# Progression of a Romance?



## Miranda de la Costa (May 21, 2016)

So I've had this story in my head for years. I have tried to write it again and again. I know the premise of the story but here is what's stumping me:
How do I make the progression of the romance believable?

Here is my series in nutshell

-Krystina comes from a family who is famous in professional wrestling.

She follows in father's footsteps to be a wrestler

She goes to train to be a wrestler and joins the business. She joins a tag team where the other two become her mentors in the business.

The three hang out constantly doing everything together and slowly but surely one of them starts to fall for her.

The only problem is that there is a 10 to 15 year age gap between them, so it's not the typical horny teenager approach.

How do I go from him seeing her as a kid to a viable love interest?


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## escorial (May 21, 2016)

with your imagination....


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## Miranda de la Costa (May 21, 2016)

escorial said:


> with your imagination....



ok...I was hoping for some tips and pointers to keep in mind.


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## PrinzeCharming (May 21, 2016)

How well can you transition a friendship into a compatible couple? Allow him to treat her as someone much younger. Caress her hands in a less intimate way, like helping her put lotion on her back to her hands. A full body massage turning into something more sensual. Initiate feelings and reactions. Allow him to notice her body as a full grown woman. Implement maturity to make up for the age gap. What interests him about her? What does she see in him? Develop this bond. What do you envision about their future together? Personally, I would put more emphasis on the maturity, intellect, and success of their careers. The author must commit to a relationship they create.


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## EmmaSohan (May 21, 2016)

Typically, I think, guys are seen as liking a woman because she is attractive. So maybe he thought she was attractive all along, but he thought he was too old or she didn't like him in a romantic way.

If he likes her but doesn't realize it, one trope is that he sees her with another guy. Or she is for the first time wearing make-up and looking sexy.

But I don't know why you want tropes. escorial had a good point. If you can think of your own explanation, you can be more original. You can poll guys and then use the best answer.

Okay, I asked this one guy, and he focused on your idea of not seeing her as a kid.

showing emotional maturity... she is seen as a confident woman and not a child
for example showing empathy in a sad situation
or a surprising interest... environment for example
where her youthful enthusiasm entrances someone older and more jaded
its about seeing in her a transformation
and falling slowly in love with the confident assertive new persona

When I said she could teach him something, he said it could go both ways, them teaching each other.

Really, other guys could probably give you different answers, the above was just his point of view.

Best wishes.


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## Miranda de la Costa (May 21, 2016)

Thank you Emma and Prinze. Those were wonderful pointers. I haven't been in this position before so it was hard to imagine.


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## PrinzeCharming (May 21, 2016)

Attraction isn't important, but it's helpful. Intellectual and emotional maturity is imperative for these relationships, especially because attraction might be limited. He might feel as if he's too old for her. She might have felt he's old enough to be her father. This age gap might even create a sense of being involved with something taboo. She might be seen as a confident woman, but how she makes decisions will play out more effectively. I would rather know she's a confident woman than to sense it.


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## Normina Jakeman (May 27, 2016)

May-December affair is quite normal nowadays maybe you can try to get inspiration from movies like Autumn in New York, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Something's Gotta Give. I'm sure it can give you ideas on how May-December romances works.


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## felixm (Sep 23, 2016)

something I've written as a "maybe" in a fiction is  " ***   put his arm around her and pulled her tight, smelling the jasmine in her hair and wondering if there was more to his old friend than he realized."  Just a thought to get you thinking about how people change emotionally over the years of a relationship,


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## kpierce (Jan 25, 2017)

I think it has a good progression. I just hope that you'll be able to serve it properly for the readers.


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## Jack Semmes (Mar 16, 2017)

Start your story at the beginning.  Your beginning would be the instant she realizes she is in love.


Background details can be slipped in at opportune times.  If you still believe they matter.


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## AnnPreston (Mar 22, 2017)

I think that she would probably be in love with him from almost the beginning of the story but I'm guessing he wouldn't be in love with her.  Maybe there could be a situation/scene that really shows how she has matured from girl to woman or even the changes in her body from girl to woman for him to notice her in a different way.


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## lafayette61 (Apr 14, 2017)

Hi, I know you already got some GREAT advice here but I thought I'd add my two cents in as well. I think one of the best ways to do this is for him to see her as a little girl, then she has to go away to do something, maybe for a weekend or even a bit longer. Something serious that makes her(herself) grow up a little. She comes back thinking everything is the same, but she says something or does something a little more mature than before that makes him see her in a new light. Honestly, this may sound silly, but the relationship between Laura and Almonza from Little House on the Prairie Series was phenomenally done. He was about 13 years older than her and it never came off as creepy. Seriously, look it up, they do great. Hope I helped a bit


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