I want to write a romance story, but don’t want to use the popular cliche love interests everybody else uses. I was thinking of using a stalker as a LI. Nothing special about this guy. I don’t want to spoil the story (if I do decide to do it) but the stalker isn’t supposed to come off as creepy or aggressive, but just a really shy guy who has a little obsession with this girl. Is that something people would be interested in reading? Thoughts?
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I think it depends how its written, if the stalker is written to be perceived as a nice guy and he isn’t doing anything wrong then i absolutely wouldn’t read it, i’d only read smth like that if it was written in a way where we knew he was like a bad guy, a stalker. A little bit like the show “you” i suppose.
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Romanticizing stalking is not a good thing to do. So, making a love interest a stalker is not a very good idea if they’re supposed to be perceived as a good person even when stalking someone. Yes, they may have good intentions, but stalking still is a violation of someone’s privacy and can really affect someone. So overall I wouldn’t personally do it.
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Completely understandable, I was scared that it would come off like I was sending the wrong message. That’s the last thing I want to do. I just want to make an interesting story, but I don’t want to send the wrong message. Would having a disclaimer stating that the actions and behavior are not meant to be romanticized in the real world (or something of the sort) be ok to avoid people actually romanticizing stalkers in the real world?
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I think that if you have a stalker and make it clear that this is not OK (as in, make them the antagonist), it would be a good way to show readers what red flags in a relationship are.
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So, if I understand correctly, you’d like it if the stalker was so in love with the MC that he’d do unethical things for her. [For example: her bag gets stolen, then he beats up the guy that stole her bag and returns it to her front step] or something along those lines?
well any stalker would do that, thats how they work, but i wouldn’t want to read it if it romanticised stalking, id want it to be written in a way where we didnt want the MC to end up with him, like itd have to be shown v clearly his behaviour is not okay.
Respectfully, I would not read a story with a stalker LI. I think there are ways you can incorporate stalkers in stories (mystery, horror, etc), but please do not romanticize them.
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My view is that a stalker in any sense of the word, would not be a good love interest. Stalking is a serious and horribly unpleasant thing, and it’s attached to very real trauma for some people, especially given the fact that it’s incredibly hard to put a stop to in most cases. I understand where you’re coming from in the way that this character isn’t supposed to be creepy and is more of a timid observer, but even ‘innocent’ acts of observation can make someone feel threatened and lead to frightening situations where you feel like you’re in danger, and I feel having these actions glossed over under the pretence of a misguided LI still deem them okay to do, and they aren’t. To avoid a muddled message of acceptance for a serious, disturbing act, I’d strongly recommend against doing this and finding a less intrusive way for him to act around the MC.
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perfectly said!
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A serious matter
As someone who experienced stalking during a former relationship, I can only advise you to rethink your idea entirely. As @Cheyara_Skadi perfectly described it in her post, even “observing” someone is a deeply unpleasant experience for the person concerned (to say the least!). A simple trigger warning would not do justice to this. Me and (as I’m sure) many others would not see such a behavior as something close to “being caring” at all. First of all, stalkers are sick in a sense of obsession. There is no “light form of stalking”. Sooner or later it intensifies to the point, where a stalker won’t let go of you and (if in a relationship) will use any reason - no matter how insignificant - to show up where you are. Doesn’t matter if that’s home or with your friends at a bar. This is just a mere glimpse of what a stalker does.
If you want to hear more from my experience, feel free to contact me. But please reconsider your idea. For me, it’s still a very serious matter which is affecting me to this day, even though it’s been almost 10 years. It can really mess with your head and make it hard for you to trust other people, let alone a new partner. Stalking is a serious matter and should not be handled lightly since most stalkers are behaving in a creepy and aggressive manner. There is nothing against crushing on someone, checking their social media from time to time, etc. … but I myself would be careful about the “little obsession” part.
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Moved to Share Feedback since this is about story ideas. Make sure to check out our Forum Tutorial for more info about creating topics, and feel free to PM me if you’ve got questions. 
If you will decide to write it You could add a warning in the beginning of the story that this story contains stalking li.
I don’t see the stalker LI any different than the Mafia Boss LI, the Kidnapper LI, the Hitman LI or any of the other bad guy or villain LI. Stories romanticizing the bad guy are quite popular and do surprisingly well on the app. I noticed the question is about the LI, and no information was given about the MC. Is she/he an “average girl/guy” or is she/he actually the one that’s the “villain”? Would I, myself, read a stalker romance? Why not? I read other stories with seriously morally flawed LIs and MCs. Good luck with your story, I’m interested to see the actual direction it turns. This is just my opinion on a fictitious story idea, not real life behaviors and/or actions.
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