Divas Recommend:

80 + Barriers to Love: A List of Ideas to Keep Romantic Tension High

by Colleen Houck

If you’re like me, you’ve struggled with ways to keep your romantic couple apart and increasing the romantic tension alive in your stories. I also face this when editing for authors. Why is romantic tension so important? It’s those barriers to love that keep the two love birds apart. It’s the thing that they must overcome before a happily ever after is realized. If the romantic tension is resolved too soon in the story, the remainder of the book will feel flat, tacked on, or anticlimactic. If it happens too late in the story, the ending will feel rushed or unsatisfying.

I came across this great article by author Colleen Houck, “80+ Barriers to Love: A List of Ideas to Keep Romantic Tension High.” In Houck’s article, she provides a list of both emotional and physical barriers to love for authors to use to keep romantic tension from falling flat too soon. While you’re there, check out the rest of Colleen’s Blog for other helpful writing tips.

Now… go write something!