Focus: The practice of auditing a romantic storyline to ensure it isn't fictional.
If you are writing (or reading) a storyline where the couple gets together before the final chapter, look for these three pillars. They are the secret sauce to making domesticity dramatic.
The checked relationship, by contrast, offers dignity. Even if the couple breaks up, if they have been checking in honestly, the audience walks away feeling sad but not cheated. They saw the warning signs. They heard the words. The ending, however painful, feels earned.
: A strategy for maintaining connection through a date night every two weeks, a weekend away every two months, and a trip every two years.