| Pitfall | Why It Fails | Fix | |---------|--------------|-----| | | No earned intimacy. | Give them a reason to dislike each other first. | | Miscommunication as plot | Feels cheap, not tragic. | Make the obstacle a genuine flaw, not a simple lie. | | One character is passive | Romance becomes rescue. | Both must pursue. Both must sacrifice. | | Love triangle without stakes | Two good options = no real choice. | Make each option represent a different future self for the protagonist. | | Epilogue perfect happy | Flat. | Show them still bickering, still growing. Love isn’t an ending. |