In a post on the SFWA blog, Katherine Garcia Ley says investigating your characters’ love lives can give you insight into their needs and motivations, even if you aren’t writing a romance. “It’s incredibly important to examine a character’s love life, their perspective on love, and biases on love, because it strengthens arcs, dialogues, and the tone of the story,” she says. “Honing in on their love life offers insight ranging from a character’s body language to their voice.”
For example, a character who’s experienced a recent heartbreak may avoid happy couples, become sarcastic, or speak with a negative tone. Ley suggests a few questions to consider:
- What is your character’s perspective on love? Do they hate it? Don’t believe in it?
- How do they want to be seen by others when it comes to love? Confident? Curious?Downright vengeful?
- Do they think they deserve love?
- How do they treat family and friends who are in love? I love this question!
- Has your character ever been in love? Did they want to be? How did it go for them?
- Do they believe in happy endings?
Even if you don’t answer these or other questions, you might keep them in mind to review as you write. The answer can help you guide how your character responds to different situations. It can also help differentiate your characters and initiate conflict, Ley says.
