Friday, March 21, 2008
The Magic of Attraction
Romance starts with the spark of attraction, it doesn’t necessarily have to be physical, but in most situations, physical chemistry pulls two individuals together. Lust can be the first connection between lovers, but other attributes cause a lasting bond between individuals. Some of the strongest relationships I’ve witnessed between two individuals had nothing to do with physical appearance, but everything to do with internal connection.
As writers, we develop heroes and heroines, and most of the time they are attractive, desirable individuals. We surround them with a major conflict that continually drives them further apart, but we weave enough physical and emotional attraction onto the equation to keep the heat turned up, and the lust turned on.
Have you ever read a book or watched a movie in which the attraction between the hero and heroine just didn’t work?
I read an article on Yahoo naming the most mismatched movie couples of all time. I had to give the number one choice a definite thumbs up. It was Nick Nolte and Julia Roberts in I Love Trouble. Personally, Nick Nolte has never been on my top ten list of the sexiest actors alive. He is a great actor, but I saw this movie and I have to agree, the pairing between him and Julia just didn’t work. The love scenes between them were awkward at best. Another honorable mention was Harrison Ford and Anne Heche in Six Days, Seven Nights. I admit I didn’t see the movie, but at the time, Anne was dating Ellen Degeneres. It’s hard to believe Anne was into Harrison with Ellen waiting at home every night. Even with the best acting skills in the world, it’s a daunting task to fake physical chemistry.
Most of the books I’ve read over the years had very well written heroes and heroines that were perfect matches. Have you ever stopped reading a book because you just couldn’t picture the hero and heroine together in your mind? *cue Hellion Scandal in Spring rant*
I know everyone tires of my examples of the Stephanie Plum series, but Joe and Stephanie come to mind. They have physical attraction going for them and on a certain level, they love one another, but Ranger is the elephant in the middle of the room. He’s always going to be in the picture, and even if he doesn’t appear to be relationship material, I think he’s the rabbit in the hat. It makes sense to end the series with Ranger and Stephanie together. It’s not predictable, and it brings the series full circle in my opinion.
Just as Janet created Ranger and Stephanie to compliment one another we strive to do the same. It’s pertinent to show a sizzling physical attraction between two characters, but the difficult part is weaving in subtle likenesses that the couple share. It can be anything from a love of sports, to the thrill of chasing a cold-blooded killer. The initial attraction brings them together, but emotional ties have to be established in order to make them a believable match.
This week I read Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas. In the beginning of this novel Liberty Jones meets Hardy Cates when they are teenagers. They came from the wrong side of the tracks, and Lisa paints a heartfelt attraction between them. Her description of Liberty’s anguish when Hardy leaves town for greener pastures is heart wrenching. At this point in the book I believe Hardy will be brought back for the HEA. After an unexpected second black moment Liberty leaves town too. Enter stage left an older man, which I thought was the focus of the book. The title Sugar Daddy conjures the image of an older rich man seeking a younger woman for companionship. I was disenchanted to say the least, I was in love with Hardy and pulling strong for a reunion. Then along comes Sugar Daddy’s son, Gage. He seemed attractive but pompous. I thought, she’ll never make me believe they belong together. Liberty starts a relationship with Gage, Lisa weaves magic with words like the master she is, and by the time Hardy shows up, I’m thinking Hardy who? Not since Plum have I read a book that the characters made such an impact on me. I’m counting the days until the release of Blue Eyed Devil, which is the story of Hardy Cates, and includes some of the same characters from Sugar Daddy. Lisa Kleypas usually manages to enthrall me every time, but this time she blew me away. I bought Sugar Daddy over three weeks ago, and glanced at it a million times in my TBR pile. I hesitated to read it, because I love Lisa’s historical writing voice. It wasn’t that I doubted she could write contemporary romance, I just wasn’t ready for that change in her voice. Oh, how wrong I was to wait, this book is a treasure.
This week in Pamela Clare’s blog, she touched on the subject of changing voices from writing historical to contemporary romance. I have always bowed at the feet of historical romance writers. The voice they maintain in their writing is beyond my ability, but to be able to change between voices and write both flawlessly is astounding to me. This week I read a book by a beloved author who bridged the transition flawlessly, and was an inspiration to me in the process.
