10 Ways To Deal with the Love Triangle in Your Book

Jill Williamson is a chocolate loving, daydreaming, creator of kingdoms. She writes weird books for teens in lots of weird genres like, fantasy (Blood of Kings trilogy), science fiction (Replication), and dystopian (The Safe Lands trilogy). Find Jill on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or on her author website.

Love triangles. Many readers are sick of them. But they remain popular in bestselling books. And maybe you've put one in your book, but now you're torn because you don't know how to end the thing. And maybe, more than anything, you really want to do something different. Something fresh. Avoid the cliché at all costs. So, if you've put one into your book and don't know how to get yourself out of it, here are ten ideas to help you. (Warning: sarcasm is imminent.)

1. Have a plot. I do hope that the entire story doesn't hinge on the love triangle alone. A love triangle should always be a subplot. There needs to be a separate plot in the story. If your book is only about the love triangle, add a plot that readers will still care about even if your love triangle disappoints them.

2. Shoot somebody. I don't recommend killing off one of your love triangle people. It's too easy. And when you end subplots in convenient ways, it doesn't feel right to your reader. But you could always shoot one of their loved ones. The complication and stress would add something to the love triangle. The person would leave to be with their mother/sister/uncle/grandpa/bff and that could bring the love triangle participants closer together or drive them farther apart. Accidents happen, right?

3. Someone gives up. "I just can't do this, anymore!" Again, having one of the trio quit feels lame. But, hey. If one guy isn't willing to put in the fight, who wants him, right? And if you write this well and it fits character flaws that have been foreshadowed, it will feel right to the reader. "He didn't have what it takes, anyway, you know? He didn't love her as much as he thought he did."

4. Send someone away. Does absence really make the heart grow fonder? We shall see. Maybe someone is given an assignment that sends him elsewhere. Maybe the girl takes off to get some air. This type of situation can show which character is the most tenacious in regards to making things work in spite of the odds. In The Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta were thrown together in a life-changing situation. You just can't compete with circumstances like that.

5. Our hero picks neither one. "This is too much pressure. I'll just start over, and this time, I'm only looking for one romantic interest." Again, this feels too convenient. But if the choice fits your character, it could work. If your character can't make decisions, maybe this is something she would do. But to keep in line with the Six Things That Need Fixing, she should have to come back in the end and choose---or at least dump both of them. Running away is lame.

6. Be rational. A couple is a good fit when together they are stronger than they are on their own. Opposites attract for a reason. If I was just like my husband, we'd lave a LOT of fun, but no one would ever pay the bills and we'd likely be bankrupt. My responsible nature balances out his fun-loving nature and vice versa. If I was married to someone like me, we likely would have killed each other long ago for both wanting to be in charge of everything. In your love triangle, one couple should make more sense than the other. Attraction will likely fade in time no matter what, but a logical choice will stand the test of happily ever after.

7. Reveal a flaw. Is there something one person has been keeping secret? Frozen did this well. I was so ready for the typical Disney movie cliché, that I was thrilled how they surprised me with Hans. That's what you want to do. Surprise your reader in some way. And it doesn't have to be quite so dastardly as Hans's plans, but that sort of thing can be lots of fun.

8. Introduce a second love triangle. Why not complicate this already-complicated matter? Why not have a love square? Or a love pentagon? Or maybe even a love decagon?

9. Get real. Have her say, "Listen. The fate of the world is hanging in the balance here. Let's just not worry about romance right now and focus on saving the planet." Maybe the love triangle just doesn't have to become a full-fledged triangle. Maybe our hero isn't the schmoopie type. Maybe she's saving her first kiss for marriage and will not be swayed by hunky heroes vying for her affections. You never know. It could happen.

10. The liar loses. Who's the liar? In many of these love triangle romances, it's our hero. But most often there are two culprits. If someone stole her from her boyfriend, this is a bad sign for both parties. This means that 1. she cheated on the person she was with, and 2. the person who stole her likes the chase. What happens when he wins her? Nine times out of ten, he gets bored and looks for some other happy couple to destroy. This is where you need to take a good look at your characters, how you want to present them, and how you want them to grow. I mean, who wants to be with a home-wrecker? And who wants to be with a cheater? Neither option is a very good sign of how things might go in the future. A smart hero will see that coming.

Okay, so some of my ideas were silly. But I've read plenty of books where the love triangle was silly. And unless you're writing comedy, you don't want silliness in your book. In real life, love triangles are rare. But if they do happen, they're messy and horrible. You can't please everyone in your story. Some readers will like your decision. Some will hate it. Such is life. Try to get out of your own head and into your hero's. Do what you think the hero would do. Choose one over the other? Run away? Choose neither?

No matter what, you've got to write your way out of it. And it can be hard to do. But that's a good thing for your readers. It keeps up the tension in your story. Above all, try to stay true to your characters and to use whatever happens to further your plot. And, whenever you can, do the unexpected. It keeps readers on their toes and keeps your book from falling victim to clichés.

Have you ever written a love triangle? How did you decide to end it? Share in the comments.