BEYOND LUST
or
DEVELOPING A RELATIONSHIP THAT CAN LAST
©Charlotte Maclay
2006
Sexual tension, characters who think
about doing it constantly from the very first
moment they meet, an aching groin—his or hers—are not
enough to create an enduring romance novel. After the
lust, then what?
We, as authors, have an obligation to
create a relationship between our hero and heroine that
the readers believe can last forever. In fact a
friend of mine read the second book in a mini-series and
was stunned to learn the couple from the first book had
divorced. She couldn't handle that. Her suspension of
disbelief had been kicked out the window and that,
metaphorically, is what she did with the book.
The focus on lust instead of a
developing a deeper relationship is one of the most
frequent mistakes I see when judging unpublished
contests. Fortunately it's an error that's not all that
hard to fix.
Here are some elements that will deepen
a relationship.
The hero is great with kids; we'd all
want him to be the father of our children
(assuming we don't have a perfectly good father for them
now who never fails to be kind and take them to the
park, coach sports, etc.).
Whether or not you are sick to death of
all those 'baby' books, this element is virtually a
biological imperative. A woman, fictional or real, needs
to know that he'll be a great dad. (Unless she has no
children and is menopausal, in which case she can let 'er
rip!)
Even in the most sensual of books, such
as Love Games by Mallory Rush, the hero's warm
relationship with the heroine's daughter signals to the
reader that he's one of the good guys.
In the case where neither heroine nor
hero have any children of their own, this element is so
important you often see the hero being kind to a
neighbor child or consoling a lost child at the local
mall.
If there are simply no children
around, you can fake the same message to your readers &
the heroine by having the hero be kind to dogs, cats or
assorted other animals.
In For the Roses by Julie
Garwood, the hero is caring, patient and loving with an
abused horse. That signals to the reader and the heroine
this is a good man even if he's a little domineering.
The heroine in Jennifer Crusie's
Charlie all Night sees the hero caring for a puppy
who is the runt of the litter--and that's her moment of
revelation. The guy's not a jerk; she loves him.
The hero protects/defends heroine
from her enemies.
All of the "Guardian" myths are based on
the premise the hero will protect the heroine. You see
this myth is almost every line, contemporary and
historical. Silhouette Intimate Moments thrives on this
element.
In Nora Roberts' Night Smoke, the
hero is an arson investigator who is protecting the
heroine's property. He literally throws his body in
front of the heroine to protect her from a bomb blast.
(You'll note he is also shown being a neat guy with the
heroine's adolescent niece and is thus perceived as good
father material.)
The hero in Justine Davis' The
Morning Side of Dawn is a paraplegic. That doesn't
stop him for a moment from protecting the heroine.
The hero's actions are mentally
heroic; he is a truth teller and/or has integrity in
spite of possible negative repercussions to his own
life.
The noble Indian stories come to mind,
both contemporary and historical. He is protecting his
land, his people, or his traditions. Justine Davis' RITA
winning Lord of the Storm is the futuristic
equivalent of the noble Indian returning to his people
at all costs.
In Kathleen Sage's Many Fires the
hero's nobility shows through in his defense of his
Black troops, the Buffalo soldiers in the post Civil War
era.
And in Sandra Brown's French Silk
we see the hero with a powerful sense of ethics as he
struggles with his conscience, investigating a murder
where the heroine may be the guilty party.
To make this work the heroine must
recognize, in spite of herself, the value of the hero's
integrity and what it is costing him emotionally.
The hero has the ability to have fun,
or enhances the heroine's sense of fun.
Anyone who's been married more than a
week knows that laughter can hold a relationship
together when the going get tough.
I love to use this element in my books.
The hero who is laid back and fun loving drives my
straight-laced heroines crazy, and they love him for it.
And, of course, the reverse can be true—the heroine
teaching the hero to laugh. Susan Elizabeth Phillips has
made a career out of driving both heroes and heroines
crazy.
Dream Man by Linda Howard uses a
darker tone but the heroine still finds the hero
particularly dangerous—because he can make her laugh.
It's important to any long term
relationship that the couple have some fun together.
