Let’s talk romance.
Yes, men, stay with me. This is good for you too. Especially if you have any romantic thread in your books.
The romantic thread is key to almost every story. A few authors write with little to no romance but most of us have some kind of romantic tension in our stories.
Lately, I’ve seen a few reviews where readers felt the romance in the book was just physical. Nothing but kissing and touching, or nothing how the other “look.” The readers felt deprived of the romantic relationship.
Romance is more about heart than “hand” so to speak.
It’s about how the characters feel about each other. It’s emotion. Connection on a soul-to-soul level.
I remember while writing Diva Nashvegas, I felt the sexual tension between Aubrey and Scott long before they’d even held hands.
When they finally did hold hands, look out. Sparks! Boom! Fireworks!
In fact, we have to be careful not to be too enticing or sensual as we lead up to the first kiss or touch.
The romantic connection must have an emotional hook.
How do you do that?
1. Opposites attract. Create characters that are opposite in nature and goals. Yes, he thinks she’s gorgeous. And oh my stars, he’s a hunk-and-a-half. But man, they can’t stand each other. He’s arrogant. She’s bossy. But underneath, they can’t stop thinking about each other. Classic examples are How To Lose A Guy in Ten Days. Sweet Home Alabama.
2. Friends. Make your hero and heroine friends. He can’t believe guys aren’t kicking down doors to get to her. And she can’t figure out why the women aren’t flocking to him in droves. Classic examples are Notting Hill. While You Were Sleeping. The Holiday.
3. Heart-to-heart. Have your hero and heroine find that common rock on which they can both stand. In the beginning they were charging each other with opposite goals, they are now on the same team. Once they are on the same team, they can let down their guard and get to know each other. Because of the physical attraction, there is motivation to test the emotional waters. “Is there something real beneath those amazing blue eyes?”
4. Swap stories. This is always my favorite part of the book. When the hero and heroine let down their guard and reveal who they are on the inside. This is usually somewhere in the middle of the book, but you can thread it all throughout. Maybe it’s little revelations amid the tension that sparks the deeper feelings. Share a happiest moment. Share a dark wound. A fear. It helps to have these prepared before hand because you can usually use them as some kind of catalyst in the story. Maybe he recreates her happiest moment. Or she helps him overcome his fear. We talk about how to develop these character traits in Inside Out and Deep and Wide. Also in Kiss-n-Tell. It’s these moments that allow you to deepen the relationship and make it about more than “he’s hot, she’s hot.”
One of my favorite things to do is have the hero and heroine laugh together or share childhood stories. Or something like, “best Christmas present ever.” Those are usually really emotional moments. And when I reread my books for editing, I never skip those scenes!
5. Don’t go over board on describing how the hero sees the heroine physically. And vice versa. I see this a lot and it’s probably in my earlier works, but it seems whenever we want the hero or heroine to express “pleasure” in the other it’s almost always how he/she looks. Instead, find a quirk, or habit, or moment that keeps popping into their hearts and minds. You can use physical attributes if you tie them to something emotional. Perhaps he likes how her heart shines in her eyes. She loves his hands because they never seem to hesitate from picking up the heavy pieces. See what I mean? Use the physical/outer to reflect the emotional/internal.
They key to developing a solid romance is emotional, not just physical. Create those “heart swap” moments when they confess something to one another they’d tell no one else. Or those moments of truth. Maybe she’s the only one who can tell him he’s pig-headed and he’s the only one who can tell her she’s controlling.
Then, go for the kiss. And our hearts will just swoon.
Happy Writing!
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Best-selling, award-winning author Rachel Hauck loves a great story. She excels in seeing the deeper layers of a story.
With a love for teaching and mentoring, Rachel comes alongside writers to help them craft their novel. A worship leader, board member of ACFW and popular writing teacher, Rachel is the author of over 17 novels. She lives in Florida with her husband and dog.
Contact her at: Rachel@mybooktherapy.com. Her latest release is Once Upon A Prince. Go forth and write!
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