Saturday, February 15, 2014

Can I freshen that for you, hon?



How do writers keep things fresh, title after title? Seriously. How many ways can you write a kiss? How many times can you cover a slow seduction without sounding redundant? Simple answer - don't focus so much on the mechanics--tab A goes in slot B. Rather, focus on the building tension. That slow walk backwards, bodies only inches apart, eyes locked as she bounces into the wall behind her and back against him.

Will she look down and away, providing access to her ear, her neck, or does she look up at him, daring and defying him to try it, just try it. Will he take her up on the challenge? You know he will.

Isn't that fun? We can explain so much without giving all the details away. Romance is more seductive when it's wearing lingerie. Oh sure, you can go bare and blatant, but it loses something doesn't it?  Where's the thrill? Where's the excitement and anticipation of imagining what you don't see? We all appreciate the slow tease, that sharp edge of arousal that keeps us turning the pages, anticipating what's coming next.

There are so many options out there. Our hero doesn't have to touch her breast to pique our interest.  All he needs to do is trace a button on her shirt, just toy with it, or simply rub his thumb over the locket she's wearing on a long chain. We know what he's doing. She knows what he's doing. Where is this going to lead? That's the question that keeps diehard romance readers grabbing for the next title. They wouldn't do that if the stories were boring and repetitive. If there was no emotional investment in the characters, they simply wouldn't care to keep reading. Even that is a form of seduction, and don't we all want a little more seduction in our lives? 




Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/kennypierrelus

2 comments:

  1. How many ways are there to write a story? If the characters are unique and real, there's an infinite number of ways to do this.

    Maybe the guy's a social worker and his love interest is a paraplegic. There could be a story there...

    As long as you can imagine fresh new characters, there'll be new and exciting stories to be told.

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