The kiss. It’s not the first time your hero and heroine have touched. Theoretically, they’ve touched hands. Maybe he’s touched her face or they’ve bumped into one another.
And yet the first kiss is one of the most important scenes in your romance novel. It’s easy to get caught up in the schematics of the scene. He touches her face. She tips her head. Their lips brush. Yadayadayada. There’s so much more to a kissing scene than the physical choreography.
- The Five Senses – When trying to write your kissing scenes, and sex scenes, try to incorporate at least three of the five senses: taste, smell, sight, touch, sound.
- Set the Scene – Where your characters are kissing is important too and it can add a lot of tension or drama to the scene. For example, two people sharing a first kiss in a dark alley is much different than two people sharing their first kiss in a bedroom.
- The Point – How does this kiss forward the plot? You know how it moves the relationship forward in your imagination; make sure that’s translated on the paper. Use internal dialogue and dialogue to help the characters come to grips with this step in their relationship.
- The Fun Touches – A kiss is just a kiss, right? Wrong! Make your characters first kiss memorable. Put them in an interesting setting, have something funny or weird happen. Don’t distract from the scene by forcing it, let the fun touches come naturally. A fun touch can be a quirky thought that your hero or heroine has. Maybe the hero tastes like oranges but smells like peppermint and the unexpected contrast confuses and arouses your heroine.
- Stay in Character – Remember to keep your characters consistent, especially when they’re in intimate situations. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and all of a sudden your shy and demure heroine is taking her clothes off. Don’t let the heat of the moment derail your characters from their true nature.
- Weave it Together – You’ll notice that sometimes an author can get carried away with one aspect of an intimate scene. Maybe they have three paragraphs of physical description without any dialogue. Or they may have a page of internal dialogue in the midst of one simple kiss. Weave description and dialogue together for a complete and satisfying scene.
Sit Down At Your Handy Computer Or Notebook and Relax – Writing a Kissing Scene is Fun
Write the kissing scene without stopping to edit yourself. You can polish, revise, and edit the scene later. Allow yourself the freedom and the fun, to write a kissing scene without any pressure. If it sucks, it sucks, you can fix it later. Chances are, if you’re relaxed and having fun with the scene, it’ll turn out much better than trying to write it perfectly the first time.
A Few Additional Pieces on How to Write a Kissing Scene
If you’re struggling or still researching how to write a kissing scene, take a look at these blog posts and articles. Some of them may click for you and help you master this pivotal moment in your character’s lives.
- http://makealivingwritingromance.com/how-to-write-a-kissing-scene-in-a-romance-novel
- http://thewritersalleys.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-to-write-kissing-scenevalentine.html#.UKfNJOTO1aU
- http://writeanything.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/how-to-write-a-kissing-scene/
- http://kellyrfineman.livejournal.com/678635.html
- http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-write-a-kissing-scene