Disclaimer, I haven't been in many relationships either. However, people tend to form stronger bonds with those who share common beliefs and interests- maybe show how they like/dislike the same things, have similar religious/political ideas, or something along those lines. Basically, give them something to bond over.
Madman
edited 11th May '12 1:05:04 PM by Jabrosky
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Ahr river
Humor, entertainment, morality, lifestyle choices, energy levels, those are the type of things that if they don't match, they should at least blend well. Especially energy levels (As in, how hyper you are and what not)
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Fictional relationships development doesn't really match real life anyway. Fiction is more about serendipity I suppose, at least at the beginning.
As for the rest, I think it's about having them go through situations together and then somehow expressing emotion through one another. Now, the implementation is difficult. You have to write them communicating with one another that seems natural and have them "share moments", or "understand one another more" (sharing motives or history with one another), or "learn something about someone" and a trick I see used often "sharing information not usually divulged by that person".
You can build your character's personality and expected list of actions then have them act different with the person they like. Maybe they're more affectionate, or more aggressive or something. Building a romance is really about getting two people to share their lives together in some meaningful way and that they enjoy that time together.
Show them sharing interests and enjoying the same things. A romance is basically a friendship, only more so, so have them become friends before they become a couple.
If you want it to be interesting though, remember to delve into the other side of things; a romance story is often more about overcoming the obstacles that keep people apart than noticing the things that draw them together, although obviously the two go hand in hand. Arguably, that goes for real life as well.
You might want to try thinking of a list of all the things that distance them, and all the things they'd hate about each other... and then, in as much detail as you can, explain why everything on that list will ultimately be completely meaningless. Though not before they've paid their dues in some way or other.
It also sounds like an excellent opportunity for a bit of Belligerent Sexual Tension, but now I'm just listing my fetishes.
edited 13th May '12 11:54:07 AM by Kesteven
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The list thing is a great idea. Then depending on how much "room" you have to write in, you can devise the situations where they resolve those problems (maybe several at once) and the kind of dialogue/actions needed for them to get over the issues. Maybe one of them is very guarded over a particular issue and the other person feels that they are not close unless they can share the confrontation over the problem. For romance, I think that well disguised cliches are very useful.
I have drafted a very rough outline for a fantasy novel. Its heroine is a queen whose sister has deposed her over a political disagreement, and she flees to another country so she can raise an army to grab her throne back. Along the way, the queen rescues a marooned pirate from some kind of carnivorous animal and falls in love with him.
How can I develop the romance between the queen and the pirate? They're mutually attracted to each other physically from the start, but I want their relationship to have more substance than simple physical attraction. Making this especially difficult is that despite my best efforts I've never been in a relationship, so I have no idea how those progress.
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