A Secret That Isn’t a Betrayal
One of them keeps a secret from the other for a good reason—to keep a promise, to protect someone else, or to avoid hurting someone.
Revealing the secret creates tension and ups the stakes, but doesn’t create a breakup.
- Morals or Values Clashes
Saving a historic neighborhood vs building housing that’s needed for displaced residents. Both are valid positions and neither is right or wrong.
- Past Trauma Issues
The past can cause issues that affect how they connect and it takes a lot to work through the emotional baggage.
- A Shared Problem
They can work together to solve a problem or mystery, or save a project, but disagree on the method or timeline.
The key to making the conflict without a breakup work is to keep the hero and heroine emotionally connected and to show they still care about the other. Let their disagreements be opportunities for character growth, and their reconciliations show a deeper appreciation for each other.
Romance is all about connections between the characters.
We can keep connections while kicking cliches to the curb. Umm, I mean while kicking cliches to the sidelines and putting conflict and stakes front and center.
Carrie Padgett lives in Central California, close to Yosemite, but far from Hollywood, the beach, and the Golden Gate Bridge. She believes in faith, families, fun, and happily ever afters. She writes contemporary fiction with romance. She recently signed a contract with Sunrise Publishing to co-write a romance novel with New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hauck that will be published in 2022. Carrie and her husband live in the country with their high-maintenance cat and laid-back dog, within driving distance of their six grandchildren.
You can find her online at:
- Twitter: CarriePadgett
- Instagram: carpadwriter
- Facebook: WriterCarriePadgett
- Amazon Author Page: Carrie Padgett
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