One of the most difficult parts about writing love stories is actually showing the process of falling in love. Most people don't consider how they fall in love or if everyone falls in love for the same reasons. Writers have to take into consideration that falling in love is not a one-size-fits-all situation. 

The first thing I did when I realized I was going to have to show and not tell how my characters fall in love with each other, was to jot down a list of questions I had about falling in love. [Yes, some of these questions are stupid AF and make absolutely no sense, but I still considered them seriously.]

Now this list is in no way complete. I had about a thousand questions about falling in love, for the sake of brevity and short attention spans, I narrowed them down to my top fifteen. I won’t bore you by providing answers to each of these questions, just know... these and others help me to show my characters falling in love so that my readers are able to experience the process along with them.

 

Based on my answers to these questions, I created a LOVE Checklist to help me to help me when I’m writing. If you’re not familiar with my philosophy of writing; this is it in a nutshell:

 

I write character-driven stories where language, setting, and eroticism are essential tools in both character arcs and plot momentum. Many of my themes are taken from the darkest aspects that corrupt humanity. My characters go on a healing spiritual journey of self-love and acceptance, while overcoming past traumas and learned self-destructive behaviors. 

 

Having said that, my LOVE Checklist starts with the Universal Law of Reflection and takes me through Observation/Objectivity, Validation, and finally Evaluation. 

If you have qestions about how to use this checklist, please leave them in the comments and I'll answer within 48-hours. If you have some writing tips to help writers show the process of following in love, as opposed to telling their readers, leave those in the comment section, too. Basically, I would really love to hear from you! 🤗

Remember, life is a journey and some of us enjoy wandering through the enchanted moments. But just because we wander, doesn’t mean we don’t know where we’re going. Until next time, be brave, beautiful, and live enchanted.

~Ella Shawn