They need a respite from the tension of whatever
conflict is keeping them apart. This "fun" can bring
them closer and help develop a deeper intimacy.
The heroine empathizes with the
hero's past, his problems, or his possible future; she
senses his emotional needs and wants to fill them.
Again, in Justine Davis' The Morning
Side of Dawn the heroine has the paraplegic hero
figured out. She won't let him hide behind all of the
defenses he's built up.
And in my Christmas story, The
Littlest Angel, the heroine tries not to care that
the hero was orphaned and on his own at a young age.
But, of course, she does. And hopefully so do the
readers.
The hero and heroine share either
common interests or values, or both, often in spite of
apparent or superficial differences.
Marlene Suson uses common interests in
geology and dinosaurs in her historical The Scarlet
Lady to bring her hero and heroine together. Those
same shared interests provide an opportunity for the
couple to have fun.
Barbara McCauley in Texas Temptation
uses geology and oil exploration in a contemporary
setting in the same way to bring her characters
together. Adding a level of emotion to the story, their
shared interest is part of their past, which also pulls
them apart. The Maverick Takes a Wife, I found
myself writing lots of lust and wondering what on earth
In they'd have in common beyond hot sex.
To solve that problem I gave them crossword puzzles in
common, which then became a symbol of how alone they had
both been until they met each other.
The hero intuitively understands and
meets the heroine's needs, both emotionally and in a
sexual way.
You're right. Now we're beginning to
deal with serious fantasy!
Invariably after the first kiss, or
after a love scene, you will find the heroine thinking
it has never been like this before. No man has ever been
so giving, so caring, so arousing. That's our fantasy,
ladies. Don't forget to include it in your story.
The hero talks to the heroine,
revealing more of himself than he ever has before. That
makes him vulnerable.
When the hero is vulnerable, more is at
stake for him if the relationship fails. She's the one
who knows his secrets, his Achilles' heel.
The hero makes the heroine feel
beautiful, however else she may have seen herself
before; he makes her feel feminine and desirable.
The appeal of those books that start off
with the heroine 8 or 9 months pregnant (in addition to
the fact this is a woman's most vulnerable time and her
need for a father for the child is at its peak) is that
every woman who has had a child wishes her husband/lover
would think of her as beautiful during her
pregnancy--even when she knows darn well it's not true.
Lines such as "She looked into his eyes
and for the first time saw herself as he was seeing
her--desirable, feminine, a woman he wanted. And she
wanted him." Damn right!
The hero admires/respects what the
heroine does/is, and lets her know it, either directly
or through his actions.
Whether she's a caterer, a cop or an
attorney, the hero is supportive and encouraging. And
that's true even when the job puts them in conflict with
each other. These guys are the original affirmative
action/equal opportunity advocates.
The heroine learns from others that
the hero is a worthy person.
It could be his friends or family
members or a 'mentor' character, but our heroine finds
out she's not the only one who thinks this guy is pretty
terrific.
In terms of personality or emotional
strength (not in a materialistic way), the hero/heroine
provides what is lacking in the other.
We often reflect during love scenes that
our couples fit together like two pieces of a puzzle; we
need to communicate that in the emotional relationship,
too.
The hero must be able to support the
heroine financially.
I'm not being anti-feminist here. The
hero simply has to be a contributing member of society.
Millionaires are nice (I'm particularly fond of that
fantasy) but if he's a successful mechanic, grocer,
truck driver, that works, too. The key is successful,
or with the potential and drive to be successful in his
field.
The hero puts the heroine first and
is willing to sacrifice something important for her.
One of the most romantic short stories
ever was the O'Henry tale of a husband who decides to
sell his precious watch to buy his wife a hair brush,
and meanwhile, she has cut off her long hair to sell so
she can buy him a watch chain.
We need to create that same sense of
self-sacrifice in our stories as well.
A warning: While all of these
elements lend themselves to one or more scenes, they
don't have to all be in every story. Nor can you simply
throw one or two in just for the fun of it.
Every element in your story must be
integrated and evolve from the characters and plot.
But keep in mind your readers what to
believe this relationship you've created will last
forever. Give them good reasons to keep the faith--and
your book.
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