essay about my love story

Before You Write a Love Essay, Read This to Get Examples

The day will come when you can’t escape the fate of all students: You will have to write a what is love essay.

No worries:

Here you’ll find tons of love essay topics and examples. No time to read everything? Scroll down to get a free PDF with original samples.

Definition: Essay on Love

First, let’s define what is love essay?

The most common topics are:

• Definition of love
• What is love?
• Meaning of love

Why limit yourself to these hackneyed, general themes? Below, I’ll show how to make your paper on love original yet relevant to the prompt you get from teachers.

Love Essay Topics: 20 Ideas to Choose for Your Paper

Your essay on love and relationship doesn’t have to be super official and unemotional. It’s ok to share reflections and personal opinions when writing about romance.

Often, students get a general task to write an essay on love. It means they can choose a theme and a title for their paper. If that’s your case,  feel free to try any of these love essay topics:

• Exploring the impact of love on individuals and relationships.
• Love in the digital age: Navigating romance in a tech world.
• Is there any essence and significance in unconditional love?
• Love as a universal language: Connecting hearts across cultures.
• Biochemistry of love: Exploring the process.
• Love vs. passion vs. obsession.
• How love helps cope with heartbreak and grief.
• The art of loving. How we breed intimacy and trust.
• The science behind attraction and attachment.
• How love and relationships shape our identity and help with self-discovery.
• Love and vulnerability: How to embrace emotional openness.
• Romance is more complex than most think: Passion, intimacy, and commitment explained.
• Love as empathy: Building sympathetic connections in a cruel world.
• Evolution of love. How people described it throughout history.
• The role of love in mental and emotional well-being.
• Love as a tool to look and find purpose in life.
• Welcoming diversity in relations through love and acceptance.
• Love vs. friendship: The intersection of platonic and romantic bonds.
• The choices we make and challenges we overcome for those we love.
• Love and forgiveness: How its power heals wounds and strengthens bonds.

Love Essay Examples: Choose Your Sample for Inspiration

Essays about love are usually standard, 5-paragraph papers students write in college:

• One paragraph is for an introduction, with a hook and a thesis statement
• Three are for a body, with arguments or descriptions
• One last passage is for a conclusion, with a thesis restatement and final thoughts

Below are the ready-made samples to consider. They’ll help you see what an essay about love with an introduction, body, and conclusion looks like.

What is love essay: 250 words

Lao Tzu once said, “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” Indeed, love can transform individuals, relationships, and our world.

A word of immense depth and countless interpretations, love has always fascinated philosophers, poets, and ordinary individuals. This  emotion breaks boundaries and has a super power to change lives. But what is love, actually?

It’s a force we feel in countless ways. It is the warm embrace of a parent, filled with care and unwavering support. It is the gentle touch of a lover, sparking a flame that ignites passion and desire. Love is the kind words of a friend, offering solace and understanding in times of need. It is the selfless acts of compassion and empathy that bind humanity together.

Love is not confined to romantic relationships alone. It is found in the family bonds, the connections we forge with friends, and even the compassion we extend to strangers. Love is a thread that weaves through the fabric of our lives, enriching and nourishing our souls.

However, love is not without its complexities. It can be both euphoric and agonizing, uplifting and devastating. Love requires vulnerability, trust, and the willingness to embrace joy and pain. It is a delicate balance between passion and compassion, independence and interdependence.

Finally, the essence of love may be elusive to define with mere words. It is an experience that surpasses language and logic, encompassing a spectrum of emotions and actions. Love is a profound connection that unites us all, reminding us of our shared humanity and the capacity for boundless compassion.

What is love essay: 500 words

A 500-word essay on why I love you

Trying to encapsulate why I love you in a mere 500 words is impossible. My love for you goes beyond the confines of language, transcending words and dwelling in the realm of emotions, connections, and shared experiences. Nevertheless, I shall endeavor to express the depth and breadth of my affection for you.

First and foremost, I love you for who you are. You possess a unique blend of qualities and characteristics that captivate my heart and mind. Your kindness and compassion touch the lives of those around you, and I am grateful to be the recipient of your unwavering care and understanding. Your intelligence and wit constantly challenge me to grow and learn, stimulating my mind and enriching our conversations. You have a beautiful spirit that radiates warmth and joy, and I am drawn to your vibrant energy.

I love the way you make me feel. When I am with you, I feel a sense of comfort and security that allows me to be my true self. Your presence envelops me in a cocoon of love and acceptance, where I can express my thoughts, fears, and dreams without fear of judgment. Your support and encouragement inspire me to pursue my passions and overcome obstacles. With you by my side, I feel empowered to face the world, knowing I have a partner who believes in me.

I love the memories we have created together. From the laughter-filled moments of shared adventures to the quiet and intimate conversations, every memory is etched in my heart. Whether exploring new places, indulging in our favorite activities, or simply enjoying each other’s company in comfortable silence, each experience reinforces our bond. Our shared memories serve as a foundation for our relationship, a testament to the depth of our connection and the love that binds us.

I love your quirks and imperfections. Your true essence shines through these unique aspects! Your little traits make me smile and remind me of the beautiful individual you are. I love how you wrinkle your nose when you laugh, become lost in thought when reading a book, and even sing off-key in the shower. These imperfections make you human, relatable, and utterly lovable.

I love the future we envision together. We support each other’s goals, cheering one another on as we navigate the path toward our dreams. The thought of building a life together, creating a home filled with love and shared experiences, fills my heart with anticipation and excitement. The future we imagine is one that I am eager to explore with you by my side.

In conclusion, the reasons why I love you are as vast and varied as the universe itself. It is a love that defies logic and surpasses the limitations of language. From the depths of my being, I love you for the person you are, the way you make me feel, the memories we cherish, your quirks and imperfections, and the future we envision together. My love for you is boundless, unconditional, and everlasting.

A 5-paragraph essay about love

I’ve gathered all the samples (and a few bonus ones) in one PDF. It’s free to download. So, you can keep it at hand when the time comes to write a love essay.

Ready to Write Your Essay About Love?

Now that you know the definition of a love essay and have many topic ideas, it’s time to write your A-worthy paper! Here go the steps:

• Check all the examples of what is love essay from this post.
• Choose the topic and angle that fits your prompt best.
• Write your original and inspiring story.

Any questions left? Our writers are all ears. Please don’t hesitate to ask!

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14 Modern Literary Passages That Beautifully Describe Every Part Of Love

• https://thoughtcatalog.com/?p=653218

1. “‘I am,’ he said. He was staring at me, and I could see the corners of his eyes crinkling. ‘I’m in love with you, and I’m not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I’m in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we’re all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we’ll ever have, and I am in love with you.’”

– The Fault In Our Stars , John Green

2. “People are like cities: We all have alleys and gardens and secret rooftops and places where daisies sprout between the sidewalk cracks, but most of the time all we let each other see is is a postcard glimpse of a skyline or a polished square. Love lets you find those hidden places in another person, even the ones they didn’t know were there, even the ones they wouldn’t have thought to call beautiful themselves.”

– Wild Awake , Hilary T. Smith

3. “No relationship is perfect, ever. There are always some ways you have to bend, to compromise, to give something up in order to gain something greater … The love we have for each other is bigger than these small differences. And that’s the key. It’s like a big pie chart, and the love in a relationship has to be the biggest piece. Love can make up for a lot.”