Have you ever read a book that inspired you to be the best writer you can possibly be? I have, and in the process, I learned that I’m focusing too much on plot and not enough on characterization. You can’t lose with believable well-written characters. The key of the plot in a romance is conflict, followed with a beautifully executed resolution.
I have the characters, and plot, now I need to get motivated and execute it.
Do you believe the plot or the characters make a book memorable? Have you ever read a book or saw a movie in which the hero and heroine didn’t match? Have you read a book recently that inspired you to be a better writer?
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34 comments:
*ranting*
Well I do know one thing. I have to change the assumed name for my heroine in my paranormal. I read your paragraph for Sugar Daddy and read the name and blinked, several times mind you, and have been cussing ever since. *insert four letter words*
Crap.
It really suited her too. I mean it's not her real name or anything but damnit.
I'm so flustered I forgot the question.
Every time I read a book it inspires me to be better than I am at the moment. I sometimes read to inspire me to even sit down and write.
I'm going to go OT. Surprise. Surprise, right?
I'm a fan of Diana Palmer. Circa 80's and 90's. I picked up a newer book of hers this week, and it's got me feeling down. Mostly because I realized she recently released a new book and it got horrible reviews. Here's something that bothers me. If you don't have something nice to say, walk away. Seriously. I understand that you might not have liked the book, simply because each story line, arc, characters, plot, black moment, whatever is always the same, but someone is NOT paying you to tell me why you hated it. And you don't even say it nicely. Hateful. Spiteful words. If you don't like the book. Fine. Send the author an email. Sometimes a book doesn't work. No matter what you do. And fan feedback is always important, but seriously, I don't want to hear you rant about how much you hated it in every word you can think of. Did you ask mom to borrow the thesaurus, because it kind of seems like it.
End of OT rant.
And I've been reading a lot lately. I haven't run across any books where the hero and heroine don't really belong together. Except in this one I'm reading right now, and I can't really tell you why I'm still reading it. Hellion would pitch it.
Hey, great blog!
I actually am not reading anymore historical romances until I finish my own. Then I'll go back. In my first draft my voice was the same as any author I was reading at the time and that's just not what I was aiming for.
I do get inspired by great writing, but it can also depress me if I'm not feeling too good. The thought "I'll never be this prolific" drills me between the eyes.
I agree with Sin about how rude people are about books they don't like. Even some professional critics seem to have lost all tact.
Yeah, I picture myself if I ever get published (I know, I know, I should be saying WHEN but I haven't had my rum yet) reading a crappy review...so I don't want to dis anyone. I did once or twice and still feel the guilt, although I will never be buying those authors again. Right now I'm writing about a couple with an unbreakable bond since childhood. They are imprinted on each other, and I sure hope the chemistry is HOT! A Wicked Liaison by Christine Merrill has a little bit of that theme going on---the yearning for a youthful love. I'm a sucker for that.
And I have been resisting Sugar Daddy, too, because I love LK's historicals. Guess I have to bite the bullet (but now I know who gets the girl, LOL).
You know I felt the same way about reading Sugar Daddy, Maggie. But biting the bullet was fantastic(that is a weird statement when taken out of context.lol).
Great blog. You find the best pictures too. LOL!
Totally never bought CZ Jones and Sean Connery in that movie Entrapment. Just wrong. Read a book by a new-to-me author last year and didn't buy the connection at all. Never finished it and I doubt I'll pick up anything else by that author. But that's very rare for me.
I hope I'm getting the connection between my h/h right. I believe it's there and people who have read it seem to get it. There will be much layering needed when this first draft is done, but I'm finally following the Captain's AS IS policy. It's tough, but so far so good.
BTW - love that you called Ranger an elephant and a rabbit in the same paragraph. LOL! But I think of him more like a sexy panther. [insert sexy growl here]
And I've never read anything by Kleypas only because the idea of catching up with her series was overwhelming and I don't like hard backs. Is Sugar Daddy in paperback now?
