How to write Affection / Romance
Affection comes in many forms. Sometimes it’s grand gestures and other times it’s quiet, hidden yet so powerful. In books regardless of genre romance seems to somehow find its way tangled up into it. in this post I will be discussing how to write affection but in a gentle yet passionate manner.
So here we go…
Scenario 1
Julian watched as the sky transformed from bright blue to golden orange. He didn’t think he would ever get over nature's many wonders and there would be no way he would get over her. In a matter of minutes he could feel her by his side, a figment of his imagination. ‘I’m always here. You know I’m always here, right Juli?’ Her hand travelled up his arm and gently caressed the long bone of his spine.
“No you are not” he said into the deep nothing as he shrugged the mist-shaped hand off his arm.
The affection in the extract that I have just written is a mixture of many emotions. It’s very important to
Know the characters state of mind
Know if the character either welcomes or rejects the affection that is being given to them ( or a mix of both)
Know how the character would express affection. It does not just have to be touch. It can be shown through words and actions that one character takes to help or comfort another.
Scenario 2
'Smith raced towards the warehouse. His clothes stuck to him like glue to paper, like blood on metal he was running because he was in love. In love in a way that scared him so he kept on running trying not to lose his footing in the long grass...'
From this extract the characters feelings match up with their actions and inner conflicts.
However by no means is this to say that for a character to express their emotions it has to be through actions.
Just like the character 'smith’ use how other things either on him or around him to express the feelings that he shows inside.
Hopefully from the extract he could get that Smith has been suppressing his feelings.
1: The action of him running:
‘trying not to lose his footing in the long grass’
2: The location/ atmosphere: The reader is not aware of the weather but Smith is sad to be running towards a warehouse which hints to the audience that the climax of their personal story and the exposure of their feelings belong in that building… the warehouse
3: How his body reacts: ‘His clothes stuck to him like glue to paper, like blood on metal’
Hopefully from these two scenarios you can understand, how and why expressing affection is important and how to do so. I may (keyword may) write a part two with more scenarios. I would also like to write how to show affection between characters, no matter what they identify as and who they are attracted to.
Thank you for reading, hope to see you soon.
Written by C - Conscious thoughts.