On Writing Romance_ How to Craft a Novel That Sells - Leigh Michaels [89]
2. How do the authors use touch to build sexual tension?
3. At what point in each book is the first love scene?
4. If there is more than one love scene, how does the author build anticipation for later scenes?
5. Choose a love scene and consider how the same level of intimacy might be presented in a different romance subgenre.
1. What sort of romance novel do you envision writing? What level of physical contact and expression is appropriate for that subgenre?
2. How can you build sexual tension between your main characters?
3. What level of intimacy is appropriate in love scenes between your main characters, considering their past experience and current situation?
4. How explicit should your love scenes be, considering the type of romance you're writing?
5. What images would come to your main characters' minds as they touch, kiss, or make love?
Point of view is the vantage point from which you observe an event or a person or a situation. In fiction, point of view (POV) refers to the unique angle from which the story is told. The POV character is the character through whom readers get their information about story events and other characters.
In romance novels, the POV character is nearly always one of the main characters—the hero or the heroine. Using the POV of the hero or heroine allows the readers to not only see what's going on but to understand how those events affect the characters.
The unique way in which a character, at one precise moment in time, views the situation is called perspective. As an author, you convey that unique vision to the readers by sharing the character's thoughts, emotions, and reactions to what's happening around her.
Every character has an opinion and a unique way of expressing it. One person will see rain and think of gloom and sadness, while another will see rain and think of cleanliness and renewal. The rain in this case is exactly the same—only the POV and the perspective have changed. But the way you, as the author, tell the readers about the rain will be different depending on which of those two people is your POV character. If the character is feeling gloomy, you may emphasize the torrents of water beating down, the darkness of the clouds, the sharp scent of ozone. If the character's feeling hopeful, you may emphasize the plants standing up as if under a refreshing shower, the contrast between the rich gray color of the sky and the brilliant green of the new-washed grass, and the scent of clean air. Both sets of elements are present in the rainstorm, but the things you choose to emphasize help the readers understand and share the character's feelings.
WHAT THE CHARACTER SEES
Normally in fiction the POV is that of one or more characters, not of the author. So the information the readers receive will be influenced by what the character knows, sees, observes, feels, and thinks. The information conveyed will involve not only facts (such as who is in the room) but opinions (whether the character likes or dislikes those people). The character's attitudes and her perspective will be different from yours, the author's, because the character doesn't know everything you know (what other characters are planning or thinking, or what's going to happen next).
If the POV character doesn't see something happen, the readers won't see it, either. You will know what's going on behind the character's back, but the readers can only know what the POV character knows.
If you're confused about the difference between first person and third, between omniscient and selective, you're not alone. There are many varieties of POV; here are some examples to help you sort them out. Not all of these variations are used in romance novels, but it's useful to understand their differences.
• First person includes the thoughts and perspective of one main character who's telling her own story. This POV is widely used in chick-lit and woman-in-jeopardy books. A first-person romance novel is usually told from the heroine's POV
As I walked up the hill, I realized