Kiss Da Girl

Beth VogtRomance, Writing 15 Comments

 

If you write romance, plan on writing a scene with a kiss in it.

Maybe two.

And, yeah, I know there are authors out there who write scenes with a whole lot more than kissin’ going on. I am not one of those authors.

You know what? It’s tough to write a good kiss. I know what a good kiss is. All the credit goes to my husband, the only man I’ve kissed since our wedding day. (And if any of my kids are reading this post, I apologize for embarrassing you beyond words.)

But experience doesn’t necessarily translate into the ability to put that, um, experience into words.

After I gave my hero and heroine’s first kiss my best effort, I got feedback from one of my mentors, best-selling author Susan May Warren. Her advice: Slow the kiss down.

Huh.

Sounds like good advice for kisses — whether you’re writing about one or, um, sharing one.

In Your Words: Readers of romance, any favorite kisses that you’ve read come to mind? A time when you finished a scene and thought, That was soooo romantic — and wanted to kiss your husband or your boyfriend?

Just for fun: Here’s a video clip from The Princess Bride that supposedly highlights the best kiss of all time!

httpv://youtu.be/AMwhAlldmOw

 

 

 

 

 

Comments 15

  1. Makes me glad I took Julie and Ruth’s kissing class. Er, writing a kiss class :D.

    Slowing it down is good. Unless it’s a quick brush caught off guard thing. I think. I’m unpubbed so… take that for what it’s worth ;). But definitely heart stopping or skipping along with the characters is best done by taking time [and paper/words] to write it rather than having it over and done with too quickly. 😀

    1. Thanks for weighing in, Carol.
      It’s amazing how kisses can be worth entire classes … but we romance writers want to get ’em right! 😉

  2. Ah, the kiss! Yes, Romance DOES imply a kiss. And while it should stop there… romance implies sexual tension IMHO too. It’s annoying to read a romance where you barely feel like the H/H like each other, there’s no chemistry, and they just magically kiss at the end after there is no “reason” for them not to be together again. Makes for a blah read.

    But a real (Christian) romance has the DESIRE to be with the person but the restraint to wait. A kiss is what they get and have to “settle” for until after they say I do, so it’s gotta be good enough to hold them over! That’s what I think about when I write a kiss anyway, that desire for more but the restraint of respect for each other. If that makes any sense!!!

    And yeah for blushing kids! TMI–but my hubby and I gave great giggles over kissing in the kitchen in front of our kiddos and hearing all the “eeewwwwws” and “YUCKK”s. Good times, good times!

    1. Krista: The photo at the top of the blog is me and my husband, Rob. Taken during a recent family photo session. And, yes, the kiddos all laughed. But they also expected the “tradition” mom-and-dad-kissing picture too! LOL!

    1. Yep! You must, must watch The Princess Bride, Pat! I’m blogging about it on the WordServe Water Cooler blog later this week!

  3. I love a good kiss…by my husband!! But I do love those kissing moments in novels. I can do without the bedroom scenes. I feel a little cheated when romance authors, particularly Christian romance authors, limit the kiss to “he kissed her.” I want to feel the emotion along with the character.

    1. I’m with you, LJ! And like Krista said too, I want there to be a sense of desire, of tension because that’s real life.

  4. Cary Grant with Grace Kelly on the couch with the fireworks in the background in To Catch a Thief . Gawd, he sends me.

  5. Pingback: The Romance of Words » Beth Vogt: Christian Author, Speaker, Editor

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