The Parting Shot

After I got an idea for today’s blog, I resolved to continue the blog for 2017. Previously I mostly wrote about strategies for writing romance while using the male point of view. I may from time to time find another strategic idea, but now is the time for tactics. Tactics can be described as small things (that make the story).

 

Have you ever finished a conversation and started to walk away? The person you were talking with says something. You have to decide whether to turn around, come back and address it or to keep walking. Let’s complicate this. Suppose the parting shot is something sexual or something suggesting love, perhaps an invitation. Simultaneously you knew what they said but you couldn’t believe your own ears.

It is probable the person who spoke the come-on was boldly responding to your remark about needing to recharge yourself with, “I can recharge you.” The hero or heroine was afraid to say it to his/her opposite, face-to-face. Or, "I love you." Did the hero or heroine hear right? We all fear rejection, more or less. Some are bolder than others. They want you and/or your love and they rationalize that the direct approach will elicit a direct but polite rejection. They leave you with a nearly subliminal snippet, leading you to play it over-and-over.
Taking it a step further: After hearing the parting remark, you think he/she’s not really your type or maybe they could be and you haven't until that moment figured it out. Should you say something or pretend you didn’t hear it, the next time you meet? Who knows it might lead to love. Without the surreptitious remark you would have never had a clue.
Call this a cute communication instead of a cute meet, although you may be meeting the person for the first time as more than an acquaintance.

This idea is not a chapter or a plot, it’s just a scene in which the protagonist struggles. It could go either way, that is, whether the guy or gal has something to say when the opposite walks away. It can also lead to a deepening of character(s). It certainly is a technique or tactic the author can use.