Two of my dear friends (Syd Young and
) asked that I write a series of Substacks about the art of writing romance. Even if you write other genres or if your work is more literary, I think there are lessons to be learned. The first, and arguably most important, is chemistry.Chemistry can sometimes be hard to define, but I like to think of it as the fizz crackle pop between two characters. The way being around each other seems to alter them at a molecular level.
Not all chemistry has to be romantic. Your protagonist should have chemistry between all your characters, whether romantic, friendship, or adversarial.
There’s a reason for all the Rylo fan fiction. People loved the enemies-to-lovers relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren in the Star Wars movies.
Here are a few of my favorite techniques to show chemistry:
Dialogue: What people say, how they say it, and even what they leave unsaid can give a lot of clues about their chemistry. If you watch any rom-com movie worth its salt, the leads will banter endlessly. Listen to the pace and the musicality of the lines. When done well, they are almost like a rat tat tat syncopation. In novels, you have to invoke this feeling through your sentence structure, how long the characters speak, etc. One of my favorite examples is
You, with a View. The leads are former high school rivals and their banter is teasing as they perform a series of one-upmanship. You also have to hint that they are attracted to each other because—duh—they are the main romantic couple.Nicknames and inside jokes: Emily Henry’s Book Lovers, employs two of my favorite techniques for infusing your book with chemistry: nicknames and inside jokes. Charlie repeatedly refers to Nora by her last name “Stevens” and lovingly calls her a shark.
Interiority/tension: This is often the best way to clue the reader into how your main character is feeling about other people. In romantic relationships, their gaze might linger or they might notice things about them or their appearance that others wouldn’t. My advice is to show as much emotion as possible through interiority because it will help heighten the dialogue and allow the reader to understand what isn’t being said in a given scene. In
’s Love Lettering, Meg notices Reid in a particular way that clues the reader into how she’s feeling about being around him.Attraction and opposition: Think of the characters as magnets. When are they pulling closer together and when are they repelling each other? In every relationship, there should be some push and pull. If you only have one or the other, your characters might feel one-dimensional. The characters of Violet and Xaden in Rebecca Yarros’ The Fourth Wing are a great example of this. SPOILER ALERT: They start as enemies and gradually their relationship turns romantic despite their best efforts.
Want to learn more? Check out Savannah Gilbo’s podcast episode on Crafting Chemistry.
What are some of your tricks for showing chemistry in your writing? Let me know.
What I’m Reading
I’m lucky to share an agent with three amazing poets, Kate Baer, Joy Sullivan, and Lyndsay Rush. Kate has several books of amazing poetry available for purchase through her website, including And Yet.
’s debut, Instructions for Traveling West, is out today! (April 9, 2024) , also known on social media as Mary Oliver’s Drunk Cousin, has her debut available for pre-order as well. It releases on September 17, 2024.One of CeCe Lyra’s best pieces of advice for elevating your writing on a line level is to read more poetry. Consider this your invitation to order some amazing books.
What I’m Eating
I try to load my kids up with protein in the mornings to give them energy for their school day. One of my tricks is to modify the store-bought protein pancake/waffle mixes by creating something I call, “Elvis Waffles.” I add a ripe banana, peanut butter, chia seeds, flaxseed meal, and hemp seeds to the batter. Voila! Protein-rich, delicious waffles that will keep them full until lunch.
Perfect timing, Gina, I'm about to review my draft for the so-necessary romantic tension. Thank you for the tips and examples!
Love this, Gina! Great examples. I think dialogue and inside jokes are my favourite way to infuse chemistry.