As it’s Valentine’s Day, I thought I would take little look at the use of love and relationships within the context of this story. Writing a believable love story takes careful thought and the relationship should definitely not be roses all the way.

Your romantic couple should have a quirky way to meet. Ask yourself, when do they first notice each other? What is their first reaction? What do they first say to one another?

Avoid too many longing stares – it gets a bit too much like a stalker. Instant attraction is fine, but not instant love. What kinds of things are your couple willing to do after a first meeting and what would be out of bounds? Build-up is just as sexy as full on passion.

What happens when your couple meet again? Do sparks fly or do they have an argument? Try finding interesting situations to put your characters in and see how they react. Use friends/relatives to help or hinder the relationship. Do keep some secondary characters in there – it’s not healthy for a couple to shut themselves off from their friends and they will need someone to support them when things go wrong.

Have the relationship grow. What is the end result going to be. The relationship will need to be tested and have some ups and downs. The problems in the relationship need to match the stage of the relationship, for example you are far more likely to be jealous of an unknown friend in the early stages than in a settled relationship. Try and always think imaginatively as you tell your couple’s story.

Actually, rather than tell everything, show it. Have your hero’s face have a muscle working in his cheek as he sees the girl he likes with another – bit of a cliche, but I know that you can do much better than that – and it’s only an example.

Finally, make the dialogue as realistic as you can make it. There’s nothing worse than a stilted conversation. The real thing can be awkward, full of ums and ers, and halting starts and stops. When a declaration of love is made, ensure that it is not all one-sided, let the other side speak too, unless narcissism is one of your hero’s faults…

If you have any tips to add about the writing of love and relationships, then please leave them in the comments below.