— This Lullaby , Sarah Dessen

4. “I will love you forever; whatever happens. Till I die and after I die, and when I find my way out of the land of the dead, I’ll drift about forever, all my atoms, till I find you again… I’ll be looking for you, every moment, every single moment. And when we do find each other again, we’ll cling together so tight that nothing and no one’ll ever tear us apart. Every atom of me and every atom of you… We’ll live in birds and flowers and dragonflies and pine trees and in clouds and in those little specks of light you see floating in sunbeams… And when they use our atoms to make new lives, they won’t just be able to take one, they’ll have to take two, one of you and one of me.”

— The Amber Spyglass , Phillip Pullman

5. “I love you also means I love you more than anyone loves you, or has loved you, or will love you, and also, I love you in a way that no one loves you, or has loved you, or will love you, and also, I love you in a way that I love no one else, and never have loved anyone else, and never will love anyone else.”

— Everything Is Illuminated , Jonathan Safran Foer

6. “All his life he would hold this moment as exemplary of what love was. It was not wanting anything more, nor was it expecting people to exceed what they had just accomplished; it was simply feeling so complete.”

– A Widow For One Year , John Irving

7. “Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering.”

– The History Of Love , Nicole Krauss

8. “His examination revealed that he had no fever, no pain anywhere, and that his only concrete feeling was an urgent desire to die. All that was needed was shrewd questioning…to conclude once again that the symptoms of love were the same as those of cholera.”

— Love in the Time of Cholera , Gabriel García Márquez

9. “Love: a single word, a wispy thing, a word no bigger or longer than an edge. That’s what it is: an edge; a razor. It draws up through the center of your life, cutting everything in two. Before and after. The rest of the world falls away on either side.”

– Delirium , Lauren Oliver

10. “Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.”

— Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire , J.K. Rowling

11. “Passion makes a person stop eating, sleeping, working, feeling at peace. A lot of people are frightened because, when it appears, it demolishes all the old things it finds in its path.

No one wants their life thrown into chaos. That is why a lot of people keep that threat under control, and are somehow capable of sustaining a house or a structure that is already rotten. They are the engineers of the superseded.

Other people think exactly the opposite: they surrender themselves without a second thought, hoping to find in passion the solutions to all their problems. They make the other person responsible for their happiness and blame them for their possible unhappiness. They are either euphoric because something marvelous has happened or depressed because something unexpected has just ruined everything.

Keeping passion at bay or surrendering blindly to it – which of these two attitudes is the least destructive?

I don’t know.”

― Eleven Minutes , Paulo Coelho

12. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

– The Velveteen Rabbit , Margery Williams

13. “A love story is not about those who lose their heart but about those who find that sullen inhabitant who, when it is stumbled upon, means the body can fool no one, can fool nothing— not the wisdom of sleep or the habit of social graces. It is a consuming of oneself and the past.”

— The English Patient , Michael Ondaatje

14. “When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”

About the author

Liz was born, raised, and schooled in the Chicago area. Every year, she is sure the Cubs will win the World Series, and one of these years, she’ll be right.

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How to Write a Love Story

Last Updated: July 25, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD . Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 383,722 times.

Writing love stories can be a brilliant, emotional, and creative outlet. Writing an engaging love story isn’t just about emotion, though. To tell a good love story, you need to create strong, multi-dimensional characters that encounter substantial obstacles in their quest for love. Use your love story to explore different topics and themes and help you build your own voice as a writer.

Building Your Characters

• For example, your list for your protagonist may include stubborn, intelligent but not street-smart, slow to trust but incredibly loyal once trust is earned, overcoming a rough past, and outspoken. Use these traits to inform this character's dialogue and actions in the scenes you write.
• Think about traits that help the development of your story, not just your romance. Your protagonist may be a strong woman overcoming emotional scars, but don’t make her that just so her match can break down her walls. Use her emotional past to develop a holistic character. [1] X Research source
• Think about Cleopatra and Mark Antony. Their love story has been chronicled in literature and film. In the most lasting depictions, Cleopatra is a strong leader with political ambitions that extend beyond her love. The love story is engaging, but so is the character.

• For example, your characters may both be neurosurgeons at the top of their game, but 1 of the characters might be extremely high-strung and serious while the other character is laid back and makes a joke out of everything.
• Marie and Pierre Curie, for example, had a shared interest in their scientific work. The politics of the time, though, meant that Marie had to push a lot harder to get recognition and support for her work. Their love story is remembered along with their science because of what they shared and what they had to fight for.

• A character sketch should include the basics of each character’s physical description, their personality, information about their background and transformative life events, and some details about how you want your character to progress in your story.
• A character sketch is a guideline. You don’t need everything you sketch to be in your story. You’re also allowed to change your character if your original sketches don’t fit the progress of your story.

• Think about everyday relationships. What you are and are not willing to accept in a partner likely different from your friends or neighbors. Write the partner that works for your protagonist, not for all your readers.
• Write a partner that is right for your protagonist, but not so right that your conflict seems forced. Consider real-life relationships. People in love often disagree, butt heads, and question their relationship. Your lovers should be a good match, not a perfect match.

• The too-tough-to-handle protagonist who only opens up when a foe makes them need a hero’s rescue.
• The evil-other-woman (like former lover or ex-spouse) that tries to ruin the protagonist’s chance of finding true love.
• The too-busy-to-notice protagonist that doesn’t realize when the love of their life enters the picture.
• The I-never-believed-in-love-until-you paramour that was hardened to love until the protagonist entered their life.

Determining Your Plot

• Framing a love story as part of a larger story can create a more realistic, relatable feeling to your writing. Focusing primarily on romance can be sweeping, epic, and more escapist. Neither is inherently better or worse, they’re just different styles.
• For example, Love in the Time of Cholera is driven by its love story, but it also deals with themes of social strife, warfare, disease, aging, and death. It's also defined not just by its love story but by its magical realism, making it part of a strong Latino literary tradition.

• To get an idea of how love stories are framed across genres, read books and short stories from the genres in which you’re interested.
• Noir, sci-fi, fantasy, historical fiction, and comedic writing are some good genres to explore. Pay attention to how different authors in these genres develop different conventions of a love story.

• You can change this as you progress with your story if find that a different ending fits how your plot and characters develop. This should be a guide, but it doesn’t need to be a rule.

• There is no right or wrong answer to this, but it is important to consider the message you’re putting out.
• Love stories commonly deal with topics like social inequity, body image, gender equality, sexual orientation, class difference, and ethnic identity.

Crafting Your Story

• Outlines can be minimal or more fleshed out. Play around with the amount of detail to see what works best for you as you’re writing.
• Outlines, like character sketches, are guides rather than rulebooks. Your story is allowed to progress outside of what you’ve outlined if that feels natural for your plot and characters.

• You don’t want to introduce your lovers too soon, you don’t want them to fall in love too soon, and you don’t want them to be too happy together too soon.
• Love stories should explore a full range of emotion. Put obstacles in place that make your lovers happy, angry, sad, conflicted, jealous, etc.

• Think about a book like Pride and Prejudice as an example. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are brought together and separated multiple times. During each encounter, their feelings change and they think of one another a little more.

• An example of a common, overused misunderstanding is one lover getting upset when they walk in on a former love interest kissing their new lover. It’s dramatic and irrational to have your protagonist fume over an action their paramour couldn’t control.
• Instead, think of an obstacle like a partner getting a job on a different continent, or one partner really wanting kids and the other not wanting them at all. These are commonly used, too, but they create a sense of real emotional conflict.

