Naomi Dawn Musch

I just finished reading Susan May Warren's terrific WWII novel Sons of Thunder from her Brothers in Arms series. It's a compelling story, fraught with tension, layered like a theme-and-character-deli sandwich, and structured on an aching love triangle involving a pair of brothers and the woman they both love.

Interestingly enough, I began reading this as my own novel The Red Fury is about to release from Desert Breeze Publishing (10/15/11). It's also a story spun on the heels of post-war trauma, of past regrets, of searching for meaning --and most similarly -- of a love triangle involving a pair of brothers and the woman they both love. http://tinyurl.com/3qkt4c9

The love triangle is a center-piece theme found often in fiction, whether it's women's fiction, romance, suspense, or just about any genre you can come up with. Why? Because it works. It's a natural ramp to tension. We're told there are only so many plots in the world, and since this one is a biggy, the real trick is to write it in a new way that will make a reader's heart sizzle.

Sons of Thunder and The Red Fury both tackle the classic problem of torn love. While the reader may understand the direction the love relationship ought to go, he or she should deeply feel the plight of all involved. It isn't really a love triangle if one of the parties doesn't truly ache with love and commitment.

Picture a physical triangle for a moment. An object with three straight sides and three angles. The sides and angles don't have to be equal,or they could be. Triangles can be shaped as differently as story plot itself. Character relationships can differ in degrees of love, passion, faithfulness, yearning.

But the closer they are to being equilateral, the bigger the quandary of the characters will be. Building a love triangle's shape will depend somewhat on how you intend to solve the problem -- pulling out one leg (character) of the triangle and allowing the other two legs to fall together and intertwine.

Ways to solve the love triangle problem vary. They might include:

• The death of one lover
• Distraction of one lover by another party
• Unsolved - One party merely goes away, perhaps finds love in another book

Whichever means you use to solve the love triangle problem, it has to make sense. It has to be satisfying. It shouldn't be plainly expected. And it must tear at the heart.

Option #1 - You know how it is when you kill off a bad guy in a book. Sometimes it causes rejoicing. But sometimes the bad guy is redeemed or at least reconciled to the opposing characters, and you feel a sort of sorrow in killing him off. Well, if the death of a bad guy can cause an emotional bump, think of the emotions likely to roil if you're killing off a party in a love triangle. It's going to be a lot more wrenching if he's likeable or heroic. So give him those qualities. Give him some redeeming feature that will help the lover feel the stab of his loss while at the same time finding even greater solace with the love interest that remains.

Option #2 - If the choice for one party in the love triangle is to become distracted by another party (a new love) it shouldn't be that the party being left is utterly relieved to not have to make a choice. Make the reader care that something important has been lost, even though something new and good can now grow. That's just how it is in real life. Seriously, haven't you ever been an eye-witness to the heartache of a true love triangle? Letting go is hard, even if there's someone else to help ease the pain. Pieces of broken heart can mend, but they can never be returned.

Option #3 - It can be compelling if one character simply goes away to nurse his/her wounds. It peels at the heart to watch someone lose at love if they have no other love to turn to. In series stories this is a likely option because it helps readers see growth and maturity in a character who will likely find even greater love in another book.

Writing the love triangle and solving its nuances takes some delicate balance and a real ability to see the situation from all angles. And that, of course, is what makes it so much fun to write.

Write on!