HOW TO WRITE ROMANCE💕crafting unique & compelling relationships

RELATED VIDEOS

MY SHORT STORIES:

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - intro
1:30 - create a compelling dynamic
5:21 - create layers of conflict
7:31 - balance connection and conflict
8:42 - use the relationship to explore themes
10:28 - use motifs to express the romance
11:07 - creating thematic compatibility
12:50 - use intentional physicality & details
14:30 - think about the 'why'
17:00 - what is the character's relationship to being loved?
17:50 - use the relationship to reveal both characters

FAQS
→How old are you? - 26
→How long have you been writing? - Since I was 8
→Where do you live? - I keep that private for safety reasons, but I grew up in Vancouver.
→Where did you go to university and what did you study? - I keep my university information private, but I majored in writing with a concentration in fiction.
→What are your pronouns? - They/them or she/her
→Where can I read your books? - None of my books are published yet, but you can read my published short fiction in my linktree (linked above!)
→So when will your book be published? - I don’t know! I’m in the revision process right now, but I can’t predict exactly when I’ll have a book published. But I’m working on it!
→Do you plan to traditionally publish or self publish? - Traditionally publish
→Will you read my book/story/chapter/mentor me? - Unfortunately I cannot accommodate these requests because editing/critiquing is a labour intensive task that I can’t afford to do for free alongside my job, my own writing, and running this platform. If you would like to hire me for paid editing work, contact me privately on twitter or instagram.

OUTRO MUSIC: "l u v t e a [acoustic]" by Autumn Keys

SOCIAL

[oneinathousand]

For a romance that’s meant to be positive, I usually think of the characters’ dynamic as being like best friends that just take their relationship further than most friends would, and then interactions with each other don’t feel quite as melodramatic.

[SteveJubs]

This is genuinely the most clear and actionable advice I’ve ever heard on this topic. Romance and love can feel so squishy, and it can be easy to think you have an intuitive sense for how it should work on the page, and then super hard to diagnose why it absolutely is NOT working on the page lol. Thank you for this!!

[african_chris]

This addressed so many problems I had with one of my novels. I was doing edits and I remember writing down questions like: “why are they even in love?” “Why are they fighting for this relationship?” “Why is it this person or nothing?”

[Mxmilox]

I’m only 48 seconds into the video right now but whenever you publish a fantasy romance I am THERE

[lexietalionis]

So many great points here. I especially liked the suggestion to hyper-focus on small details of a character's behavior to show how carefully the POV character is observing (and being drawn to) them. And so the reader can see the other character through the eyes of this growing love.

[DarwinRoger]

Adding to the thematic compatibility, i think that pretty much explains the "why". If somebody is challenging your worldview or your opinion on something that matters to you and they are adding their own complex thoughts and introspection to the topic, it makes sense for you to be attentive to that person. They're participating in what directly affects you. That shows a level of attention, whether its enemies to lovers or something else. Even if they butt heads due to differing opinions, they're still engaging in a meaningful conversation, they're paying more attention than anyone else. I think that raises a lot of intrigue and curiosity that can only be piqued by this specific person. No one else cares about this thing like they do, it's like shared interest but dialed up. I often use themes as a way to create chemistry and appeal to my characters.

[trillgutterbug]

Truly yelled at the end 🤣🤣🤣. Worth the price of admission alone. But no fr lol, really excellent advice all the way through, especially the succinct breakdown of tying in theme and the mutual "bettering" of each character by one another. One of those things that's so obvious but doesn't quite click until you hear it said aloud!

[MerweenTheWitch]

As a major aroace I desperately need the advice, everything I try come up as either doomed and quietly rotten or completely mechanical. So thank you for the video!

[taramayastales]

“What makes a good love story in real life is not what makes a good love story in fiction.” So true. 😅

[shrubberry]

also want to piggyback and add that shaelin's other video about compelling character relationships is also helpful for this! i've been thinking about some of the questions raised in the video as i've been working on a YA romance story, specifically the "what does this relationship encourage or suppress in the characters" (or something to that effect) and the "what do these characters understand about each other that no one else does" and my alpha readers have been highlighting that the relationship feels really strong because of how unique the dynamic is to them!

[PsychOnlineAldrian]

What is the character's relationship to being loved? I'm getting bell hooks vibes with that question.

Thank you for providing several gold nuggets in this tip video. 🎉

[AdamFishkin]

To all these great points, I would add another step: having an endgame. It helps for the story as a whole, but specifically for romance, you want every plot and character beat with direct connection to their relationship to flow into the cause and effect of where their relationship ends up.

[konvaliastreams]

I don't even write that much because I can't ever keep working on one project for more than one night, but Shaelin you have been my comfort YouTuber since I stumbled across your channel like 5 years ago and I always wait for your new uploads, you make my day so much better when you post!! just wanted to tell you that keep doing what you're doing and I can't wait to read one of your novels when they finally come out ❤❤

[Lara_Ameen]

“I can’t say that.” 😂

This is such a wonderful video! I love that you’re writing a fantasy romance! I love romance subplots in stories, especially fantasy! Fanfic is what actually taught me how to write romance (the two characters are basically enemies to lovers IMO, but never got together because the show was cancelled—my absolute favorite show!), but I can also see how some of that carried over into the original fiction I would write years later and am still writing. Great insight! 🥰

[mellifluouslyanonymous]

There is a reason I always come back to Shaelin, it's due to the quality of the information. You are passionate and knowledgeable in the writingcraft, and it shows. I couldn't praise you enough, keep up the good work!

[martellc]

I am do excited that your writing a fantasty romance, can't wait to hear more about it!

[tiramisunsun]

I love reading slow burn with a lot of angst, unresolved tension, soulmate like bonds, and sometimes tragic ends, but god it's so hard to write it well... I feel like what I enjoy reading and what I enjoy writing are two separate things, especially when it comes to romance, so I'm slowly trying to explore the type of relationships I want to write about.
This video is useful, thank you!

[phophia]

I like how you said disastrous, so much flair

[mynameisno]

This is exceptional. I feel like someone just handed me the key to the secrets of the universe. And it was also so funny 🤣🤣🤣

Hope your Valentine's Day was enjoyable! Thank you for sharing your insights/wisdom!

[bttmofthebrrlstudios]

I really like the point about physicality, that's a practical piece of advice I'll hold on to! Thanks for the great video!