• For example, “He missed his love like the shore misses the gentle lap of the sea foam as the tides go out,” is a romantic-sounding simile, but it doesn’t offer clarity. “A sharp pain overcame his chest as his lover faded into the sunset,” is familiar to your reader, since most people understand some level of chest pain. In this case, the latter is more relatable.
• When in doubt, ask yourself, “Will this help my readers better understand what’s going on?”

• For example, “When Jessie left, Jordan was filled with a sense of despair and dread that overcame her so completely she never went anywhere or did anything again,” is an unsatisfying ending.
• Instead, make it bittersweet. When Jessie leaves, Jordan can absolutely be hurt and afraid. But she should also look out with nervous optimism about the new opportunity in front of her.

• Don’t use flowery language just for the sake of it. Unless your adjectives and adverbs directly help your reader understand what’s going on, or the emotion and intention behind an action, cut them.
• Don’t use words without understanding their connotation. If you have a naturally fair-skinned and generally healthy character, for example, you wouldn't call them "pallid." While pallid does mean pale, it's most often used as a medical term in association with illness and poor health. Instead, "fair," "ivory," or "porcelain," would all work.

Writing Help

Community Q&A

• Try to imagine as if you were one of the characters. How would you feel? How would you react? Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Read love stories from different authors and love scenes from different genres to get an idea of the many ways that love stories can be plotted out and written. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Not all love stories need to have specific antagonists. Sometimes, life events or different wants and needs can create enough conflict in the story. Consider whether your story needs an antagonistic character, or if circumstances will create the drama. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

• Try to avoid having your characters fall in love at first sight. This tends to be a bit boring and lacking in depth!

• Plagiarism is not accepted in the writing community and may constitute copyright infringement, which is a crime. Never copy the work of someone else without proper permissions and credits. Thanks Helpful 7 Not Helpful 1

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.nownovel.com/blog/writing-love-stories-avoid-5-flaws/
• ↑ https://www.writermag.com/improve-your-writing/fiction/boring-characters/
• ↑ https://writersedit.com/fiction-writing/everything-you-need-to-know-about-planning-your-novel/
• ↑ https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/nicholas-sparks-writing-tips
• ↑ https://dc.cod.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1484&context=essai
• ↑ https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/7-steps-to-creating-a-flexible-outline-for-any-story
• ↑ https://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.com/2017/07/how-to-create-drama-in-fiction.html
• ↑ https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/literary-devices/
• ↑ https://thewritelife.com/writing-fiction-10-sneaky-overwriting-traps-to-avoid/

About This Article

To write a good love story, start by giving the two main characters personalities that go well together, but which also have enough differences to make the story interesting, like one being quiet and the other being outspoken. You can even have your characters dislike each other at the beginning of the story! After the lovers initially come together, separate them and give them obstacles to overcome. Finally, create a believable climax that reunites the lovers in the end. For tips on using symbolism and imagery in your story, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How I Found My Soulmate, Part 1: My Journey in Love

• by Celes     |    
• , About Celes

This is part 1  of my 7-part series where I share my love journey, how I met my soulmate, and how you can attract authentic love as well.

• Part 1 :  My Journey in Love
• Part 2 :  Meeting My Husband (Someone I Knew From Before)
• Part 3 :  Addressing My Inner Demons
• Part 4 :  How I Realized My Husband Is The One For Me
• Part 5 :  How My Husband Realized I Am The One For Him (And Your Questions For Him, Answered)
• Part 6 :  10 Steps To Attract Authentic Love
• Part 7 :  How To Know When You Have Found ‘The One’: 8 Questions To Consider

Ken and I in Glasgow (Photo from our Glasgow Engagement Shoot )

(Posted on Sep 11, 2013; Updated in 2021)

Many of you have been asking me, since I got attached and subsequently engaged , how I met my fiancé Ken. Some of you want to know how we got together, while some of you asked how we knew with such certainty that we are the ones for each other — within a month no less. ( Update May 2014 : We are now married !)

Initially I wanted to hold off sharing the story of how we met till closer to our wedding, because I didn’t want people to diminish my message as we have not been together long.

But the truth is that even though Ken and I have not been together long, it feels like we’ve known each other all along. For some reason, we are able to connect with each other on a very deep level, in a way I’ve not been able to do with anyone else in my life. If soulmates means two souls having an unexplainable affinity for each other be it mentally, physically, emotionally, or spiritually, then that’s what we are to each other — soulmates, on all levels.

I’m excited to share my love story because I want to inspire all of you who are seeking love or have yet to find love. Whether you are single or attached, I hope this will give you hope about love. In this series, I will share the story of how we met, got attached, and realized that we are the ones for each other.

My Journey in Love (Up Till I Was 28)

I’ve already shared parts of my love journey on the blog before. From my longstanding singlehood , to my past heartbreak , to my experience with a dating agency , these are all part of my love journey.

But to give you guys a complete picture, up until I got attached to Ken, I was single for the first 28 years of my life.

I grew up in a household where my parents staunchly ruled that I wasn’t allowed to see anyone until I graduated. When I say “graduated,” I mean graduating from university at the age of 22. While I never gave their opinions second thought, I believe their staunch and negative views on this topic made me subconsciously devalue my desire to be with someone.

I had a couple of relationships when I was in secondary school, but they were very short-term — each lasting no more than a couple of weeks. They were so insignificant and juvenile that I wouldn’t even regard them as relationships.

When I was in university, I liked someone (as I have shared in my moving on series , regarding G). It didn’t work out  and I was left crushed, taking years to mend my broken heart thereafter.

(Of course it all worked out in the end because I eventually met Ken, my real soulmate , but more on that later. Thinking back, G was not a true compatible match because had we gotten together, I would never have evolved to who I am today; he would also not be a fit for the person I’ve become.)

I grew up very career-driven and achievement-oriented. To me relationships come and go, but personal achievements and career, these stick forever. Seeing couples part ways after three, five, ten, or even more years simply reinforced to me the transient nature of relationships and that I shouldn’t invest too heavily in something that wouldn’t last. (I later realized that this belief isn’t true and had limited me from getting attached.)

Never Been in a Serious Relationship Before

Even though I had never been in a serious relationship before, it wasn’t because I wasn’t appealing enough or I lacked male attention.

On my appeal, I used to think that I wasn’t  pretty ,  thin , or feminine enough to attract a good guy but I later realized that this wasn’t true and I was simply carrying very negative, limiting views of myself. I wrote about my revelations in The Beauty of Self – Why I Used To Feel Inferior about My Looks ,  How I Began To Love My Body  (series), and  How I Found My Place as a Female in Today’s World (series).

On attention from guys, I had male attention, but things just never worked out. It was always either that the guy wasn’t a match or that I had some interest but the guy didn’t follow up. I went on dates, but nothing ever came out of them. I usually concluded that we weren’t compatible and would do the fade-away thing (which I later realized wasn’t very nice when I experienced that myself).

I wanted to be with someone but I didn’t see the point of being in a relationship for the sake of it. I wanted to be with someone I truly liked and saw a future with, rather than just get together with some guy I didn’t feel strongly for.

