(The sound of a pen scratching.) LOGO.
Hellooo
everybody! It's OFFICIALLY the release
month for my dark fantasy novel The
Savior’s Sister, which means
BIG things are in the works! First up,
now's the time to sign up for The Savior’s
Sister release day blitz! A release
day blitz is when a bunch of people
sign up to receive
marketing material, as well as
information about an upcoming book
release
so they can celebrate it all together!
You can share all of the goodies on
social media,
your blog, YouTube, Instagram, wherever!
If you're interested in participating,
the sign up is in the description below!
Check it out! Second, if you haven't heard
already, I am hosting a virtual book tour
here on YouTube
to celebrate the release of TSS. No one
can leave the house right now, so we're
bringing the tour to your computer!
I am holding a series of live streams.
We're gonna have some
friends involved. We're going to answer
questions,
play games, hand out prizes! It's
awesome! Be sure to tune in! The easiest
way to get
updates is to subscribe to my channel
and
ring that bell, that way you are always
notified! Last but not least, my presale giveaway
for The Savior's Sister is still
underway! The Savior's Sister is
available for pre-order in ebook,
hardback, and paperback, and everyone who
pre-orders is eligible to enter the
giveaway!
Entrants will receive a five (5) chapter
teaser of TSS just for participating, but
I'm
also handing out over thirty-five (35) mini prizes, as
well as
three HUGE grand prizes! I am handing out
one of the bonus prizes at the end of
today's video.
Someone is walking away with a signed
copy of Barefoot on the
Beach by Katlyn Duncan! Katlyn Duncan
is a hybrid author,
as well as a YouTuber! I have her
information below,
so definitely check her out! I'm gonna
announce the winner at the end of
today's video, but first we've got a
spicy topic to cover! The love interest,
in MY opinion, is one of the MOST
important characters in a book, and it's
really frustrating when they're written
like shit.
Thus, I am breaking down the ten (10) most
important tips to writing a compelling,
swoon-worthy love interest. I've covered
this topic eons ago, but I have
WAY more tips to add to the bunch, so
we're goin’ over them today!
These tips apply to male love interests,
female love interests,
non-binary love interests, ALL kinds of
love interests. Let's break down
my ten (10) tips in three, two, one, go!
Number One (1): Give them a life! There are
few things more annoying than a love
interest who exists
solely to tantalize the main character.
“But Jenna,
isn't that the point of a love interest?”
Bitch, did I stutter?
As a reader, the love interest is usually
my favorite character in the book, and I
am hardly alone on this.
That means you should craft them with
the care required of an extremely
valuable character. Understand their
backstory, their likes and
dislikes. Know their personality inside
and out. Make them a REAL,
LIVING person - not just some blow up doll
for your main character to fondle. Not
only will this make it easier to write
them,
it'll also make them a lot more
interesting to the reader,
and interesting characters are likable
characters! Number Two (2):
Make them matter. Unless you're writing
single genre romance or erotica,
the love interest needs to play a bigger
role in the story
than JUST being the love interest. They
have to do
more to the plot than give the main
character heart flutters. For starters,
it's clunky. The character will feel
shoehorned in for the sake of a romantic
subplot.
It's also boring! As we already covered,
characters who exist for the sole
purpose of being the love interest
typically lack depth, which makes them
not so interesting to read.
But the most important reason is the
plot. If the love interest matters to the
plot, that means they will serve
a vital purpose to MOST of the scenes, if
not
ALL of the scenes in the story. This
gives you SO many
opportunities to flesh out their layers,
and promote
a deeper bond between them and the MC.
It's an
ASSET to you as the writer to make the
love interest vital to the plot. It
increases their page time, endears them
to the reader,
AND gives you ample room for cute
moments in the story.
Number Three (3): First impressions matter.
I'm not saying the first time your
couple meets needs to be special... 
Okay, that's EXACTLY what I'm saying! They
don't call it a ‘meet-cute’ for nothin’!
It doesn't have to be perfect. Lord KNOWS
the universe ADORES enemies to lovers.
It just has to be MEMORABLE. Something
that will stand
out and make readers excited for future
interactions. It's very frustrating to
read a book,
be introduced to a character, and then
realize six chapters later,
“Oh, they're the love interest? Okay, I
guess?”
Be mindful and strategic when writing
that introduction, because it could very
well dictate whether or not
readers root for that couple. Number Four (4):
Make ‘em flawed.
Perfection is not realistic or
attainable, which means
it's not likable. Flaws and mistakes
humanize your love interest. It makes
them realistic,
and potentially endearing. “But Jenna, what
if their flaws make readers
hate them?” That's a valid concern, but it
really depends on the depiction of the
flaw.
If a love interest makes a forgivable
mistake and appropriately apologizes,
that's humanizing. There are also plenty
of flaws that can be seen as
cute, quirky, or even lovable. Maybe the
character is a chatterbox, or socially
awkward?
Maybe they're clumsy or fickle? All of
these are considered flaws, but many
times they're adorable - or even funny!
Ultimately, the goal is to make the
character an imperfect person
trying to do their best. Number Five (5): But
not TOO flawed. I know I told you to make
them flawed, but that doesn't mean you
have to turn them into a dumpster fire! “I
know!
I'll make them a cheater!” Maybe dial it
back ten (10) notches...
“What if they're abusive?” Are you okay? Do
I need to call someone?
