Writing Sizzling Chemistry in Spicy Romance Novels

The one crucial element that keeps readers captivated in spicy romance novels is the electric chemistry between the characters. It's the tension, the fiery attraction, and the emotional connection that contributes to creating an engaging reading experience.Understanding this is essential to writing sizzling chemistry.

Creating well-rounded and compelling characters makes them relatable. Each character should have a distinct personality with a backstory that's relevant to their desires, goals, and flaws in their character. If a character is unable to commit to a relationship, then there needs to be a reason. If not, it makes them appear shallow and one dimensional. It's difficult for a reader to connect emotionally with character like this. And if they can't connect emotionally, if their not emotionally invested, then they'll have a hard time feeling a connection between the new main characters.

 

 

Having two well-rounded characters also helps move the story line along. It creates potential drama points, tripping points for the character or the relationship. And these 'hazards' can be used to set up passionate interactions between the love interests.

These conflicts can be anything. They can come from external sources like a family member who disapproves of the relationship. Or they can be internal, like one person doesn't feel worthy of love because of something in their past. Past baggage, external conflict, or even a heightened sense of danger, can create an opportunity to ignite passions and deepen the connection to push the relationship forward.

 One of the first things I heard when I was a newbie author was that you need to show, not tell and dialogue is a great way to do that. It's also a powerful way to build chemistry. Is your character a big flirt? Let the dialogue show that. Are they extremely independent? A dirty talker? Dialogue is the perfect place to showcase this. Some of my favorite scenes are those laced with lots of dialogue.

Using descriptive words that evoke emotion in the reader is another great way to amp up the chemistry. The word an author chooses to describe a situation can be a driving factor as to whether or not the reader cares what's going on or not. Saying a character walked into a room isn't an impactful as saying the ran, or marched, or stomped. 

The same is true when describing a budding romance. 

He saw her across the room.

Or

He watched at her from across the room, refusing to look away.

Those two phrases create two different images in a readers mind. One could be anyone noticing someone from afar. The other feels more intense. In a romance it could be used to create tension leading to some sexy times, or the same sentence in a thriller could be used to instill fear. Either way, it's ramping up emotion.

In spicy romance, building anticipation is key. Whether it's done in a page or half the story, teasing the readers and escalating the heat is an important element is grabbing and holding a readers attention. A sense of yearning keeps readers on the edge of their seats, waiting for the moment when the characters will finally come together...or come together again...keeping them turning the page.

Character Profiles

Figuring out who your character is can be both fun and extremely frustrating. For some characters, writing a profile can be easy. For others, it's like pulling teeth.

 

So what is a character profile?

 

When setting out to write an 80k book, it's important to know and understand your characters. What do they look like? Are they short? Tall? Do they have blue eyes or brown? What color hair do they have? Is it long? Short? Curly or straight? All these things are part of a character profile, but they're just scratching the surface.

 

The first thing I did when creating a character profile for Claiming His Kiss was go to Pinterest and find an inspiration picture for each of my characters. How did I envision Ali and Daniel?

 

Once I find a picture I think matches my characters, I print it out and put it in a notebook. This notebook will be my reference for the entire book writing process.

 

Beside the picture, I write all the basic states. Ali's full name, her age, her job, and of course her hair and eye color.

 

But then, I dive a bit deeper.

 

Since this book is the fourth book in my Serpent's Kiss series, we've met Ali before. I list what we know so far. She has a flighty mother that hops from one guy to the next and she was raised by her grandmother.

 

From there, I expand out. What is her internal struggle? What are her weaknesses? Her strengths? Does she have any hobbies?

 

This gives me a good starting point, but the profile doesn't end there. I leave plenty of space where I can add to the profile as I write.

 

Because I write without an outline, information about my characters, their past, etc., develops as I write. So when something comes up, I jot it down in my notebook. This gives me a quick and easy way to double check facts about the story I might not remember should later on.

 

Spending a little time on the front end can help save time and a lot of headaches. The last thing a writer wants to do is go back through 60,000 words to find out the name of a minor character or to discover what color eyes someone has.

 

Character profiles can be as detailed or as basic as you want them to be. An author friend of mine has character profiles that would make my head spin, but they work for her. Every writer has to find the system that works for them.

 

Character Development In Books Vs. Movies

 

Ever thought about seeing your book on the big screen? This week Marianne Morea and I are discussing the good and the bad of books that have been turned into movies or TV shows.

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The Hosts 

 Amazon

 

 

Amazon