Wondering if there was anyone out there for me

There were often times when I wondered if there was anyone out there for me at all. I would have lengthy chats with friends as we lamented about love and life, but my end conclusion would be that I, or anyone for that matter, had to remain hopeful. Whether or not there was someone for me, having a negative mindset wasn’t going to help me  find love . I had to believe there is a special someone out there for everyone, and it is by being positive and being my best self that I would attract that person, whoever he might be.

Dipping my toes into dating: Jun 2011 to Early 2012

When I was 27, between June 2011 and early 2012, I began to dip my toes into dating/love. During this time, I went on a solo seven-month trip around Europe/U.S. for work and to meet new people and experience new cultures. I thought I wasn’t getting younger, so it was really time to get out there and meet people.

I met a huge number of people, and even met a couple of relationship potentials in the process. But things didn’t work out, and I was very hurt in one of the cases. I simply moved on after that, having learned how to move on consciously from the G saga (as I shared in my heartbreak series ). Each experience helped me learn more about what I was looking for and I looked forward to whoever I was meeting next.

Serious Dating Immersion: Jul-Dec 2012

Then in June 2012 as I turned 28, I decided to give romance a serious stab. No more “dipping my toe in the water” but seriously going deep into the ocean and full-on swimming.

There were a few reasons.

• Work-wise, I was in a very good place, receiving over a million pageviews a month on PE and getting ongoing media coverage . I wanted to pursue my personal goals, such as romance.
• I was happy with the other areas in my life wheel , such as health and fitness (I had cleaned up my diet over the years and was exercising regularly), contribution (I was giving value to the society daily through PE), friendships (I was surrounded by positive, like-minded people), family (my relationship with my parents was better than before), and personal growth (I was more conscious than I had ever been).

I felt that I was living my most purposeful life ever and it was time to take things to the next level by working on the one area I had not actualized yet — love. I felt that I owed it to myself to give love a serious stab because truth be told, I had been putting love on hold all my life. I would always pretend that I wasn’t interested in love or say I was busy working when deep down, I really wanted to meet my special someone .

I felt that it was high time to put myself out there, date, and seriously explore entering into a relationship with someone. And what better time to do it than now, given that I was 28? I thought,  Whatever comes out of this is out of my control, but the most important thing is to put my best foot forward.

• Arranged dating. In July 2012, I joined a dating agency (they sponsored my dating package while I wrote about my date experience). I figured I would not rely on them to get dates, but simply to use it as an extra channel to meet new people.
• Massive socializing and networking. I also started massively expanding my social circle. I joined entrepreneur networking and business events since they were in line with my interests and would help me with my work. I also felt that meeting people in such environments was the best way to showcase the real me, since work is a huge part of my life.
• Dating events. I became open to dating activities like singles events — a first since I would put them down as silly and awkward in the past. My good friend, W, is single and joins singles events occasionally, so I would join him when I was free.
• With friends. I let others know I was open to dating and told them to set me up on a date. I also constantly checked with friends and acquaintances if they had upcoming events I could join. Whenever people invited me to house parties, networking events, talks, etc., I would join in. To me, these were all opportunities to meet new people, on top of attending for the event itself.
• To guys who asked me out. On a personal level, I became open to date invitations. When guys asked me out, I would accept their dates unless I really had no interest. This was a far cry from the past, when I would turn down almost every guy for the most whimsical reason. (The latter is a terminalistic approach, something I share in 10 Steps To Attract Authentic Love .)

Dating Spree – A Memorable Experience

So for the next six months, I went on more dates than I had ever gone on in my entire life . Actually, I went on more dates than most of my peers went on in their entire lives (before getting attached). I could easily be on three to four dates a week, sometimes with pretty eligible men. If I had deprived myself in the area love/romance early on in my life, I had my fill of dates and dating stories in this period.

As if the law of attraction was at work, guys would come out of the woodwork to ask me out — and these could be guys I already knew but never stayed in touch with. It was like I was putting out the intention to date, and the universe was helping to make that happen.

I even had  married guys hit on me, something which I disagree with. I would immediately reject them. Read more: What I Have Learned From Being Hit On by Married Men

During this period, I learned a lot about myself and what I was looking for in a relationship partner. While I have always had a good idea of what I’m looking for, this dating phase developed my awareness to a whole new level. I also learned how to be a better date and partner if I were to be with someone in the future.

However… Still Single in the End

While the guys I met in the six months were of increasing eligibility and compatibility, I still did wind up with anybody.

I went to three singles parties with W and they were not my thing. The crowd and vibes of the first two events didn’t gel with me, while the third event didn’t even take place — we went but no one showed up!

With the arranged dates by the dating agency, I realized after a couple of dates that I was meeting much more compatible guys through my own circles. To be fair, maybe their database didn’t have guys who would fit what I was looking for — after all, I am quite different from most females. Also, I am already widely socialized compared to the average person — their service would probably help those with limited social circles and have no time to meet people.

As for dates from my own network, there were some promising prospects, but these were not enough for me to want to enter into a relationship. Given that I was already 28 with a clear idea of my vision and values, I wanted to be with someone I could see a long-term future with. It wouldn’t be fair to enter into a relationship with someone and break up a few months later.

I felt like I was back to “square one” — back to being by myself after so many months of active dating. I felt disappointed, empty, and jaded. I felt like I was in limbo, circling round and round.

It would be a matter of time before a special someone would enter (actually, re-enter) my life.

Proceed to Part 2: Meeting My Husband (Someone I Knew From Before) , where I share the (re)entrance of someone I did not expect into my life.

(Images: Piggyback ride , Red heart , Yellow leaves , Girl alone , Smiling girl , Socializing , Girl with leaf on face )

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Love Story

Essays on Love Story

Personal narrative paper: i fell in love, my first love experience: a personal narrative, made-to-order essay as fast as you need it.

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The Bitter-sweet Experience Behind The First Love Heartbreak

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A Story of My First Love in College

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Flipped: Willpower and Resolution of The Heroine

Arguments why there isn't a true love, elton john and david furnish: long-lasted love story, hardik pandya and natasa stankovic love story, hollywood love story without an end, ike and mercy: when a beautiful love story ends sadly, love stories are not always about true love, mansoor ali khan and sharmila tagore - love story of lifetime, not every lose is a lose, my short love story (300 words), orpheus and eurydice: a tragic love story, the umbrella of destiny: a love story born of chance, relevant topics.

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Essay on Love for Students and Children

500+ words essay on love.

Love is the most significant thing in human’s life. Each science and every single literature masterwork will tell you about it. Humans are also social animals. We lived for centuries with this way of life, we were depended on one another to tell us how our clothes fit us, how our body is whether healthy or emaciated. All these we get the honest opinions of those who love us, those who care for us and makes our happiness paramount.

What is Love?

Love is a set of emotions, behaviors, and beliefs with strong feelings of affection. So, for example, a person might say he or she loves his or her dog, loves freedom, or loves God. The concept of love may become an unimaginable thing and also it may happen to each person in a particular way.

Love has a variety of feelings, emotions, and attitude. For someone love is more than just being interested physically in another one, rather it is an emotional attachment. We can say love is more of a feeling that a person feels for another person. Therefore, the basic meaning of love is to feel more than liking towards someone.

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Need of Love

We know that the desire to love and care for others is a hard-wired and deep-hearted because the fulfillment of this wish increases the happiness level. Expressing love for others benefits not just the recipient of affection, but also the person who delivers it. The need to be loved can be considered as one of our most basic and fundamental needs.

