#265: First Encounters: 4 Ways To Signal Romantic Connection Without the Cliches
Tue Feb 03 2026
The first encounter between your would-be lovers is not about instant chemistry or love at first sight. It’s where the emotional logic of your entire love story gets set.
In this episode, we explore why admiration from afar creates fantasy but not connection, and why real engagement, even brief, awkward, or tense, is what makes two characters matter to each other.
You’ll learn the three essential elements every strong first meeting needs and four practical approaches to writing first encounters that create tension, contrast, and forward pull.
If your lovers’ first meeting feels flat, generic, or overly dependent on physical attraction, this episode will help you build a moment that feels charged, meaningful, and inevitable, without relying on tired romance shortcuts.
Episode Web Page
10 Questions First Time Novelists Ask, and Encouraging, Practical Answers to Help You Finish Your Book
Want to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.
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The first encounter between your would-be lovers is not about instant chemistry or love at first sight. It’s where the emotional logic of your entire love story gets set. In this episode, we explore why admiration from afar creates fantasy but not connection, and why real engagement, even brief, awkward, or tense, is what makes two characters matter to each other. You’ll learn the three essential elements every strong first meeting needs and four practical approaches to writing first encounters that create tension, contrast, and forward pull. If your lovers’ first meeting feels flat, generic, or overly dependent on physical attraction, this episode will help you build a moment that feels charged, meaningful, and inevitable, without relying on tired romance shortcuts. Episode Web Page 10 Questions First Time Novelists Ask, and Encouraging, Practical Answers to Help You Finish Your Book Want to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.