I just know I'm going to love those characters and it's going to rip my heart out. I'm either feeling to fragile for that right now or I need to channel the heartbreak into my own WIP. LOL!
I loved Sugar Daddy, but I never had doubts about Lisa's being able to write in a contemporary voice. I have been anticipating Hardy's story since I finished SD last year. I don't buy many hardback romances, but I made an exception for SD. I'll make another next Tuesday for Blue-Eyed Devil.
I loathe romances that are essentially I-hate-you-now-F#*#-me books. I know that it is possible to desire someone that you don't like. I think it is inviting disaster- to believe you can build a life with someone you don't like. I have seen friends and family members wreck their lives (or a goodly portion of them) making such mistakes. I don't want to read about characters who are that stupid.
Ter - Before the captain foams at the mouth, I'll remind you it's "As IF" - like as if it were perfect - not as is (though I personally think as is makes more sense.)
Sin - *blinking* was your paranormal gal named Liberty?
Kelly - I have stopped reading historicals too, sorta. I am going to really trying to focus on my own stuff and I feel like if I read other people's historical, I'll start comparing and finding myself short.
Maggie - I've only ripped one novel on my personal blog and I do feel a little badly about it.
Lisa - The only books that I've felt like the heroine and hero didn't belong together was the Love Always series by Jude Deveraux. I loved Deveraux in the 80s and 90s, but these three books just didn't seem to work.
You know what sucks, Marn? I typed AS IF then deleted it because I thought I had it wrong. I swear it's all these houses I'm reading about. So many of the ones in my price range are being sold AS IS. I must read it 15 times a day!
So that's my excuse. As long as I'm following her advice though, that's what counts. *g*
And Janga just dropped the "F" bomb again. That will never NOT crack me up. And I know she blames me. *wipes tear* I'm so proud.
You don't have to change your character's name! (Unless her full name was Liberty JONES--then it might be weird.) But that'd be like "Well, I can't use the name Eliza because Jane Austen used it first." Use what you want.
Lisa, I told you it was a good book. And for some reason, I think it sounds even better on CD. I love listening to books on CD now. That's my favorite way to drive.
I appreciate the cue Hellion SIS rant, nice touch. *LOL* Too true. But as I said, I mostly forgive her now because of Sugar Daddy. (And I probably wouldn't have read it either but I found it on CD at the library and though, "Oh, well, they don't have any Harry Potter in right now." I mean SERIOUSLY. I don't know she did it. I was totally in love with Hardy Cates; and I did not like Gage when I met him...but DAMN, was I singing his praises by the end. (I loved the sex scene! Er, scenes...but the first was my favorite. Man, that was funny!)
Sugar Daddy was probably the most recent book that inspired me to be a better writer. (I can't imagine being as good as Lisa. I mean, is it really fair of her? She's a Beauty Pageant winner AND a NYT's bestseller of romances AND she's happily married. Ah, well, Eden was a paradise, but there was still a snake in it.)
I also loved Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella. OMG, was that funny! That's the kind of funny and emotional I want to write (but not in present tense.) And Unpredictable by Eileen Cook--her voice just SHINES and the funny parts are just REALLY FUNNY. You are cackling like an idiot going, "Where does she get this stuff?" Plus there is my ongoing love of Leslie Langtry's Assassin novels--Dak's book was even better than Gin's in my opinion...and every time I read one of her books, I think, "I'm never going to be this funny or original." I love them all.
I am also awed by Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series. Her world-building is [BLEEP]ing phenomenal! And her heroes are to DIE for.
Boy, this is a downright love fest, isn't it?
Maggie, actually I knew who was going to get the girl anyway in Sugar Daddy. After all the hero of Blue Eyed Devil is Hardy Cates...so it stands to reason, he's not the hero of SD, though he has several heroic moments.
Okay, am I going to have to apologize then for my cued SIS rant then? I'm sorry I don't have anything nice to say about it. I *admit* Lisa has written 20+ books and this is the ONLY one I haven't liked. I *admit* I didn't even finish the book I was so angry; and I admit there are far more lovers of SIS than dissers like me.
