Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Romancing the Kiss

For the next three week Pepper Basham at  Faith and Fiction on Fire is featuring a A Kiss to Build a Scene Blogfest with authors who are sharing their wisdom of how to create a great kissing scene.  As you know, in Christian fiction this is tricky business.  I'm hoping to learn some from the experts!

One of my favorite kissing scenes was Lael and Captain Jack in The Frontiersman's Daughter by Laura Frantz.   Another was from Ruth Axtell Morren's The Rogue's Redemption.  I featured that one as my entry in the Kissing Day Blog Fest  at Writer Wannabe in December.

In Gail Gaymer Martin's Writing the Christian Romance she says that while writing a kissing scene "The description usually deals more with the inner response - the feelings and emotions of the characters-than a depiction of the action of the kiss."  And isn't that also true of the moments leading up to that kiss.  In Sunlight and Shadows I'm trying to figure out the when, the where, and the how of my hero and heroine's first kiss.  Timing is everything, you know.  There is so much more to romance than the actual kiss so I'm trying to provide just the right story elements leading up to it, but what will begin with resistance will also cause them to pull away from one another and fight their growing attraction, not only physically, but in their heart of hearts.
"In the silence of the moment somehow their hearts spoke, yet there remained a quiet resistance." ~ Sunlight and Shadows (WIP)


So let's talk about kisses.  What makes a kissing scene truly romantic? 

8 comments:

  1. Oh ... this oughta be good! I can hardly wait to hear what others have to say.

    For me, romantic kissing (vs common, garden variety expressions of affection) is the wordless way in which "I love you" is transmitted in a palpable way. It's very nature is intimate, exclusive, in-exhaustive. It's the language of the heart and of the senses, spoken best by committed lovers who are safeguarded in their marriage.

    What a marvelous thing, kissing.

    Blessings,
    Kathleen

    ReplyDelete
  2. For me, pace and anxiety. I like characters that aren't sure, that don't sweep into someone's arms, that miss lips and bump heads. I like characters that are like me, imperfect. Or a perfect klutz. That will be interesting...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great pre-Valentine's Day post, Carla:) Now I'm more curious than ever to dive into The Rogue's Redemption!
    Thanks so much for mentioning the waterfall kiss from TFD. My favorite scene, too, by the way! Some of my male readers have even said they liked it - no kidding! Guess men are really romantics at heart.
    I think tenderness makes a scene romantic - maybe a little uncertainty/risk woven in as well. They are among my favorite scenes to write. And read.
    Bless you today!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have always liked the argument that leads to kissing. I know, weird, but true! I've always loved a couple that always seems to butt heads, be at odds OR their growing attraction to each other befuddles them into arguing with one another. Then, out of the blue, he kisses her. Always gets a cheer from me :)

    Jen

    ReplyDelete
  5. A kiss can be so steamy...depending on time, place, tension. Who needs all those graphic sex scenes?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yes, Sassy Granny, kissing is a marvelous thing, indeed!

    Lack of cliches - oh, to find an original kiss!

    A klutz kiss? - Yes, that is what I ususally think of when I recall my first kisses - awkward. LOL!

    Risk - always.

    I love an arguement kiss. Passion!

    A kiss can be a very steamy. Ooh, la, la!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think the power in the kiss happens way before the blessed event occurs. LOL. It's the romance, the connection, the frustration, the attraction -- all those gnarly emotions that the author feeds us bit by bit from the very beginning in both the hero and the heroine that builds towards The Kiss.

    As a reader, I know it's coming somewhere, sometimes I'm even tempted to skip pages just to get to that good part, but once I'm there, I want to take my time and savor it.

    And I want to read about their feelings. It's not the anatomically correct (or incorrect) details that stir my soul. It's more subtle than that.

    Does she feel hesitant? Is he tempted beyond his ability to control? What does he smell like? Is her skin soft? Does he feel like a conquering hero? Does she feel like she's finally home?

    Sigh...I think I'm melting just thinking about it. Better head for that waterfall in TFD!!!!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting Adventures of the Heart. Be sure to check back for my responses to your comments. Be blessed!