Part-Time Romances

It’s a two-thought-for-one Sunday

1. Many romance novels start out with a cute meet and then devise ways for the hero and heroine to be thrown together in struggle. Often in real life, potential couples struggle to see each other once or twice a week and in the case of long-distance, much less.

As an author, don’t miss the chance to show how these want-to-be couples feel and change, rather than say something like he missed her so much and move on to the "scene." The characters’ arcs depend on keeping it real with a good dose of emotion—specifically yearning, worry and expectant joy can be recommended. Most of us have experienced this in our lives, so it shouldn’t be too hard to recall. Writing a part-time romance is difficult if only because the template or journey is wide open.

Example: Carrying on idle talk with mutual friends, he kept looking over his shoulder, they’d probably have figured out his crazy in-love heart by now and forgive his partial attention. She’d be here anytime now. Then she rounded the corner onto the too long hallway. His breath caught as he took in her puckish, Tinkerbelle jaunt. He broke out into a huge smile he could no more stop, than  quit breathing. She returned the emotion and put up her hand for a swat. Nonchalantly, “how you doing, Joey?” She challenged him with that “shut up and dance with me” smirk and flirt but he wanted more, much more.

It struck him, he wanted her for the rest of his life, but what was stopping her from saying I love you? he desperately wished today would be the day she'd catch up.

2. Writing part-time romances or the like needs subtlety, which brings me to a great movie I saw last night (which isn’t exactly part-time, hence the two-for-one post), Hallmark's, Just in Time for Christmas. The world-premiere holiday movie stars Eloise Mumford as Lindsay Rogers, Michael Stahl-David as Jason Stewart, William Shatner as Coachman, and Christopher Lloyd as Grandpa Bob.

The writer sneaks in an homage to It’s a wonderful Life starring Jimmy Stewart with a subtle look at what life would be like if the heroine didn’t choose love. This movie is much more than a part-time or even very little-time romance. It’s a mystical alternative-time romance. Through the use of allegory and homage, the writer manages to speak to what is most important in life and, in so doing, twists our hearts into pretzels. Eloise Mumford is my favorite Hallmark actress, very easy on the eyes and with an incredible range of emotion and acting skill.

See this movie.
Here's the Just in Time for Christmas trailer (1 minute):