One of the forms that this need can take is contact comfort. It is the desire to be held and touched. So there are many experiments showing that babies who are not having contact comfort, especially during the first six months, grow up to be psychologically damaged.

Significance of Love

Love is as critical for the mind and body of a human being as oxygen. Therefore, the more connected you are, the healthier you will be physically as well as emotionally. It is also true that the less love you have, the level of depression will be more in your life. So, we can say that love is probably the best antidepressant.

It is also a fact that the most depressed people don’t love themselves and they do not feel loved by others. They also become self-focused and hence making themselves less attractive to others.

Society and Love

It is a scientific fact that society functions better when there is a certain sense of community. Compassion and love are the glue for society. Hence without it, there is no feeling of togetherness for further evolution and progress. Love , compassion, trust and caring we can say that these are the building blocks of relationships and society.

Relationship and Love

A relationship is comprised of many things such as friendship , sexual attraction , intellectual compatibility, and finally love. Love is the binding element that keeps a relationship strong and solid. But how do you know if you are in love in true sense? Here are some symptoms that the emotion you are feeling is healthy, life-enhancing love.

Love is the Greatest Wealth in Life

Love is the greatest wealth in life because we buy things we love for our happiness. For example, we build our dream house and purchase a favorite car to attract love. Being loved in a remote environment is a better experience than been hated even in the most advanced environment.

Love or Money

Love should be given more importance than money as love is always everlasting. Money is important to live, but having a true companion you can always trust should come before that. If you love each other, you will both work hard to help each other live an amazing life together.

Love has been a vital reason we do most things in our life. Before we could know ourselves, we got showered by it from our close relatives like mothers , fathers , siblings, etc. Thus love is a unique gift for shaping us and our life. Therefore, we can say that love is a basic need of life. It plays a vital role in our life, society, and relation. It gives us energy and motivation in a difficult time. Finally, we can say that it is greater than any other thing in life.

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How to Write a Love Story: The Definitive Guide to the Most Popular Type of Story

by Joe Bunting | 0 comments

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Love stories appear everywhere in the films we watch, books we read, and shows we binge.

Sometimes these love stories are the center of the plot, like in Pride and Prejudice or The Notebook, popular examples of romance novels and film. Sometimes they're a subplot, like in The Hunger Games or  Ready Player One.  Other times they're hidden, looking more like a journey of friendship than a traditional romance, like in  The Shawshank Redemption  or  Good Will Hunting  or even  The Blind Side .

Love stories make up a popular genre in and of themselves, the romance genre, but they also are at the heart of many of the most well-regarded stories in history, including Homer's  Iliad , Ernest Hemingway's  The Sun Also Rises , and also more recent, prize winning novels like  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer and  Less  by Andrew Sean Greer.

Which is all to say, if you want to write novels or screenplays, you probably need to know how to write a love story.

In this guide, we're going to explore love stories of all kinds, from the ones that end “happily ever after” to tragic love stories and even stories that don't look like love stories but actually are. We'll talk about the elements of love stories, their structure and arcs, the best love story examples to study, and finally how to actually write one of your own.

Here's a table of contents for this guide:

Table of Contents

Love Story Definition Elements of Love Stories 1. The Value Scale of Love Stories 2. High Stakes 3. Love Story Character Archetypes 4. Obstacles 5. Tropes Love Story Masterworks to Study How to Write a Love Story: 7 Steps

But first, what  is  a love story, really?

What Is a Love Story: Love Story Definition

A love story is a narrative centered around the progression of two characters' relationship as they deal with internal and external obstacles to be together. Love stories explore the value of belonging and love, usually romantic love, and deal with the emotional and interpersonal forces of attraction, connection, desire, trust, vulnerability, betrayal, and commitment.

That being said, not  all  love stories are about romantic love. Some involve friendship, community, and belonging, and we will explore these types of stories as well.

So there you go. That's  what  a love story is, now let's talk about their different components.

Elements of Love Stories

There are nine types of stories, and each type has its own unique elements, structure, and conventions that readers expect . Love story is no different.

If you want to write love story, it's important to understand the expected elements, even if you choose to circumvent them. While story types are extremely flexible, allowing infinite variations within the established forms, there are almost always a few of the following things in  every  successful story within this type.

Let's look at the elements and conventions of love stories:

1. Core Value Scale: Love/Belonging vs. Hate/Isolation

Maslow's hierarchy of needs places love and belonging on the third level of universal human values.

To have your needs met, to be truly fulfilled, humans must have a sense of belonging, of tribe, family, and connection with each other. Belonging has a deep link to feelings of safety, since being part of a tribe meant protection and shared resources to our early ancestors (not to mention any characters stuck in a dystopian plot!).

But historically, humans have also believed that we can't be fully ourselves, to reach our true potential, until we find not just our group but our  partner , usually a romantic partner.

In fact, the way that storytellers have usually shown belonging within a group or society as a whole is through the relationship between two people, in the form of romantic love.

Mixed in with this human need and value of belonging are the forces of desire and sexual attraction, which is what makes this story type, and often storytelling itself, so vibrant, complicated, and exciting!

Of course, many great stories don't  involve romantic relationships: think Frodo and Sam in The Lord of the Rings or the relationship between Harry, Ron, and Hermione in Harry Potter or the caring love between Jean Valjean and first Fantine and then her daughter Cosette. These are all still powerful love stories, that follow the love story plot type, while also not being romantic.

Love story truly is one of most powerful and flexible plot types.

Love story value scale: love vs. hate

Sub values: attraction/desire vs. repulsion, trust/commitment/vulnerability vs. betrayal

2. High Stakes

All stories must have stakes, things at risk if things don't go well in the story.

For a romance story, the stakes usually center around isolation and loneliness, as well as losing their soul mate, the loss of future happiness, and potentially even ruining their lives.

For historical romance stories about women, there was also a real physical threat, since the loss of a prospective partner could mean financial destitution, ruin, and the lack of physical safety.

Whatever the stakes are for your story, they must be significantly high enough and the consequences must be clearly shown if the character doesn't  achieve them.

3. The Character Archetypes of Love Stories

All stories are about characters, and in love stories, there are certain types of characters who have appeared so many times over so many years, even centuries, that they've become character archetypes, patterns for characters that are near universal in storytelling.

You  should  have one character (and sometimes more) for each of these categories (i.e. protagonist, love interest, rival, and sidekick), but you certainly don't need to use these or  any archetypes. Hopefully, though, they will help inspire a character of your own and clue you into the common patterns and structures in love stories.

Below are some of the common character archetypes specific to love stories.

Protagonist Archetypes

First is the protagonist, the character the story is about. This character appears in every  story, not just love stories. While I usually only recommend having one protagonist, because it drastically increases the complexity and difficulty of the writing process, love stories are the only type that I'm begrudgingly ok with having two protagonists, the couple. There are also some common archetypes for protagonists, including, but not limited to:

• The Idealist. A character who believes in “true love” and “soul mates” and has been desperately waiting to find theirs.
• The (Loveable) Rake. A character with plenty of romantic experience and who has a long history of using their charm and self-confidence to pursue (and possibly manipulate) their love interests, but one who also has a vulnerable, even soft-hearted side few ever see that makes them sympathetic. (Without the vulnerable side, they would make a better villain than a protagonist!)
• The Lone Wolf . A character with a dark past and history of emotional pain who has become distrusting of people as a result and must let their guard down in order to experience love and connection.
• The Knight in Shining Armor . A protective, loyal, and competent character who may attempt to rescue their love interest in the process of the story.
• The Rebel, With or Without a Cause . A character who is independent, unconventional, and perhaps cynical, and finds themselves challenging the expectations of society and potentially the love interest. This type often blends with other archetypes.

