Kristina's writing time part Two: Love Triangles

Titled: Boy Meets Girl, meets...love interest? On Love Triangles in your novel


 It must be a law of nature, like gravity. Whenever there is love between one person and another, there must be a third person trying to break them up.

I tried to avoid this. And I did...for the first novel. But then a pregnant ex-fling started to come in between the two real players of the game.

So how can you avoid this? Or rather, SHOULD you avoid this? Let's admit, adding a third person into the mix adds spice to your story. It adds deception, craftiness, fights, and mind games. Better than that filler you've been writing on the MC having breakfast.

Maybe you don't have a third love interest. Maybe your MC is very interested in monogamy. But you want a little more drama. There are a few ways to add that:
1) a girl from the past.
2) an arranged marriage that no one knew about until now.
3) a love spell
4) a drunken night at the bar.

Use your imagination. Who will your main character choose? Can he choose both? What if he broke up with his love interest for the third wheel?

And, how do you write a love triangle so awesome that it doesn't fade in with all the others? No fear, I'm here to help!

The simplest love triangles only risk one person getting hurt. 3-1=2. Jacob, Edward, Bella minus Jacob equals Edward and Bella. But simple does not a novel make. We want complicated, dangerous relationships. Take Wicked for example. Green witch and Fiyero are a couple. Green witch and white witch become best friends. White witch and Fiyero start to fall in love. 3-1=0. Justify that, math majors.

And what about a love triangle where love itself is frowned upon? (Think Hunger Games) The love itself isn't wanted, and certainly not wanted is two love interests instead of one complicated one.

A really great love triangle exists when the main character doesn't realize there's a triangle at all. We see this in The Iron King and Eyes Like Stars.


So now you know what makes a great love triangle, or at least how to make it interesting. Go forth and write...and stop procrastinating! Really now, my post can't be THAT interesting.