Romance Writing II MFA Lessons #1-3

A while back, I posted the (non-assignment related) parts of the little lessons/announcements I've done while teaching grad school. Since I've done a bunch of little lessons since then, I thought I'd continue doing that. Here are the first three mini-lessons from my Romance Writing II. A lot of the curriculum is pre-written by the school, but we do get to add a little of our own content. These are lessons #1-#3, and I'll post more later

Action and Setting

Welcome to Module Two, where we'll be exploring setting and action!

Settings can be extremely important to a romance novel. They can inform the tone, the plot, and even the characters! Let's look   Let's consider the setting of Ashley Herring Blake's Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail.

"The Everwood Inn was famous- there were countless books and documentaries about the legend of the Blue Lady, who purportedly haunted one of the upstairs bedrooms".

(This is a clear allusion to the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina...my hometown! The Biltmore House has a legend about "the Pink Lady" haunting its bedrooms. It can be really fun to include Easter Eggs like this in your setting.)

The old mansion was a designer's dream--three stories of intricate eaves and gables, a wide front porch, an exterior the color of cat vomit, but it would shine beautifully under some lovely pastel hue, lavender or maybe a cool mint. Inside it was a maze of dark-paneled rooms and cobwebs, but Astrid could already envision how she would lighten and brighten, the shiplap and accent walls would replace the cherry wood wainscoting, transforming the rotting back porch into a sun drenched solarium.

How Astrid describes this setting tells us a lot about the character-- it tells us she's a very passionate interior designer, who looks at a dilapidated building and only thinks of how she can improve it rather than groaning about it. This demonstrates her skill and her can-do attitude. The description of the setting also tells us how much work will need to be done for Astrid to fix it up. By comparing the paint to cat vomit, it really impresses on the reader how gross this place looks.

All of this is very important to the plot, because the novel is going to be about Astrid fixing up this building and finding love with a woman who's taking care of the carpentry part of the renovation. The romance hinges on the setting so it's very important to establish it. You might find your setting plays a similar vital role!

Sex: From Steamy to Sweet

It's time for Module Three: Sex: From Steamy to Sweet!

Most romance novels require a mastery of sex and sensuality. It's possible to have romance without sex, and sex without romance, but classic romance novels tend to include both. Though, if you count YA romance novels, sex is much less likely to happen or be a central focus. I'll be posting a supplemental announcement with some resources on how to craft good and bad sex scenes later this week, so keep an eye out for that!

But we're not just discussing sex this week- we're also discussing sexual and romantic tension. There's some great resources on sexual tension in the Reading and Resources section, but I have some other additions: "How to Build Sizzling Sexual Tension in your Novel" by Lucy V. Hay is a short but informative read.

It should be noted that there is a difference between "romantic tension" and "sexual tension". Though romantic tension can include sexual attraction, it's very possible for couples to experience romantic attention with sex coming into the picture. If you have an asexual character in your romance (see the list of "Contemporary Romances with Asexual Main Characters" for examples), you'll probably find yourself relying more on romantic tension than sexual tension.

Some resources on romantic tension and the difference with sexual tension, please look at the articles "How to Create Romantic Tension in Your Novel"and "Creating Romantic Tension In Your Novel" !

Good and Bad Sex in Fiction

 When it comes to sex, there's a lot of things you can do right, and a lot of things you can do wrong. The Good Sex Award that ran has some examples of sex scenes you may find you like, divided into categories like "Sexiest Consent" and "Best Sexy Talk".

One way to learn about what not to do in sex scenes that's pretty fun and educational is taking a look at various compilations of the worst sex scenes the literary world has to offer. Obviously, what makes a bad sex scene is somewhat subjective--but there are some phrases that are universally agreed as awkward. The Literary Review ran a "Bad Sex in Fiction" award from 1993-2020, and there are lots of gems. (Please be mindful and don't read if you have any triggers or concerns related to any kind of sex--the awards go back years and the scenes can be graphic). 

Of course, getting creative with sex scenes can lead to a memorable experience for the reader, so don't get too self conscious about writing them. Even if a sex scene doesn't hit for one person, it can hit for another. In fact, there have been articles written about the flaws in the "Bad Sex in Fiction" award as well, such as "Against the Bad Sex in Fiction Award".  This might be why the award was recently discontinued. Another useful article to look at on how to write a good sex scene- Salon also ran a "Good Sex" award in 2011 and has some interesting discussion about it in the article "What Makes a Good Sex Scene?" 

Scene Sequences

This week we'll be discussing the importance of scene sequences and connecting your scenes.

One useful thing about scenes and sequel is that if a scene is really intense, you can control the pacing by making the next scene more low-key, allowing a moment for the character to rest and processed what happened. This keeps the narrative engaging without overwhelming the audience, and gives us time to see the event's impact of the character.

For example, in Fall into You by Georgina Kiersten, the opening scene is very intense. The main character, Imari, is being berated and screamed at by her mother. At the end of the scene though, her friend comes and picks her up so they can both go to the apple festival. This transitions smoothly to the next scene where Imari at the apple festival. It's a much calmer scene of Imari wandering around the festival and talking to her friend. It gives Imari a chance to reflect on the situation with her mother, and she's able to describe more about herself, her past, and her relationships. The reader learns what she's like in day-to-day life, outside of high tension situations. And at the end of these scene, she has a meet-cute with her future love interest!

It's important to give your story some breather moments like this. If it's all tension all the time, it might wear out the reader. Seeing the character in day-to-day life also allows the reader a chance to get to know them and connect to them.