Getting Inside the Romantic Hero’s Head—Part II
In our romance we’re writing, we’ve sketched out the two main characters, Tovah and Judah. Tovah is a rabbi. Judah is the CEO of a multi-national family-owned corporation. The male POV in a romance escalates the romantic tension with the heroine. Click to Tweet #InsideHerosHead #donnalhsmith #almostanauthor #writingromance101
Let’s find out what Judah is thinking in the first scene just after he’s met Tovah. She’s been “preaching,” and her papers land right in front of him. What will he notice about her?
The papers flew like bird feathers softly landing, but with almost a breeze. Judah looked down. They lay at his feet. He reached over and began to pick up the ones closest to him.
Never missing a beat, the rabbi came down the two steps leading to the platform and leaned over, picking up the ones furthest away from him. She must really know her message. Her voice carried over the microphone as she continued her thoughts while gathering papers. Impressive.
As she neared him, the smell of her perfume was the first thing he sensed. A pleasant smell, sweet, but not overpowering. A hint of magnolia, if he wasn’t mistaken. She stopped about three feet away, her gaze locking on his. Steady and strong, yet with a vulnerability he couldn’t define. He reached out his hand with the papers. She took them from him, gave him a small smile, then returned to the podium.
The sweet magnolia scent stayed in the air a few moments, but dissipated. She went on with her message.
The first thing Judah notices about Tovah personally, beyond listening to her message, is her perfume.
Use of scents in a romance can be very powerful, because they’re memorable. We know Judah enjoyed the smell of her perfume because of the way he thought about it. A pleasant smell, sweet, not overpowering. That’s good.
Every woman wants her man to notice her perfume. When I got engaged, I noticed a distinctive smell about my fiancé. I loved it. I’d never been that close to a man (not having dated much), that exuded his own personal male smell.
Next time, we’ll get into dialogue and see what Judah thinks about her while talking with her. Getting inside the romantic male’s head drives the tension and keeps the story moving. Click to Tweet #InsideHerosHead #donnalhsmith #almostanauthor #writingromance101
Donna L.H. Smith 