Hey y'all, I'm having a crisis. I gotta know how to write characters in slow burn romances. Like, how they act, what would set off a crush on someone, how long it would take to get to the point where they both really love each other. I don't have any very good examples, so if you could give me some good Advice, I would really appreciate it. Use your own characters or use characters from other books for examples, if you like. Just help me out, please. Thanks!
Honestly, I think the main part of a slow burn romance is that despite it being slow, it's already established that these characters know each other as friends/rivals/enemies or whatever and have some sort of romantic feelings for each other. For example, the book I'm writing has two characters, Catarina and Isabelle, involved in a slow burn romance together. They already know each other as companions and friends, and they could move along fast. But the thing that keeps them going slow from just two people who know each other to friends and then to lovers is their different positions and character traits. I established Catarina as somewhat open and friendly and comfortable in her attraction to woman. Isabelle, on the other hand,is oblivious and dense and still coming to terms with her being into women, and as a result, they could get together if Isabelle came to recognize that her feelings aren't wrong and that Catarina's feelings for her are romantic. However, it's better to not take too long to have the characters actually start a relationship, it has to be slow enough but not too much to the point where in the end, the viewers see it as tiring and the relationship as coming out of nowhere.
So basically, you establish/develop the character's existing relationship whether as friends,enemies,rivals,exes and all that, establish they're feelings and them forming crushes in any sort of moment (though I personally think it's best done with small,quiet,intimate moments) but explain why they aren't acting on it yet, such as them being busy,insecure,etc and slowly have their love grow until or after they establish an actual relationship.And I hope this helped!