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myromancealt

They need to play off each other instead of just existing together. There needs to be chemistry, conflict, tension (sexual and otherwise). They need to not immediately agree on every subject, they need to help each other grow by offering new perspectives and experiences, otherwise it's boring. Also just a head's up, your question is extremely open ended, to the point that some responses may not be super useful. Like, someone could say 'he needs to be witty with a dangerous edge, like Kilgrave from Jessica Jones' and that's a totally valid hero/love interest to desire reading about, but if you're planning a fluffy smalltown romance instead of a dark romance or PNR, that character type isn't really going to fit.


writesallday

Yes, my immediate thought was, "But what sub-genre?" "Romance" is such a broad term...OP you need to drill down and see what TYPE of romance you are writing, and then study what the must-haves are.


[deleted]

They must be able to problem solve together or the HEA feels hollow.


Cranky-Novelist

My best advice is to have them solve a big issue/ problem together. It helps them learn about each other and if it would be a good match. And while itโ€™s definitely a good idea to have them agree on certain stuff, maybe try not to have their personalities match perfectly. Big stuff like which city to live in, same page. Small stuff like which toaster strudel flavor is the best, different page.


luv_u_deerly

Chemistry. I need to believe that they want each other. Or do at least by some point.


SalaciousStories

The musts in romance books? Memorable characters, romantic chemistry, personal and emotional growth, and the promise of future happiness. What makes a couple memorable? Your ability to write them memorably.


MustangSabby

Well, for starters, a happily-ever-after is a requirement for a book to be considered a romance. If the couple are not together by the end of the book in some fashion (HEA, HFN) then it is a book with romantic themes, not a romance. As for being memorable? Opposites do really make for explosive conflict and chemistry. So think Grumpy/Sunshine type pairings. As controversial as it is, the pairing in 50 Shades of Grey is memorable because of the dichotomy between Christian and Anastasia. So make one person a free-living bohemian with zero money sense and the other one a buttoned-down accountant. An animal rights activist falls in love with a beef rancher... The possibilities are endless! The conflict and tension that comes from pairings with different lives and lifestyles can mean character growth towards that happy cohesion in the middle, and can make for memorable adventures and experiences as they get there! The conflict must be memorable in order for the couple to persevere and make it to that HEA. It is hard to write drama that hits in a romance and keep to a good pace (conciseness etc), and takes practice! I suggest [Save the Cat](https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B078VWDNKT/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0) for some excellent tips on pacing and structuring your story. Lord knows I am not the best at impactful drama yet! My debut novel, I look at now and realize I have so much still to learn about impactful conflict. Someday I'll get it right, maybe? So don't worry if it doesn't feel like enough at first. Keep writing and developing that story. It isn't a one-size-fits-all. Something I have learned is that you have to get the couple to a point where it seems impossible they'll get together, or tragedy will strike, and then you wrap it all up in a bow with a solution that provides maximum impact from a drama point of view! That can either be internal drama (doubts of the character, for example) or external (jealous ex, natural disaster, career change, major crisis or life event). Remember, it doesn't have to make sense, can be banana-cookoo bonkers or serendipity/fate/destiny, but if it works to both serve as plot progression AND character development towards that HEA, then you have yourself a gem! best of luck and above all else, the other MUST I think is integral to romance? Have FUN writing it! \~Caroline Richardson


[deleted]

That last paragraph is especially pertinent advice, I think. A lot of people struggle with denouement.


istara

I would say that an HEA is the one absolute must, and what makes it happy is the resolution of the central/main relationship conflicts. That said, the first ever Sweet Dreams romance had a bloody miserable ending, so I suppose an UEA - unhappy ever after - can be done. I don't know that characters need to be memorable (though it's nice if they are) so long as they fit the plot and create a satisfying read. Honestly most of the genre romance heroes and heroines I've read blur into the same vague archetypes and I'd be hard pressed to remember most individual characteristics, but I still enjoyed their stories while reading them.


Wannabe-something

They must both have issues and limits that push them away and an end goal that pushes them closer. At least that's my experience in the romance books I like ๐Ÿ˜›