It's interesting, if done right and has a purpose in the story. Meh, overused. It's overused because people like it. Do it well, and people will like yours too
What makes a good plot is a good conflict. Using the term plot correctly (an actor, a goal or objective, a motivation, and an opposition), there can really only be one conflict per plot. But the beauty of a love triangle is that with three characters closely interacting, each character can have a single dominating goal with respect to each of the other two characters, so you have a strong foundation for six interacting plots; And that's if each character has only one significant goal for each other character! So let's say Melissa and Stuart are both highly competitive coworkers, and both are aiming for dominance in their jobs. So each wants to triumph over the other prodfessionally. But Melissa also finds Stuart incredibly sexy, and wants to take him down in a very nonprofessional way. Stuart, on the other hand, finds Melissa irritating and pushy, feels she's just not his "type". So far we have four plot dynamics, and we haven't even added the third character. You see why love triangles are such fertile ground for good story? Plenty of tension, and no one needs suffer any real peril.
If you want the love triangle, I don't like the old two people fight over the third one. I mean if two women fought over me (I wish!) I would choose one and be done with it. However, if we have person A, B and C all competing against each other, it could get a lot more intersting. I mean if person A fights with B over C, B fights with C for A and C fights with A over B, it's a lot more interesting. That way everyone fights with someone to get the one they want, but they also want the one they fight. I do realize at least one of them have to be bisexual, unless they are all gay. But that just makes it even more interesting and unusual. Unless they are fighting for other things than romance, of course. We can have three co-workers fighting over a promotion, perhaps. Or three criminals trying to pull of a big theft and need a partner, but three is too many. Get creative, people.
^ I like that idea a lot better. It's more interesting than battling over one person. I think if you write it well, a love triangle is good. Write it badly and it's just another cliche.
Sure, it's overused but if you can write it well write it. And by write it well I mean make everyone a winner. If you catch my drift.
I personally don't like love triangles. If not written well (which seems to be most cases) I feel like the characters are either selfish, maltreated, and/or manipulative - and in most cases it brings down the characters in my eyes a notch
How do you make everyone a winner? If one girl gets the guy then the other girl doesn't. Someone is not going to be happy with the outcome.
There are a few books which do this and I wish I could remember the names. But one of the typical scenarios is where one guy vying for the girl is mistaken in knowing what they want. They think they want the girl, but the truth is, they either want someone else or they want the girl for the wrong reasons and by the end of the book both the girl and the guy realize this and are happy for it.
Someone write this, please. But love triangles are only tiresome because it's usually the same two fighting for one. After a while, I disregard that part of the plot (if it's a side plot, that is) because, then, it becomes so drawn out that it loses steam. I'm no fan of romance, but I could safely say that it's because most of the stories seem rehashed and formulaic. Mostly prefer it as a side plot. But if you did something different with the genre, like have everyone fight for everyone else, then you'll have something unique. My advice is that you make your love triangle different from everybody else's. It's worth a try.
Make it 3D, and give it extra sides, and give those sides penises. Then let it all collapse, look at it from above, and use the resulting image as a basis for your character map diagram. *Stare*
Yes, like a boy AND a girl fighting over a bisexual boy/girl I don't know if that is actually done to death too, haven't read much YA the last 25 years... Something like different kinds of love stories I think will never be overdone, people will always appreciate a good one, no matter how many they have already read on the same theme.
of course, but it's not the "classical" constellation, IMO. a love triangle will probably always be about two people fighting over a third one... no matter how much you try and make it unique. that is one of the basic premisses. Of course, there is the unexpected one, like one chiclit-novel I read, with a girl competing with the guys MOTHER about his love, now while that is unusual it is still about two people fighting over someone else....
Originally Posted by AmyHolt View Post How do you make everyone a winner? If one girl gets the guy then the other girl doesn't. Someone is not going to be happy with the outcome. I smiled. A menage a trois could add tension & suspense, if it occurred in the middle or towards the end, and caused jealousy, resentment, etc. Probably wouldn't work in a YA novel though.
Threesome? No, wouldn't work in YA. And I can't blush deep enough to be able to write anything like that. I was looking for thoughts on something much more clean cut. Thanks anyway
