Christian Writing A Nugget About the "Lovers Meet" Scene

[Johne]

In this semester of the Story Grid Guild, we're looking at the masterwork Jane Eyre to see how Charlotte Bronte wrote her 'lovers meet' scene. In Story Grid parlance, most stories have an External element (what's happening physically in the outside world for a character) and Internal elements (what's happening inside their head). For example, both The Wizard of Oz and Treasure Island are Action (External) stories with Worldview > Maturity (Internal) components. Pride and Prejudice is a Love > Courtship (External) story with a Worldview > Maturation (Internal) secondary element.

Jane Eyre has elements of Love (External) and Status (Internal), but ultimately I think this is predominantly at Status story because Jane and Rochester are both fleeing dissatisfaction (Status) instead of looking for romance (Love).

One of the things I learned about the 'lovers meet' scene was very interesting. In a Lovers-meet scenario, if the lovers are facing an external obstacle, they fall for each other immediately (to whatever extent). If they're facing internal obstacles, they hate each other initially.

For Jane Eyre, Jane is seeking escape from dissatisfaction (stagnation) through being of service. Rochester is seeking escape from dissatisfaction through forward motion.
In Pride And Prejudice, Elizabeth and Darcy initially hate each other when they first meet before their love blossoms.

So I thought that was interesting how the story's content genre can inform the different way to craft a 'lovers meet' scene.

 

[Zee]

Thanks for the tip! I never thought of it that way before, but I think you’re right.

 

[Toni Star]

That is an interesting concept! Would you say this concept would apply to the movie "Brief Encounter?" My husband and I just watched it this afternoon.

 

[Johne]

Would you say this concept would apply to the movie "Brief Encounter?" My husband and I just watched it this afternoon.

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I haven't seen it, but if it's the black and white film from the 40s, I steer clear of films where there's marital infidelity. (I'm not offended by language or violence, but infidelity offends me on a deeply personal level. If two people are married to other people and fall in love, I kind of don't care how they meet.)

 

[FeatherPen]

It is an interesting concept, but I will have to chew on it some more before I agree or disagree with the theory. But unfortunately I am a “chewer” and not always quick witted.

My characters tend to meet at work, so I am not sure how that plays into it.

In one of my novels loved was delayed because the man had survivor guilt about her losing her hearing to a boiler explosion that he escaped unscathed.

The novel I am doing now is completely different in that she fakes love just to throw off the detective . Think of the love meet scene in “Dead Calm”. She is only in love for survival, which will be a challenge to write for sure.

 

[carolinamtne]

Good luck!

 

[suspensewriter]

So I thought that was interesting how the story's content genre can inform the different way to craft a 'lovers meet' scene.

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It really is, @Johne .

 

[Johne]

The novel I am doing now is completely different in that she fakes love just to throw off the detective . Think of the love meet scene in “Dead Calm”. She is only in love for survival, which will be a challenge to write for sure.

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I suspect the content genre may be important. The Lovers Meet scene isn't required for any meeting of a male and a female. If your story is a Action story or a Thriller, I'm guessing this maxim would not apply.

(Setting the 'lovers meet' thing aside, this sounds like an interesting scene. How does the guy react when he discovers she doesn't really love him and has been using him? That could reveal his true character. I can imagine that his love might be real and pure, and she's playing a sort of straying soul role, ala Hosea and Gomer.)

 

[FeatherPen]

Yeah it is a bit different

It is the third of a trilogy so I need to do something a bit different anyway. In this. It is a reverse mystery so you know how she murders a man, but not sure why. She ends up meeting the detective to throw him off her trail

For him, he is in love, but then finding out that it is a justifiable homicide, he has to come to grips with his sense of justice versus vigilante justice

 

[Toni Star]

I haven't seen it, but if it's the black and white film from the 40s, I steer clear of films where there's marital infidelity. (I'm not offended by language or violence, but infidelity offends me on a deeply personal level. If two people are married to other people and fall in love, I kind of don't care how they meet.)

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I totally understand your feelings about infidelity. I, too, feel the same way. The two in the film are married but they have the good sense toward the end of the movie--before physical intimacy--to end it and go their separate ways.

 

[Zee]

I have a similar plot where the guy falls for a girl who doesn’t really care for him at all. She marries him to escape the refugee camp she’s stuck in. It’s an interesting dynamic because there’s no trickery involved—she makes it clear she doesn’t love him but he chooses to take the risk anyway...

 

[FeatherPen]

I haven't seen it, but if it's the black and white film from the 40s, I steer clear of films where there's marital infidelity. (I'm not offended by language or violence, but infidelity offends me on a deeply personal level. If two people are married to other people and fall in love, I kind of don't care how they meet.)

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I can understand that for sure as I have been cheated on myself.

I have never written about in marriage affairs, but did have two characters that had one previous to the timeframe of the book. It was a huge aspect of the book.

I have had a few where one was separated, but not yet divorced, but do not have a problem with that personally. As I know it takes forever post-Covid to get divorced now

I guess I struggle more with violence in my novels than anything. I stop short of a child or woman being hurt if they are protagonists but have no issues with either gender being hurt or killed if they are deserving of it. Generally I try and make their actions so vilevreaders want their demise, just doing so in a way that is surprising

My work in progress novel involves vigilante justice which ends up being a huge issue for the love interest of the protagonist