March 20, 2008
Love Timeline
In one of my books, the hero and heroine went from avoidance to love in … oh, (thinking here) about a month. (Day after Thanksgiving to two days before Christmas) I’ve read stories where protagonists find love in a week. Sometimes even in a day. Think of the books you’ve written. Is there variety in your romantic time frame?
My characters usually find love within a month, but no longer than three. I’ve never done weeks, much less days. If you’re a reader, what time frame do the books you buy fall in? Would your suspension of disbelief be shattered by a hero and heroine who fall in love in one day or a week? Such is the case for many women in jeopardy books.
In almost all of my books the h & h fall in love within days. Some have known each other previously. And some have just met. I’m still a little sappy and believe in love at first sight, well at least in books I do.
Attraction? Pretty much instaneous.
Realizing this person means something “more” probably within weeks/ a month at the most.
But the in love thing takes a couple of months. (I’d say month three is the marker).
I think mentally I shoot for a couple of weeks, but you never know where the story will take you…I have a couple where it spans a couple of months and one in only a week
I think the longest I’ve gone is six months and really that was a writing glitch. In How Much You Want to Bet? one of the character’s says the heroine built the house in six months, but I didn’t do the timeline right. But whatever. In my own writing I’m more apt to having the character’s fall in love within a month.
To be honest when I’m reading someone else’s work it’s not the time I’m paying attention to, it’s how well they built up the romance. Some people can give it a year span, but if I don’t believe these characters are meant for each other than I just don’t believe it.
For instance in La Nora’s first blood brother’s trilogy the character’s know each other for a month.(I think) IMHO the romance wasn’t played out very well. But in Agnes and The Hitman by Jennifer Crusie the character’s know each other for a week, maybe a few days and when I closed that book I believed they would live HEA.
Most of my stuff is pretty short according to industry standards, so there isn’t a lot of time involved. But then, my goal is usually for a happy finale and promising future. The word “love” doesn’t necessarily have to come into play.
Most of my characters are togther a few days to a few months….at best 9 times out of ten you’ll get a HFN from me, regardless and the degree of happy may vary. There’s no way I can write about a couple falling in love in a few days in a novella (just sayin’ cuz the realist in me doesn’t buy it).
That said…..
To be honest when I’m reading someone else’s work it’s not the time I’m paying attention to, it’s how well they built up the romance.
Melissa makes an EXCELLENT point. Execution definitely comes into play.
When I lived in Hawaii, we had a guest speaker at our chapter once who was a behavioral psychologist. He gave a talk about how adrenaline-laced incidents made people fall in love faster (basically). So, women in jeopardy storylines are an example of that. He also talked about simply going on a date with someone where you rode a rollercoaster. Even that would foster feelings of closeness because of the adrenaline. I thought it was interesting.
Most of the time, though, it just depends for me on how well the attraction is played out.
Ah, yes, attraction.
Gosh, I love this emoticons.
I have almost instant attraction but cautious growth.
A month sounds good. ( I was engaged to my husband in 3 weeks)
Melissa, I think your psych speaker was dead on. A certain heightened bond is created by surviving jeopardy.
Yeah I believe in love at first sight. Usually a month for me as well. Even if they deny it to the other and themselves … they are Soooo in love. LOL
MIgod.
I took a sepatae holiday.
Thought I’d be all right.
Whammo. In love in three weeks, right on scheldule!