Turning Points of Romance: Keep Them Wanting More

Turning Points of Romance: Keep Them Wanting More

I want to talk about turning points in a romance because I sometimes see potentially great stories that lack structure. No, we don’t want cookie cutter stories but in order to keep the reader interested, the plot moving, and the conflict high, we need a balance of goal, motivation, conflict, and turning points.

Depending on the line you’re targeting, your story begins with the characters in their ordinary world.  Then something happens —the inciting incident—that brings the characters together and forces their interaction. For example, if you’ve seen the movie While You Were Sleeping, you know the inciting incident is when the man of our heroine’s dreams falls in front of a train and she rescues him. Her path in the story is changed.

The first turning point, usually by the end of the third chapter in a full-length novel, is when the family believes she is their injured son’s fiancé and she makes the decision to let them believe it because the grandmother has a weak heart. This turns the story in a new direction. She’s caught and though she knows it’s wrong, she wants the closeness of his family, something she’s never had and desperately desires.

The second turning point (or middle) is when, after spending time with the family and enjoying the love and unity, she meets the brother. Again, the story is turned in a new direction. He’s suspicious and she must dive deeper into a pit of lies even as she begins to fall for him. She thought she wanted one thing but now she’s not so sure.

The third turning point comes very close to the end. This is when the “man of her dreams” wakes up and she’s forced to follow through with her lie of an engagement. She’s getting everything she thought she originally wanted. The story reaches a pivotal point and the heroine must make a new decision.

The black moment is another turning point. This is when the character thinks all is lost. Our heroine doesn’t love the original man but loves his family. She doesn’t want to break their hearts, but she can’t go through with the wedding and spills the beans at the altar. She leaves the chapel having lost both the family she needs and the man she loves.

The conclusion comes last. Everything is wrapped up, all is forgiven and the character lives happily ever after. In a romance, this is when the I loves yous are said. In our story, the hero and his family track her down at work and he proposes.

Once the I love yous are said and everyone is happy, the romance plot is done. I’m seeing a lot of those I loves yous said early. Romance readers need their heroes and heroines tortured with internal and external conflicts. Happiness too soon will bore the reader into putting the book down. Romance readers read for that happy ever after moment that comes only after the characters have had their hearts ripped apart.

In other words, don’t solve the conflict too soon and always leave them wanting more.

Diana Carlile
Sr. Editor, Scarlet Rose
The Wild Rose Press
www.wilderroses.com
Cover Art Design
http://designingdiana.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/dianacarlileeditor

Finding Inspiration in the Mundane

Earlier this month, I spent the weekend at the at a very old hotel in San Antonio, Texas for EPICON where I met up with a few TWRP authors, several editors and publishers and many other talented colleagues. But that’s not what I want to tell you about.

While there, I did very mundane and touristy types of things—strolling along the river, eating Mexican food, shopping for shoes. (Yes, I love shoes, too.) But everything took on new meaning this trip. I might have been doing the same things I do in my hometown, but the new location made me see these events in a whole new light.

As I strolled the river, they were dying it green for St. Patrick’s Day. On recent trips to this great city, I wondered what would happen if someone fell in, but this time I wondered if the dye would stain a person’s skin and hair green. And how long would it take for the dye to wear off? That brought a dozen or so scenarios for the first meet of a hero and heroine. Think of the possibilities. A Martian hero looking for a mate? A were-reptile? And the obvious, a leprechaun? Or what if she had an important job interview?

Later during dinner, we were entertained by a mariachi band and the waitresses all wore colorful blouses and skirts. This one took me back in time to the days leading to the siege of the Alamo. I thought of a hero who might have spent his last moments with a lovely senorita he’d lost his heart to. Of course, she’d have to take matters into her own hands to prevent him from dying a tragic death as he fought in the historic battle. Happy endings are a must. Maybe she’d tie him up and keep him in the root cellar. Well, for Scarlet Rose, she’d have to tie him to the bed.

So, did I mention the hotel I stayed in was old? During free time, I roamed the hotel, admiring the old yet elegant décor and letting my imagination of days gone by wander. Oh, and looking for ghosts. (The hotel is rumored to be haunted.) Wouldn’t it be the perfect place for a paranormal story? The heroine is a ghost trying to break free of a curse? Or maybe a heroine gets lost in the maze of halls and instead of walking into her room, she ends up going back in time? And entering the hero’s room?

Shopping for shoes? Sorry, no stories popped for me here. I just had to throw in the fact that I bought a nice pair of heels. Okay, now that I think about it, that’s definitely a Cinderella story. Very contemporary. The heels would have to be a couple inches higher than the ones I bought. And kickass red, not black with bows.

Why am I telling you all this? I just want to remind you that as a writer, you have the greatest gift and if you only open your mind to your daily happenings, your imagination can take you anywhere.

By the way, I never saw any ghosts, but with a little imagination, even groaning pipes can play with your mind…or inspire a story.

Diana Carlile
Sr. Editor, Scarlet Rose