Navigating the love triangle

As a reader and a viewer, I don't care much for love triangles. I tend to view them as silly tropes, manufactured dramas that detract from a story. As a writer, though, I like them as much as some people like popcorn at a theater. Put differently, I can't stay away from them.

In no fewer than twelve of my 27 novels, I pit one character's affections against another's for a major protagonist. In some of the books, two ladies contend for one man. Such is the case in The Fire (Sadie-Sarah-Kevin), Class of '59 (Piper-Vicki-Ben), and The Memory Tree (Cecilia-Patricia-Greg). In other works, two men vie for one woman. Readers can find examples in The Mirror (Steve-James-Ginny), Caitlin's Song (Vince-Dennis-Caitlin), Camp Lake (Tim-Tom-Caroline), The Fair (Jeremy-Miles-Ivy), Sea Spray (Ted-Randy-Laura), Crown City (Brad-Chip-Ashley), and Annie's Apple (Andy-Charles-Annie).

In The Mine, I have TWO love triangles. Joel and Paul woo Grace even as Grace and Linda try to win Joel. The result is a hot mess.

In some cases, the contestants get nasty. Steve and James pummel each other over Ginny in The Mirror. In The Mine, Grace and Linda, sorority sisters, exchange words. Though their spat doesn't rise to the level of a Krystle vs. Alexis Dynasty smackdown, it is testy.

In other cases, the love triangle is downright civil. In The Fire, Sadie and Sarah — both kind and considerate women — remain good friends as they try to win over Kevin. Tim and Tom do much the same in Camp Lake as they pursue Caroline. Andy and Charles treat each other with grudging respect as they contend for Annie in Annie's Apple.

In at least three of my novels, the love triangle exists mostly in the mind of one of the "sides." Brian Johnson (The Journey), Dennis Sawyer (Caitlin's Song), and Chip Brown (Crown City) suffer in silence as their affection for a female protagonist goes largely unnoticed.

In The Time Spring, published last week, the triangle spans two continents and two centuries. Though Kayla McIntire and Kate Townsend never meet, both claim Zach Taylor. Each tests the protagonist. As in other books, only one prevails in the end.

Except in a few cases, I did not set out include a love triangle in the book. I added the circumstance as the novel evolved. As with other twists and tropes, I seized an opportunity to make a story better.

One challenge of writing love triangles is finding a way to end them. The easiest route, of course, is to reveal one of the rivals as vile or unworthy. In some stories, though, that is not practical or even desirable.

I remember the first time I saw Pearl Harbor, the 2001 film. Danny, an American pilot, started a relationship with Evelyn, his best friend Rafe's girlfriend, after Rafe went missing in action. Danny got Evelyn pregnant. Then Rafe suddenly returned and wanted to start up again with Evelyn. And I thought, "How is THIS going to work?" To make matters worse, all of the characters in the love triangle were decent and honorable.

As Pearl Harbor viewers know, the writers settled the triangle by eliminating one of the participants. I did the same in three novels.

Whether I will do so again remains to be seen. For the first time since publishing The Mine in 2012, I don't have the slightest idea as to what I will write next. I will explore that subject more after the holidays.

In the meantime, I will take a long break from heroes, heroines, and the triangles they sometimes form. A hiatus awaits!

Image Credit: Love Triangle image courtesy of Flaticon.com.