The Anatomy of a Spark: Understanding Romantic Storylines in Real Life

Whether you are a novelist, screenwriter, or simply a person trying to understand your own relationship history, the principles are the same.

Fictional romance gives us the peak experiences of love: the first kiss, the proposal, the reunion at the airport. Real romance gives us the plateau : the maintenance, the repair, the forgiveness. Neither is superior, but mistaking one for the other leads to heartbreak.

Creating a compelling storyline often starts with the "spark" between two specific personality types: