How a guy writes a love scene.
If he’s talented, he’ll write it just like everybody else.
If he’s super talented (or working on it), he’ll build a cogent theory that
fits his style and purpose and . . .
At the Romance Writers of America national convention, held
this year (2012) in Anaheim, an agent asked me how a guy (me) writes romance. I
swept my hand around the room and said, “everybody here has to wear different
hats, they just have to make sure they fit properly.”
Writing romance is a little different from writing a love scene.
Right? Conventional wisdom would say yes. I sometimes find it funny when I read
love scenes where the prose seems to be written by a stunt substitute writer
while doing a backflip and is entirely different than the prose in the rest of
the novel. I still enjoy it, especially the gymnastics. I get what the author
is doing. I mean sometimes the mind thinks differently during lovemaking. Sometimes
poetic writing fits the character. A love scene is almost a timeout to write an
ode to love at its finest moment. But couldn’t the finest moment be an uncommon act of
kindness? That moment you realize you’ve fallen for her or she loves you.
My theory on writing love scenes is a work in progress, but
I currently believe the story, scene, and character arcs should be addressed in
a love scene. Time doesn’t really stop (although it may feel like it). Even if
very little changed, it’s still part of the story. The purpose of a romance is
the happily ever after. Lovemaking is just one of many acts of love between a
man and a woman.
Here's two famous scenes (total four minutes) from SOME LIKE IT HOT that doesn't forget the story, scene, or charcater arcs and it's just plain fun.
