The Meet Cute

The Meet Cute is the classic scene in a romantic movie or novel where two (or more) strangers cross paths for the first time on the page or screen. The characters may feel either a mutual attraction, aversion, or something in between. It should be memorable and may be remixed in the ending.

I'm trying to define categories for this expected scene. I think I've narrowed it down, but I'd love to know what you think. I think there are four elements to the Meet Cute.

1. The Setting

2. The Trope

3. The Connection or Attraction

4. and The Situation

SETTING

Setting includes Place, Time, Mood and Tone

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is set during the time of the Victorian Era. The place is a Small Town. The mood is Contemporary Romance with Social Commentary tone. 

Stephanie Myer's Twilight  is set during the time of the 20th century. It, too, takes place in a Small Town. The mood is that of a Paranormal Romance with Suspense tone.

EL James' Fifty Shades of Grey  is set during the time of the 20th century. Unlike the other two, it takes place in the Big City of Seattle, Washington. The mood is Coming of Age sexual awakening. And the tone is that of an Erotic Romance.

TROPES

All have three of these books have the same main trope: opposites attract, along with class/social difference.

I think the Setting and Trope will help you direct the characters. For example, if you have an office romance, then the setting could be the copy room or the Christmas party. The trope helps you to understand the stakes early on in the story. So in an office romance, we know that one or both lovers could lose their job if this romance blooms and is uncovered. I think what needs to be decided are the connection and the situation.

ATTRACTION

The types of connection or attraction were already set forth by film scholars who noted that there are four types. 

• Pull / Pull: the characters are instantly and mutually attracted to each other like in Romeo and Juliet (which we all know is not a romance)

• Push / Push: the characters are instantly and mutually disinterested in each other like in When Harry Meet Sally.

• Push / Pull: one character is instantly attracted but the other character is disinterested like in The Notebook

• Neutral / Nervous: one character awkwardly tries to hide their attraction while the other character is oblivious to the situation like in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

For menage and reverse harem, you can adjust the number of characters. But I do feel that these four are set in stone. 

For our TROPE of office romance, (our SETTING). The TONE is present day. The heroine could be the boss who just got a promotion. The hero might be the new intern or even the guy working in the mailroom. 

No matter which attraction you choose, whether they're immediately into each other or have some pulling resistance, the stakes are high for both of them. Her reputation is on the line if she's caught with a subordinate. He could lose his job for fraternizing with the boss. 

So we know where they're going to meet. You can choose how they'll react when they meet. We know the stakes of them getting together because of the trope (office romance). But how should it happen?

SITUATION

I believe the situations in which the meet cute can take place are :

•Heroic: where one lover rescues the other from danger or a questionable situation. Think a superhero or military romance.

•Embarrassing: where one or both (or more) of the lovers find themselves in an uncomfortably cringeworthy situation. Think of just about any romcom.

•Instalove: where one or bother (or more) of the lovers see stars and forever when they spot the other. Think paranormal romance and a wolf  shifter.

•Contentious or adversarial: where they're at each others throats either immediately or for something that happened in their past. Like the Hating Game.

You'll set the tone of the novel for this office romance depending upon the situation. The hero could be heroic and rescue our heroine from a break in. Maybe it's embarrassing where she's changing in her office and he walks in. It could be instalove where they spot each other in the copy room and sparks go off in their eyes as well as in the copy machine room. Or maybe it's contentious where he interrupts her big presentation as he's trying to fix the presentation board.

So there you have it! These four elements can help any writer design a Meet Cute that's not just adorable but also emotionally compelling. Play around with these variables, experiment with different combinations, and you're well on your way to crafting a Meet Cute that will make your readers' hearts skip a beat or two.

As you embark on this journey of romantic storytelling, remember that the Meet Cute isn't just an incidental scene; it's the heart-stopping, page-turning moment that sets the stage for the love story about to unfold. Happy writing! 💖🖋️