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?

This Will Change Your Writing

I’m not kidding. What I’m about to tell you will impact your story. Especially those of you who are studying, writing, trying for publication.

I’ve been judging a contest. I feel like I could cut and paste the same comments in each one.

What does the hero/heroine want?
What is the story question?
What journey are they going on?
The inciting incident has nothing to do with the opening scene.
What is his/her fears? Desire? Give a hint of these in the opening.
What is the dark moment from her past?
Show some sort of competence. Meaning, a superpower (what he/she does well.) Good at his/her job.
Show confidence in the midst of failings and weaknesses.
What is the black moment?
What can the hero/heroine do at the end they can’t do in the beginning.

If you nail down these initial traits, you will have such a strong story.

I was recently reading a budding author’s work where the heroine is called upon for a dangerous task. But there was no leading up to how this would impact her own life. Sure, it’s challenging and exciting to be on a dangerous adventure, but at the end of the day, all of that is just busyness if it doesn’t bring about change in the protagonist.

One of the things we talk about a lot at My Book Therapy is coming up with a good book hook.

It’s how we nab an editor or agent’s attention.

But it’s a lot harder than we’d like it to be.

In genre novels, we tend to be a bit cliche.

We read a lot of romance or historicals, or sci fi or whatever our preferred genre is and when crafting a story idea, we tend just rewrite what we’ve read.