Friday, January 3, 2014

SHOWING EMOTION - FALLING IN LOVE


Anne Greene here. A romance must show romantic feelings. Desire is a heavy emotion and extremely important. You want the reader to feel the desire as much as the heroine and hero.

 
Falling in love is a passion. It is far more than wanting or wishing. It’s a craving. There is great power in desire. How do we show falling in love on the page? 

I think going deep within yourself to understand what falling in love feels like can help you express the emotion on the pages of your manuscript. Desire brings to mind something romantic, and I think it’s best not to use images of sexual desire. That’s the fast, easy way to go. 

If only she were his. He would protect her and keep her from the neighborhood poverty. He would see that no one touched her. That no one took away the shiny innocence in her wide, blue eyes. He would see that the world did not scar her open, friendly heart or scar the unstained beauty of her face. He would keep her exactly as she was. If she were his. 

Your object is to create a real, sympathetic character. One your readers fall in love with. To show falling in love, your characters must become as real to you as your family. If they are real to you, you will see the world through their eyes. And feel their emotions. Let the characters take over your writing. Let them show you how to express the desire they feel. Then the falling in love emotion becomes real.  

All people dream of loving and being loved. They have a desire for wholeness and a wish to join two people into one. There is an initial surge of hope. One sees the loved one through rose-colored glasses. One sees the one loved as kind and successful and filled with excellent virtues. Attraction occurs. The characters experience the growth of trust and attachment. Each makes a commitment. Each feels like a huge step has been taken on the road out of distress and into enrichment. Each feels less lonely and isolated. Those steps do not necessarily happen in order.  

People are attracted to somebody who can help solve their problems. Physical attraction becomes less important as the relationship progresses, and other traits gain greater importance. 

All these are important steps in falling in love. Show these steps and others you find within yourself, and your characters will become real and not easily forgotten. 
 
What do you think is the most important part of falling in love to SHOW with your characters? Leave a comment for a chance to win an autographed copy of Anne's new book, MARRIAGE BY ARRANGEMENT.

Next blog I write will introduce you to a Virtual Blog Tour. I hope you’ll take the tour with me.

 
 

JAMIE ADAMS you won a copy of A Texas Christmas Mystery from last week's blog!



ANNE GREENE delights in writing about wounded heroes and gutsy heroines. Her second novel, a Scottish historical, Masquerade Marriage, won the New England Reader Choice award, the Laurel Wreath Award, and the Heart of Excellence Award. The sequel Marriage By Arrangement released November, 2013.  A Texas Christmas Mystery also won awards. She makes her home in McKinney, Texas. Tim LaHaye led her to the Lord when she was twenty-one and Chuck Swindoll is her Pastor. View Anne’s travel pictures and art work at http://www.AnneGreeneAuthor.com. Anne’s highest hope is that her stories transport the reader to an awesome new world and touch hearts to seek a deeper spiritual relationship with the Lord Jesus. Buy Anne’s books at http://www.PelicanBookGroup.com. Or at http://www.Amazon.com. Visit http://www.anneswritingupdates.blogspot.com for information on writing an award-winning novel. Talk with Anne on twitter at @TheAnneGreene. Visit Anne’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/AnneWGreeneAuthor.

  

 

6 comments:

  1. I hope you enjoyed today's lesson!

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  2. I hope that all of your readers have had the exquisite pleasure of falling in love. That special time when your heart takes over from your mind. If you have, then you need to remember it. Remember that special feeling. Remember how so much around you became unimportant – only that one special person was worth any notice. Remember that time. And then tell your readers how you felt. Thanks, Anne, for reminding us about the real love, not just the physical love.

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  3. Thank you for sharing that, Anne.

    Falling in love is unpredictable. One day you're alone and happy with the solitude. The next day you meet someone unexpectedly and you lock eyes with him. You have to turn away because if you don't you'll blush. But it's impossible to turn away because everything that he says makes sense to you. You can relate and everything that he does makes a difference somehow. The fact that he seems as much into you as you are into him overwhelms you. You have to take a deep breathe over and over again because you can't believe you're falling for someone--for him. Then it happens. You part and all of your thoughts revolve around him. You begin to fantasize seeing him again just to make sure it was real. The most important part is that he feel the same.

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  4. I like to show my characters gradually discovering what they have in common. Their differences gradually fade in importance.

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  5. Karen, that sounds wonderful. I'm on vacation, or I'd say more.

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