Three's a crowd!

Can I just say love triangles are NOT my favorite? Maybe I’m crazy—I must be because they are everywhere! I find them more in YA books than in adult books. In fact it feels like they are in every YA book…okay maybe I’m being dramatic.

Here is my question—Do they really happen in real life? They didn’t happen to me. I had boyfriends, but I was never torn between two boys. I must just be ultra decisive. In fact, I am ultra decisive. I’m a “make a quick decision live with the consequences” kind of girl.

These are my problems with love triangles:

1. The girl (or boy) trapped in the middle, almost always comes across as weak. Just make a choice and get on with it already!
2. To make it work the reader needs to like both romantic choices, and that means the MC hurts someone you like.
3. If you don’t make one choice likeable the triangle falls apart, and your MC looks silly for being so wishy washy.
4. It feels like a female fantasy. Like this is what every girl wants—two guys after her. But I wouldn’t want that. Have you ever read a triangle with two girls and one guy? No? I can’t think of one. Can you?
5. Triangles almost always leave me disliking the MC. That is harsh I know, but the longer she drags it out the less I like her.
6. Triangles can leave me disliking the guys who would put up with this nonsense. I can get behind a little patience on the side of a guy. It is sweet letting the girl make a decision, but at a certain point it kind of turns pathetic. I want him to say, “Look if you like me great, but if you don’t I’m going to find someone who does, because this isn’t fair to me.” I would NEVER wait around for someone who didn’t like me enough to pick me.

Sorry, I feel like I am being really harsh. I don’t mean to be. In fact some of my favorite books have triangles, but at least for me they are my favorites despite the triangle. Am I nuts? I think I must be, because everyone is reading and writing love triangles. If you love them can you help me understand why, because I just don’t get it.

Personally I’m a fan of unrequited love. I say let’s bring back that trend. What do you say?

-Angie


It's been a crazy week, so I'm a little late with this, but--you can hear me rambling about writing over at Something to Write About. The awesome Abby Fowers was so sweet and asked the BEST questions :)