Anyone here write romance ?

[washingtonwriter1968]

What makes romance Pop?
What Key scenes do you think every Good romance has?
How do you keep you Romance Love scene from sounding... shall we say Humorous...
I am struggling with my Paranormal Romance edits. I have my readers laughing when I want them to got ahhhh!
Any help would be appreciated!

[Gypson]

I don't write romance as a genre, but I do write romance in my novel(s), so I hope I can be of some help. =)

I think any fictional romantic relationship needs to show the reader what these two (or three, or four...) people...
-like about each other (what attracted them in the first place, what traits they discover over time that perpetuate that love)
-what they gain from their relationship (why do they stay together)
-how important is this relationship in the scheme of things (what are they willing to risk? Does their culture value romantic love over familial love?)
-how they react to inevitable hurdles borne from clashing personalities or from outside situations

Typical Romance novels tend to involve a heterosexual couple who dislikes each other at first. Usually the girl is a snob and the guy is suspected of a dark past. The girl is thrust into some sort of danger and the guy comes along to help. They bicker all the time, except for lapses of sexual tension during action scenes. They sleep together and declare their love. Then the guy's dark past is revealed. (The most popular pasts I remember reading were that he killed something or stole money.) The girl has second thoughts. Then she uncovers the truth and it turns out that the guy was innocent all along, or his "crime" was done with honorable intentions. Happily ever after.

Personally, I don't really like sappy or floral romance scenes, probably because I'm not that kind of person. The romance scenes I like (and write) tend to be very ordinary without declarations of love. (In fact, nobody in my novel ever says "I love you." I believe that too much emphasis is placed on these words, and that actions speak louder than words.) I like romances where the characters really get to know each other and have some solid basis to build upon. I like romances with real conflicts, not conflicts built around Big Misunderstandings or resolved by killing the bad guy.

[washingtonwriter1968]

My plot Line is triangle, with a new twist on the well known paranormal romance.
The problem I am having is that either my one set of hero /heroine is in mad lust for each other but I can not seem to write about there emotional connection
or my friends are stuck at the friendship level. Neither are able to cross the line into anything physical.
For some reason I am shying away from that.
( no this isn't vampires and werewolves but Angel and Demon or two different inter-reality beings depending on your point of view)
I am a action adventure/ tragedy writer trying to ad a bit of romance into my subplot
Problem is i am unsure how to craft a great Romance. any help or suggestions would be appreciated!

[CharleeVale]

First I have to ask, is this fully adult romance? What's the level of explicitness?

Also, are you writing from a male or female perspective?

The biggest thing for me when I read and write romance/relationships, is that its real. I don't want flowery, over the top language, because that's usually not what happens. Love and sex isn't all about the dramatic sweeping off of feet. It's also about teasing, laughing, being cute, rolling of eyes, etc. Honestly, when I write the relationship between two people, I write it as a pair of best friends (as far as non-romantic scenes go)

I don't think there are any set rules about 'What scenes should always be there" but my personal favorite is the first kiss.

Ok, so when I write romantic scenes, I have a couple of things I try to do with viewpoint, this is where male and female comes into play.

Female:
- Emotion based, what they're feeling, how the two people are connecting emotionally
- Constantly thinking about the impact of what is happening (as far of the relationship)
- very much in the head and less in the physical
- perhaps how long they've been waiting for said romantic moment to happen

Male:
- Physical based, what they're feeling and where.
- Body awareness, constantly and totally aware of both bodies and how they're touching.
- Very little coherent thought, very in the moment
- just generally sensation based

Hope this helps a little!

CV

[washingtonwriter1968]

Ok I think I know some of what is happening . I haven't really thought out My POV of my female character. i have been plot Blind. Let me explain.
My antagonist ( if you will is a male (teenager) his and my Heroine relationship is very physical in nature. they have all the chemistry. The pitter patter of her heart and body! if you will.
While my Hero 's relationship with her is primarily an attraction of mind and spirit.
The problem for me is how do I reverse this situation. I have never personally had a relationship that started out as friends and ends up physical. so although I know where it should go I do not know how to get where it needs to LOL!

Hope this helps you all know more clearly what I am asking for!

[dios4vida]

I have never personally had a relationship that started out as friends and ends up physical. so although I know where it should go I do not know how to get where it needs to LOL!

I think I can help, maybe, a little. (Bear with me as we go into some personal history.)

When I first met my now-husband, I was in a very bad place emotionally. I had some scars both from bad relationships and sudden loss. I was basically convinced I would never fall in love, I wouldn't allow myself to be hurt again, and I was only trying to make friends because my Mum forced me to. So I met this tall, handsome, uber-shy geek and our friendship formed slowly, almost reluctantly. There wasn't any immediate chemistry, so we are very much the best-friends-turned-lover kind of situation.

