Maintaining tension when the ultimate choice is obvious?

Hmm, it's hard to say without reading it. But one way is to make her click with the other character in a different way. Or make him complex, interesting, and sympathetic too.

Or maybe to have there be some very strong reason why she "should" be with the other guy besides her feelings for this one. A prior promise? They're married in a culture where marriages can't just be dissolved? Family pressure? Cultural similarities? They've shared something very important in the past?

Love triangles are tough, because (unless you allow for polyamory) someone's going to get hurt, and there's the potential for readers getting miffed if the character they like best is the one who's tossed over. So the ultimate choice often is painfully obvious, because the author makes the "other" man or woman one dimensional or unsympathetic. Or the writer makes him or her noble, then kills the person off (sometimes in an act of self sacrifice).

One possible way around is to make one of the two people change in some way that makes them and the person drift away from one another. I read a series recently where the author did this, though it felt a bit contrived.

*cracks fingers*

One thing to know is that a lot of romance readers hate love triangles because they hate guessing who the heroine is going to end up with. They want to know who to root for, and they want the person they root for to win. I get the impression that readers in other markets do not mind as much -- fantasy readers, sci-fi-readers, ect. But despite the success of Twilight, it's not typical for a heroine to be engaged in a real love triangle where it is unclear who she's going to end up with.

Tension does not arise from this choice. I can't imagine a reader biting their nails, turning page after page just to find out who the heroine picks. Sometimes, but I've never done it, and the reviews I've read have never given me the impression that other readers do it either.

Tension comes from other things. So don't worry about it. Let it be obvious. It's good if one pairing feels natural and the other does not. That's what the reader wants. To "guess" correctly. To root for that couple.

I once read a love triangle where the heroine was torn between two brothers. I could tell the author was loading the deck for Hero Brother, while trying to demonize Villain Brother, and it made me mad on Villain Brother's behalf. So mad I ended up naming one of my heroes after him.

The only love triangles I've ever enjoyed were in Gone with the Wind, and that's because Mitchell didn't paint the wrong man or the wrong woman as roast evil with ugly sauce on the side. There were good reasons Scarlett was attracted to Ashley, and vice versa.

Think about watching a recorded football game, after someone has spoiled the outcome for you (your team wins). You can still moan when your guys fumble the ball. I think tension in romance comes from dramatic irony. You know it's going to work out, but the characters don't. You know what they could do to have a happy ending right now, but they don't, which is maddening and exciting at the same time.

ViridianChick said:

*cracks fingers*

One thing to know is that a lot of romance readers hate love triangles because they hate guessing who the heroine is going to end up with. They want to know who to root for, and they want the person they root for to win. I get the impression that readers in other markets do not mind as much -- fantasy readers, sci-fi-readers, ect. But despite the success of Twilight, it's not typical for a heroine to be engaged in a real love triangle where it is unclear who she's going to end up with.

Tension does not arise from this choice. I can't imagine a reader biting their nails, turning page after page just to find out who the heroine picks. Sometimes, but I've never done it, and the reviews I've read have never given me the impression that other readers do it either.

Tension comes from other things. So don't worry about it. Let it be obvious. It's good if one pairing feels natural and the other does not. That's what the reader wants. To "guess" correctly. To root for that couple.

Click to expand...

This. A gazillion times this. On the GR boards I'm active in, the love triangle always comes up in the "What don't you like in Romancelandia?" threads.

You could make the tension between her and other people - instead of being conflicted about which man she'll choose, she can struggle with something like making her mom accept the fact that she's not choosing the man her mom had picked out for her??

Perhaps the original poster is defining "tension" too narrowly. There are different kinds, depending on genre.

In a standalone thriller it comes from fear that the main character or one of their important others will not survive a threat. In a detective series that is untrue; Miss Marple will only ever be in token danger. The tension there is mostly curiosity: who done it, and how will the detective(s) discover them, and whether the detective(s) will ensnare the criminal with enough evidence to ensure they don't escape punishment.

In a one-on-one conventional romance there is no fear the couple will not get together. They are assured of a happily-ever-after. The tension comes from curiosity at how they will get together. And whether the "how" seems authentic to the lovers' natures and the social matrix in which they live.

In a three-way or more-way romance you can set up the true love's competition as sham competition. This is the situation the original poster describes. So the tension is really the same as that of a one-on-one romance.

But there's another solution which those of us who have a similar but not identical book in mind: where all the competitors for the main character are equally suitable mates. The tension comes from a different curiosity: who will win the prize? And how, since a coin toss is as good a way to choose as any other method. (This kind of plot has a danger: some readers will disagree with your choice of the ideal mate. There are still some Twilight readers who are bitter that werewolf Jacob did not win Bella.)

Opposites attract. Have him be her opposite with lots of physical attraction and balancing of weaknesses to strengths. The first one can be more simpatico.

Perhaps this is not a question of tension, but, rather, a question of what is your story. Many of us have an idea of what the story will entail, if not have the whole thing planned out, but the writing guides us in a different direction.

I find when I go where it leads me, I end up the winner, thus I suggest perhaps you entertain the idea of nixing the love triangle idea (also because ViridianChick is right and romance readers do not like love triangles) and see where the story leads you. Just a thought.

Let the losing suitor take himself out, i.e. meet someone else, and make the decision for her. Or, while she's trying to decide and leaning toward B, have A do something that shows his character and devotion aren't what she's looking for. Lots of ways to sidetrack the other suitor.

While the book that I just finished is romance, my WIP is YA and I'm getting some great tips and ideas, a big thanks to the OP for posting this question and to everyone who took the time to respond.