Great stories are about people, and people often come with a lot of connections. After all, who we are is influenced by those closest to us.

Thus, a huge part of your main character’s narrative will be impacted by key relationships in their life – romantic, familial, platonic, and adversarial relationships all have a role to play in your story.

When a relationship falls flat, it can hurt your plot and turn your readers away.

Many readers struggle with writing authentic relationships in their story.

And this believability is important to your MC’s trajectory.

To help you build authentic, impactful relationships that readers care about, we’re going to break down 5 mistakes to avoid while writing relationship dynamics in fiction.

Avoid these and you’ll be on your way to writing relationships that keep us wanting to know more!

If your two characters already have a history together, how do you make their relationship seem lived-in and realistic?

How do you write instant chemistry romance that doesn’t come out of left field?

Some of us might info dump their backstory to “catch readers up.”

Or, tell readers how they should feel about this character through exposition.

But readers don’t believe it yet. 

You haven’t shown enough of their dynamic to make it relatable.

How can you avoid this mistake?

Let the relationship evolve naturally. 

Even a relationship that started before page one is going to have bumps along the way.

Create tension with conflicting desires.

Use subtext.

Don’t spell everything out on the page, don’t jump right into the core conflict or revelation that this relationship is meant to create.

Characters who fall in love immediately with no conflict and no lead-up are unbelievable.

I’m not saying never use the instant connection trope.

I’m saying that even when there is instant connection, there still needs to be a back and forth, a conflict, resolution, miscommunication and the like.

Without this emotional development, there are no stakes at play.

The readers don’t care, as these characters have not gone through and overcome trials together.

 How can you avoid this?

Let the relationship evolve naturally.

Allow them to take steps back, to acknowledge misunderstandings and arguments. Allow betrayals and apologies. 

Let your characters figure out their relationship throughout the story.

Learn to write authentic romantic relationships here.

Readers stay for your characters, and characters (just like us) come with a lot of baggage.

There should be tension and conflict infused into your story’s key relationships. 

Conflict doesn’t just mean that the romantic interest turns out to be the antagonist.

It could simply be that they have conflicting goals, and yet in the end, they will learn from each other.

Tension keeps readers engaged; a steady relationship will bore them.

What can you do instead?

Consider each character’s personality, background and goals.

Find spaces where they could clash.

Give them vulnerabilities that have them putting up barriers. 

Make readers question whether this relationship is sustainable.

Your main character’s growth is at the heart of your story. 

Every event and every person who interacts with them must influence their internal journey.

 Yes, it’s fun to write swoon-worthy romantic relationships or an arch nemesis that you can’t wait to see fall.

But if these characters have zero impact on your protagonist, then your readers won’t care.

How to avoid this pitfall?

Start by getting to know your protagonist. 

What is their goal? Where will they arrive by the end of your story (internally & externally)?

Consider how this relationship can often push them unwillingly towards that transformation. 

Build a relationship that is both believable and crucial to who you’re protagonist is.

We spend so much time crafting our protagonist that, on occasion, our side characters can fall unnoticed.

When this happens, they become simply pawns moved throughout the story to serve our protagonist’s needs.

They become flat characters.

Their relationship with our protagonist also falls flat.

Your readers won’t believe in these characters; they won’t believe in this relationship.

What can you do instead?

It’s not necessary to know every detail of your side characters’ backstory.

You do need to know enough to craft an authentic person, and certainly the pieces that influence their actions and worldview.

Give them goals and fears of their own, and let those goals and fears influence the decisions they make.

 A side character constantly acting on a whim leaves readers confused, as there is no logic to what they’re doing, and readers won’t invest time in this relationship.

Avoiding these mistakes will help you write believable, meaningful relationships into your story.

 And if you’re looking for tips on how to make these relationships authentic, read this blog post on six tips for how to write authentic relationships.

Strong fictional relationships aren’t just there to be shipped; they must serve your story.

Reflect on the key relationships in your WIP.

Check them against these mistakes.

Do they influence your protagonist’s growth? Are they believable? What is at stake in this relationship?

Talk soon!

Julia