Yesterday we talked about Sparks and Wooing and how to weave them into Act 2.
But…the best way to combine them is with a great KISS.
This post is all about specifics. The Whens of The Kiss can be found at: http://www.mybooktherapy.com/index2.php/2010/10/12/the-kiss-and-the-hearbreak-ten-beats-of-a-romance-part-3/. Just to review quickly here are the three kisses in a romance (and if you are writing a romance in the General market, you can extrapolate from there. J):
Kiss One: An “introductory—I didn’t mean to, did we just do that?” Kiss
Kiss Two: A, “I really want to kiss you now and I’m going to” Kiss
Kiss Three: And an “I love you, and I mean it” Kiss
But let’s touch on the hows.
A kiss should be savored.
Don’t rush the kiss. Break it apart and show us how it not only feels, but how it affects each one of them. Use your five sense first, and then go into the effect of the kiss.
This is the intro Kiss for my book Draw the Line, out with Love Inspired Suspense in January 2010.
Mae’s chest burned. “Why did you come back?”
His eyes caught hers, his voice so low it felt more like a breath, whispered deep inside her chest. “You can’t figure that out, Mae? You can’t?”
And then, as she wanted to hurt him or hold him or do anything to calm the whir of panic inside, he reached out and wrapped his hand around her neck, pulled her to himself, and kissed her.
It wasn’t a gentle, tentative kiss either, like it had been that night on the balcony, or even a hello, slightly sad kiss like the one he’d given her before he broke her heart in Moscow.
No, this kiss tasted of desperation and regret, of missing her, and needing her, and as he pulled her tighter, she needed him right back. His lips were sweet orange and spicy halva, tasting of everything she’d remembered and more.
And for a second, she did nothing. Didn’t move, didn’t breathe. Just tried to understand exactly who this man was…
Then, it didn’t matter. He wrapped his arms around her, she curled hers around his shoulders and she let herself kiss him with everything she wanted and everything she’d lost, deepening her kiss and forgetting how infuriating and bossy and overprotective and –
“I’m sorry.” He broke away, and brought his hand to cradle her jaw, his blue eyes in hers. “I’m so sorry.”
Oh no, not again…
Let’s break it apart a bit.
First, we have some sparks…. “You can’t figure that out, Mae? You can’t?”
Those are fighting words…accusatory. Breathtaking.
Then, we have the action of him kissing her – I just state it. Soemtimes people write, “His lips met hers,” or even, “He leaned forward, touching her with his lips.” Whatever you want to do – just tell us what’s going on. Don’t get too poetic or we’ll get confused and won’t get to the good part…the savoring.
Then, tell us about the kiss – I use an intro phrase here: It wasn’t a gentle, tentative kiss either.
No, this kiss tasted of desperation and regret, of missing her, and needing her,
Then I throw in a sense: taste. (which is an excellent sense when you are writing a kiss. J )
His lips were sweet orange and spicy halva, tasting of everything she’d remembered and more
And finally I move into the effect of the kiss: Then, it didn’t matter…
she let herself kiss him with everything she wanted and everything she’d lost, deepening her kiss and forgetting how infuriating and bossy and overprotective and –
Now, since this was the intro kiss, I needed it to end with an ‘uh oh, what did we just do’ moment…
“I’m sorry.” He broke away, and brought his hand to cradle her jaw, his blue eyes in hers. “I’m so sorry.”
Oh no, not again…
Let’s look at another one. This is the middle kiss – the one where it is right and good with the world. (Before the Breakup).
Her eyes searched his, a pain, or hope in them so tender it nearly broke his heart. “I do need you, Chet. I do need you.”
And of course, those words coming out of her mouth as she sat in the swaddle of his arms, the sun backlighting the sky, her beautiful green eyes in his…he traced his gaze around her face and stopped there, at her incredible mouth.
What was a guy to do? He caught his breath, met her eyes for a yes, then kissed her. Sweetly, touching his mouth to hers, testing, then tasting her tears. She didn’t move toward him, but she lifted her face, and he curved his hand around her neck, deepening his kiss ever so slowly. Something about her surrender made him want to weep. Tough, beautiful Mae, needing him…Oh, Mae. He didn’t hurry, just explored her mouth, then broke away to kiss her cheekbones, her forehead, her eyes, one then the other, then, finally, finally, back to her lips.
She sighed in his arms, a slow shudder that seemed a release of something she’d been holding tight, and when he broke the kiss, touching his forehead to hers, she looked at him, and smiled.
Smiled.
He traced it with his finger. “I need you too, babe.”
Note again the steps:
Sparks – or a bit of conversation that arrests our attention (how often do we say we need each other?) I do need you, Chet. I do need you.”
The movement/action of the kiss: He caught his breath, met her eyes for a yes, then kissed her.
I have a bit of taste: then tasting her tears
And then the effect of the kiss: Tough, beautiful Mae, needing him…Oh, Mae
And…She sighed in his arms, a slow shudder that seemed a release of something she’d been holding tight
Finally, the end…and remember, this is a happy kiss:
when he broke the kiss, touching his forehead to hers, she looked at him, and smiled.
Smiled.
He traced it with his finger. “I need you too, babe.”
Now, just a note about the senses – you don’t have to use taste. You can also use smell, and touch and sound…
Here’s the last kiss example – this one from Mission: Out of Control, due out in March with LIS about a Bodyguard who falls in love with his client, a rock star:
“Brody.”
“Don’t talk.”
Wow. He pulled her down the darkened street, and now he was scaring her. “Brody, what’s the matter?”
He stopped then, rounded on her as if he had something to say. But whatever it was, the words wouldn’t make it past his mouth, his shaking head.
And then, just like that, he kissed her. Just put his mouth on her lips, hard and fast, and practically inhaling her as he pushed her against the stone wall of some ancient building.
Brody –?
He had the most amazing smell – the sun on his skin, his after shave, and a late afternoon stubble that made her bring her fingers to it, rub them through it.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d kissed a man, and even so, she’d never been kissed with the focus, the sense that the world had dropped away around them.
Her hands found the collar of his shirt and she tightened her fists into it and held on, moving her mouth under his, tasting the seltzer water on his lips. He was so very strong as he wrapped his arms around her upper arms and –
Pushed her away?
“Oh…” He held up his hand as if stopping something. “Oh…no. Oh…Ronie. Shoot!” He turned away from her, wound his hand behind his neck, stepped out into the street.
So…hope you enjoyed all that kissing. I know I did. J
Next week we’re going to talk about Act 3: Breakup, Sacrifice and getting creative with the HEA, so stop back!
If you have questions about how to build a great romance, check out the romance discussion at www.mybooktherapy.ning.com. And, if you are doing NaNoWriMo, don’t forget to join the 2010 MBT NaNoWriMo Celebration forum for encouragement, tips, and support as you write your novel in 30 days.
See you next week!
Susie May