First and foremost, if I've not mentioned it, thanks for letting me on the party. This is my first question geared directly at those interested in Romance. In my WIP, my two MCs, Tevin and Brenn, are, as the title indicates, sorta' the Hottie and the Nottie. Thus far, my structural idea for where there romance finds its foundation, its beginning is just how different they are, the two very different worlds whence they come. Tevin, my beautiful sailor boy, all muscles and tan and cornsilk hair; Brenn, my shy, slightly chubby rich boy from the Power Family™ up on the hill. Would you buy this as a starting spark? Would their intrigue in each other's lives be enough, realistically for you as the reader, to buy into that period of time after the initial hook-up where they continue to spend time together and learn to see past one another's surfaces? Personal experience tells me this initial phase can happen for lots of reasons, but in the refined atmosphere of a novel, does it suffice?
I think it's the initial hook-up that might require more explanation/elucidation. Like, it's easier to explain how the hottie might gradually develop respect/affection/love for the nottie than it is to explain why the hottie would hook up with the nottie in the first place. Could just be lack of options, of course, or a general level of horn-doggedness on the hottie's part. And after that I think there's a generally accepted romance-land tradition of the nottie doing something to surprise and impress the hottie, something that displays an element of character on the nottie's part that intrigues the hottie. The nottie refuses to be pushed around/away, the hottie is doing something less-than-honourable and the nottie overcome hormonal demands and stands up to the hottie, or whatever. Most of the examples I'm thinking of are het YA - The Duff, Prep, etc. I feel like Alexis Hall has written something like this in m/m, but... which book? Would Glitterland fit the bill? I think so, but it's pretty clear that there's more going on in that attraction than appearances... And maybe that's the way to approach your story. I personally love stories that explore different kinds of power, and the push/pull between characters from different worlds--your hottie doesn't have money or probably education, so he could be intrigued by that aspect of your nottie; your nottie is interested in the assets of the hottie, but gradually learns there's more to him... yeah, that would work. And for the initial hookup, maybe they both come into it with a bit of a chip on their shoulder but also a bit of insecurity - hottie knows he's hot, but also knows he's dirty/rough/uneducated/poor/whatever; nottie knows he's not hot, but also knows he'd got economic power and status and whatever. So there's more to the equation than just the physical?
Bearing in mind, of course, as always: I could be completely full of shit. How do we add sigs to our posts? Possibly that should be mine...
No, I don't think you're wrong. My initial encounter between the two and the initial attraction was feeling thin and rushed. Brenn (the nottie) isn't a bad looking guy, just not the head-turning "specimen" that Tevin is. This conversation, btw, gave rise last night to the first new chapter I've written in months, so thanks for that.
And as for the signature, hover your cursor over your name on the home page. When the drop-down window opens up, you'll see the option for Signature therein.
I like this trope, if it can be called a trope. All my pairs are opposites in some way--I'll always remember something an agent tweeted: "If your hero is a firefighter, the heroine better be an arsonist." Obviously it's not an absolute and plenty of romance books have conflict that's nothing to do with being opposites... but for me, it works. With yours, I especially like that it's the rich kid who's not so hot. It adds another dimension to the conflict. One thing I learned from studying the Greek classics is that role reversals are GREAT in stories. In the looks department, Tevin has it all, and maybe Brenn is insecure/jealous/whatever. But for wealth and privilege, Brenn has the upper hand and Tevin is maybe insecure/jealous/whatever. I don't know if you've gone with that, but the potential is great. In my most similar pairing to yours, the 'hottie' notices the 'nottie' because he doesn't appear to think she's a hottie. He doesn't react when she flirts and that's an unusual experience for a woman used to being hit on all the time. Of course there's also a plot reason for her to spend time with him, but she definitely has an ulterior motive too. It seemed to work for readers - nobody had any issues with the reasoning for them getting to know each other.
So what I think I'm going to go with as regards the initial meet-N-greet is that pickins are slim. The Northern Wave has pulled into port along with a number of other ships from the fishing fleet so the taverns and pubs are in ready mode for a very busy night. Meg's, usually a mixed crowd, has loaned out its "male companions" to a place called the Lost Hoof which caters more to the fellahs who like fellahs crowd. Tevin, happy to be ashore, and in a companionable mood heads out to Megs with his mates only to be told by Victoria, his gorgeous gal-pal who runs the joint that the boys are working elsewhere tonight. Tevin remains with his friends, chummy chum chummy, but as the night wears on and his mates look like they've all made their "friends" for the evening, he decides to head out to the Lost Hoof before he's too drunk. That's when he has his run in with Brenn.
I think this sounds very plausible - it could be intriguing as well if Hottie initially thinks he's settling somewhat, but then Nottie rocks his ever living world in the sack and wakes up feeling like he's won the lottery. It wouldn't necessarily need to be that Nottie's a sexual athlete (and if Brenn is shy, likely not), but that they click together in a way that Hottie's really not used to and wants to keep experiencing. That physical connection of course can lead to friendship and eventually awesome smooshy man love. I have to say that every time you post about this WIP, it lights up all my dials as a reader. I'm a sucker for Friends to Lovers, Opposites Attract and Historical Sailors Who Bang Each Other. I hope you get this thing published someday, because I'd love to buy a copy.
I was just going to make my own post about Tropes, favourite or otherwise, and their place in romance... and now I have to go add "Historical Sailors Who Bang Each Other" to the trope list...
