How to Write the Fake Dating Trope
The fake-dating trope can be a really fun one to work with. It opens up all kinds of opportunities to place your characters in uncomfortable (and funny!) situations that will help them to change and grow. Pretending to be intimate with someone — having to touch, hug, kiss, share a very small space, spend lots of time together — whom you’re already secretly crushing on, or even someone you’ve sworn to hate, will never not lend itself to interesting situations.
It’s one of the most popular tropes found in the romance genre and because of that I’ve compiled some tips to help you navigate your way through your next novel featuring the fake dating trope. Check them out below!
Ensure the stakes are believable
Ensure both characters have compelling, personal reasons for agreeing to the fake relationship.
The stakes should create urgency, and the fake relationship should feel like the only viable solution
Establish credible conflict & include close proximity
Create tension by giving your MCs conflicting goals. This can help to create tension as they figure out how to navigate their differences while pretending to be in sync.
Put them in situations where they have to be intimate and act like a real couple in front of others. These moments will be where the lines between what’s real and what’s fake begin to blur.
Slow burn is key
If you’ve been following my past trope posts, are you starting to see a pattern? Slow burn is an important part of most romance novels!
It’s important to take your time and show the couple’s dynamic evolving naturally from fake to real feelings. This can be tricky to do, but some things you can try are: show awkwardness in their forced intimacy, sprinkle in small moments that hint at real attraction (a lingering touch, genuine laughter, heartfelt compliments, and moments where one or both of them open up about something deeply personal).
The moment it all unravels
Eventually, the relationship must reach a boiling point. The truth can no longer stay hidden, the risk of everything falling apart has become too high.
The conflict faced at this point will force the MCs to confront what it is they truly want.
Mutual vulnerability
The ending must be even on all bases. Having one character confess while the other passively accepts can diffuse the tension unevenly. If both have feelings and are aware of them, then both need to fess up (even if one does it first and it takes the second MC a minute to face their own feelings).
Both characters should accept that what started as fake has now become real with both of them stepping into the relationship willingly.
Popular stories featuring fake dating
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
With these tips you’ll be set on the right course to get the most out of your fake trope romance novel. Remember that these are just guidelines, and that you’re always welcome to subvert the expectations of a trope — surprise readers by keeping it fresh!
Even with these tips to guide you through writing a fake dating trope romance, remember that the most essential part is that you have fun with it! The fun that we have putting the words down on paper later on is likely to translate on the page.