Wednesday's Writer's Tip - More on building tension in Romances #MFRWauthor

Still garnering tips from Karen Wiesner's From First Draft To Finished Novels. These particularly concern love scenes.

What's your sub-genre of romance? This is a good way to build the tension. Look at what action is occurring that is particularly specific to that particular type of story. Writing a suspense story or mystery and perhaps the heroine isn't sure the hero isn't the villain. She feels attracted to him but she shouldn't be until she is sure of his motives. Writing a science fiction romance and have the two being on opposite sides in the conflict. Looking at what's right and what's wrong with the pair finding a romantic bond can add tension. So consider your sub-genre.

What are their backgrounds. Use the language specific to their chosen careers to build a picture that's different. I often use people involved in medicine and they have a different way of looking at the human body than say a teacher or a lawyer. Knowing where your characters were born and the kind of life they've lived can add a layer of difference to your love scenes. Making them belong to the characters' natures is important.

Now we come to point of view. Is the love scene written from the hero's or the heroines' view. This can make the scene more vital since the character you choose can only know what they're thinking and feeling. They can also gain clues from people's physical reactions. For me when I sit down to write a love scene usually one or the other of the characters decides this is their scene. I'm usually more comfortable in the heroine's viewpoint but have done the hero's view in some. For me when I come to this vital kind of scene I usually know who must tell the scene. What I don't do is switch viewpoings several or many times during the scene. These kind of scenes always make me feel as if my attention is being batted like a tennis ball during a game.