Writing an Authentic Romantic Moment
What makes a moment romantic?
When we talk about romance in a story there is always the mention of the grand gesture or the profession of love, but it’s important to remember that romance isn't all chocolate, lingerie, and semi-precious stones. While fluttering hearts and tingling shivers are important, let’s consider this question with a more practical approach.
The most authentic moments of romance show what would equal a grand gesture or open display of love specifically for that character, even if it involves household tools.
Despite appearances, the picture above is FAR from one of my most romantic moments. Some day, if you have a few hours and enough money for margaritas, I will tell you about the severe lack of romance on our wedding day.
No, my most romantic moment involved a hardware tool and my soon-to-be husband was nowhere in sight.
I met my husband two weeks after I moved to Texas. We met at a church we were both visiting for the first time. He asked me to lunch after the morning service (an interesting story in itself, but I'll save it for another time). After the evening service, we ate ice cream at a park. I will add here that one of the top ten most romantic moments was when he turned to me and said, "Do you like to read? Because I just finished this great book. It's called The Notebook. I think the author is Nicholas somebody." (A handsome guy in some nice-looking jeans who liked to read? Insert me swooning here).
After our official first date the next Sunday, he made a comment about the bareness of my apartment walls. I responded that I had never noticed I didn't own a hammer and nails until I moved into the apartment alone. We went on to talk about other things and I didn't even think about it again.
The next day was a Monday in every sense of the word. I taught middle school at the time and let's just say all of my students were very much seventh graders that day. I remember wanting to cry when I pulled up to my apartment because my head was throbbing, as were my feet, and I lived on the second floor. When I finally dragged myself up the stairs, something was leaning against my door.
A silver hammer with a shiny red bow.
And that, my friends, is all it took.
So what made that grand gesture enough to lead to another date, then another, and several more that eventually turned into twenty-plus years and two kids?
Three magic ingredients.
It met a specific need.
The great thing about the hammer was that it met a need I didn’t even realize I had. Make that work for your characters. Show the romance building by the love interest filling a gap that the other character didn’t know would make them complete.
This can be whatever that character specifically needs in that moment. A special brew of coffee to get them through a grueling day. A shoulder to lean on. A hot night doing—well, you get the idea.
Explore what your characters need (either internally or externally) and look for a unique way for their love interest to meet that for them.
It took effort and risks.
Building the romance and the ultimate grand gesture has to cost the character something. That something can be tangible (money, possessions, a job) or it can be abstract (pride, time, emotion) but there needs to be a price. It needs to require effort and risks.
My now-husband bought that hammer (which still lives in our garage, by the way) on his lunch break. He had to buy the hammer, hunt down a bow, drive out of his way to my apartment complex, get through the gated entry, run up the stairs, leave it, and then get back to work on time.
It took effort and risks. That’s what your character needs as well. If your wealthy hero buys the heroine a new car, what did it cost him? Where was the effort? What is he risking?
If you have a hero who is rich but learns to cook because the heroine misses her grandmother’s famous blueberry muffins, that’s a strong gesture because it requires effort and risk of failure.
What can your character risk to show the depth of their feelings? What would mean the most to the other character?
It showed attention to detail.
The main reason the sight of that hammer had me smiling for days is it meant this guy I’d met had truly listened to me. It would have been much easier to leave a rose on my door, and that would have been sweet, but this showed he paid attention to what I’d said and acted on it.
What would give that feeling to your character? What would prove to them that the other person truly hears them or sees them in a way that no one else does?
This can be a gift or some kind of action, or it can even be just the right words.
“I love you” can be too easy. What else might a character need to hear?
“I’m sorry.”
“I believe you.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Tap into that emotional conflict. What could soothe that inner wound? All through the month of February, we will be exploring romance on Story Strategy Live. Join us every Thursday for more insight to creating authentic romance that will make your readers swoon.