A pinch of attraction, a dollop of desire, and a teaspoon of angst. Stir well and bake for a few days/week/months and there you have it! The perfect romance novel!
If only it were that simple. Sure, there are some standard ingredients in every romance: chemistry, lust, drama, time, heartache, and finally a happy for now/happily ever after. But no two books have the exact same measurements and so authors such as me (organic aka mega-pantser) never really know how much or when to add our romantical components.
Book one in a series could be about two older men who have both been burned previously, so they’d require a heavier shake of time. Book two may be about two men who are in the throes of a first love so they’d need a shorter shake. It’s all highly individual as each couple is coming into the story with different backgrounds. Baking times may vary.
There really is no set rule for me when it comes to writing my books. I’m not a formulaic author. My first kiss does not always appear at 20% into the book, and I do not have a set number of sex scenes. I write what feels natural for each couple. Sometimes that’s hot and heavy sex all over the place, sometimes it takes our couple F-O-R-E-V-E-R to even get to that first kiss.
While some authors can follow a neat and tidy recipe for romance, I’m just not one of them. I tend to throw ingredients into my book bowl when I feel the need, whip the juice out of things, and hope for the best! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a couple spending a long cold winter in a remote cabin who need the heat turned under them a bit. *eyes Crow and Sparrow*
Do you have a favorite recipe for romance when you read/write? If so, I’d love to hear about it down in the comments!
I absolutely love this post. The fact that you’re not a formulaic writer is one of my favorite things about your books besides your living and breathing characters, of course.
Ok.so everything Misty said..lol
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