How did that happen? Trust. He gained my trust enough by seeing my pain (physical and emotional, long story) and gently, tenderly, started to ask about it. He did it without any ulterior motives - just wanting to help a hurting girl. And as I saw that he genuinely cared - that we could laugh together, we had fun together, and that when he asked after my wrist braces or why I had a little "memorial" set up in my living room he wasn't trying to "get" anywhere. He wanted to know, and he cared. So as I opened up, our friendship deepened. And slowly we grew together until I couldn't imagine my life without him. And I didn't want to. And when he told me he loved me, as I was crying on his shoulder over the man I'd lost, it surprised him almost as much as my reciprocation surprised me. We didn't intend to fall in love, but as we came to know and understand each other's hearts, it just happened.

I think that's how a lot of these true love situations form. The people connect mentally and emotionally, so that they enjoy their company. They bounce ideas off each other. They seek advice, comfort, and entertainment together. And they let that person into places within themselves they don't let anyone else. Dark secrets, maybe, but more often it's places of hurt. The other person cares so much that they want to heal that hurt, so they share theirs, and together your hearts mend. And as they mend, they knit together. It's the kind of situation where the person is always by your side, and one day you look around and realize that you knew they would be there, and that somewhere deep inside you know they'll always be there. You can't imagine yourself without them. What would my life be like without them? Dark, sad, lonely, miserable, alone, weary, unhappy. But with them, I'm happy, fulfilled, content, filled with joy and laughter. This is where I belong. With them.

And at that moment, they realize they've fallen in love with their best friend.

I'm not sure if that helps, but that's how it happened for me.

[washingtonwriter1968]

Oh Brenda that does help so much! I have never really had that kind of romance to be honest. with my Husband I met it was intense we were married in just 6 months. The friendship part only happened after we were married. I guess I tend to get it backwards. LOL!

Hearing your story does help and gives me ideas.

It is I must say hard to imagine the perfect Angel/ inter-reality (Good) Guy not having any flaws except one his Love for this one Girl and needing to protect her.

[dios4vida]

Well, Washington, if you need any more help let me know. I'll be more than happy to give you some advice on writing this kind of friendship turned romance.

As to the flaws...everyone's got 'em. Even inter-dimensional fallen angels. That's the beauty of it - seeing a "perfect" being as they really are. Imperfect. I think that would be a great basis for building this friendship-love - the person sees this angel as perfect, but as they grow together they realize that angels are just as flawed as we are. That's a great bridge for building trust. I'm sure you'll find at least one that will compliment your story.

[washingtonwriter1968]

Well, Washington, if you need any more help let me know. I'll be more than happy to give you some advice on writing this kind of friendship turned romance.

O man I would Love your help! I will PM you!

As to Flaws My Biggest one I have given him actually is his Love for MY POV Character.
His Love for her puts him in situations were the Demon/ (evil Inter- reality Being) can hurt and harm him. My husband believes that this isn't enough of a flaw for him. He thinks he should cross lines and become bad for her. Become angry, use his supernatural powers to make the antagonist pay for all the pain and trickery the evil being has put her through. I feel that would be like asking someone fundamentally good and lawful to change everything about who they are. I think it would in essence destroy the character. I do not know if I can agree that he should use his powers for revenge.. I think there is something in every woman's heart that wants to beleieve that she is his only flaw his one weakness. I think women will admire this character more and will cause them to lOve this guy as a hero if his one weakness is my POV Character.
What do you all think!

[dios4vida]

My husband believes that this isn't enough of a flaw for him. He thinks he should cross lines and become bad for her. Become angry, use his supernatural powers to make the antagonist pay for all the pain and trickery the evil being has put her through. I feel that would be like asking someone fundamentally good and lawful to change everything about who they are. I think it would in essence destroy the character. I do not know if I can agree that he should use his powers for revenge.. I think there is something in every woman's heart that wants to beleieve that she is his only flaw his one weakness. I think women will admire this character more and will cause them to lOve this guy as a hero if his one weakness is my POV Character.
What do you all think!

I think both can be dangerous, if not watched very closely. Turning this guy bad could easily turn readers off to him, make them not like him or want the girl to ditch him. That would make a HEA nearly impossible to pull off (if that's even your plan, that is).

On the other side, if his ONLY flaw is his love for this girl, then you're getting into Mary Jane syndrome. Everything he'd do is perfect, everything he says is perfect, and that could make his falling all over himself to do everything he can for his girl feel sycophantic, obsessed, poor-lost-puppy-dog, or just plain annoying. There would be no character arc for him, which makes for very flat characters that readers just don't care about.

Here's where I would start in trying to craft this guy: What was his life like BEFORE he met this gal? Why is he in this dimension at all? Does he have friends or enemies, and why are they in that category? What is his purpose, either set by the Powers That Be or by himself? What is his character arc for the story - what kind of personal growth occurs during the course of the book? What does he have to overcome within himself in order to get the girl and save the day?

He needs to be a rounded character in and of himself before we can really fall in love with him and root for him to get the girl. And his flaws don't have to be something huge, like a thirst for revenge that would ruin his Good Guy status - they could be small things like impulsiveness, selfishness, jealousy, laziness, disdain for mortals, etc. Something small, that would give him something to fight against within himself. An all around perfect Good Guy turns readers off, but a Good Guy with a flaw that we can relate too makes him endearing.

[washingtonwriter1968]

Brenda I sent a PM I hope you find it and write back!