I've written one nasty review about a historical once. Way back when. It must have been 10 years, I'm sure. And it was because the book took place in c 1280 or 1310 England, and the heroine was a landowner (what a historical joke that is) AND she was posing as the mother of a bastard child (right--and she wasn't stoned? Give me a break!) AND the bastard child was chewing on a chocolate bar. Chewing on chocolate PERIOD.
That's where the book got thrown and I wrote the bad review. Any chocolate eater worth her Godiva knows the Spaniards brought the chocolate back from America in the 1500s. 200 years LATER, people! And chocolate bars weren't even mass produced until the 1830s or so. When you had "chocolate" you were having a thick chocolate cocoa drink!--so I'm not apologizing for this bad review I gave her! I hate it when my historical women aren't the least bit historical--AND they're consuming things not around at the time. That'd be me like writing a Western and having them eat a Big Mac!
Sin, of course I'd pitch it. I'm getting old. I don't have time to waste on bad or mediocre books. Especially when there are so MANY brilliant books out there I could be reading! And I know there are brilliant books...I've read a bunch of them lately.
By the way, 6 Days 7 Nights is actually one of my favorite movies. I think they actually did really well together. Even though at the time, she wasn't even playing that team...or however you phrase it.
I never bought into The Bridges of Madison County. Meryl Streep could have done so much better than Clint. *LOL* All these women wept at the end of the movie and all I thought was: "This is the dumbest movie I ever watched." And guess what? A man wrote the book. I'm sure it's where Nicholas Sparks drew his inspiration!
Sorry I'm late! I couldn't manage being here early...
Sin- I don't know of any rule that states two authors can't use the same name for a character. If it fits use it.
It's amazing that you mentioned how you loath bad reviews. I almost based this blog on criticism and how it affects your writing. I'm on the same page. I think it's a waste of time. If a critic wants to be an ass to the author, then do it in a private email. I personally don't heed bad reviews a lot of times, I like to form my own opinions. Why would anyone want to hurt an author in that manner is beyond my comprehension.
Kelly- I admire you for writing a historical. And I can understand wanting your own individual voice.
How's school coming?
Maggie- I'm sure what you produce will be hot. And yes it's 'when' you publish:)Sorry about the spoiler. I got too carried away on my SD high. *ducks head in shame*
Ter- I make it a point to find great pics, now if I could spend as much time writing...
Great example with CZ and Sean Connery. I never saw the connection either, but then again I don't have any idea what she sees in Michael Douglas either.
LOL, I did call Ranger an elephant and a rabbit in the same paragraph, probably a sign that until I got to the SD review I wasn't into this blog at all.
You need to read LK. She has several stand alone books,start with Dreaming of you it's not a series book.She is my hero. SD is in paperback, it was released a couple of weeks ago.
Janga- I will buy BED in HB too. I don't buy anyone but Evanovich in HB but I'll be in line on Tuesday as well. I never doubted LK's contemporary voice I was just too chicken to make the transition.
Some of the hottest books I've read centered around an H/H that had that hate/F*** relationship. I can see your point, but I have the attitude that there is a fine line between love and hate where passion is concerned.
Marnee, I love Jude Deveraux, I must have missed that series. I am so disappointed when the chemistry is absent between the H/H. It's like throwing ice cold water on a fire. Lots of smoke but no sizzle.
Man....you guys read alot. All I've been reading for the past few months are FBI press releases and case files.
Color me jealous.
I've just stared re-reading HE by Pamela Clare, but only because I was chatting up a storm with her on Wednesday,and realized I missed being a reader.
I have the full set of J.D. Robb's In Death series(which is like over 30 books) to finish and I am now on like in the middle of the third one. At this rate I'll be reading those books when I'm in my 70's.
But I love Eve and Roarke. Their attraction to each other has nothing to do with their jobs and their lifestyles, and I they are total opposites, yet still, fit so perfectly together.
No apologies necessary. I have several friends who read LK and they feel the same way. I still haven't read SIS. I need to bite the bullet and join the masses. I just think it's another example of how authors don't always pair the believable h/h. *Ranger* *sigh*
I feel your pain with the chocolate bar example, and being a land owner. It makes you wonder how a book of that caliber can get published, when I'm sure millions of well researched historicals never make the cut.