I know the ‘damaged love interest’ is on
trend right now, but that's only because
people have SHOCKINGLY low standards.
At the end of the day, the love interest
is supposed to be the spot of JOY
in the story. The character who makes
readers happy and believe in love!
Don't fuck it up by turning that
character into a pile of garbage.
Readers with self-esteem WON’T
appreciate that. Number Six (6):
We get it, they're hot. It's perfectly
fine to create a physically attractive
love interest.
In fact, I encourage it! But there's a big
difference between a ‘snack’
and cartoonish self-indulgence. Your
leading man is six foot seven (6’7”) with ocean
blue eyes,
jet black hair, and bronze skin despite
being a hundred percent caucasian! He
also has a chiseled eight pack, adonis
lines, and muscles straight from a
bodybuilding convention.
But he lives in 19th century London, and
I'm pretty sure they didn't have
CrossFit back then...
The one exception would be erotica.
Erotic fiction is a sexual fantasy, which
means the characters are
often hyper-sexualized. But for all other
genres,
calm down. There's nothing wrong with
creating a sexy love interest, but the
leading lady
doesn't have to have circus tits, I
promise! Number Seven (7):
Consider compliments. Opposites may
attract, but compliments complete one
another! ‘To complement’ means to bring to
perfection. It's being opposite in a way
that suits or supports one another.
For example, say your main character is
an introvert and your love interest is
an extrovert.
This could be a pairing that clashes, or
the traits can complement one another,
making the pair stronger together. Maybe
the extrovert helps bring the introvert
out of their
shell. Maybe the introvert gives the
extrovert some peace and understanding.
Create qualities in the love interest
that ENHANCE or IMPROVE your main
character,
and vice versa. Your couple should be
better when they're together. The
relationship should have a POSITIVE
influence. Number Eight (8): Understand romantic tropes.
There are a MILLION romantic tropes, and
it helps to understand them when you're
writing your love interest.
Enemies to lovers, forbidden romance,
arranged marriages,
love triangles.... I could go on. This ISN’T
so you can copy or regurgitate a trope.
We're not about cliches in this house!
It's about understanding your likes and
dislikes. What you want to convey through
your writing,
and what you want to avoid. For example,
I'm not a fan of love triangles, but I
LOVE subverted cliches. Thus, it could
potentially be a fun project for me
to write a SUBVERTED love triangle.
Similarly, I also enjoy
enemies to lovers, but not if the enemies
start off
in a violent or abusive space. This type
of analysis will help you craft a love
interest you adore,
and will also help you determine who to
market your book to. Number Nine (9): Make
‘em
step up! If a love interest doesn't get a
moment to shine, are they even a love
interest?
People will say this step is antiquated,
but they're stupid and wrong.
It doesn't matter if they're male, or
female, or somewhere in between,
the love interest should get a hero
moment. This doesn't mean they have to be
an
ACTUAL hero. Not all stories involve
death or danger. But there needs to be a
point where the love interest showcases
how special or important they are. They
certainly
CAN save the MC's life, but maybe they
save them from getting bullied or fired.
Maybe they throw a huge romantic gesture
that sweeps the main character off their
feet.
Give ‘em a ‘wow factor’, and it'll add
that extra oomph that makes the
character
super appealing! And Number Ten (10):
Relationships are a two-way street! A
healthy relationship is based on
EQUALITY.
That means both parties put in an equal
amount of effort and commitment into the
relationship. That doesn't mean both
parties are identical.
Again, we're looking for COMPLIMENTS, not
mirror images of one another. But it does
mean the characters should be equally
there for one another.
Take for example the hero moment. If my
love interest saves the main character's
life,
I like to make sure the main character
returns the favor in some way, shape, or
form. The idea is to make the
relationship seem
mutually beneficial. You don't want one
character
DRAGGING the other throughout the
entirety of the novel.
Make sure both people are putting equal
amounts of love and care into the
relationship!
It'll make the story a LOT more
enjoyable, plus the couple will be
very easy to root for! So that's all I
got for you today, which means it's time
to hand out a prize!
One lucky son of a gun who pre-ordered
The Savior's Sister is walking away with
a signed copy of Barefoot on the Beach
by Katlyn Duncan and the winner is...this person! Thank you SO much for
pre-ordering The Savior's Sister! And a
huge thank you to Katlyn
for always supporting my channel and my
books and my platform! If you guys want
to check her out, I have her linked
below in the description. And if YOU want
a chance to win
a bunch of amazing prizes, plus if you
want to read a super awesome book, be
sure to pre-order The Savior's Sister!
It's available in ebook, paperback, and
hardback!
And enter my presale giveaway! All the
information is in the description - you
have no excuse!
Don't forget to subscribe to my channel!
I post new videos on Wednesdays, and if
you want to be alerted as SOON as I
upload,
ring that bell! And be sure to follow me
on social media! I'm on Instagram,
Tumblr, Facebook - and of course, you can
Tweet me @JennaMoreci!
Bye! (Flippant Male Voice) Hey! Everyone! I'm Flynn! I fuckin’
love myself!
So if you love me - and you don't mind a
bit of Jenna,
then why don't you press the fuckin’
subscribe button? You know you want to!
Because then you get to hear more of me!
Anyways,
press that button, ding the bell, and
we'll have a great fuckin’ time!
