Please welcome Erica O'Rourke to the site today. Erica is the author of the upcoming book TORN (available on June 28th 2011), the first in a new paranormal YA trilogy from K Teen/Kensington) which sounds better and better the more times I look at the description (my review is coming on July 3rd). She’s here today talking about the art of the Love Triangle. Be sure to visit The {Teen} Book Scene to see all the different stops on the TORN book tour.
Geometry for Writers: The Art of the Triangle
by
Erica O’Rourke
Tip #1: Think isoceles.
In geometry, isoceles trianges are the ones with at least two equal sides. In a love triangle, the heroine is the base. The sides are your love interests, and they need to be equally well-developed. If you spend a ton of time creating a complex, interesting, incredibly sexy guy as one side of the triangle, and the other guy is has no backstory, no depth, no motivation, you have a very lopsided triangle.You want this:
Not this:
Tip #2: Make the differences meaningful.
A compelling heroine has a character arc – an internal struggle that is resolved by the end of the story. The love interests in a triangle need to offer two different ways of dealing with that struggle. That way, when she chooses between the two guys, it’s a decision that carries a lot of emotional weight. It’s not just about who is the better kisser or has the nicer smile – it’s about which guy complements the person your heroine has become.Tip #3: Don’t take the easy way out.
A heroine needs to actively choose who she wants to be with. If one of the love interests suddenly dies, or moves to Outer Mongolia, or decides he’s actually in love with someone else, she’s not choosing. She’s making do. Even if he’s the right choice for her, and they live happily ever after, it makes for a passive heroine and an annoyed audience. This isn’t a comprehensive list, of course. What do you think makes a love triangle successful? What’s a dealbreaker? Is there one in particular that makes you swoon?-----------------------------------
 Author of TORN, coming from K Teen/Kensington Books, July 2011. Winner of the 2010 Golden Heart® Winner for Best Young Adult Manuscript. Awfully fond of the gray areas. Erica O'Rourke lives outside Chicago with her family, including two very bad cats. She likes coffee, denim, naps, and sushi. She hates fish, bridges, and talking about herself.
|
Book Details
TORN by Erica O’Rourke
Available on June 28th 2011 from Kensington
Everyone has secrets.
Even best friends.
Swirling black descends like ravens, large enough to block the glow of the streetlights. A dull roar starts like a train on the 'L', a far-away rumbling that grows louder as it pulls closer, until it's directly overhead and you feel it in your chest, except this doesn't pass you by. Verity, white-faced and eyes blazing, shouts through the din, "Run, Mo!"
Mo Fitzgerald knows about secrets. But when she witnesses her best friend's murder, she discovers Verity was hiding things she never could have guessed. To find the answers she needs and the vengeance she craves, Mo—quiet, ordinary, unmagical Mo—will have to enter a world of raw magic and shifting alliances. And she'll have to choose between two very different, equally dangerous guys—protective, duty-bound Colin and brash, mysterious Luc. One wants to save her, one wants to claim her. Which would you choose?
"Who doesn't love a character torn between two dangerous worlds and two risky guys? The only thing safe about this book is how good it is." —Lee Nichols, author of Deception, A Haunting Emma Novel
"Dark, exciting and totally addictive! Just. . .wow!" -Kristi Cook, author of Haven
Interested in guest blogging on All Things Urban Fantasy? CONTACT ME
Excellent tips! I like this part best:
ReplyDelete"A heroine needs to actively choose who she wants to be with. If one of the love interests suddenly dies, or moves to Outer Mongolia, or decides he’s actually in love with someone else, she’s not choosing."
Huh, I've seen love triangles - but I love Erica's explanation that it MUST be an isosceles! That makes it more sense - and I have to agree that both guys must be equally compelling to make it work. But maybe it is a reader's perception of said male characters (e.g. Bella ends up with Edward, Jacob never really stood a chance in my mind...plus I thought he was more "boring" than Edward) - even if the author feels that both males are equal awesome.
ReplyDeleteTORN sounds awesome! I can't wait to read it to see how this love triangle plays out - it sounds like Erica has mastered the "magic" equation!
This makes so much sense! It drives me crazy when I can tell from page ten who the heroine is going to be with. I much prefer the suspense.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post. Very interesting way of looking at it. Here I thought I was never going to use that math....
ReplyDeleteNicely said. I hate "love triangles" that really aren't, because it's not really a choice. Like those situations where everyone (except the heroine) knows that Guy 1 is really a horrible, manipulative b-rute and the whole book is about her realising it so that she can move on to Guy 2.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100% with Erica and you guys. I've read bad love triangle books and they all broke the rules listed above. I hope tons of authors read this post.
ReplyDeleteThanks, guys -- I'm glad you agree, and I'm REALLY glad my high school geometry class finally came in handy.
ReplyDeleteI think there's a place for stories where the girl has to realize a guy is all wrong for her, and she finally opens her eyes to the wonders of guy #2 -- but those aren't triangles so much as a crooked line. Is there a geometric term for crooked lines?