I am a hopeless shipper.* I have ships in pretty much everything I write, and while I've read and loved stories without them, I admit that I prefer books that have them. I will also admit that I have trouble reading straight-up romances. (Not that there aren't AMAZING romance writers—I just prefer my romance as a side dish instead of the main course.)
*Just in case anyone is unfamiliar with the term, a shipper refers to someone who puts characters together romantically. A "ship" refers to a romantic pairing.
There seem to be a few ways that many people write you Love Interests, but it never gets old because every story and every character is unique. This means even if I already know that two characters will start out hating each other and come to love each other by the end, I'm not bored—I'm excited to see what their particular journey will look like.
My brain is completely mushified right now because I'm running on a few hours of sleep, a few cups of coffee, and a day of non-stop running around, so I know I'm not going to hit all of these, but here are a few of the ships I observe in many stories:
There are more, of course, and variants on all of these, depending on characters and situation. I've written variants on many of these ships, and there's always something interesting to explore. Sometimes characters surprise me.
And sometimes they get mad at me for ignoring them for three days when I have to edit another book for my publisher and they take revenge by announcing they'll be joining a band of nomads and eloping. *head desk*
At least you love interests make a writer's life interesting.
From,
A Writer
*Tell me about your ships! What do you think about love interests when reading/writing? Do you have a favorite type of romantic relationship in your books?
I'm trying to decide which of these most closely fits... a certain book 2 ship. I'm torn between 2 choices: the "Sometimes I love you" or "The tension is killing me" ;-)
ReplyDeleteI guess Daeyeros is the "million walls" variety...
ReplyDeleteAlso, out of curiosity, where do you stand on Bess/Cole?
Believe it or not, I have never heard the term ship, used as pairings of romantic couples. (Guess I learned something new today!) Your drawings are fantastic, and I agree with you on: Not liking straight up romances, and liking couples who start out disliking one another.
ReplyDeleteGreat post :)
I like the one where the man is strangely attracted/infuriated by another man, who turns out to be a girl in disguise (phew!).
ReplyDelete-mood
Moody Writing
I like the subtle-love-growing relationships - Molly Gibson's love for Roger Hamley in Wives and Daughters, for example. But I think my favorite description of a love affair is in The Horse and His Boy, where Cor and Aravis simply get married to make the arguing and making up process simpler. Charming!
ReplyDeleteFaith-Ooh, that's tough. I think I'd lean more toward the "sometimes I love you" with them. ;)
ReplyDeleteKate-She SO is. I will email you about Bess and Cole.
NiaRaie-Thank you! It is always fun to see how romances turn out. :D
mood-Haha, I think I've only ever come across one of those.
Elouise-I LOVE Cor and Aravis. SO MUCH.
Of course there is always the female version of the Prince and the Pauper, where the guy thinks he loves the princess and then finds out later that it really is only a home-girl.
ReplyDeleteBut my favorite is the "best friends falling in love" that has to of course come to a climax with "holy banana peels" and then it ends happy :)
Great post Laura! I didn't know the term ships or shipper until now :) I like it!
I've only written one YA but the romance is a sub plot that ends fun and tension. I like the relationships anyway. If there's tension, I'll read it.
ReplyDeleteI love your little animations. So cute.
ReplyDeleteAll I know is that I am a love junkie and while I don't read straight up romance novels very often, I'm a true believer that love makes the world go around.
If I ever write a novel, I'm sure the *ship will be a big part of it.
those are awesome! the one in my book is "I'm totally attracted and annoyed by you, but I don't have time for it until our adventure is over" - similar to the lightening and hearts =)
ReplyDeleteHappy L Day (on Sunday)
Abbie-Ooh, that's a good one! And I LOVE LOVE LOVE Best Friends Falling in Love. I have such a weakness for that ship! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteLaura-Tension is great. :D When there's too much, I usually have to pause to take some deep breaths. I love books that can suck me in that much emotionally.
Jennifer-Thank you! :D It's so much fun to read about love.
Tara-LOL, that's a fantastic one to have in your story! Sounds like fun. :D