Don't Stand So Close to Me

You can repurpose an old song with permission. In romance you can rewrite a classic like Pride and Prejudice and plop it in a modern setting.

Most times, especially now, drama surrounds us and it is our duty to tell tales. I'm busy with other projects with my publisher. But I do write poetry or song.
My point is that nothing is really new, but the twists and style are all yours. So for you and your unique story telling ways, carry on.

Repurposed

Don't Stand So Close to Me

Inspired by The Police

Don’t stand, don’t stand so,

don't stand so close to me.

No covid, please step back.

I want a girl, not flack.

Can’t get there, too far.

I walk by her, can’t meet at the bar.

She smiles. She walks on.

Another day, just dream on.

I go home, try to stay loose.

Try online, what’s the use?

Don’t stand, Don’t stand so,

don’t stand so close to me.

No boyfriend to hold me.

Facetime don’t work, but it’s free.

I want a boy to hold tight.

No one here tonight.

No covid, please pass me by.

No grandma, no grandpa. No goodbye.

So miss them, want to cry.

Don’t stand, don’t stand so,

don’t stand so close to me.

Love, Work, and Joy

Love is work, but not for some:

Have you ever met a very social, outgoing, empathetic, person who seems to be in a perpetual state of joy? They exist. They’re the friends you need. They’re the ones who are always thinking about you and how they can make you happy. They support you using all the social skills as if they came naturally. Perhaps they do, for them. Some might say they were born to serve. Others will call them angels. I’ll say they make the best leaders, lovers, and mates.

When they walk into a room, everything lights up. They make people laugh. When they love you, it is total. Write a character like this, if you can. Romances are built on change and this person is already the full package. Defeated? No, realize that their minds center around learning as much as they can about the other, so that they may serve. This selfless giving, doesn’t mean they have no goals for themselves. They too want to be loved. They feel and are better when coupled. Being loved in return validates their approach to life.

A word about Memorial Day:

In memoriam, we remember our men and women who died for our country. We celebrate their valor. Celebrate seems like an odd word, yes? Well, after a funeral, we often gather friends and family together. We toast, we remember, we laugh at the corny jokes the departed uttered. We remember their kindnesses, how they touched our hearts. We celebrate their lives. Some in the pulpit will tell you this is a happy occasion, because they are with the Lord. Whether you believe or not, a man or woman doing what they believe in, and sacrificing so that others may live is what fulfilled them.

Happy may be the wrong word to describe this holiday but it is not far from the truth. The fallen would want you to celebrate life so as to honor them and yourselves. After all, that’s why they fought.

Alternating your points of view

Why is it best to alternate male and female point of views in a romance (or any other genre in which boy meets girl, etc.)?

True, most romance readers are women and identify with the heroine, but...
The readers also want to know what makes the hero tick. They root for the guy to change, to like, then love the heroine. They want to understand what makes men act and think the way they do. In order to sell the male point of view you must pay close attention to presentation. Remember, it's not one size fits all. This must be made clear, so the reader can make adjustments in their assessments of the fellows they meet and like in your book and in real life.
Such a sweet game you present to the romantic dreamers out there. Even if they're married, they still have fantasies. Oh, they like that sweet, funny, good-looking man they met at XYZ and continue to see as fate would have it. Of course, they'd never cheat. Well, that happens too, sometimes.
Be real. Don't buy into tropes that men speak less so they must think less. Try think more, since they're not busy speaking. IN the end men and women balance each other, if they're a pair.
In general men are more visual, but don't forget the exceptions. Don't portray stick figures.
No, not all men like bigger boobs, and besides that when they check you out, they're doing a personal assessment of what they prefer. [For instance, I prefer ladies with slim figures.] So no matter where they're looking at the moment, it don't mean a thing until you get to know them. Remember they're looking. You must be attractive.
Most men are not brutes. Oh you can fell the mighty oak, if you wish, just know there are alternatives. Renaissance or educated men often have witty things to say, and harbor deep passions.
Also, there are plenty of blue collar guys out there who are affectionate, sweet, and loving.

