Post by Shad on Oct 21, 2014 20:26:11 GMT -5
Please help me out, guys, it'll only take a few minutes and one reply! (I tried tumblr but all my followers are selfish cantaloupes and won't give me any feedback)
It's about my book.
Lately I've been having a massive month of block and only just thought of a great plot detail yesterday. But I'm having mixed emotions about it.
I want to do a love triangle. Problem is, I see people complain about them all the time about how cliche and overused they are. And it's true most YA novels have them now.
So, I need your honest opinion on whether one would be a turn off or if you, as a reader, wouldn't mind (and may even enjoy).
What this triangle would have going for it:
(1) All three characters are equally well developed. There's not going to be just two who seem to be heading down the romance path, and then suddenly the third party jumps in. There will be no third character tacked on. Each will hold proper places in the triangle.
(2) It will not be a circumstance of the main character not being able to choose between hotguy1 and hotguy2 because they're both so gorgeous! It's going to be complicated because she's going to have [romantic] feelings for both of them, but in different ways. They form different emotional bonds, so it's hard for her to "compare" them to each other.
(3) While both of the male characters aren't identical, neither are they polar opposites. I hate it when I read/watch where hotguy1 is brooding and dangerous and hotguy2 is sweet and gentle and the MC can't decide because she loves the "danger" of hotguy1 but also loves the "safety" of hotguy2. That's just weird that they'd want two completely opposite things like that. So they'll have similarities as well as differences.
(4) It is NOT going to be the main plot. At the same time, it is a key part to the overall plot, because the outcome and consequences directly affects the storyline. So it's not "needless" but also not the center. There'll be bigger fish to fry.
(5) Both of the guys are long time friends. There's going to be jealousy, obviously (hard to avoid), and feelings of betrayal, but it's not going to become a muscle-flexing contest where they become idiots all the sudden and forget their friendship ever happened.
(6) MC is not going to play with either of their feelings by darting back in forth between them. That's lame.
(7) It's going to be built up. This won't actually start to become really obvious until the end of Book 2 and it really takes shape in book 3. So it's not going to be sudden or too fast to be believable.
So, if the things above are what are usually lacking from triangles that makes you hate them, let me know if you think a reader would actually enjoy this one. If triangles are just a turn off in any shape or form, please let me know. Be honest. I'm not gonna ruin my book if I'm warned.
EDIT: (8) Also, the romantic subplot is not going to be the main story of the three characters. There's going to be loads of other things going on to the individuals. And, since there are 9 main characters, there's plenty of other things to focus on if someone doesn't particularly like the pairings.
It's about my book.
Lately I've been having a massive month of block and only just thought of a great plot detail yesterday. But I'm having mixed emotions about it.
I want to do a love triangle. Problem is, I see people complain about them all the time about how cliche and overused they are. And it's true most YA novels have them now.
So, I need your honest opinion on whether one would be a turn off or if you, as a reader, wouldn't mind (and may even enjoy).
What this triangle would have going for it:
(1) All three characters are equally well developed. There's not going to be just two who seem to be heading down the romance path, and then suddenly the third party jumps in. There will be no third character tacked on. Each will hold proper places in the triangle.
(2) It will not be a circumstance of the main character not being able to choose between hotguy1 and hotguy2 because they're both so gorgeous! It's going to be complicated because she's going to have [romantic] feelings for both of them, but in different ways. They form different emotional bonds, so it's hard for her to "compare" them to each other.
(3) While both of the male characters aren't identical, neither are they polar opposites. I hate it when I read/watch where hotguy1 is brooding and dangerous and hotguy2 is sweet and gentle and the MC can't decide because she loves the "danger" of hotguy1 but also loves the "safety" of hotguy2. That's just weird that they'd want two completely opposite things like that. So they'll have similarities as well as differences.
(4) It is NOT going to be the main plot. At the same time, it is a key part to the overall plot, because the outcome and consequences directly affects the storyline. So it's not "needless" but also not the center. There'll be bigger fish to fry.
(5) Both of the guys are long time friends. There's going to be jealousy, obviously (hard to avoid), and feelings of betrayal, but it's not going to become a muscle-flexing contest where they become idiots all the sudden and forget their friendship ever happened.
(6) MC is not going to play with either of their feelings by darting back in forth between them. That's lame.
(7) It's going to be built up. This won't actually start to become really obvious until the end of Book 2 and it really takes shape in book 3. So it's not going to be sudden or too fast to be believable.
So, if the things above are what are usually lacking from triangles that makes you hate them, let me know if you think a reader would actually enjoy this one. If triangles are just a turn off in any shape or form, please let me know. Be honest. I'm not gonna ruin my book if I'm warned.
EDIT: (8) Also, the romantic subplot is not going to be the main story of the three characters. There's going to be loads of other things going on to the individuals. And, since there are 9 main characters, there's plenty of other things to focus on if someone doesn't particularly like the pairings.