Love Interest Archetypes

Of course, for it to be considered a love story, the protagonist must also have a love interest. This may be a co-protagonist in some stories or romance books.. Here are some common character archetypes for love interests:

• The Girl or Guy Next Door. A familiar yet newly exotic character who has recently emerged to capture the protagonist's attention.
• The Out of Reach Love Interest. A character who, due to their status, wealth, or other factors, seems unattainable (but of course, they eventually fall for the protagonist, since this is a love story!).
• The “Best Friend.”  A longtime friend who, at some point in or before the story, begins to foster romantic feelings

Rivals Archetypes

Almost all all compelling romance stories have a rival, either a second love interest to make the protagonist's choice more complicated, or someone also pursuing the love interest, increasing the obstacles. The presence of the rival creates a love triangle, one of the central elements of love stories, which we'll talk about in a moment. Here are some common archetypes for the rival:

• The Ex . A former romantic partner who reappears just at the right time to cause emotional mayhem.
• The (Unlovable) Rake . A charming but manipulative character who attempts to seduce either the protagonist or love interest for selfish reasons.
• The Unrequited Love . Someone likes someone else, but they don't feel the same way. Drama!
• The “Perfect” Match . A character who  seems  perfect for the protagonist, but who just doesn't have the right “spark.”

Nearly all love stories have a sidekick character, a friend of the protagonist who characterizes and aids the protagonist and usually gives to story some humor. Often these sidekick characters will even have their own subplot story arc . Think about Mercutio in  Romeo and Juliet or  Jane from  Pride and Prejudice . Sidekick characters can have their own archetypes in love stories, including:

• The Promiscuous Sidekick . The promiscuous sidekick is more experienced (or at least more interested) in romantic pursuits, particularly of the more carnal variety, and is usually pared with a more inexperienced protagonist to draw them out and challenge them. Example: Casey from 27 Dresses .
• The Idealist Sidekick . Believing in “true love” and “soul mates,” the idealist is best paired with a protagonist who is more cynical. Example: Casey Sedgewick from  Hitch  (what's up with all the sidekicks named Casey?).
• The Funny and Supportive Sidekick . Caring, kind, and always supportive, this sidekick is best paired with a protagonist with a difficult past.
• The Nervous Sidekick . Rule-following and concerned, this supportive sidekick should be paired with a protagonist who is more daring. Example: The Nurse from  Romeo and Juliet .

Again, you don't need to use any of these specific character archetypes, but you should create at least one character for each of these broad categories: protagonist, love interest, rival, and sidekick. Feel free to use the above archetypes as inspiration or invent your own!

Which of these character archetypes are your favorite? Which do you have in your story?  Let us know in the comments .

4. Obligatory Scenes

Every story type has certain scenes that the audience expects, scenes that if you don't provide, romance readers will be disappointed. These scenes provide emotional payoffs, contribute to character development, and advance the narrative in a way that is both satisfying and familiar to the audience.

However, there is a tension there, too, because you must both provide something that is both familiar and  new  to the audience.

These obligatory scenes vary based on the story's arc, as well, but here are the obligatory scenes that need to exist in most love stories:

Obligatory Scenes in a Traditional Love Story

• Meet-cute (inciting incident): The “meet-cute” is a hollywood term for the first meeting between the protagonist and love interest that sets up their relationship. These scenes are often funny or awkward and evoke strong feelings in the characters either of attraction or anger. At the same time, the meet-cute is often where the first obstacles to the couples potential relationship emerge (see below for obstacle examples).
• First connection : A moment when the characters share a meaningful connection or experience, hinting at the potential for a deeper relationship.
• The breakup : As the couple grows closer, there is an event or realization that causes creates tension and highlighting the seemingly insurmountable obstacles to the relationship.
• The realization : Now separated after the breakup, one or both of the couple realizes any obstacles are meaningless in the face of their need and desire for their partner.
• The proof of love (climax) : One or both of the characters undergoes a dramatic declaration or proof of their love, resolving or proving their willingness to resolve the obstacles in the way of their relationship.
• Last kiss (denouement) : In the final scene of the story, the couple close with a final kiss, showing how they have overcome their obstacles and begun a bright future together.

Keep in mind that these obligatory scenes almost completely describe a specific love story arc called the Cinderella Arc, which is the most common arc for romantic comedies. See the story arc diagram below.

However, love stories come in all shapes (or ways to map their story arcs ), including man in a hole (or double man in a hole), rags to riches, icarus, and Oedipus. Some of the above obligatory scenes might be tweaked or even removed depending on the story's arc.

For example, a man in a hole love story plot will feature a seemingly happy couple, who through circumstance or betrayal, find themselves facing new obstacles in their relationship.

Obligatory Scenes for a Relationship Testing Plot

Here are the obligatory scenes for a man in a hole love story arc:

• Obstacles arise ( inciting incident): A happy couple faces new challenges in their relationship, either through outside circumstances or internal betrayal, but in their naïveté, optimism, or loving commitment, they resolve to deal with the obstacles.
• The breakup : After attempting to deal with the obstacles,  they appear to be insurmountable, and the couple breaks up.
• The realization : Now separated after the breakup, one or both of the couple realizes they must overcome the obstacles in the face of their need and desire for their partner.

As you can see, this structure is fairly similar, but the different inciting incident causes a change to the shape of the story and the feel of the following obligatory scenes.

Also, if you're writing a tragic love story, you might just have a different denouement, changing the “last kiss,” for example, to a last goodbye, or something similar.

The point is that these obligatory scenes are flexible enough to tell any love story but also will deliver the emotional payoffs your audience expects.

4. Obstacles

As with real life relationships, couples in love stories face obstacles that keep them from experiencing the sense of belonging and intimacy they desire. All love stories include obstacles, and some include many different obstacles. Here are the types of obstacles your characters might face, but draw from your own real life experiences too:

External Conflict or Obstacles:

• Social barriers: Differences in class, religion, or culture.
• Distance : Physical distance can test the characters' commitment and communication skills.
• Love triangles or rivals : There's nothing like a good love triangle! Rivals create competition for one of the character's affections, which may create jealousy, force a choice between potential partners, or cause one character to betray the other.
• Disapproving friends or family:  Friends and family may not support the relationship, causing tension (and if you're the Capulets and Montagues, lots of death!).
• Work or personal responsibilities: Careers, duties, or goals that conflict with the characters' ability to prioritize their relationship.
• Physical limitations or deformities : physical limitations like paralysis ( Me Before You ), impotence ( The Sun Also Rises ), or illness ( The Fault in Our Stars ) will create major obstacles in a relationship, but physical scars or perceived deformities can also cause issues, like Cyrano's nose or the phantom of the opera's burned face (these also tend to create internal obstacles like insecurity in one or both lovers).
• External events : natural disasters, evil vampires, car accidents, or sociopathic killers at the office Christmas party are all examples of external events that can act as obstacles to a love story.

