Writing a book. Writer's block setting in. Rawr.

[MFD]

That's just bad writing though.

My recommendation is to let things happen. If you notice two characters developing a relationship, awesome. If not, oh, well.

[Kim]

Or he could write it in such a way that people expect the relationship, since that will be their first assumption, while also slowly building towards the fact that the relationship wouldn't work.

[Pip Boy]

I have actually already been considering changing the name to Conroy, although the book takes place in an older setting and I think that Conroy sounds too modern and would feel out of place. On the other hand, I had no idea that Conri meant wolf-king when I chose it, but to a degree it fits considering the role that he is going to have to play in the story.

As for the typical romancey thing, if it happens at all its going to be drawn out over the course of the entire story, possibly multiple books, and only if it has a good reason to affect the main plot is it going to be brought up too much. I've seen too many good books and series (especially anime) ruined when the romantic sub plot replaces the main story as the focus of attention for too long. For the most part I only consider it at all because it would be very realistic. At one point in the story the main character is accidentally magically/telepathically bound to a person that he then has to rescue because that bond endagers her (a sense of moral obligation because his enemy targets her to get to him through the bond). This could go one of two ways. This could mean that the bond brings them close together and perhaps they have a relationship, or they could slowly drive each other insane because, well, being in another person's head all the time could be an easy cause for conflict.

Personally I like either because either enriches the story well and avoids some stereotypes. In fact, it could, at various points switch from one to the other. A romantic sub-plot can make a book much better, but if done wrong or if it takes up too much attention it can ruin the story. I like the idea of having one, but I want to avoid falling into many stereotypes on this book. On the other hand, I don't want to get rid of something potentially good just because its been done before, I simply want to make sure that being done before isn't the reason I want to use it.

[RickZarber]

The best advise I've ever heard on writing is this: don't worry about stereotypes and clichés. Sometimes things are cliché because they work. Above all else, write what you would want to read.

[Mirai Gen]

I'm going to back up Rick on this one. If you end up writing it like the kind of fiction you want, you're going to end up with a good product. Kurosen is doing Atomic Robo as an answer to everything that's so wrong with comic books, and it's doing fantastic so far.

EXAMPLES OF PAST MISTAKES IN THIS AREA: R.A. Salvatore's completely 'unpredictable' plot twist where Drizzt became attracted to Catti-Brie like 3 weeks after her husband-to-be died in battle.

Yes. You are already off to a good start.

One of the things I love doing as a writer is having a female character who doesn't end up romantically involved with someone by the end of the book.

[Funka Genocide]

Good stories require research, not random name generators.

Names are the last thing you should be thinking about, but that's just my opinion. Develop the setting more, 8 pages of notes can't be anything BUT cliched and rehashed fantasy fodder.

Or just start writing a story, when you've got 400 pages of random disjointed nonsense you might be onto something. Then it's just a matter of 47 rewrites and a failed marriage.

[Pip Boy]

Despite what little I have written down, I have got a lot of ideas that I'd like to implement that I am strongly considering. Im writing more almost constantly, and I have decided to take a new angle on the idea that the main characters almost go into a romantic relationship at the end. I decided that while that sounds like a good idea, it would be hard to just pry them apart without a very good reason. So I think I have decided instead that they will almost have a relationship, then something bad happens between them, and the girl dies before they make up. It'd be the perfect blow to the main character to create a good sense of irony, tragedy, and internal conflict all at the same time!

This also means that the main character could be driven into a mad rage of anger and guilt and post-teen angst and have a climactic confrontation with the big boss man!

[Kim]

Have the villain be right.
Do it.
You know you wanna.

[Mirai Gen]

Don't let NonCon influence you. Watchmen just touched him when he was young.

[Kim]

I was young two months ago?

Shit.

Even in Watchmen though, Ozy meant well, but based on several hints given at the end that his plan would ultimately fail, it's safe to say he was wrong, even if he meant right.

I'm talking a story where the villain is all, "Hey, this is why I did all this. This is simply a case of the end justifies the means." And the good guys being all, "Damn. Ummm... 'Kay..." And then they all lived happily ever after, except when they didn't because of a sequel.