How to write a meet-cute scene: crafting a romantic meeting that will get your readers hooked

They say that first impressions matter, and that holds true when it comes to writing a romance novel. Enter the meet-cute. Write it right, and it can be the moment when the reader falls in love with your love story before your characters have even fallen for each other.

A meet-cute is the moment when the two main characters in a romance meet for the first time – often in cute or adorably awkward circumstances. Meet-cutes are ubiquitous in Hollywood rom-coms and the term has widespread use in reference to romance novels too.

While the protagonists of romances have been meeting in cute (and not so cute) ways since way back in the distant literary past, the term “meet-cute” itself first appeared in 1938 in reference to the film Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife, in which Gary Cooper and Claudette Colbert meet while shopping for pyjamas. Cooper causes a stir with the store staff when he says he only wants to buy the top half of a set of pyjamas, and Colbert steps in and announces that she will take the bottom half. Cute, right? And the rest is classic romantic comedy history.

Comfortable sleepwear aside, the meet-cute is much more than just a cute meeting. It’s pivotal, because it sets the tone for the whole story. A key plot point in the story’s structure, the meet-cute is often also the inciting incident – the moment that changes the status quo for both main characters, setting them on their inevitable path to ending up together. But how will they get there?

Of course, this first meeting between the two characters doesn’t always have to be cute. And if the characters already know each other before the story begins, it could instead be the first time the reader sees them together in the story.

It’s not always love at first sight – and thank goodness, because things would be pretty boring if that was the case. As in real life, when two characters first meet there can be varying degrees of attraction and aversion, and this gives us our four different types of meet-cute.

Instant mutual attraction: The two characters are attracted to each other from the moment they set eyes on each other.

Instant mutual dislike: This is enemies at first sight, when the characters get off on the wrong foot. Often as the story develops they are forced to spend time together.

One-sided affection: One character is instantly attracted to the other, but the feeling isn’t reciprocated (at least, not yet). Maybe they are in a relationship, or they’ve ruled the other person out because they are from a different social class or aren’t their “type”, or they could have some reason to distrust them.

Nervous meets neutral: This particular combination lends itself to the most endearingly awkward of scenes, as one character clumsily tries to hide their attraction while the other character is blissfully unaware.

As you can see, the way that two characters react to each other and the first inklings of feeling that they garner from their very first meeting set the tone for the story and set up the conflict to come.

Knowing your characters and the direction your plot is headed will inform which of the four types of meet-cute you write. It should set up the conflict that will bring the characters together, leaving clues for the reader that they are witnessing a life-changing moment. A really on point meet-cute will also ideally foreshadow the ending in some way.

When choosing a scenario for your meet-cute, the most important thing is to pick something that is specific to your two characters. Avoid clichés, or if you do use a clichéd scenario, give it an unexpected twist.

Central to the successful meet-cute is connection. What clues can you give the reader that this is more than just a chance meeting? And what keeps your characters’ stories from diverging in opposite directions once they have collided? This can be especially fun when the characters don’t yet realise they’ll be seeing a lot more of each other. For example, let’s say one of your characters is drunk and an attractive stranger helps them get home safely. And when they show up for their new job on Monday, that attractive stranger turns out to be their new boss. Awkward.

One way to add an extra layer of pleasure for your reader is when the reader sees the meet-cute coming but the characters don’t. It’s like a little wink between you and the reader that gets them on your side.

Finally, as with all well-written scenes, your meet-cute should have a clear goal and structure. You can read more about planning a scene in my blog post: Writing a scene.

Maybe you already have characters and the beginnings of a plot for your romance novel in mind. Or maybe you’d just like to experiment with writing a meet-cute by using one of the prompts below. Either way, writing a meet-cute scene is a great way to experiment with some of the themes and character dynamics that you will be exploring along the way as you write your romance novel.

• One of your characters is a journalist and has to interview the other
• Your characters are in a bookstore and reach for the last copy of the same book
• One character discovers someone has been fraudulently using their identity and tracks the person down

So now you know all about meet-cutes and why they are so crucial. Hopefully, you’ve also gained some inspiration on how to tackle that all-important first meeting in your own romance novel. Now go forth and produce the cuteness!

If you liked this post, pin it!