Persuasion:

The vast majority of romance novels — both historically and in the modern day — fall into the trap of only truly developing their main two protagonists. It’s easy to do, after all. In the end those two characters and the conflict between or around them are the only things driving the story, and their relationship is the one that matters most.

But that runs the risk of making your book pretty predictable. Your reader is no longer waiting on the edge of their seat to see if Mary Sue is going to end up with Gary Stu, because they’re the only two full-fleshed out characters in the entire story. 

But that isn’t the only issue that this all-too-common trap brings with it. And here today to show you just how powerful your romance can be once you break out of it, is Jane Austen’s novel Persuasion.

Persuasion

Frederick Wentworth and Anne Elliot were once engaged. However, since Anne’s family, and especially her close friend Ms. Russell advised her against it, she eventually cut off the engagement and ended their relationship. This turned the ashamed and rejected suitor’s attention to pursuing his career as a sea captain.

Eight years later, Anne is 27 years old and still unmarried. To make matters worse, her family is almost bankrupt and no longer able to maintain their beautiful estate. So, the Elliots move to Bath and rent out their former house instead. Unfortunately, the first people to rent out their house is none other than Wentworth’s parents. So when he returns from his sea-faring adventure to visit, he finds himself living in his ex’s house in the company of  her  sister-in-laws, the Miss Musgroves. 

Inevitably, Anne and Wentworth end up being attracted to each other once more, but now they have to navigate the hurt of their past, narrowly avoid other potential suitors, and change the mind of Anne’s relatives if they are ever to get back together. 

Highlighting Other Relationships Outside of The Main Romance 

It is very common in the romance genre, and modern stories in general, to not include any other relationships other than the main one. Most of the time we never get to see how the protagonists treat their parents or who they hang out with. Instead, all the love interests think about is themselves and each other. However, giving your character other relationships to work on can make them appear less selfish and more well-rounded. By developing the characters around your protagonists, you indirectly give your main characters more depth by providing the opportunity for more deep, genuine relationships that don’t only involve their love interest. Adding in side-characters to the main-characters life can add a layer of complexity to the story that wouldn’t be there otherwise. 

In Persuasion, family members and friends play a large part in the main couple’s lives. Lady Russell especially had a large influence over Anne because she provided the motherly advice Anne couldn’t receive elsewhere. The protagonist also has many other friends that she spills all of her thoughts to, and in return they offer advice or information that she (and thus the reader) couldn’t have received elsewhere.

Additionally, including fully-fleshed out side-characters can add genuine conflict. In Persuasion, the Miss Musgroves are around Wentworth constantly and  quite intent on marrying him. In fact, for most of the book, Anne isn’t even an option for Wentworth. 

However, ‘madly in love with Wentworth’ isn’t the Miss Musgroves only personality trait. They have entire lives outside of the main character’s story. Henrietta Musgrove is busy avoiding the dotings of her cousin, while Louisa has an entire sub-romance of her own after she gets over Wentworth. Because these characters had real depth, they deepened the world around them and became more than simple obstacles to the main couple’s relationship. . In order to keep your couple’s journey unique, add in fleshed out characters that have their own lives outside of the main romance. Create deep, interesting side characters that generate realism and tension between your characters, while also adding to your world by making it fuller and more realistic. Expand your main character’s world and it will carry their journey further than you’d ever expect. 

Let us know:

What romances have you noticed had deep side characters to make their world more realistic?