No Love Story Is The Same: 7 Unique Valentine's Day Writing Prompts
With Valentine’s Day drawing near, it is a perfect time to write a romantic story. However, even with the most romantic day of the year drawing near, it could still be a bit tricky to get started.
Here is some great Valentine’s Day writing prompts to get you started.
1. Love beyond Death
There is a saying that love has the ability to transcend death. So why don’t you try using this concept in your writing prompts. If you’ve seen movies like Ghost or The Corpse Bride, you would notice that a lover has died.
However, because of their enduring love for one another the deceased lover cannot pass on to the next plane of existence. This is a worthwhile prompt because there is a sense of melancholy in the love affair, however, there is also a slight hint of optimism that the two lovers will reunite in the next life.
2. Forbidden Love
The star crossed lovers concept is a commonly used one. This makes sense because it is a very intriguing and spicy one. To write about forbidden love is to pit your lovers against the world.
The obstacles in their way might seem insurmountable, but that’s what makes the love story so intriguing. These obstacles might be their families opposing the romance, a difference of religion or ideology, or a war between their two countries.
If you are going to use this prompt, it is best that you highlight the main obstacles to their love affair, and show the reasons why they are attracted to one another. If you just have their romance happen out of the blue, it won’t seem realistic and feel forced.
3. Love on Borrowed Time
Have you ever tried writing about a love story, where one of the lovers is suffering from a fatal illness? This type of love story is an intense one.
The contrast between the lover’s intense devotion to one another, and the threat of impending death is a very bitter pill for most readers to take. Which makes this prompt so much more unique and interesting to write about.
Just make sure that you make the illness a realistic one. Refrain from making a fictional disease because it will seem too contrived.
Don’t overdo it with the dramatics because it might feel cloying and cheap. Keep things subtle, and highlight the fact that both lovers know that their romance is on borrowed time, so they are making the most out of it.
4. Romantic History
If you want to add some realism to your romance, you could try writing historical romance. The key to writing a historical romance is that you choose the right historical period.
For example, you are writing about Victorian-era London. Add certain details about the period, and incorporate some of the customs into your work.
When it comes to writing a historical romance, research is key. Most fans of this genre are very picky about details, and if you are careless with your research you might end up annoying them.
So before you set out and write your historical romance, take the time to double-check all of your sources. It might be a bit tedious, but it is a lot better than having potential readers at your neck because of historical inaccuracies.
5. Opposites Attract
The opposites attract trope entails you to write about two people who are polar opposites of one another. However, despite their differences, they were able to fall in love with one another. One great example of this is the beauty and the beast trope.
One of the lovers is popular and attractive, while the other is anti-social and strange looking. The two don’t really mix in the same social circles. However, due to some unique circumstances, they were able to meet and form a connection with one another.
This is a very popular prompt, and a lot of writers use it. However, you could make it more unique by tweaking it a bit.
6. Self-Destructive Love
Although emotional and physical abuse should never be condoned in any love story, there is still something very intriguing about self-destructive love. This type of love is one that is heading nowhere.
Both lovers know that their romance is flawed, and there are just too many things that are going against them. One of the lovers might be suffering from great emotional pain or an addiction, and each and every day their relationship is getting chipped away.
This type of love story is intriguing and tragic at the same time. As the reader, you know that their romance is self-destructive from the beginning, but as the story starts to uncover, you still hope against hope that they will be able to get through it.
When you write your characters, you should make sure that even if they are flawed, they should still be likable and relatable. This could be a bit tricky to write about, but the emotional effect on your readers will be worth it in the end.
7. Young Love
Of all the types of love stories, there is nothing more refreshing than young love. There is a sense of newness and innocence in young love. The bloom of first love is a beautiful one.
The young lovers are not yet tinged by the bitterness or cynicism that time puts on all of us. They are just learning how to love, and there is a sense of joy and excitement that is both heartwarming and melancholic.
It is heartwarming to most readers because it gives them a sense of nostalgia about their own first romances. It is melancholic as well, because first loves are fickle and fleeting, and they will be eroded by the passage of time.
Even if Valentine’s Day is a great day to write a romantic story, it could still be a bit difficult to get started. With these great Valentine’s Day prompts, you’ll be able to start on the writing process with little to no fuss.
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