Burning question – can you write believable romance if you don’t have romance in your own life? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” according to Jenna Moreci, author of “The Savior’s Champion” and “The Savior’s Sister”, and speaker at the London Screenwriters’ Festival on February 10th. A very popular YouTube creator and presenter, Jenna broke down her three rules of creating romance in films, even when the movie is not overtly a romance. Using examples from The Mummy and bromance movies, Jenna presented a schema for authentic, engaging romantic interactions that further the action of a story, no matter the genre.
Rule Number One: the protagonists must be different from each other but equal in power or “oomph”, as she put it. They can have baggage, but should be likeable so the audience can believe in the relationship. Using the example of The Mummy, Jenna explained that the dynamic was “the gunslinger against the brains” – Brendan Fraser was the muscled adventurer and Rachel Weiss was the canny librarian. They were both equally important to the story but in different ways. Both brought mishaps to the table and eventually they were able to save each other. Of greatest importance – their power was equal, and they both contributed to the relationship.
Rule Number Two: vulnerable moments between the characters bond them together in a special way. The revelations should be something that could get the characters hurt or rejected, like a tragic backstory that still haunts them. Jenna explained that we love to torture our characters, but that they can find redemption or healing in their vulnerability to another person. She also explained that the “kiss tease” is always a winner to build excitement and move the romance along. In The Mummy, Rachel gets drunk and is about to kiss Brendan, but passes out. He respects her enough not to be a predator when she’s in a vulnerable state, unlike many current films; Jenna strongly advocated for consent between characters to avoid “grossness.”
Rule Number Three: bickering banter is key to revealing the characters’ natures and bringing them closer. Jenna mentioned that bromances or other non-romantic relationships also work well with this model – we love to see The Odd Couple bicker and squabble, as it can be a subtext for unexpressed feelings of affection. More contemporary shows like Black-ish and The Unicorn effectively play on these tropes – they present likeable, engaging banter that engages the audience more and more deeply.
I came away from this session encouraged and inspired that I could incorporate meaningful romantic moments between my characters, something I’ve always been anxious about. For more tips from Jenna, please see her YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/c/JennaMoreci/videos.
Rebecca Robinson is a screenwriter and author of Piercing Time podcast, now available through her website https://www.piercingtimepodcast.com. She is based in Vancouver, Washington after living for many years in the Bay Area of California. She can be reached through her FB page or through Stage 32 where she is an active member.
