Mary Gillgannon is an interesting, informative speaker with lots of spunk. Author of nine
historical romances, Mary knows her stuff about writing love scenes.
At the starting point in her speech, she surveyed the room, and promptly asked a surprise question. "How many people love to write love scenes?"
Of course, no one raised a hand, to which Mary had to laugh. According to her, convention has dictated that women be discrete about sex. Up until about ten years ago, it was something we never even discussed in public.
Since we all felt somewhat inhibited, Mary listed her 10 Tips to Writing
Love Scenes.
1. Push your comfort level, but don't write to someone else's standards.
Mary suggests that the focus should be on the romance and not just sex. She also
states that it is not true that you won't sell a book if you don't put a love scene in it.
2. Remember you are not writing about yourself. You are writing about your
characters! You get inside the character's head in a love scene, but you are not
writing about yourself. She pointed out that in murder mysteries we don't imagine the
author to be a serial killer because of what they write.
3. Sexual tension is more important than sex itself. The buildup,
the desire, the longing; these are the elements that build the book, so that when the love
scene finally does happen, it's more meaningful and exciting. Mary stated at this
point that conflict leads to sexual tension. The characters are physically drawn to each
other, but the fact that they are enemies, or feuding, or in competition, keeps them
apart. Social constraints are another form of conflict to create sexual tension. The
stronger the conflict, the higher the sexual tension. Whatever you use as a conflict
to build sexual tension, Mary warns, make sure it is part of the plot. And make it
realistic!
4. Don't follow a formula. Mary says you never put in a love scene
unless it is vital to the plot. Love scenes don't just show up on page 50, or in the third
chapter. The characters must maintain their integrity. Granted, certain lines have
different levels of sex, but the story still has to fit the sexual relationship.
5A. Don't follow the "rules" or instructions when writing the love scene.
Mary explained what she meant using the baseball euphemism. First base is holding
hands, second is…. etc. We all know that adage. It follows a pattern. She urges us to
break out of the mold. Have your characters do things their way; perhaps its out of
"order", but it will be more interesting and unique.
5B. In a romance, sexual experiences should be part of the plot. People just
don't make love out of desire. Sometimes there are life-threatening situations that push
the characters together. Or perhaps she wants to loose her virginity. The characters have
an entire psychological world to draw from to put into a sex scene. What they are feeling
emotionally is far more powerful than just the physical. The love scene is like any
other scene in a story, it should be there for a reason, and should advance the plot.
6. Writing about sex is the equivalent of mental juggling. The
left side of our brain is logical. The right side, creative. As a writer, you must
bounce back and forth between left and right brain while writing the love scene in
order to make it profound and make it work.
7. Use all the senses. Visual, scent, touch, sounds, taste - by
using them all you can pull the reader into what the characters are feeling. Romance =
atmosphere.
Mary grinned at us before introducing the next point.
8. What do we call "IT"?
Clinical terms: can be very cold and unappealing.
Four letter words: very precise, but in our society they are considered derogatory.
Implied terms: Sort of euphemisms - very subtle, not flowery. These are what most writers
deal with.
Real Euphemisms: also known as "purple prose". These can pull the reader from
the story.
9. Develop and use your own unique voice. You may tend to copy
other writers you've read, but the more you write love scenes, the more you will be
comfortable with your own voice.
10. There are exceptions to all the previous rules! Genre fiction
entertains. Romance in particular deals with relationships, and some readers don't like to
deal with that.
Mary summed it up with, "It takes all kinds. There are readers who look for the love
scenes, and those who want romance without the sex."
Romance, happily enough comes in many forms to satisfy everyone.
Rosanne Boettiger has been writing 'professionally' for six years now, but got hooked
on writing in seventh grade. With several articles and short stories, and even a
children's book to her credit, she is eagerly awaiting the 'big event' - the sale of her
first romance.
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