Everyone wants their Happily Ever After (H.E.A). Sometimes writers focus too much on giving their characters their H.E.A. that they sight of the journey it takes to get them there. It shouldn’t be smooth sailing. Like most things in stories, the characters have to earn their H.E.A. So how do they do that? By putting your love birds through the ringer.
A Push and Pull
Think of the romance arc as a tide: it pushes away from the shore, only to pull back in. Lovers are like that too. They push away from each other through trials and tribulations. But their love and attraction always pulls them back together. This pattern should repeat through the entire book until they get their H.E.A. (or not), depending on the type of book you are writing.
If you’re writing a series, you might wonder how your books fit into this model. The push and pull arc would remain the same, only over a longer period of time. Even if your protagonist has gotten their H.E.A. at the end of book one, there still needs to be a set of trials and tribulations going forward—or else there isn’t a story. There are two ways you can drag out the romantic arc:
First, you can conclude each book with a smaller H.E.A. So while each book concludes on its own happy ending, the next book should still bring disruption. There should be new trials that break the lovers apart. By ending each book on a small H.E.A., the author gives the reader false hope that everything will be okay between the characters.
Second, you can conclude each book with a push away from each other. This ends the book on a point of tension, leaving readers without a H.E.A. I personally like this strategy because it tortures readers into reading your next book. It doesn’t give the readers what they want, so this strategy is more likely to build tension in the reader—creating the “will they” or “won’t they” effect that keeps readers on their toes.
Let’s look at examples of both:
Every Book Gets a H.E.A.
An example of this type of romance arc is The Twilight Saga. For this example, I am going to be referencing the movies rather than the books. At the end of each movie, Edward and Bella always pull back together, usually by sharing a romantic moment in their field. This leaves the audience with the distinct impression that, despite all of the conflict they endured throughout the story, they are happy and their love has conquered all. Yet despite leaving viewers with this impression, the next movie always seems to bring complications to the romantic plot. Let’s take a look:
Twilight: Edward pushes away from Bella by being hostile toward her when they first meet. Throughout the movie, he sends her mixed signals, torn between his lust for her and his self-control. Those warring emotions cause him to pull toward her, then push her away. After realizing Bella isn’t afraid of his vampire world, they get their H.E.A.
New Moon: Edward pushes away from Bella after Jasper attacks her. This incident in the story plot convinces him that Bella would be better off without him in her life. There is a push and pull between them as Bella tries to see his “ghost” (pulling), though the “ghost” simultaneously scolds her for doing so (pushing). After realizing they are safer together, they get their H.E.A.
Eclipse: the primary point of tension in this movie is the love triangle between Bella, Edward, and Jacob. Bella wars with her feelings for Jacob, which causes tension in her relationship with Edward. After realizing she only loves Jacob as a friend, Bella and Edward get their H.E.A.
Breaking Dawn: after getting married and being intimate for the first time, Bella and Edward push apart once she finds out she’s pregnant. The pregnancy creates a divide between them throughout the book.
From this example, we can see that each movie ends with an H.E.A. that gets disrupted in the next book—with the stakes continually getting higher. The key here is that, even if the lovers are happy together at the end of book one, there should still be some turbulence in their relationship over the course of the following books.
Every Book Gets a Push Ending
An example of this type of romantic series arc would be The Last Hours trilogy by Cassandra Clare. At the end of the first two books, readers are left on a cliff hanger with James and Cordelia’s relationship. Readers see them constantly push apart, then pull back together. But rather than getting their H.E.A. at the end of each book, the pair end up in a circumstance that pushes them apart.
Chain of Gold: Cordelia is in love with James, unbeknownst to him. James is under an enchantment that makes him believe he loves Grace. However, the reader sees glimpses of his love for Cordelia breaking through the spell. By the end, James and Cordelia are engaged, though it is not a happy ending. James is still bewitched under Grace’s spell, so he can’t admit his love for Cordelia.
Chain of Iron: Cordelia and James wed. It is an amicable marriage, though it leaves Cordelia discontent because she she doesn’t truly have his heart. James comes to realize he’s under a spell, but by the time he does, Cordelia has run off. Poor timing.
Chain of Thorns: the push in this book is that Cordelia has run off with James’s best friend, Matthew, because she believes James could never love her. There is a love triangle that creates a divide. Then there are a couple of misunderstandings. By the end of the series, James and Cordelia finally get their H.E.A. They acknowledge their love and end the series happily married.
This example doesn’t have a happy ending for the couple at the end of each book. So while the story plot of these books resolves, the romantic plot has an ongoing thread that doesn’t tied off into a neat little bow at the end of each book. As I mentioned earlier, this can be an effective strategy to hook readers into your next book. If you’re creating the right amount of tension between the characters, you’ll eventually transfer that tension into the reader . . . which is a good thing! You want to build hope in the reader, then take it away. As cruel as it sounds, taking away the readers’ hope of an H.E.A. is what keeps them on their toes.
What Creates Tension?
Tension is created when the lovers are in a state of conflict, moving them away from getting their H.E.A. It can be created by a variety of tactics, but we’ll just got over a few:
- misunderstandings and miscommunication
- betrayal
- conflicting goals and desires
- getting what they wanted but not in the way they wanted it
- human emotions such as anger and pride
- poor timing
- interference from other characters
- external circumstances in the story plot
- characters hiding what they REALLY want
Next time you’re stuck on how to break your lovers apart, use these strategies.
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