My Own Romantic Comedy

If I could write any type of story, it would be a romantic comedy about friends who don't realize that they are in love but slowly come to realize that they are. I can't get enough of those. 

There are tons of different typical storylines that romantic comedies follow, but the "Friends to Lovers" is my favorite. 

But before I get into why I like it . . . What are the other storylines I could consider? Well . . . 

• Enemies to Lovers — They dislike, compete with, or misunderstand one another before attraction takes over. The Proposal, 10 Things I Hate About You, You've Got Mail.
• Opposites Attract — Their personalities, lifestyles, backgrounds, or values seem incompatible. Pretty Woman, Notting Hill.
• Fake Relationship — They pretend to date, be engaged, or be married for some practical reason—and predictably stop pretending. The Proposal, To All the Boys I've Loved Before.
• Marriage/Dating of Convenience — Similar to fake dating, except there's usually a concrete bargain: immigration, money, career, family pressure, etc. Green Card, The Proposal.
• Second-Chance Romance — Former lovers reconnect after years apart or after a breakup. The question isn't "Will they fall in love?" but "Can they make it work this time?"
• Unrequited Love / Finally Noticed — One character has loved the other for years, while the other hasn't recognized it—or has been interested in someone else.
• Wrong Person, Right Person — The protagonist begins the story pursuing or dating the person they think they want, only to discover that someone else is the real match. While You Were Sleeping is a great example.
• Love Triangle — The protagonist must choose between two romantic possibilities, often representing two different futures or versions of themselves.
• Forbidden Romance — Family, social class, workplace rules, culture, existing relationships, or some other external force says they shouldn't be together.
• Workplace Rivals — Two ambitious people compete professionally while becoming romantically involved. This often overlaps with enemies-to-lovers.
• Forced Proximity — Circumstances trap two people together: a road trip, shared apartment, wedding weekend, snowstorm, work assignment, etc. They can't escape one another long enough to avoid falling in love.
• Strangers Thrown Together — Two people meet through an unusual circumstance and are swept into an adventure or series of escalating situations.
• Mistaken Identity / Hidden Identity — One or both characters don't know who the other really is. You've Got Mail is essentially enemies-to-lovers combined with hidden identity.
• The Bet/Wager — Someone begins the relationship because of a bet, dare, assignment, or ulterior motive—and then genuinely falls in love. Inevitably, the other person discovers the original deception.
• Makeover Romance — One character helps transform another socially or romantically, only to discover that their feelings have changed. She's All That is the obvious example.
• The Wedding Rom-Com — A wedding brings together exes, old friends, rivals, or strangers. Weddings conveniently provide deadlines, forced proximity, family interference, and emotional stakes.
• Holiday Romance — Christmas, vacation, summer break, etc. creates a temporary world in which two people meet, with an approaching departure providing the deadline.
• Fish Out of Water — One person enters the other's completely unfamiliar world: big city/small town, wealthy/working class, celebrity/ordinary person, corporate/blue collar, etc.
• The Reluctant Romantic — One or both characters have sworn off relationships. Naturally, this is precisely when the right person appears.
• Rekindling the Marriage — The couple is already married or committed, but their relationship has become stale or fractured. The romantic journey is about falling in love with each other again.
• Right Person, Wrong Time — They clearly belong together, but circumstances repeatedly interfere—career, geography, age, timing, other relationships, etc.

Why the Friends to Lovers theme? There are so many good movies that follow this: When Harry Met Sally..., Love & Basketball, 13 Going on 30, Just Friends, Love, Rosie, Always Be My Maybe,  Plus One, Sleeping with Other People, What If . . . but my favorite is Made of Honor . . . at least of these.

I've outlined a novel I'd like to write that includes this. Long-time friends who establish a connection over years and years and, in the end, end up together. I'm really eager to write it, but I'm waiting to get just the right amount of inspiration . . . and time . . . to get going on it. It not only has a friends-to-lovers component, but it also has a city mouse vs country mouse theme, as well as right person, wrong time. Of course, and finally, there is a large dose of unrequited love as well.

I recently saw a movie that reminded me of this. I remember I had a girlfriend for a long time, and what I liked most about our relationship was the "friendship" aspect. I wanted to be friends forever and would have been happy being only friends for years. I don't know if she was able to stay at that level. And there was definitely no way she could "down-shift". . . . that's a theme too, but it's not a happy one . . . from Lovers to Friends? Impossible? I think so 

Elizabeth, Lifer Betsy 

Evershade, evershades , ever shade, ever shades, shades of Betsy

Elizabeth, Betsy