Internal Obstacles:

• Emotional baggage : Past trauma, heartbreak, or unresolved issues can affect the characters' ability to trust or be vulnerable.
• Insecurity or self-doubt:  One or both characters may wrestle with unworthiness or uncertainty about the relationship's viability.
• Miscommunication or misunderstanding: Conflicts about misinterpreted actions, words, or intentions can create emotional distance between the characters.
• Personal flaws: issues like mental health, addiction, or career pressures can create conflict .
• Conflicting ambitions : Characters who have life goals, career aspirations, or values that challenge their compatibility and future together.
• Infidelity or attraction to another person : Cheating or breaches of trust, whether fulfilled or felt internally.

There are as infinite number of obstacles in stories as the ones humans face in our own relationships. Use the above as inspiration or as a prompt to dive into your own experiences and the experiences of those you know to find obstacles for characters to face in your story.

How your characters deal with the obstacles to their relationship will ultimately determine whether your story ends happily or tragically.

What obstacles are your characters facing?  Let us know in the comments !

5. Other Conventions or Tropes in Love Stories

Tropes are familiar patterns that recur in stories. Tropes don't appear in every  story of a certain type, but they're common enough that audiences easily recognize them.

This means that tropes can be overused, even turn into clichés, but can also provide a sense of comfort and enjoyment for the reader when employed effectively or subverted.

Here are some common tropes or conventions in love stories:

• Opposites attract: Two characters with contrasting personalities or backgrounds find themselves drawn to each other despite (or because of!) their differences.
• Secrets, “if they only knew…”: Secrets that, if revealed, could significantly impact the characters' relationship.
• Secret identities: One or both characters conceal their true identity, creating complications, often humorous ones, in their romantic relationship (Shakespeare loved this one!).
• Mistaken identities:  Similar to secret identities, characters are mistaken for someone else, leading to unexpected romantic complications.
• Forbidden love or “star-crossed lovers”: A romance that is seen as unacceptable or ill-fated due to family, group, or cultural barriers.
• Fake It Till You Make It: Characters pretend to be in a romantic relationship, only to develop genuine feelings for each other.
• Back in (Small) Town: A character returns to their hometown and either rekindles an old fling or meets someone new.
• Friends-to-lovers: Characters who start as friends gradually develop romantic feelings for each other.
• Enemies-to-lovers: Characters who begin the story in conflict or in a rivalry but eventually fall in love.
• Second Chance Romance: Former lovers reunite, often after overcoming past issues or misunderstandings.
• Love at First Sight: Characters instantly fall in love upon their first encounter, setting the stage for a passionate and whirlwind romance.
• Cinderella Story: A character from a lower social or economic background falls in love with someone from a much higher background.
• Disaster romance: A catastrophic event, like a volcano erupting in Los Angeles or assassins trying to murder them or while being chased by the soldiers of half of a kingdom, serves as the catalyst for characters falling in love.

Remember that you don't need to use all or  any  of the above tropes. Use them as inspiration, not as rules, and even if you  do  use them as inspiration, make sure to transform them somehow to serve your writing style and unique voice.

Masterworks: 27 Love Story Examples to Study

Good writers read. They study other great books within their genre , stealing and transforming what works, and subverting or putting their unique touch on the rest.

Here are twenty-seven love story masterwork novels and films of all different types that you can study to improve your own story:

Traditional Love Story

The following are traditional love stories that either end happily or tragically:

• Pride and Prejudice: Elizabeth Bennet navigates societal pressures and her own prejudices to find love with Mr. Darcy.
• Romeo and Juliet: Two young people from families with a vendetta against each other fall in love and vow to be together despite everything.
• Jane Eyre: An orphaned governess falls in love with her employer, Mr. Rochester, and must navigate his secret past.
• Gone with the Wind: During the American Civil War and Reconstruction, Scarlett O'Hara fights to survive and find love.
• The Notebook: A poor boy wins the heart of a rich girl and fight to stay together despite family opposition and later, the challenges of aging.
• Outlander: A World War II nurse is transported back in time to 18th century Scotland, where she falls in love with a Highland warrior and navigates political and personal challenges.
• Titanic: A wealthy young woman falls in love with a poor artist aboard the Titanic , but their romance is challenged when the ship begins to sink.
• Casablanca: In Morocco during World War II, a cynical nightclub owner must decide between his lost lover and his moral and political ideals.
• When Harry Met Sally: Can men and women be friends? Two friends attempt to be friends and possibly more over the course of many years.

Love Stories About Group Belonging

Some love stories are as much about belonging to a group as romantic love with an individual. After all, belonging is one of Maslow's main levels in his hierarchy of needs, and the way that writers throughout history have illustrated belonging with a group is through belonging within romantic love. Here are a few stories that show this kind of love story about belonging to a group:

• Ian Miller and Toula's Greek Family in My Big Fat Greek Wedding : Ian, a non-Greek man, struggles to win over his fiancée Toula's large, traditional Greek family, eventually finding acceptance and a sense of belonging.
• Vianne and the French town in Chocolat : Vianne, an unwed mother of a young daughter, gradually transforms the rigid attitudes of a small French town through charm and delicious chocolates.
• Jess and her family in Bend it Like Beckham : Jess, a British-Indian teenager, goes against her family's traditional expectations by pursuing her dream of playing soccer, ultimately gaining her family's support and helping them embrace a new worldview.
• Michael Oher and the family in The Blind Side : A wealthy, white family takes in Michael, a homeless African-American teenager, providing him with love, support, and opportunities that lead to his success in football and a sense of belonging within their family.
• Hassan Haji and the French restaurant world in Hundred Foot Journey : A prodigy chef, Hassan, faces cultural barriers and competition as he enters the French culinary world, eventually finding success and acceptance as his talent and cultural background win over skeptics.
• Joe Rantz and the Washington crew team in  The Boys in the Boat : An abandoned young man must overcome the hardships of the Great Depression to bond with his team as they take on the world at the 1936 Olympics hosted by Nazi Germany.

 Love Story Subplots

Love stories don't have to be the main plot. Many of the most popular films and novels contain a love story as a subplot , including:

• Hunger Games : The love story subplot in the Hunger Games centers around the protagonist, Katniss and her relationships with Peeta and Gale, two boys she is attracted to for different reasons and must navigate while fighting for survival in the Hunger Games.
• The Lord of the Rings : In The Lord of the Rings , there are several romantic subplots that involve characters like Aragorn and Arwen and Faramir and Eowyn, but the main love story is not about romantic love but the deep friendship and loyalty between Frodo and Sam.
• Harry Potter : The love story subplot in Harry Potter revolves around the relationship between Harry and Ginny Weasley, but throughout there are subplots involving the bonding and friendship between the major characters, especially Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
• Inception : The movie explores the relationship between Cobb and his wife, the deep passion, tragic ending, and final coming to terms.
• The Godfather : The love story subplot in The Godfather involves the relationship between Michael Corleone and Kay, whom he marries despite his involvement in organized crime and the loss of his Italian wife, Apollonia.

Friendship Love Stories

Love stories are also not always about romantic love. Here are several love stories that involve friendship or love between a parent figure and child.

