Writing Romance

All three of my YA novels have some romance in them. Not a ton. But some. And not the rip-your-clothes-off-and-fall-into-bed kind of romance. The kind where it's the little moments that show you the love between the two characters. I especially love this scene from FAR FROM YOU (out now in paperback, by the way!).

autumn perfection

Outside

the air was cool

and crisp,

the way you want your sheets

when it's blistering

hot.

We walked to the park

and ran through the leaves,

picking them up

and throwing them at each other,

as if they were snowballs.

Instead of loud splats,

we got quiet flutters

of crimson and amber.

He pulled me to him,

spun me around,

and we fell

into a bed of foliage

fit for a king.

I wanted to freeze

the moment in my mind

forever,

because there's nothing better

than flutters

of the heart.

~*~

I'm working on a new project now, and as I write, I keep thinking back to one of the editorial letters my editor wrote me, where he talked about the growing attraction between two characters.

He said, "the reader needs to see the love even before the characters do, and the readers have to be rooting for it." He went on to say, "...I don't see how they truly connect and fall in love for one another."

So often it's easy to rely on the instant attraction thing in YA books as to why two teens are drawn to each other. But I think to make it real, you have to SHOW why the two characters are drawn together. After that revision letter, I went to work on that, and it wasn't easy! But I knew it was important.

In I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME, we see that Ava admired Jackson's love of adventure. It was so different to her quiet life, filled with books, baking, making CDs for her friends, etc. He made life exciting for her!!

Sometimes it's common interests, sometimes it's seeing how someone brings something new to your life that you've been missing, and sometimes it's both. It's going to totally depend on the characters, and understanding who they are and thinking about what they would be looking for in a mate and WHY.

We all know teens love romance.

But I think doing it well - doing it so it feels genuine, REAL, is not easy.

Can you think of examples of books that do the romance thing WELL, where you really get it why the two characters fall for each other? One I can think of is IF I STAY. This book was really well received, and I think Gayle did a phenomenal job showing us the love her main character felt for her boyfriend, and where that love came from.