Hello, lovelies!
Happy Valentine's Day! And what better way to celebrate than to talk about what this whole day is the perfect backdrop for: love confessions!
Confession scenes are some of the most anticipated in stories with a romance in it, whether it be the main plot or not. It's where all the tension and building of the relationship finally leads up to, what finally allows the characters to speak their feelings and be together.
This is why it's such a harrowing ordeal to get it right. What if it's not satisfying enough? What if it doesn't fit the characters? So, I have decided that for this final post for the Valentine's Day Week, I will be talking about types of confessions, and hopefully help you choose what kind fits your characters and your story better.
Let's have some fun!
-Forced: This type of confession usually gets played for laughs or tension, since it's not exactly the most fun or romantic way your loved one gets to know your feelings. In this case, an outside factor makes it impossible for the character to keep their feelings hidden, and thus the confession is forced out of them. In the most extreme case, this can be a potion, spell, or even a form of torture. In the lighter cases, a third party may start making hints to the other person, to the point that if the character doesn't confess, it will lead to even more problems or misunderstanding. The reasons you may use this type of confession can have to do with the characters' personalities, if they are too shy, insecure, or oblivious, but also if the situation they find themselves in would make confessing complicated, like a seemingly impossible future, and this is the only way a confession will happen.
-Impulse: Impulse confession happens to the best of characters, usually ones who have demonstrated impulsive actions in the past, or get easily overwhelmed by emotions. This isn't the kind of confession you would expect from an overthinker, for example. In this case, the character doesn't usually plan to confess, at least not at that moment, but the sudden scenario they find themselves in compels them to in a burst of enthusiasm or desperation. It's possible the other person says something extremely moving, or one of them is about to do something dangerous and may not come back. The point is, it's impossible for the character to keep their feelings in anymore, and it just bursts out of them. This usually doesn't happen in the most graceful or even romantic way, but can be a genuine human moment that a lot readers can relate to.
-Message: This one is fairly unique and gives the characters an opportunity to plan their confession out, though not in a face-to-face way. Instead of telling their beloved in person, they choose to express their feelings in a message. This can be a note or something passed down by another person. The reason a character may do this can have something to do with their own reservations, for example, they may believe their feelings won't be reciprocated and don't want to deal with it directly. However, the character may also believe they will not get the opportunity to express themselves in person, because they have other duties to attend to, or being seen in such a situation would hurt them, or the other person, in some way. This is a meditated, planned way of confessing to someone, so not only will the character need a good reason for it, but it also gives them the chance to use the exact words they want, without worrying about stumbling or getting nervous.
-Practised: The character, in this case, has decided that they are going to confess to their loved one, and they are going to do it in a very specific way. This could be because they want to make it special, or because they are the type of person who likes to plan everything out, or gets too caught up in their own imagination. This is both a good choice if you want to show how dedicated your character is to this endeavour, but is also a good opportunity to get some humour involved. It doesn't matter how good or thorough someone's plan is, sometimes there is no escaping the chaos of the universe, or of a cast of secondary characters. If you choose to use this type of confession, it will probably happen in a story with low stakes or a slow pace, or at least, in a moment of tranquility. If there is a lot going on, a character will not have the opportunity to plan out their confession, aside from the words they want to say to their beloved.
-Private: This refers more to the setting, rather than the actual confession itself. Although, a character who values their privacy, or wishes to keep their confession and love a secret, is much more likely to choose a private confession. Keeping it private gives you the opportunity to bring out a lot of small, personal touches, such as having it happen in a special place or with an exchange of a thoughtful gift. Since the surroundings have less distractions in this case, the characters' emotions are more likely to take over, since there is very little else to focus on. It's also a prime scenario for a long, deep conversation prior to the confession, maybe even as an instigator of it.
-Public: This refers more to the setting of the confession as well, rather than the confession itself. A public confession can either be an impulsive affair or a planned one. Your character may completely forget there are other people around and blurt out their feelings on the spot, or they may have planned out a big, romantic gesture. A character choosing to make a public confession is either less likely to care about public image and opinions, or is a fan of dramatic affairs. However, this is not a guarantee that the person receiving the confession will feel the same way. Public or big, lavish displays of love aren't exactly everyone's cup of tea. So, this is one of those confession styles where rejection needs to be taken even more into account.
-Silent: This confession is a little trickier, especially in terms of its message reaching the character's beloved, since they are never directly told 'I love you'. The silent confession is more like a series of actions that each convey some of the character's feelings, whether that be through defence, protection, offering comfort, becoming flustered around them, fliration, or possibly showing more attention to them than they do towards others. It's essentially a show-don't-tell confession that spans a certain amount of time, that being the time it takes the other person to realise what exactly is going on. You could choose this way of confessing if the character doesn't necessarily need their feelings to be reciprocated, and simply want to be there for the person they love, or if they somehow believe actually, verbally confessing wouldn't benefit either of them.
I hope this has been helpful in some way at least, and that you have a clearer image of what you want your confession to look like. Now go forth and write that love story!
If there's a topic you would like me to cover, let me know!
Goodbye, lovelies!
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