5) The ‘Belated Love Epiphany’
As Joni Mitchell sings in “Big Yellow Taxi” – “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone?” That’s the whole idea behind the popular Belated Love Epiphany: the protagonist loses, or is at risk of losing, someone they overlooked. And only in their absence does the protagonist begin to realize what the other character meant to them.
(Bonus points: the epiphany leads the protagonist to run through an airport, train station, or similar in order to stop the other character leaving by declaring their love).
Example: In My Fair Lady, Professor Higgins makes a bet that he can turn Eliza Doolittle “into a lady” with six months of elocution lessons. He wins the bet but loses Eliza, having only regarded her as a means to an end. Only once she’s gone does he realize that he had “grown accustomed to her face.”
6) The ‘Friends to Lovers’
Two childhood friends go through the trials and tribulations of adolescence together, counting on one another. Fast forward to their adult lives: they haven’t spoken in decades but think of one another every so often. Brought back together for some reason, they reignite their friendship. For a while, they may see each other as just friends, but ultimately realize that – despite all the years apart – they were meant to be together.
Example: Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park begins with young Fanny going to live with her wealthy aunt and uncle. Once there, she becomes best friends with her cousin Edmund. Continue reading “7) The ‘I’m Actually a Secret Royal/Billionaire’”