Book boyfriends: Why we love them and why others fall in love with them.

We want our readers to love our book boyfriends as much as we love them. We want to create swoon-worthy male leads that our main characters can fall head over heels in love with. But sometimes, that's much easier said than done.

How do we make our readers fall in love with our characters? It can be a tricky task, I know. But here is the clue: We need to fall in love with our book boyfriends BEFORE we write them. We need to love everything about them. Plot the perfect boyfriend (flaws included). One way of doing this can be by thinking of others and our own ideal romantic preferences: 

What is your perfect ideal date? 

Your perfect boyfriend?

What would other girls want in a guy?

What do you want in a guy?

If you are in a place where you think you hate men or just got out of a bad relationship, maybe now is not the time to be writing a romance novel. Maybe write something other than romance until you get over this phase. Write a mystery. Or a gangster book. Something to keep your mind off men.

 If you don't make others fall in love with your book boyfriend, you won't gain loyal readers. You want people to be invested in your story's romance and keep coming back for more and sometimes, it takes simply creating a not so swoon-worthy character to those lose reads. And we don't want that! 

Pick an image for your name face. A lot of writers have in mind who their book boyfriend will look like. It can be Elvis. To Brad Pit. To Brock Hurn. Or Jordan Knight. The skies the limit. It can even be your own boyfriend or husband. Just be sure to describe him. Make him stand out. 

Book boyfriends do not just have to be hot. There is way more to people with just a pretty face. This goes without saying, but your character needs depth. They need certain things and characteristics that make them who they are. 

Here are some other good qualities you can include to make your readers fall in love with them:

· Good manners - There's a huge trend on Wattpad for 'bad boys' and while that's exciting for many, there's also nothing like a person who knows how to be kind towards others (whether it be towards wait staff, teachers, customers, or the leading character themselves)

· Smart - Repeat after me: Intelligence is hot! If you have a smart main character, I'm sure they'd enjoy having an intellectual conversation with their significant other every now and again. It'll give them more things in common!

· Looks Out For Others - Any character that cares for others is a total win. There's nothing sweeter than seeing a character stick up for others or defend them when needed simply because they care. This quality is likely to tug on the heartstrings of your reader! 

· Sensitive - Again, there's definitely a huge trend with bad boys, but often underneath those hard exteriors, you'll find a person who may be hurting in some way. No one is completely bulletproof to emotion. If you can show that your character experiences sadness/anger/hurt from past/present experiences in their life, you're making them very relatable and easier for others to love. 

· Creative - You've got to give your character a few hobbies! Maybe they've got a creative side to them and like playing a musical instrument or singing (I see you fanfiction writers!) Perhaps they're into art or photography. Perhaps they're even like us and enjoy reading and writing (that's definitely a good way to make readers swoon) 

· Business Minded - Perhaps your character isn't exactly the musical/artist type. That's okay too! you can always take the business approach instead. Maybe they're very dedicated to their job - or if they're still in high school, getting good grades might be extremely important to them. Making your character business minded gives them a drive and purpose in their life - it can always provide for other elements in the story to regarding plot. 

· Animal Lover - There's nothing cuter than a cute guy fawning over an animal. It's like, DOUBLE the cuteness. You seriously can't go wrong with this one. And is there any bigger turnoff than someone that's mean to animals? Boy, bye. 

· Generous - Generosity is always a good quality. Maybe your character helps out charities or are always there to lend a helping hand if needed. It's definitely sweet to see a character being a very giving person as it shows a very kind side to them.

· Family Man - Family is a big part of a lot of people's lives, and if you can show that your guy cares for his family, it'll make him super sweet and very good at prioritizing. So many book boyfriends seem to have family issues and while that's perfectly normal for a lot of us to, it is refreshing to see a guy get along with his own and making them an important part of his life.

· Lonely - Who doesn't want to just wrap a blanket around and hold any book boyfriend who is lonely? It's so sad and sweet. Everyone is human and sometimes we just need someone else in our life. It also poses some interesting questions. Why is the guy so lonely? And who will cure his ever so devastating loneliness? (enter your MC)

· Broken Hearted - While we take no pleasure in seeing someone with a broken heart, it'll definitely make them the kind of character who would never do the same to others. Experiencing such pain gives your character experience in the love department and can also create a guarded element to them that your MC will hopefully break through. 

· Looking For Love - Emotionally available? Um, yes please! If your character can make it pretty clear what they're looking for, it'll make it clear to everyone else who is reading the story. The "I have a girlfriend" or "ew women" approach is definitely not the most attractive. 

These are just a few qualities that readers tend to look for in book boyfriends. Now, you do not have to take my advice. You can create your own list for what you think your book boyfriend should have to make your readers fall in love along with you. I look up worksheets on Pinterest as they have a ton of ideas for plotting the perfect book. 

Start writing ideas down. Read romance books. Look at the qualities that heroes in the books have. See why millions of readers love him.

I hope you all get excited about creating your book boyfriend for whatever story you're working on. Good luck guys!