I am beyond thrilled today to be hosting Jade Lee and grateful that she has taken time out from her busy schedule to give aspiring writer’s advice on “How to Write the First Kiss”.
Remember to leave Jade a comment on how you write to win a copy of her latest book “Wedded in Scandal”. You can also download a free copy of Jade’s “Engaged in Wickedness”.
Jade Lee, welcome and thank you.
First kisses are awkward, difficult, and sometimes just plain messy. Oh wait, I’m supposed to talk about WRITING the first kiss. Okay, let me switch gears from my adolescent nightmare to a how-to on first kisses in a romance novel. Well, they’re awkward, difficult, and sometimes just plain messy.
There are as many first kisses as there are characters who kiss, so that’s a lot. How do you make yours special? When starting this blog, I had a whole list of considerations, but they all boiled down to one thing:
BEGIN HOW YOU END. In my mind, the first kiss always reflects how the characters end up. Sex in the middle of the book tends to be more about issues that the relationship faces. We’re frustrated with each other — angry sex. We’re coming together after nearly dying — life-affirming sex. We’re exploring each other’s wild side — fun, unpredictable sex. That’s in the middle of the book and those physical scenes give dimension and extra layers to the characters. That’s great, but it’s not the first kiss.
For the first kiss, I like to have an echo or a foreshadowing of how they’re going to end. Not a direct copy, but a hint.
Let me explain — At the end of your book, the couple is going to live happily ever after. Duh. But HOW? There’s going to be a dynamic to the relationship that is unique to that couple. Is he the long suffering male with the wacky heroine? (You can restate that as is he the only one who GETS the heroine?) Then that first kiss has to be EXACTLY what the heroine needs at that moment. And no one else would possibly think that she would need that kiss.
Or is your couple the dominant vampire alpha with an equally alpha female? Then that first kiss has to be a struggle for control, for dominance. Usually the alpha male will initiate it, but that’s not necessarily true. In that dynamic, the heroine usually gives into the passion first (gives way to the alpha male), but afterwards the alpha male feels completely stripped of his power. That foreshadows that at the end of the book, he will give up all his considerable power and dominance to serve her needs.
What if your couple is the mind vs. emotion dynamic? Usually that’s the incredibly intelligent geek man with the emotional sensitive heroine. At the end of the book, they balance each other out. Their first kiss should startle the hell out of him, but then his emotional side takes root and it rocks his world. For her part, it should begin as an impulsive act that she later thinks and analyzes to death. What that shows is that the first kiss gives them both a sudden dose of what they haven’t got — either the emotional side or the thinking side.
So that’s it in a nutshell, but there is infinite variety within that structure.
So now it’s your turn. Ask me questions, talk about your current WIP.
One lucky commenter will win a copy of my latest novel WEDDED IN SCANDAL by Jade Lee.
But EVERYONE gets a FREE copy of the prequel novel ENGAGED IN WICKEDNESS.
Engaged in Wickedness free!
Click here and follow the instructions!
Jade Lee’s Books
Jade Lee Bio
A USA Today Bestseller, JADE LEE has been scripting love stories since she first picked up a set of paper dolls. Ball gowns and rakish lords caught her attention early (thank you Georgette Heyer), and her fascination with the Regency began. And as a Taurus, she lives to pit a headstrong woman against a tortured hero just to watch them butt heads on the way to true love.
Now an author of more than 30 romance novels, she finally gets to set these couples in the best girl-heaven of all: a Bridal Salon! This way she gets to live out all her wedding fantasies, one by one. (Let’s be honest, what girl has only one idea for her dream wedding?)
And don’t forget Jade’s other name, KATHY LYONS. That’s Jade’s lighter, contemporary side. She writes for Harlequin Blaze merging hawt sex and funny relationships into really great reads.
For more on Jade Lee and her books, visit www.jadeleeauthor.com
What a completely new angle on a first kiss! Loved reading this Jade! Congrats on the new book.
Thanks for this Elaine!
My wip is a historical novel set in 1821, i have had a revise and resubmit from lyrical press but need to spice it up a bit and a faster pace. My question how can you do that with just a simple kiss in the first few chapters.
Spicing up a book is not about what they do physicially. It’s not, he kissed her and she came. He thrust, she screamed and she came. Yawn. Boring.
The increase in spice is about FEELING the other person, about being DRAWN phsycially and emotionally to the other person. So in order to up the spice level, don’t look at the physical interaction, look at the emotional one. Add physical sensations — her body tightened. When he stepped into the room, her breath actually caught. How could a man do that to her when she was usually so level headed?
Then slow the first kiss down. Make the eye connection. The heroine thinking, OMG, we’re goign to kiss. FINALLY! Except, of course, she didn’t want to be this drawn to him. But she was. Then he touched her face, and her skin sizzled. Her mouth parted…etc, etc. Draw out the sensations of being completely absorbed in that moment, in what he was doing to her.
As for speeding up the pacing, that’s just tightening the prose and dropping the angst. Move the story along. Then SLOW it down during the physical scenes. Make sure to ADD physical responses to each other whenever they’re in a scene together.
That’s my 2 cents. Hope it was helpful.
Very true! First kisses are awkward and messy- so how come we read about great first kisses? Lol!
Thanks for the free book and the giveaway!
Hey, you’ve given me lots to think about Jade. I think I’ll never approach that particular scene (ie the first kiss) without remembering what you’ve shared today!
Thanks for the free book and the giveaway, to repeat what Nas, the previous commenter said! Most of all, thanks for the post.
That was really useful. Thanks.
Brilliant post Jade love it I have loads to think about now ! Thank you also so much for the contest and the chance to win your the best !
Desere
Lol…love this. Thanks Jade and Elaine
I’m always embarrassed to write the sex scenes, like my grandmothers are standing behind my shoulder peeking over. This post helped tons. I won’t mind the next kiss I need to include in a scene. Thank you!
It’s that very awkward, scary, thrilling, blinding mess of the whole scene that excites me when reading/writing the first kiss. Who could possibly resist such magic?
There’s something so exciting about two characters putting their emotions, hopes, nerves and desires into crossing that intimacy line together. The kiss teaches each how the other views them and how intensely they want them, on a level different to speech.
I believe every single encounter they share before that kiss counts as foreplay – the chats, arguments, coffees shared, surprises, ultimatums, laughs, looks, handshakes, favours, tears, misunderstandings, caresses… ALL of it. So, by the time they do take that first taste of each other, my emotions need to be buzzing on a high frequency as electrifying as those of the two lovers.
Someone once said a good book is one that leaves you slightly exhausted. So is a good first kiss scene, I reckon.
The winner of the copy of Wedded in Scandal is Desere Steenberg! Desere can you email my assistant at kimscastillo@gmail.com and she’ll send your book out?
Thank you so much Jade I am speechless with joy and thank you so much Elaine for hosting Jade ! Email on it’s way.