: Re: How do you write boy & girl protagonists without turning them into a love story? I've played with the idea of a multi-book fantasy story for years, where a female and male protagonists' lives

@Gonzalez219

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A good example is the current TV Series "Elementary", in which Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Joan Watson are partners, cohabit, and although fond of each other have avoided all romantic involvement.

Both have their own love lives; Joan has had at least two lovers in the course of the series thus far, and been out on dates. Sherlock has had several lovers as well, including a fairly serious relationship with an autistic woman, and he engages prostitutes on occasion.

Their relationship seems natural, and their talents complement each other, this is part of the reason they are together, they are better together than apart, both at the detective work, and to a large extent socially.

I would suggest, for your boy and girl: Starting at 12, they are in sixth grade and barely sexually cognizant (in fifth grade is where teachers start to see boys "showing off" and girls starting to gather into whisper groups). There is certainly no reason for them to date or even hold hands.

So (presuming a modern timeline) I would suggest a "throwaway" relationship starter; put them in band together; at 12 she thinks she can be a singer (and she is good enough that so does he) and he's a guitar player, so they have aspirations of making a hit youtube video. A million hits! That doesn't work out, but they had fun; and they think differently from each other. She's a good writer, he doesn't have any stage fright, he's a good salesman. She gets him involved in a charity project with her. Find reasons for them to work together. But by starting early enough, before they recognize any feelings of sexuality, they will feel like siblings, not romantic interests. If necessary and you write yourself into a corner where one hints at a love interest in the other, have the other be smart enough to shut it down. "You're like my brother, if I had a brother, and besides, I have a crush on Charlie. You should like Crystal, she thinks you are very funny."

Give them different things they are good at, so they both benefit equally from the friendship, but are both attracted to other people, and are open and honest about it. Because they are friends.

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