Q&A Friday
As our week of discussing romantic gestures, dinners and music draws to a close, I'd like to focus on writing romance today.
What's the best advice you've been given about writing a romantic scene?
Labels: writing romance
posted by Mo H @ 7:21 AM
7 Comments:
My first "in the bedroom" love scene, as in, hero didn't sweep heroine into his arms and close the door behind them, I was a bit nervous. I wasn't sure if I could pull it off.
My critique partner recommended I open a bottle of wine and have a glass or two to loosen up and feel relaxed.
My husband was out of town on business and my kids were asleep, so I decided to open a bottle of Asti and get to work.
After one glass, I figured two sounded better. After two, I figured three would do the trick. After three, I figured the Asti was too good to go to waste, so I might as well finish off the bottle.
Moments later I was typing away at the computer. About an hour later I passed out at the keyboard.
The moral is: good advice must be adhered to in presecribed doses. :-)
Pris,
That's hilarious! A glass of wine does wonders for those love scenes. What helps me? Quiet. I can't write one if people are up and about in my house. So I write romantic scenes when the family is either at school and work or when they're sleeping!
I do my best writing (if I'm well-rested) when it's the middle of the night and everyone else in the house is sleeping.
It's just my characters, my computer, my music and me. No phone calls, no kids needing help with something, no dinner to cook, no interruptions. I kinda feel like I fall into this writing world of my own.
Silly, huh? (grin)
And editor once told me, "Your story ends here". That was at the end of the first love scene, but a full 100 pages from The End of the story!
But she was right- it felt like everything had been resolved and even though there were story point still to be resolved, the story felt like all the conflict was wrapped up and everything would now be all right, so why bother to keep reading?
Lesson: Keep the conflict going through the love scenes. All scenes must keep up the story conflict, even love scenes, or they do not belong. Go ahead, make love, but don't let lovemaking make everything all right, or you've doomed your story.
Great point, Delle!
Pris! LOLOLOL! I do have a glass of wine now and then when I write, but I like having a song I listen to it over and over. I love "One," by U2, "Come Undone" by Duran Duran and "Black" by Pearl Jam.
For me, I have to remember I'm writing the scene from the characters' POV, not mine, and it's a lot easier (although my kids still have trouble accepting that there's even the remotest possibility Mom knows anything about sex, and, God forbid, might actually have HAD it.)
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