CELEBRATE ROMANCE: WRITING THE LOVE SCENE IS ABOUT BACKGROUND, EXPERIENCE, AND SETTING

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Board and members of the Romance Writers of America New York City Chapter. All this month, we are Celebrating Romance by bringing you writing tips from our members on How to Write a Love Scene. Happy Reading!


WritING the Love Scene is About Background, Experience, and Setting
By Catherine Greenfeder

In WILDFLOWERS, Johanna is a virgin heroine, a minister’s daughter, and Ryan is the experienced mountain man-turned-trail guide who must help her and the other pioneers survive the trek on the Oregon Trail. Ryan brings out Johanna’s passion and during their adventures along the way.

In my paranormal romance, SACRED FIRES, Casey, engaged to a man she doesn’t truly know, finds a tender yet passionate lover in Miguel, another man, who is her soul mate. Their lovemaking takes place in a way that parallels their past lifetimes. So a jungle, the garden, and a beach in Mexico provide the romantic setting.

There is sex and there is lust. Sex used as a weapon is not lovemaking but it can aid the plot. Grizzly Dugan in WILDFLOWERS, attacks a Pawnee squaw who fights him off. This is brutal and raw. It mirrors his persona and contrasts with the hero’s tenderness with the heroine. In SACRED FIRES, the antagonist engages in erotic sex with his mistress and misuses sex magic. This contrasts with the more spiritual and romantic nature of the hero and heroine’s lovemaking style.

To me lovemaking needs to fit the story and show how the characters care about each other.

Catherine Greenfeder writes historical and paranormal romance. Her published books include ANGELS AMONG US, WILDFLOWERS, and SACRED FIRES. She is currently writing a YA paranormal featuring a teenage medium and a ghost and a paranormal novella featuring a werewolf and a Wiccan.