Creating Chemistry in Romance Novels

“Love and magic have a great deal in common. They enrich the soul, delight the heart. And they both take practice.” – Nora Roberts

Who doesn’t love a good romance? Two characters are destined to be together but forces beyond their control keep them apart. That is, until they have to confront whatever that force may be. This unlocks the opportunity for happily-ever-after… or at the very least, happy-for-now.

The chemistry between the protagonist and antagonist keeps us engaged until the very end, rooting for them to get together, and when done well, can give the reader a visceral understanding of the dynamic.

As a romance author, one of the main goals is to create chemistry that jumps off the page and enthrals the reader.

But first: what is chemistry?

Chemistry is that indescribable je ne sais quoi between the characters. Sparks is another way to describe it. Magic. It is the untold story between the written words that is somehow conveyed from the author to the reader.

One might ask: if the chemistry is between the words, how do you create it in a novel?

That’s where strategic conflict comes in. Chemistry comes alive when there is conflict. We’ve seen it in Romeo and Juliet, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, and Noah and Allie. Time and time again, conflict keeps the chemistry alive. Even though the journey of their love may run smoothly after the story is over, the road getting there typically has a few bumps and twists along the way.

How to create chemistry while writing your romance novel?

Tropes, tropes, tropes.

A trope is the central conflict that the protagonist and antagonist will be working against through the novel. Here are some classic examples:

Enemies to Lovers – This one is fairly self-explanatory. The enemies to lovers trope is when the characters start off as enemies at the beginning and end up together by the end of the novel. The concept of ‘enemies’ has so much range from disliking one another to competing with each other. In order to create chemistry with this trope, it’s important to create subtle signs of physical attraction early.

Friends to Lovers – This is a common romantic trope where a couple who start out as friends end up as lovers by the end of the novel. A great example of this is Ron and Hermione. Chemistry can be built between the characters through a slow-burn attraction as they develop interest in each other.

Opposites Attract – This is a wonderful trope where the protagonist and antagonist come together by the end of the novel due to their differences (either their strengths compliment each other or make up for what the other lacks). With this trope, one character may learn to trust again as the other begins to learn boundaries or perhaps one character learns to live it up as the other becomes more responsible. Chemistry can be built as they connect based on their differences.

Forbidden Love – The forbidden love trope is one of the most widely used and for good reason. Due to some conflict (either internal, external, or both), the characters are prevented from being together. The angst and slow-burn of not being able to be together can fuel the chemistry from this trope.

Second Chance – Finally, I’ve saved my favourite for last. The second chance at love trope is just that: the characters get another shot at love after not quite nailing it the first time. Chemistry can be built as the characters navigate back to each other… even after they have already parted ways. Doesn’t everyone deserve a shot at happily-ever-after?

Happy Writing!