Harness Your Heart and Put It In Your Book
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched ... but are felt in the heart. Helen Keller

Do you remember that first romance novel you ever read? I do, for me it was a Harlequin (one of the reasons I’m thrilled to be writing for Harlequin now). But why did you like it? I enjoy reading a lot of different genres, but why do I, as a reader, come back to romance over and over again?

Call me all kinds of girl, but I like having my emotions engaged. I’ll actually find myself with a smile on my face when the hero and heroine finally get together. My throat will tighten at something hurtful. Sometimes it’s to forget a stressful day or a problem.

Other times it’s the pleasure of reading something funny or to visit far off places I’ve never been before (growing up in landlocked Oklahoma – this was once really important to me.) Happy, sad, laughing – I believe emotions give romances the edge that keeps readers coming back time and time again.

After you finished reading a novel, do you sometimes put that book down and know you enjoyed it, but yet...it didn’t have that umph, that edge that puts it on your keeper shelf? The novel may have had an interesting plot, great dialogue, excellent descriptions - but all that doesn’t make a great book. Women sometimes get a lot of flack for being emotional, but in your writing - that’s exactly what you want!

Earlier this week I participated in a meme where I listed Top Ten Signs A Piece Of Fiction Was Written By Me . This was an interesting exercise because it gave me a chance to examine my own writing in a critical way on what made me tick. One of my answers was that I always include a little bit of heartache.

Even though I write lighter romances, my February 2008 Harlequin Blaze, Primal Instincts is a Blush, the edge still must be there.

Falling in love is messy. It involves a lot of emotions, many of them not all that pleasant. Your job, and it’s a good one, is to show that rush of longing, the ups the downs, the fear and anxiety - so that great payoff of mutual love is all the more satisfying.

What Appeals To You

Write down why you wanted to write in the first place. Just do this in free form - maybe make a list. Once you have written everything you can think of...then force yourself to write at least one more reason. Why? Because you’ve exhausted all the easy reasons - the more difficult reasons are often the most emotional. Look at your list and circle anything that evokes emotion. Narrow all you’ve written into one sentence and mount that where you write as a reminder.

Next, look over your own keeper shelf. Are you noticing a theme in the books that spoke to you? Was there a mix of drama and tragedy? Maybe all the books deal with loss, or triumph...even the funniest of books have at its root one hard emotion. When you identify what appeals to you personally, often that is what you write about with the most passion. Use that to your advantage.

Make It Universal

Readers will often emotionally connect with a character if they share something in common. When I was in college, I read a passage (wish I could remember the book) where the woman never liked to get her toes too close to the baseboards in her kitchen because she was always afraid a spider was hanging out under the cabinet. I DID TOO! I never even realized I did that until I read about it, and I felt an immediate connection to the character with that one simple observation.

We’re all quirky. Look for and find the quirks in yourself and others, they can create instant rapport between a reader and a character.

Use Deep POV

I don’t’ know who first developed deep POV, but the first person I heard speak about it was Suzanne Brockmann. As a writer she’s amazing, and really broke down why this works. As you write, you’re going deep into the character’s mind - feelings and thoughts. Brockmann even suggests writing with the word “I” instead of “she” in a first draft to really SHOW what’s inside a hero/heroine’s head.

Here are the first two paragraphs from Primal Instincts where Miriam has just woken up after a night of passion with a man she didn’t really plan on sleeping with. This was the “I” version:

Arbuckle, Oklahoma

What am I doing? Or had just done? I sucked in a breath and squeezed my eyes tight. It didn't change a thing. HE was still there.

I peeked over my shoulder at the man smushed up me. His legs were tangled over mine and his hand gently gripped...ugh. The angle was awkward, but I could make him out perfectly in the morning light.

Here’s how it came out in the finished book:

Middle of Nowhere, Oklahoma

What was she doing? Or had just done? Miriam Cole sucked in a breath and squeezed her eyes tight. It didn't change a thing. He was still there.

Miriam peeked over her shoulder at the man smushed up against her body. His legs were tangled over hers and his hand gently gripped her breast. The angle was awkward, but she could make him out perfectly in the morning light.

There’s something about going deep POV that really gets me on the right track with a character.