• Good Will Hunting: A genius MIT janitor is mentored by a psychologist and must confront his traumatic past and fear of intimacy.
• Nina, Sofia, and Count Rostov in A Gentleman in Moscow : An unlikely bond forms between the house-arrested Count Rostov and a precocious young girl, Nina (and later, her daughter Sofia), as they navigate life after the Communist Revolution in Russia.
• Jean Valjean and Cosette in Les Miserables : Ex-con Jean Valjean raises Cosette, the daughter of a dying friend, forming a deep father-daughter relationship, all while being investigated and chased by Inspector Javert.
• David and Jonathan in the Bible : David and Jonathan develop a deep friendship and remain loyal to each other despite the conflict between David and Jonathan's father, King Saul.
• Gus McRae and Woodrow Call in Lonesome Dove : Lifelong friends and retired Texas Rangers Gus McRae and Woodrow Call leave Texas with their cattle for Montana, encountering dangers and challenges along the way.
• Lt. Cross and Tim O'Brien in The Things They Carried : Lt. Cross and Tim O'Brien form a complex friendship as they navigate the horrors of the Vietnam War, grappling with guilt, loss, and the weight of their shared experiences.
• Andy and Red in Shawshank Redemption: A man wrongfully convicted of murder forms an unlikely friendship with a fellow inmate as he works to clear his name.

How to Write a Love Story

Now that we've looked at the elements of love stories and many different love story examples, how do you actually write one?

1. Start with characters you (and your audience) can relate to.

Great stories are about great characters! Begin by creating characters who can carry the plot of the story.

There are at least four that you will need, and you can use the character archetypes above to inspire or develop each of them further.

Main Characters

1. Protagonist. The protagonist carries the weight of the story, centers the plot, and drives most of the action. Make sure they are someone who makes choices and is sympathetic while not being perfect.

2. Love Interest . Love stories by nature must have a love interest!

Secondary Characters

3. Rival.  Almost all love stories have love triangles! By adding a rival to your love story, you raise the stakes, create conflict, and add tension.

4. Sidekick. We all need a good wing man or woman. Sidekicks help progress the plot, characterize your protagonist and love interest, and often give the story some much needed humor. The protagonist of a love story nearly always has a sidekick, but the love interest may have one as well!

Not sure how to create great characters? Here are some resources that will help you in your characterization:

• Sympathetic Character: 10 Writing Techniques That Make Readers Care
• Character Development: Create Characters That Readers Love
• Proust Questionnaire: 35 Questions To Ask Your Characters From Marcel Proust

2. Create obstacles for the protagonist and their love interest.

All relationships have obstacles that we must overcome to experience true intimacy and belonging, and the relationships in love stories are no different.

Create at least one of each kind of obstacle:

• External Obstacles: social barriers, distance, love triangles or rivals, disapproving friends or family, work or personal responsibilities, physical limitations or deformities, or external events.
• Internal Obstacles: emotional baggage, insecurity or self-doubt, miscommunication or misunderstanding, personal flaws, conflicting ambitions, or infidelity or attraction to another person.

See the love story obstacles section above for more details on these types of obstacles.

3. Choose your story arc.

The arc of your story has dramatic implications on every facet of your story.

For example, are you going to have a happy ending or sad ending? Does the couple start out together or do they meet at the start of the story? Does the couple have a break up in the middle or do they gradually grow closer throughout the plot?

There are six different story arcs, six shapes that stories make, and all of them can be used in love stories. To learn more about each of them, you can read our story arc guide here .

Which story arc is right for your story?

4. Write your story as a one sentence premise.

A premise is a single sentence summary of a story (you can learn more about what a premise is and how to use it in our full premise guide here ). Creating one  before  you start writing your story is one of the best things you can do to make sure you actually  finish .

There are many benefits of summarizing your story in the form of a premise, including:

• Simplifying your story to its core elements
• Creating a strong foundation for the rest of your story
• Helping you break through writers block
• Giving you the chance to get feedback before you start writing
• Helping you get published by giving you an “elevator pitch”

For a love story, here's a formula you can use to write your premise:

When _____ (protagonist) _______ (situation, e.g. meets the love interest), they must overcome _____ (obstacles) in order to ______ (their goal).

Give it a try!

5. Outline the obligatory scenes.

All love stories have obligatory scenes, scenes that if you don't include them, your audience will feel like something is missing.

We discussed these in detail above, but here are the obligatory scenes in a typical love story (see above for more details on each):

• First connection
• The breakup
• The realization
• The proof of love

There are also variations depending on your particular arc.

These scenes typically follow the six elements of plot, which are:

• Exposition . The character's normal life at the start of the story.
• Inciting incident . An event that upsets the status quo, e.g. the meet-cute.
• Rising action/progressive complications . As the story progresses, things get more complicated! If there is a break up, it will occur in this section.
• Dilemma . The character must make an impossible choice. In a love story, this choice is usually whether or not to face the obstacles and do anything they can to be with the love interest.
• Climax . The character makes their choice, faces the obstacles, and experiences the consequences of that choice. If there is a proof of love scene, this is where it will occur.
•   Denouement . The story ends by illustrating the new normal. In a traditional love story, this is often where the couple ends with a kiss.

For more, view our full guide on the elements of plot here .

Now, just outline each obligatory scene in one sentence. It doesn't need to be elaborate. Just a quick description will be great to help you create a strong foundation for your story.

6. Decide your subplot.

Most novels and films don't just have one plot, they have three. If your main plot is a love story, you will likely need to include a subplot to flesh out the middle of your story and create further complications and obstacles for your characters to overcome.

Love stories can include any story type as a subplot, including:

• Performance
• Coming of age

*Yes, you can have a love story subplot in your love story! Just look at  Pride and Prejudice .

No idea what these mean? That's ok! See a detailed list of the types of stories here .

Different subplots will interact better with different arcs, so choose your subplots carefully.

7. Then, write the first draft!

Once you've written your premise, outlined your obligatory scenes, and chosen your subplots, you're ready to write the first draft.

Easy, right?

Well, maybe not. But we have resources that can help.

First, here's a complete guide on how to write a novel that you should bookmark and save (it's long!).

Next, consider taking a program like 100 Day Book to get the coaching and accountability you need to actually finish your book. We'd love to help you turn your love story idea into published book!

Check out 100 Day Book here.

In the meantime, good luck, and happy writing!

Today, let's start a character sketch for your own love story or subplot. Look back at the section on character archetypes above and pick one: t he Idealist, t he (Loveable) Rake, t he Lone Wolf , t he Knight in Shining Armor , t he Rebel, With or Without a Cause . Set your timer for fifteen minutes . Start by describing two things: what this character is afraid of (and why) and what they want (and why). If you finish fleshing out those details, go ahead and begin a scene where they interact with a potential love interest.

When time is up, share your practice in the Pro Workshop here for feedback, and comment on three other writers' work too.

Joe Bunting

Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris , a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting).

Want best-seller coaching? Book Joe here.

Work with Joe Bunting?

WSJ Bestselling author, founder of The Write Practice, and book coach with 14+ years experience. Joe Bunting specializes in working with Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, How To, Literary Fiction, Memoir, Mystery, Nonfiction, Science Fiction, and Self Help books. Sound like a good fit for you?

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Home / Essay Samples / Life / Love Story

Love Story Essay Examples

Love story begins with the first sight.

The real secret behind why we fall in love at first sight is because something in the way this particular person happens to look, has triggered a comparison in our subconscious mind to someone from our past who meant a lot to us. This is...

My Love Story: Heartbreaking But Funny

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