Plotting the Romance—Part II
Plotting the Romance can be as simple as a conversation over a cup of tea in a crowded café or as complicated as a courtroom setting. Choosing right situations or your characters will help drive the romantic plot along. Click to Tweet #amwriting #writingromance #donnalhsmith #PlottingtheRomance
We’ve talked about how they “met” in a synagogue service, when she flustered. Let’s take that farther and develop it.
Let’s say Tovah is doing splendidly with her homily, and she notices Judah for the first time. Instead of hardly missing a beat, she stumbles over her words, causing a fluster, which causes her notes to fly off the podium and land right in front of Judah.
He smiles as he hands her the pages that fell at his feet. Both feel something when their eyes meet. It doesn’t have to be “love at first sight” — it can be a basic attraction. They want to get to know each other.
This is where the romance dance begins. They talk, then separate. They get together, then leave. Each time, the circumstance should be revealing and keep the romance budding.
Maybe after that “embarrassing” flying away of notes, Tovah feels a need to apologize. Judah waves his hand and says something, “It was nothing.” Or he could find something amusing to say, like, “You certainly have a way of keeping a man awake during a message.” All kinds of conversation could sprout from that.
Once the attraction gets going, the suspense of keeping them growing together keeps the reader turning pages.
The reader must care about the characters. We’re still working on their personalities, giftings, hobbies, etc., but we’re also creating scenarios to bring them together, yet keep them apart.
The suspense is how long will it take until they have breakthrough and declare their love? What exactly will be the things that trip them up or draw them closer.
Raise complications to hinder the romance, while opening the door to a greater emotional wooing of the characters to each other. Click to Tweet #amwriting #writingromance #donnalhsmith #PlottingtheRomance
Donna L.H. Smith 