These are just a few of the many more examples of how men differ. Without developing the male point of view, your reader may fall back on stereotypes to understand what's going on in that male brain. Cudos to the writer who shows the hero in three dimensions. Enrich your story and the lives of your readers.

9. Home

Relationships: Originally posted Jan 05, 2016 by Randi Gunther Ph.D. from her blog at https://randigunther.blogspot.com.

Today we are studying number nine of nine. (1. Surprise// 2. Intrigue// 3. Timelessness// 4.Quickened// 5. Fear// 6. Certainty// 7. Authenticity// 8. Synergy// 9. Home.

9. Home

Many people have told me, as they navigated the dating world, how much they feel like a transient, a traveler in a foreign world, without knowing where they’re going or when they’ll find out. The smorgasbord of possible partners and the myriad of disappointments can be overwhelming to anyone. Most relationship-seeking people are far from the comforts of their origins and feel the understandable ache to know if they will ever find a person who loves them in the same way. So many of my couples who have found their true loves have talked to me about how they felt when they first met when they felt their search was over.

“I knew that our first few dates felt different, but I didn’t quite know how to deal with what was going on in my mind, and my heart. The more time I spent with her, the more I started to feel this incredible feeling of peace. My troubles seemed suddenly lighter and my dreams seemed more and more possible. It was like finding parts of me that I’d lost. Somehow, with her in my life, I could build something that I couldn’t have seen or known before. I still couldn’t put it into words until my best friend did it for me. ‘Hey, Brad. You sound like you’re home.’ He was right.”

Bob: Some people search for a moment of peace, a place that is peaceful, a mindset where the world full of hate and jealousy cannot breach. Of course, it's impossible. Or is it?
"When I first met her, I recalled the old song, I Only have Eyes for You. In the beginning it was just extreme attraction like I had never felt before. Then she talked to me and I was hooked. It seemed that she inhabited my mind, could read my thoughts, accepted all of me. Suddenly all my worries about a world gone mad and the push-pull from coworkers, friends, and family melted away. I no longer cared because I had her. Nobody would hurt me. Not even a politician or a foreign dictator. I was invincible. If ever I died because of my job as a police officer or from any other cause, I will have lived a life beyond complete fulfilment. I did what the Creator wanted me to do. I loved her totally."

8. Synergy

Relationships: Originally posted Jan 05, 2016 by Randi Gunther Ph.D. from her blog at https://randigunther.blogspot.com.

Today we are studying number eight of nine. (1. Surprise// 2. Intrigue// 3. Timelessness// 4.Quickened// 5. Fear// 6. Certainty// 7. Authenticity// 8. Synergy// 9. Home.

Synergy
Compatibility is a must in every good relationship, but synergy is something more. It’s great to dance easily with another, but creating new dances as you go is a whole other world. Many people are a good team and complete each other’s dreams and desires. But couples who are synergistic do more than add to each other’s lives. Together, they are more than the sum of their individual parts. They become, in each other’s presence, more than either of them could have ever become alone or with anyone else.
“I’d accomplished a lot in my life. I felt good about the package I had to offer, and had pretty high expectations of any guy I was going to partner with. Most of them just didn’t measure up, even though I knew we could probably compensate where the other wasn’t as strong. But I never felt it was a good enough match to commit and I was totally fine being single. Enter Jason. Old camera; brand new picture. All of a sudden I found myself excited about my own potential in ways I’d never experienced before. We not only clicked, we expanded. I felt unabated discovery. We just got more and more interesting to ourselves, and to each other. It’s never changed.”

Bob: A priest once told me that he observed in certain couples an inexplicable increase in energy over time, a week-to-week time. He described the energy as an intense happiness and ascribed it to grace given. When you have a hidden partner looking out for you it means you have been selected to do great things together or at the very least quiet each other's yearning souls. For me, this was much to think about, being a physicist. Scientists concern themselves with entropy. What the priest suggested was there was some added unexplained extra. I believe there is more about our world, our universe than we can know (at this point) and for me in that lies the charm and fascination I have for an amazing world.

Okay, that was heavy. If you fall in love with a person, let's say destiny led you to, be prepared to give back to the human race (or each other) more than the sum of your talents. Come on, doesn't everybody know 1+1 does not equal 2?