5 Questions to Answer When Writing a Fake-Dating Romance
What is the Reason?
There are only so many reasons why, in the Year of Our Lord and Savior, Her Royal Holiness, Beyoncé, 2023 that someone would need to have a pretend romantic partner. And the “date to a family member/ex/friend’s wedding’ has been done a lot.
(5 Tips for Fast Drafting a Rom-Com.)
I did it in Not That Kind of Guy, in which the female main character, Bridget, enlists the male main character—her intern to attend her brother’s bachelor/bachelorette party, because her monstrous ex is going to be there. In Not the Girl You Marry and my latest release, Unrealistic Expectations, at least one party needs to date someone for their career.
That justification has a high degree of difficulty because—in reality—HR wouldn’t stand idly by if a boss absolutely required someone to have a paramour to keep their job. Not the Girl You Marry is also a twist on the trope in my favorite rom com, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, which brings up questions regarding ethics in journalism as well.
In Unrealistic Expectations, I chose to play on the more subtle societal pressures that might lead someone to fake date. Jessica, the female main character, needs to prove up her credibility as a relationship therapist in order to sell books. The male main character, on the other hand, needs to rehabilitate his reputation as a player who isn’t even good in bed by dating a sensible grown-up lady like Jessica. The key is to have an upside (internal or external) that works for everyone.
Why are these two people absolutely *wrong* for one another?
This is the question that makes every romance—not just the ones with a fake-dating trope—fun and interesting to read and write. There has to be a glaring reason why these two can’t really be together.
And it has to be apparent before they even know each other at all. Like—in Not That Kind of Guy—Bridget chose her career over a man before falling for Matt would potentially negatively impact her career. As wonderful as he looks on her arm, they can’t really be together.
In Not the Girl You Marry, the male main character, Jack, is a perpetually hopeful romantic. Hannah, the female main character, is so jaded by her negative experiences dating as a biracial Black woman that chews and spits out romantic dreams for breakfast.
In Unrealistic Expectations, there are layers to the characters wrongness for each other. Galvin is a Lothario attempting to reform, and Jessica is someone who has always played it safe (read: lacking passion) in her relationships. She can’t see him as serious, and he knows that she’s out of his league with respect to emotional intelligence.
Why are these two people absolutely *right* for one another?
The real magic is how the characters’ wrongness for each other is the key to their rightness for each other. Matt might be Bridget’s intern, but he would never think of asking her to choose him over her passions. Unlike her douchebag ex, he comes to realize that he wants to co-create a future with her. And the adventure of the story is her realizing that—even when being with Matt threatens her future, she would choose him.
Hannah and Jack, on the other hand, balance each other out. In classic grumpy/sunshine-style, Jack’s basic optimism and belief in people gives Hannah the space to fully be herself in a relationship. She doesn’t have to be as prickly because he accepts her for who she is.
Jessica has always thought that it was safer to have someone love her a little more than she loved them. Her mother chased excitement and passion in relationships to her and Jessica’s detriment. Although, initially Jessica experiences her attraction to Galvin as a danger, she eventually realizes that he opens her up to new experiences that make her life richer. And Galvin, for his part, realizes that his feelings for Jessica make him want to step up and be a more present and committed partner.
In short, in fake-dating stories, two wrongs definitely make a right.
Who is going to see right through the charade?
I am of the staunch belief that side characters make a good romance great. In Unrealistic Expectations, Jessica’s publicist suggests that the main characters fake a relationship. She’s the classic sharp and witty friend, but I think she sees right through to Jessica and Galvin’s mutual attraction. She’s worked with Jessica for a while, and she knows her well enough to push her towards Galvin.
Romances are really about community, and it’s important that the community sees the truth, even if they don’t know all of the facts.
Check out Andie J. Christopher’s Unrealistic Expectations here:
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What do these characters have to lose (or gain) if the relationship becomes real?
This is the last drops of delicious conflict in a fake-dating story. The feelings are real, but the charade is barreling towards its natural conclusion. Soon, there will be no reason for these two people to be together—except each character is feeling an inextricable pull towards their faker lover. Maybe they’ve told their best friend—who is in on the ruse—how they feel. But they can’t admit it to the person they’ve come to love.
And, if you need a third act break-up to believe that a romance is real, this is where it happens. Someone isn’t brave enough to take a chance. Maybe there’s a miscommunication and one or both of the characters falsely believes that the other person isn’t in love with them and never could be.
However it happens, someone believes in the wrongness more than the rightness. And only a leap of faith and telling the truth will lead to a happily ever after.