How to: Build Your Own Romantic Comedy
Earlier this year, I published the book Build Your Own Romantic Comedy: Pick Your Plot, Meet Your Man, and Direct Your Happily Ever After, a humor book that is both send up of - and an homage to - all of our favorite romantic comedies from the ‘90s and 2000s. But here’s the real hook: You, the reader, get to choose what happens.
People sometimes ask me how I went about writing a build-your-own-romantic-comedy book, and as it turns out, it’s pretty similar to writing an actual romantic comedy - just, you know, a little sillier and many different potential plotlines.
As you probably know - and maybe even love - romantic comedies have a strong tendency to rely on a formula. In writing the book, I broke down the formula as follows. Maybe it’ll inspire you to build your own romantic comedy - or even to check out how I explore these conventions in my book.
The “Inciting Incident”
When we first meet the protagonist of our romantic comedy, we usually, as the audience, get at least a few minutes to understand who they are, what their deal is, and what’s their status quo - are they single? Are they in a relationship? What’s their job? Are they happy with any of it? But lest we get too comfortable, an inciting incident will set our story in motion, or set our protagonist on the path that will forever change their life. An inciting incident includes - but is not limited to - our main character getting dumped, discovering their partner is cheating on them, going on a tropical vacation with their best friends, or even…
A Meet Cute
Ah, the meet cute. No rom com is complete without one. This is where our two leads come into contact for the first time, and it usually happens pretty early on in the film, with some notable exceptions (hello, Sleepless in Seattle). Maybe our high maintenance heroine has to drive from Chicago to New York with a guy she can’t stand, or maybe a dashing young doctor saves our otherwise intrepid lead from getting hit by a bus. Maybe she’s a broadcast news producer giving a lecture and he’s about to become her newest onscreen talent. There’s truly no limit to how a meet cute can happen, but it’s vital that it does.
1st Conflict
After spending some time together (for reasons that may or may not be somewhat contrived), our two love interests will have some fight or misunderstanding - however, one that’s somewhat easily resolved. It shows the characters’ have gotten under each other’s skin in some way, although one (or both) of them don’t know it just yet. But the audience knows. We always know. So, inevitably, one love interest has to make it up to the other with a gesture, like say, singing “You’re Just Too Good To Be True” by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons in front of the entire girls soccer team. Which brings us to:
Obstacles
What’s getting in the way of our two lovers’ happily ever after? A jealous ex-girlfriend? A meddling mother - who means well - but thinks she knows best? Maybe he’s the mayor and she’s a lobbyist for a rival candidate. No matter what the obstacle is, it will have to be overcome if our love interests are going to get together.
Shenanigans, Set Pieces, and Sing-Alongs, Oh My
An entire wedding party bursting into “Say A Little Prayer” in the middle of a crowded restaurant. A woman faking an orgasm in Katz’s Deli. An entire bar of strangers singing along to “Bennie and the Jets.” Out of context, each of these scenarios don’t make a lot of sense, but set pieces like these are in the DNA of every good rom com. This is typically what you remember about the movie, and it helps add some of that “com” factor that’s so important. Ideally these set pieces will tell you something about these characters and their development, but sometimes it’s just good old fashioned fun.
2nd, Bigger Conflict
OK, here comes that big, knock-down, drag-out fight, often brought on by what typically amounts to a misunderstanding. Somebody was lying to someone else the other time. Or maybe there was an intricate bet placed that had to do with making the other conventionally attractive. Maybe one of them was kissing their ex. Maybe they both were. Either way, here we are heading into the third act of the movie, and whatever doubts the characters had about each other, they finally all come spilling out. People say things they don’t mean, secrets get revealed (sometimes in public), and maybe some clothes get thrown out the window. Either way, our protagonists are at a crossroads, and a la Fleetwood Mac, have to go their own way.
Everyone Is Sad
This is what I call that part of the movie where we find our love interests take long walks around the city, stare out of windows longingly, and reflect on everything they’ve learned recently, all while some sad music plays in the background. While it can feel like we’re merely killing time until our happily ever after, now is the chance for the characters to realize how much they need each other. Only in movies can you watch someone grow and change in 75 minutes, and that’s why we love them.
Happily Ever After (Probably)
Is it a rom com without a happy ending? Well, that’s a question for a different article, but in all likelihood, our characters have found their way back to each other after an impassioned speech or grand display of affection, care of the Knicks City Dancers. We know our two leads have now found love (and probably their best friends, too), and for just a few minutes, all feels right with the world.
So while, yes, we likely know the destination, the whole fun is getting there. And if you check out my book, there are over 100 different ways to enjoy the journey.
