: Re: Writing romance when I have little experience in it I'm in high school, and have had few romantic relationships. The few that I have had were very unhealthy. I have pretty much no good

@Kaufman555

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A story romance should have:

a call to action, or an inciting incident
a try/fail cycle, or a mid-point conflict that makes the goal
seem
unobtainable
the MC should have a personal realization, or
make a personal sacrifice before it can be resolved

in other words, treat the romantic arc like any other plot element. Give it a structure and narrative beats so it can grow and evolve. Create a built-in flaw from the start, then raise the stakes.

Once you have some of the "romantic arc" plotted, work to fit it into your main plot. It should influence, and be influenced by, other story elements so the romance doesn't feel tagged on or inconsequential, rather it is woven in with the rest of the timeline.

At the end of the story, regardless of how the rest of the plot goes, the romantic plot will have its own resolution which might compliment or contrast the main plot. It should have its own journey, with conflicts and villains and failures, but most of all it should have a conclusion. Doesn't have to be "happily ever after", but like every story it needs a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Readers will care because the romantic plot is just as interesting as the main adventure. No amount of waxing poetic will make people feel involved in someone else's romance, so use the same tricks that get people to care about the rest of the story: motivation, conflict, and resolution.

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