\"Writing.Com
*Magnify*
SPONSORED LINKS
BY ONLINE AUTHORS
Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/10705-The-Benefit-of-a-Friend.html
Romance/Love: April 07, 2021 Issue [#10705]




 This week: The Benefit of a Friend
  Edited by: Dawn Embers Author IconMail Icon
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  Open in new Window.

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Romance/Love Newsletter by Dawn

Taking a look at friendship and the role the friend character may have within a romance story.


Word from our sponsor

ASIN: B07YXBT9JT
Amazon's Price: $ 4.99


Letter from the editor

A friend can be an important character in life and within romance stories. They can be an instigator, a promoter, a problem or even the love interest. There are many shows that focus around single friends or even a group of friends and it's someone that many readers can find connection with their own lives to when reading. There are a few different options for what role the friend can take when it comes to the fiction story. Let's look at three of them.

The Matchmaker

This is that friend that provides the setup or match. They might be obvious about it, setting the main character up on a blind date or saying they know the perfect person for them. Or they might not even know that they had an influence. They could be the force bringing "opposites together" for a different purpose that somehow turns into a romantic connection. The love interest could be someone they know and happen to introduce but maybe they hadn't thought that there would be a connection in that way. The sibling or a friend or the friend of a sibling is one such option where they are the reason for the introductions at some point but may not have intended for the match to occur. The level of influence can vary but in the end, whether it was an off the cuff remark or an entire mission determined to create a couple, the friend had a say in the budding romance that develops in the story.


The Conflict Creator

This is sort of the opposite because in some ways, they don't want the romance to happen. The friend can have varying reasons or they can be an unknown to themselves conflict within a relationship. They could possibly be against the pairing or have some issue with the love interest for the main character. Or the love interest may just have an issue or jealousy when it comes to the friend character. For whatever the reason, the friend can be what causes problems within the story and tension for the couple trying to make their relationship work.


The Love Interest

Another, common, options is for the friend to also be the love interest. There is those signs with phrases that say you should marry your best friend but the friendship that develops between a couple can before or after the start of the relationship. There are a fair number of stories where the friend doesn't realize until a certain point in the story that they are actually in love with the main interest and/or vice versa. They may have been friends since childhood, for a long long time or even for a short while but something causes a shift in attention and make the potential for romance to occur. Whether the main character knows the potential or discovers it along the way, it all depends on how you write the story.


What role does the friend play in your story?


Editor's Picks

Image Protector
FORUM
A Romance Contest - winners announced Open in new Window. (13+)
A short story contest for the Seasons of Romance: August = Winter
#1892844 by Osirantinous Author IconMail Icon


Image Protector
FORUM
The Humorous Short Story Contest Open in new Window. (18+)
Fiction, non-fiction, old, or new entries ~ Next Round TBA ~
#1983164 by Lornda Author IconMail Icon


Journalistic Intentions Open in new Window. (18+)
This is for the journal keeping types that come to PLAY! New round starts July 1!
#2213121 by Elisa: Snowman Stik Author IconMail Icon


 
Image Protector
FORUM
Poetry Song Contest Open in new Window. (E)
Calling all poets! You can get your poetry turned into a song!
#2242849 by Beyond the Cloud9 Author IconMail Icon


Image Protector
STATIC
Silent Mind Open in new Window. (E)
When nature married stars to moon and sun.
#1282412 by winklett Author IconMail Icon


 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2247726 by Not Available.


 A Journey into Spring Open in new Window. (13+)
Karid and Brianda have never seen Spring. When they do, it may change their lives forever.
#2247397 by PureSciFi Author IconMail Icon



 
Submit an item for consideration in this newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Word from Writing.Com

Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
         https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Don't forget to support our sponsor!

ASIN: B000FC0SIM
Amazon's Price: $ 12.99


Ask & Answer

Does your friend character help the MC or are they the love interest?

Last time for the Romance Newsletter, I discussed the order of events that certain thing happen between a couple. Here is a comment sent in response:



Comment by Osirantinous Author Icon
Thanks for including A Romance Contest, Dawn. It's been a while since we last ran!! As for writing romance out of order, I'm not sure I've done that because I'm not sure my characters even have a life plan let alone a love plan! However, I'm going to try it out on a few because it sounds like it could be quite an exciting approach!



*Cat*

*Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet* Don't Be Shy! Write Into This Newsletter! *Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet*

This form allows you to submit an item on Writing.Com and feedback, comments or questions to the Writing.Com Newsletter Editors. In some cases, due to the volume of submissions we receive, please understand that all feedback and submissions may not be responded to or listed in a newsletter. Thank you, in advance, for any feedback you can provide!
Writing.Com Item ID To Highlight (Optional):

Send a comment or question to the editor!
Limited to 2,500 characters.
Word from our sponsor
ASIN: B07N36MHWD
Amazon's Price: $ 7.99

Removal Instructions

To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.


Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/10705-The-Benefit-of-a-Friend.html