Some of my most successful relationships held three people, so that's always my vote. There are a lot of polyamorous people and hardly any in fiction.

But as far as resolving it, if it must be resolved, the hero/ine must make up their own mind or I'm terribly annoyed. Terribly isn't a strong enough adverb, but they don't make adverbs strong enough. Perhaps the word I'm looking for, if it existed, could be something like: throwbookacrossroomily.

I think that there needs to be more stories where the resolution is polyfidelity rather than monogamy. Urban Fantasy is often touted as a great vehicle to explore alternate lifestyles as the norm and what that could mean. But there are still few avenues in plural relationships that are looked at beyond the tantilizing aspect. It would be good to see more. (Okay and yes, I tend to write poly, but that doesn't change the fact we need more. *grin*)

~X

I concur with the trio idea. If there has to be a triangle, go for the unconventional out - make 'em deal with each other, make 'em handle it, make' em find a way. I mean, especially if you're dealing with any character who has been around a few hundred years, I imagine some conventions might not seem so important after a while.

But that's me. I tend to prefer the unconventional romance, simply because there is SO MUCH of the conventional stuff. And anything that gets used a lot becomes, as the survey says, furniture. And it always, always, ALWAYS has to work within the story. Otherwise -- walldent book (My phrase for those that get tossed against one.)

Triangles are the way to go, IMO. It's unconventional and therefore more interesting. UF is unconventional and therefore more interesting. It seems to me to be the perfect combo.

I have a post!

http://buymeaclue.livejournal.com/348188.html

And I got to have the fun of trying to find it while also trying to keep a pot of risotto well-stirred. Back with more thoughts, maybe, once I'm done cooking and eating. :-p

I LOVE love triangles. Love them. I prefer when the heroine has to choose between who she wants to be and who she actually is, personified by the two heroes.

Woof! Here I am feeling a prude because I don't go for threesomes. Personally, I think if you introduce a love triangle as a conflict, and it ends up as a threesome, the author's actually taking the easy way out anyway. Nobody decides, we all play together, whee!

That said, I hate unrealistic love triangles. In real life, multiple guys get attracted a single girl or vice versa plenty of times. But in real life, usually the one being crushed on has one definite favorite. It's not a question of choosing, it's a question of shooting the other one down. Being hit on while you're already attached to someone is something that could be examined in a more interesting/ realistic way in UF, in my opinion.

I do have a love triangle in my novel, LAMENT, by the way. (blushes). Only I don't regard it as such because my main character only loves one of the characters who is in love with her, unlike in Eclipse, the third book to the Twilight series. The conclusion to that love triangle made me groan and throw said book across the room.

I don't generally like them because I've found they're generally trite... but I do have to say -- LKH has jumped the shark on sex and relationships, in my opinion, and if some writers would take a good tack with multi-partner relationships, they could be well done... I just haven't read much with them in them at all, and the ones with good multi-partner relationships are infrequent.

Because that's what I got going right now. 2 vamps, one human and one Heavenly Heroine.

Maybe I'll let her have all of them!;)

I don't like love triangles in general, though they do make the story more interesting. If the story's good, I'll read it regardless.

Can I be the odd one out, and put my vote in for having the main relationship in the book be both healthy and already-established?
I know, I know, it lacks tension that way, but I'm getting tired of reading the inevitable "oh no, who do I choose?" scenes. I have enough romantic angst in my own life that reading about someone who is happy where they are would be a refreshing change. Or are there books like this out there in the UF genre already, and I'm just missing them?

I love triangles, but I always, always vote for the underdog. Sometimes, I go with the bad guy due to the Star Wars come to the dark side seduction. I'm also open to the screw the two guys who are after me. I'm gonna go with the bartender.

You know, I have to say I like love triangles, since my upcoming books deal heavily with one heroine and her relationship dynamics between the two men that are on opposite ends of the spectrum.

I really enjoyed playing with it as the writer, because my heroine wants to have her cake and eat it too, and I loved toying with the whole concept of "Can you be 'monogamous' to two different people?" and how difficult monogamy would be when the two men are rivals and your own nature (succubus) prohibits trying to maintain a committed relationship. Also? Neither choice is the 'right' choice because both heroes have their appeals and their drawbacks.