CZ Jones & Connery? Hell, I don't buy CZ Jones and Michael Douglass! Eek!
*laughs* Thank you, Marnee, I was about to foam at the mouth--but then I thought "It's Friday; let it go--she's probably just baiting you anyway"
Geisha- I have read 10 of the JD Robb books and then I became bored with the series. I love Roarke and Eve. The only thing I find unbelievable about Eve is that she never steps it up for Roarke. He looks like he belongs in GQ and she wears a ratty jacket and clothes that don't match. Yes he loves her the way she is...but. She's married to a dead sexy billionaire, and she won't even take the time to get a hair cut, come on! She has to be drugged at one point in the series so he can pamper her with a haircut and manicure, because she won't agree to it. That was a little far fetched to me. I believe in being a workaholic consumed with your job, but that was over the top for me. What does amaze me about the series is that Nora is able to keep the chemistry between them fresh book after book.
H- I agree Clint and Meryl sucked together, and I'm going to ignore the NS jab:)
Geisha- The reason I read so much is because I'm not writing...bad, bad girl I am. I call it research:)
Terri, the shock value helps me make my point. LOL!
You know a movie I really wanted to like because the plot sounded so "romance novelish" was The Wedding Date, but Dermot Mulroney and Debra Messing were totally unconvincing together.
Janga, I totally agree about The Wedding Date! (I *love* romantic comedies, but I could not believe those two together. I don't know what it was!)
Thanks ,Lisa, for asking about my schooling. It's coming along nicely. Do you like nursing?
And Hellion I couldn't agree with you more about the Bridges of Madison County. I never understood why women loved it. Plus, Meryl's husband was a really good guy. I felt so bad for him.
Janga- *pulling knife out of heart* I loved The WD. I thought they were perfect together! Oh what different opinions make the world go round:)*searching frantically for Sin* You have to help me on this one...
Kelly- I used to love nursing, but it's not the same profession I started my career in 22 years ago. Too much about business and not enough about patient care. My advice is to further your degree, and become a nurse practitioner or nurse anesthetist. You can write your own ticket if you do either of those.
Thanks so much for the advice Lisa. And I also liked WD. Debra Messing is so cute. I think it was based on a romance novel.
Lisa - you mean to tell me that's the reason for the lack of "Ranger smut" from my life? Reading?
*Goes to look for whip*
*Throws hands up in air*
That's it. If Lisa's not writing I'm not either.
Yo ho, Lisa!
Sorry for chiming in so late, but I saw your comment on Lisa Kleypas' book Sugar Daddy and wanted to say I had much the same reaction. I loved the book and thought the images she created in the first half were magical.
Then I passed the book on to my mom and aunt, and WOW! They hated it! They thought the first half could have been 40 pages or so--they simply wanted to see the love story, and not what led up to it. I was amazed.
Anyway, two ways of reading the same book, I guess.
Good blog!
Geisha, Wield the whip, and read!
Dee, I'm with you, without the picture LK painted in the first half of SD the second half would not have held the same powerful punch for me. Thanks for stopping by:)
Lisa, great blog! Really something to think about.
It's definitely the characters that turn an ok book into a great book for me. I couldn't for the life of me tell you the exact plot of each book in the Plum series but every detail about Ranger is branded into my memory ;)
I've read a couple of books lately that didn't work for me on the romance level because the characters weren't believable. Mostly it was like 'big, bad aplha male meets sweet virginal heroine and turns to mush instantly' and I'm like 'Huh? Where's the cool guy from chapter one? What the hell happened?'.
You really have a point about the conflict thing. I've never conciously thought about it this way before, so: thank you!
HUGS
Julia, Thanks for stopping by!
I just finished a disappointing book too. The alpha male was a womanizing rake. He enters into a marriage of convenience and immediately ends all of his rakish ways for his bride. This dude was a total cad, and he crumbled before my eyes. I guess I'm used to Ranger's resolve. LOL But I can certainly relate to how you feel.
Glad you enjoyed my blog:)
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