I know, I know. its kinda stupid, I have characters and a setting and a backstory and even how they meet again! but I have no clue how to keep them interacting during the story and a good conflict idea. I've been stuck on this for a while so I thought I would reach out and see if anyone has any advice.
this is what I've got so far:
Marlowe Mae Brooks is a 23 year old baker, she is an organized, driven, and meticulous perfectionist with a kind, compassionate, and nurturing heart, a witty, playful, and subtly flirty sense of humor, occasional anxiety and overthinking tendencies, and a creative, passionate, charming, and resilient spirit.
Beau Jude Mercer is a 24 year old junior architect at Wright & Marsden in Christchurch, is an easygoing, spontaneous, and confident free spirit with a warm, charismatic, and loyal heart, a quick-witted, teasing, and flirty sense of humor, a lovable chaotic streak, a tendency to shrug off stress and avoid commitments, and an adventurous, magnetic, laid-back, charming, and effortlessly cool presence.
Marlowe and Beau met at 18 and 19 at university when Marlowe’s friend dragged her to a party. They hit it off immediately and quickly became what Marlowe called “platonic soulmates.” During that year together, Beau quietly fell in love with her, though he never had the courage to tell her.
After a year, Marlowe felt she was done. Between the sixteen-week bakery course and a few other classes, she didn’t need to stay any longer. She returned to her hometown of Christchurch and threw herself into starting her own bakery, leaving Beau behind.
At first, they kept in touch, but gradually the conversations faded, and Marlowe assumed that was the end of it. Beau, having finished university, eventually decided to move to Christchurch.
Now, at 23, Marlowe’s bakery is nearly a year old. Out of the blue, 24 year old Beau walks into town. One day, he enters her bakery and asks something along the lines of , “Hi, I know the owner. Is she in?” Marlowe, busy in the back baking, hears a familiar voice. She comes out, and the moment their eyes meet, she freezes. Her jaw drops slightly, a huge smile spreads across her face, and all she can manage is, “Beau?!”
any advice will be very appreciated!!
Currently, it doesn't sound like you have any conflict. Your characters sound very charming and well-adjusted.
The first thing I would suggest is that Beau doesn't realize that Marlowe's bakery is hers. He went in there just to go to a bakery and then sees her and realizes that its hers.
It sounds like Beau has an unrequited love deal going on that Marlowe doesn't reciprocate, if she left him so easily. So to him, she's the one that got away.
They can either be living in the same city, or, Beau could be in town for an event, whether that be work-related or friend-related. This puts external time pressure on their time together.
I think a fake-dating story could be a lot of fun. He's in town for a friend's wedding, someone from his work that she doesn't know (not a mutual friend), and needs a date. He was planning on going solo or asking out a friend but once he stumbles into her bakery, he gets the crazy idea to see if he can rekindle the romance under that pretense, and she wouldn't leave an old friend hanging, would she?
Just a thought, since your characters seem poised to fall in love without much issue. I would probably also introduce a not-quite-boyfriend for Marlowe, not enough that it becomes a cheating arc. Just someone that we can compare and contrast Beau with.
Beau is there with his fiancee to pick out a wedding cake.
I agree about adding more conflict.
I would also consider temporarily destroying her bakery. A drunk driver goes through the front window with his car. The building is damaged—and because it’s a historical building, the owner has to bring in an architect to help plan the restoration. Once he realizes who owns the bakery, he insists on spending a lot of hands on time discussing details (and potential problems) with her, and if she wants to get her bakery back in business, she’s forced to work with him.
Something like that. You’re the god of this book. Knock something down and make them work together to fix it.
I agree with everyone that there needs conflict. You've got characters and a vibe and a second chance(ish) romance but no real heart of the story.
The issue is that beyond Marlowe being the one that got away there isn't really like a "wound" or flaws for the characters. You mention Marlowe is anxious, give her a more concrete reason this affects her life and this relationship. Maybe she gets overwhelmed and has a tendency to back out when things get hard. And Beau you mention he brushes off commitments and drama, this actually is a pretty obvious flaw that affects the relationship lol. Could his inability to commit be looming over him about how easily he let her go the first time? I usually tend to think of it like what flaws do my two love interests has that stops this relationship from just working.
There's also no real hinge of the story. It's just kinda two people reconnect. It doesn't have to be some giant crazy thing but the reason you're struggling is there isn't really a story engine to keep this moving. Like another commenter said maybe his job as an architect is necessary. Or something about their previous friend group (someone's getting married and her bakery has been hired. He's a best man. They have to interact a lot). It doesn't need to be super tropey (ie. fake dating) but there needs to be a reason they interact and reopen this chapter.
The story needs to have them basically get over a wound and learn to break past their flaws/or have the other accept them so that they can be together.
Ok popping back in because I thought I'd give my story as an example since it's a similar unrequited love thing. My MC has a tendency to stay surface level and brushes past her problems instead of sitting with them. This destroyed her last relationship. The LI has clinical depression and thinks he's not worthy of love so he runs from people. They knew each other as kids and he's always loved her. The story is a fake dating story but they obviously start to connect for real. Their two issues directly butt heads. She can't get deep with him. He doesn't feel like he deserves this relationship if it turns real. They both have to work thru these things for this relationship to work.
See how there's a flaw and wound and that's what drives their relationship? This is what your characters are currently missing.
Maybe his firm is buying the building her business is in if you want some really direct conflict. Or they want to try again but his career gets in the way. Architecture is a really demanding major and a demanding business.
Money is always a good source of conflict. So is time.
I echo what the others have said about Marlowe's anxiety and Beau's fear of commitment. Though I will point out doing an architecture degree takes a ton of commitment. Also opening her own business seems out of character for someone with a ton of anxiety, it's a lot of stress and work.
Maybe those are their goals: Marlowe wants to open a business but her anxiety is in the way and Beau doesn't know if he can commit to the slog of becoming an architect.
Give the characters some more flaws as people and let them influence the plot
Try making their initial friendship end with some conflict. Was he hurt that she chose to leave and lashed out at her? Did she go home because she felt like he didn't see her romantically? Give them some unresolved issues to work out. Also, you can use some aspect of their character to drive conflict! You describe FMC as a perfectionist--but that can also be a bad thing. She's an anxious overthinker, but also resilient? Nah. Think about making that part of her character arc. Can she learn resilience over the course of the story? Is MMC TOO easy going?
And why does he come back and seek her out? Just for funsies and to reconnect? How can you make the reconnection awkward or tense?
The good thing about romance is that the plot is easy: Character X and Character Z get together...eventually. The conflicts are always either internal (personality clashes, miscommunication, etc) or external (villainous characters, societal expectations, physical peril). The type of story you want to tell will determine what things you throw in their way. Cozy romance, or more action?
Good luck!