I thought it was terribly fun to write. :)

- Jill Myles

Edited at 2007-11-30 04:33 am (UTC)

I think it depends on what the story is about. I like stories about the unfolding journey of the heroine, so it makes sense to me that she'll have different experiences with romance/sex, etc. Some characters might stick around for the duration, others won't. In my current series, I consciously decided to keep the relationship issues open. I'm finishing up the second book and I don't know if she'll ever make a firm decision about one guy. I'll probably recreate the triangle tension in each book. One thing I like about vampires is they're often bisexual. That adds a lot of possibilities to the triangles.

I think love triangles are fairly common because people like seeing relationships evolve and develop. They like the tension and suspense of unresolved attraction and the easiest way to set up that tension and play on it is to introduce a triangle. Sometimes - if it's done well - that can propel the story almost as well as the main plot. Who will choose whom? What will happen? Will they be happy with their choice?

However, that being said, I've seen cheesy cardboard triangles so often that I'm a bit sick of the superficial device. I prefer dynamic, platonic, realistic, dimensional relationships that may or may not include sexual attraction.

Just my two cents.

Viva love triangles if they're there for conflict, and if they can become a believable polyamorous relationship. I'm more in favor of that having been in my longest (and best) relationship for 2 years which was polyamorous.

Urgh. I hate love triangles. They're rarely convincing, authors usually end up signalling in big neon letters who the guy to root for is and when it's a girl at the centre, it's usually the men who make the decision for her. If I was going to do a love triangle, I'd end it with the girl or boy choosing neither suitor.

I'm all for love triangles...as long as they work for the story. A forced triangle, just to generate tension, doesn't work for me. At all. And a triangle should last only as long as the characters dictate: if the issue has been resolved, **please** don't force the triangle to remain.

One of my favorite triangles was in the movie Sweet Home Alabama because it wasn't easy. The writer didn't make one of the guys nasty or a bad choice -- they were both good choices.

So I don't tend to like triangles where the choice is obvious or easy -- it has to be hard and complex.

This might have already been mentioned in a comment I didn't see, but Jodi Picoult's Vanishing Acts handles a love triangle at the end of a novel very well. The main character ends up with Man #1, because the other - although she loves him and he's a good man - is a drunkard and desperately needs to clean up his life. But he as good as says that he'll be back for her, and the ending seems to imply that there'll be a bit of back-and-forth. It's not exactly a menage a trois -- it's a love triangle. And it doesn't imply that the resulting couple of a love triangle will last forever, which is a pitfall of a lot of triangles.

I don't hate love triangles, but they're not my favourite thing.

I like the romance, like every other really important relationship in the book, to be complicated and difficult and engaging in itself - because putting these two people in a room together automatically creates an interesting dynamic.

The love triangle - while it gives wonderful opportunities for jealousy and heartache, both of which are marvellous things in ficiton - tends to mean that the interest in the relationship comes from outside the relationship. Once the other love interest is eliminated, the winning one becomes instantly less interesting.

But, like anything - the disclaimer is: "Unless it's done really well."

I've read plenty of books that had the main character being a woman having to pick out of 2 guys, but I have not read any books where the man was in a love triangle with two girls. Not including erotica.

A bit late on the ball on this one, but I actually dislike most love triangles as they're "usually" written: hero(ine) is attracted to two or more potential love interests and can't decide...(e.g. Eclipse which I couldn't finish BECAUSE of the love triangle)

It's the "not deciding" that I can't stand. There is almost always a favourite, unless it is clear that all parties involved are poly/bisexual/what-have-you to begin with. I have a friend who was involved in a polyamorous relationship with another woman and two other men for the past three years and it is absolutely difficult to maintain. But polyamoury is not a love triangle. That sort of relationship geometry is difficult to portray convincingly. There is jealousy and feelings get hurt frequently. When it's all said and done, I despise threesomes written for a "hotness" factor. It's not "hot." (Well, it certainly can be, but not when feelings are involved.) People may become involved with each other because it's hot, but STAYING with each other is entirely different.

That being said, in love triangles, I ALWAYS root for the "plain Jane/Best Buddy" character because they're the underdog. But that's not always the case: if someone else is better for the person, then of course I'll root for him/her.