 Romance/Love: June 01, 2011 Issue [#4424] |
  Romance/Love
This week: Writing Romantic Dialogue Edited by: StephBee  
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Writing dialogue can be fun, but a challenge. Dialogue must do several things well to be effective so I thought I'd share some tips and ideas on writing romantic dialogue with this newsletter. |
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#1 - Dialogue should sound authentic, but not reflect real life too closely.
In real life people greet each other with:
"Hello, Bob."
"Hi, Sue. How are you doing?"
"I'm okay. You?"
"I have a little headache."
Dull and boring, huh? Try to strip as much of these exchanges that you can from your dialogue. Get to the heart of the matter by passing over pleasantries. Rule of thumb: Stay away from pointless chit chat.
#2 - Dialogue should move the plot forward, but not be an info dump.
When you use dialogue, reveal a little about your character, but don't go into a monologue that reads like an info dump.
"Lord Varga does not like garlic," said Lazlo.
Amelia arched an eyebrow. "I didn't know. Why?"
"It makes him sick."
"How interesting. Garlic is known for it's healing properties."
Lazlo pursed his lips.
#3 - Should I cuss?
Try not to, but remember there are times when it is necessary. If your characters gets their finger caught in a door, and the pain is immediate, they're going to cuss. Don't, however, liter your character's dialogue with cuss words. It makes your character unromantic and unsympathetic. It's more acceptable to write "he swore" than a cuss word.
"David took the money."
"What did he do with it?"
"I think he blew it on cigarettes."
Sam swore. That was all the money he had.
#4 - Dialogue shows passion
Ah, pillow talk. Flirting banter. Promises of seduction. All these types of dialogue "show" romance. And don't forget to use dialogue during your love scenes. Let your characters be playful. Show them flirting. Depending on the hero, if he's talkative, then being intimate with the heroine might be a time where he's quiet and more reflective.
"I didn't get a chance to tell you last night so I'll tell you now - I love you."
"Madly?"
"Passionately."
"Wholeheartedly?"
"Most assuredly."
#5 - Avoid dialect in dialogue.
Why? Quite honestly, most authors can't do it well and readers who don't "get it" might find it a bit stilted.
#6 - You are what you speak.
The words characters say reveal who they are so make them shine. Are they educated? Young? Friendly? What do they value?
"Old lady Jenning's pig ran away again."
"Did you find him?"
"Sure did - down by the river."
"Did you return the pig?"
"I sure did. She said she appreciated my honesty."
#7 - Dialogue shows suspense
The lack of dialogue or reluctance to talk may heighten the suspense.
"Do you know what she wanted?"
"Yeah."
"What?"
"What was what?"
CONTEST:
Write a vignette, no more than 500 words using one of the following sentences as a prompt. All entries will be featured in my next Romance/Love newsletter and my favorites will earn merit badges.
Prompt #1 - "Josie, don't do that!"
Prompt #2 - "Aiden, you are such a rock."
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weissdorn
Recently I read a short paranormal romance entitled "She Wolf" by Teressa D'Amario, and since she is available on Facebook, I asked her point-blank: "Look, your novel is just over 50,000 words, and in this short novel span you had 9 acts of foreplay, etc... Do you think this amount of sexual interaction is necessary for the success of a romance novel these days?"
I was especially interested in her answer, because I was worried. My work doesn't have nearly that much sex, and at time I wrote her, I had sort of skimmed over my love scene like in a film noire (this was before I worked at writing love scenes with my writing partner).
But she wrote me back and said, it was necessary for this particular novel, because the central theme was about the urge to mate between werewolves. This wasn't the answer I was hoping for, but maybe that's the guide. Maybe the amount of love scenes and sex has to be geared to central theme. I'm still confused about where the borders are. How much is too much and borderline porn? How much is too little, and borderline boring? How do you gage it? And is it all just a marketing competition these days to see who can make "humping from chapter to chapter" seem like a story?
Great questions! Let's tackle them: How much is too much and borderline porn? ME: sadly, sex sells. That said, keep in mind most mass market paperbacks have 1-3 tasteful love scenes between the hero and heroine. For example the product review I shared with you has tasteful love scenes that don't border on the erotic/porn.
How much is too little and borderline boring? How do you gage it? Me: It depends on how the romance develops organically around the hero and heroine. I read a fantasy romance where the hero and heroine really had to fight for their love and when they reached their goal the author closed the door on me, leaving it to my imagination. I felt cheated because I had invested so much in their story and their developing relationship. Closing the bedroom door in that story was too little so consider this: if your readers have made the emotional investiment, don't cheat them out of a well written love scene.
Is it all marketing competition these days? Me: Again, sadly, sex sells. That said, I know a lot of authors who "stick to their guns" and write sweet, sensual, and love scenes that are tasteful. The focus is to build the relationship between the characters so the romance works. I adore "Wild Rose Press" they are romantic publisher that publishes a variety of romance genres and variety of heat levels. You can find a little something for everyone. You might want to check out their catalog just to get a feel for heat levels in romance writing.
Ẃeβ࿚ẂỉԎḈĥ 
Great suggestions, Steph. It shows the reader that romantic love scenes should be developed sweetly, slowly and keeping the reader begging for more.
Building the scene between the hero and heroine so that the reader really cares about their romance, is essential.
Wonderful newsletter!
~WW
StephBee is a 911 Dispatcher for LAPD. Her latest release is "The Wolf's Torment." It was her 2010 NaNoWriMo project and is a paranormal romance published with Desert Breeze Publishing. 5 Stars, Reader's Favorites "Paranormal Romance at its finest." |
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