Treatment Tuesday - May-December Romance

This week's assessment is for Jamie. She's writing a YA largely focused on the relationship between a 16-year-old high school senior Greta* and her teacher Mr. Corell*, and the aftermath of it being discovered. Greta is rumored to be the school slut after a mere kiss with her former best friend's boyfriend is gossiped to be much more. The few relationships she's had have been short-term with guys who invariably wanted sex, but Greta is still a virgin. She's eager to get out of high school because of the taunting and teasing her former bf has put her through. Greta's mother died when Greta was 8, and her father turned into an emotionally-abusive alcoholic as his was of coping with his loss.

Mr. Corell is an attractive older man in his early 50s (think Alan Rickman). He's a war vet who has been through several failed marriages and is currently in his fourth with a gambling addict who is also cheating on him. She spends large amounts of time away on her gambling trips, but Corell still won't leave her. He's either going to be Greta's English or Chorus teacher.

* Names have been changed to protect the fictional.

Jamie wants to know: From a psychological standpoint, what factors would contribute to both of the characters entering this relationship? What would be the realistic motivations behind both Greta's and Mr. Corell's actions? What kinds of emotions would be natural for them both to be feeling during the various stages of their relationship?

Fascinating idea here, Jamie. A May-December romance between a teacher and student isn't new (nothing is, right?), but what you do with this one could really set this apart. How exciting for me to get in on the beginning of your story!

I think you've boiled down the essential psychological factors at play for at least Greta. Her emotional trauma (from both friends and father) paired with her low self-esteem make her ripe for the picking with a more experienced older man. She's not getting any support from her father, so she'd likely absorb any support from a father figure like a sponge. Greta isn't going to be your issue.

Corell will be. The trick will be to write him in a way that's not creepy, to actually make the reader cheer a bit for him, even though he's completely out of line professionally and could be charged with statutory if things go badly for him. So how to accomplish that?

Corell's backstory will have to get fleshed out considerably. How can you make the reader have empathy toward him? Granted, he's had 3 previous wives, and his current wife isn't treating him great, but maybe he's trapped into marriage with her somehow? A reader would wonder why he doesn't just leave her, so I'd make that connection to cheating gambling wife really airtight, and I'd make it airtight for a positive, empathy-building reason, such as Corell helping someone else somehow by staying with her.

But that's his outward situation. What would internally draw him to the abused innocence of Greta? Maybe he initially sees a way to help foster confidence in a girl who reminds him of a lost daughter or even of himself at her age? Maybe he wants better for her than he had himself. His involvement at the beginning would be purely with altruistic motives to help another hurting soul. This would fit in with your inclination to have the teacher initiate the relationship. I'd advise not to have the relationship start with romance in his mind, as that might be one way to help the reader over the hurdle of his professional misconduct later.

I'm not sure if you plan on this relationship working out in the end, but I was picturing a relationship sort of like what Mr. Holland had with Rowena Morgan in Mr. Holland's Opus, at least to start with. They shared an initial common interest of musical talent, and in her girlish mind, she had them running off together, even though Holland was married. So Corell wouldn't have a steady marriage like Holland had most of the time, but it would make him less creepy if he didn't initiate the romantic part. A reader would have more empathy for a caring professor who gets caught in the crosshairs of the adulation of a young student and the forbidden stirrings of a desire for her.

As for emotions they would be feeling during various stages of their relationship, my guess would be that Corell should experience a lot more anxiety about things, as he has the most to lose. He might find himself intrigued with the idea of being with a girl who worships him, as he's never had that type of relationship with his previous wives. It'll boost his ego, for sure, and he'll probably eventually seek out opportunities to have her around him for that very reason, almost like an addiction. He might become reckless with their rendezvous locations or times.

Anyone who's ever been in love can fill in exactly what Greta will be feeling. She'll be on top of the world, finally having found someone who doesn't just want her for sex, who understand her and supports her and believes in her. She might grow frustrated at not being able to share this with anyone, yet it doesn't look like she has any friends to share things with anyway. I doubt someone with her low self-esteem would ever demand for Corell to divorce his wife or run away with her. I picture her more as a puppy dog gratefully licking up what crumbs Corell throws her in this regard.

As Mr. Holland walked away from Rowena's offer to run away with her, maybe Corell will eventually see things the same way. We'll have to read this when it gets published to know for sure! But there's nothing wrong with a fantastic story that ends in Greta gaining confidence and walking away from Corell, having gotten from him all she could for the next chapter in her life. Even if you don't have a HEA ending for these two, they both need to end the book in better places than they were before, mentally, emotionally, physically.

Thanks for writing in. Good luck with this story! Any related questions, leave them below.

Q4U: Any May-December romances out there in your WIPs? Any reverse age/gender scenarios? I did a review here on Lisa Lickel's Meander Scar, which is the first book I've read with an older female lead and younger male romantic interest. Leave any other examples you know of below.