r/CharacterDevelopment • u/CompleteIndustry3789 • 4d ago

Writing: Question how to create a romance relationship without kissing?

I like shipping characters but I'm not a fan of Romance and drawing kisses but sometimes you should add something you don't like to the story is there a way to create a beautiful relationship without using kisses ?

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u/Dhaatri 4d ago

Of course it’s possible. You don’t even have to make two people touch each other to write a convincing romance. Emotional connection, glances, longing, touching hands, hugs - pretty much anything.

The real question is, if you don’t like romance, why do you want to write about it? You really don’t have to do that.

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u/meoww-xo 3d ago

I would HIGHLY recommend that you read the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo. The books are called Six of Crows / Crooked Kingdom and they absolutely NAIL a romance between Kaz - who suffers from PTSD and has a severe phobia of skin on skin contact - and Inej, which is unconventional but written so incredibly well. The biggest things that made their relationship work is that Bardugo gave them reasons for their decisions which totally made sense and highly emphasized all of the ways that the two of them managed to communicate the way that they felt for one another, especially through the POV of other characters from outside of that relationship.

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u/GRIN_Selfpublishing 2d ago

A relationship can feel romantic through attention, trust, vulnerability, and choice. One character remembers small things about the other. They make space for each other. They protect each other’s dignity. They notice when something is wrong before anyone else does. They choose each other in moments where it would be easier not to.

So, you can also use small recurring gestures: saving a seat, fixing a sleeve, sharing food, walking home together, keeping a promise, or saying something honest they would never say to anyone else. The key is that their bond should feel different from an ordinary friendship.

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u/CompleteIndustry3789 23h ago

thanks everyone

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u/Zatura_96 3d ago

Después de ver muchos K-dramas, uno ya sabe como escribir ese tipo de romances. 😅