Writing Tools
Installment 7: Creating Sensual Tension and Character Points
By Connie Flynn
Connie
Flynn's ten novels span the romance sub-genres of paranormal, romantic suspense
and humor. Her paranormal novels have consistently hit on-line best-seller lists
and her most recent release, THE DRAGON HOUR, won Romance Writers of America's
FF&P Chapter's PRISM Award for best time-travel romance. She is currently
working on a werewolf trilogy, a spin off from her earlier werewolf romances.
Connie's romance writing classes at Mesa Community College were extremely
popular and many writers expressed disappointment when she stopped teaching
them. In response, she now offers intensive one-day workshops where she shares
the writing tools she's picked up on her writer's journey.
Check Connie's Website at: www.connieflynn.com
*DON'T MISS IT! Information about Connie's upcoming Workshop at the bottom of this page!*
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CREATING
SENSUAL TENSION
by
Connie Flynn
©
Copyright Constance K. Flynn
2003
The secret to
sexual tension is not hot sex scenes, but building a believable attraction
between your protagonists, then creating believable obstacles to their pursuing
that attraction. The better you do this the more your novel will sizzle. For
examples, I'll use the movie ROMANCING THE STONE, which is a good model for a
romantic adventure,
1. Create a strong external conflict.
In ROMANCING THE STONE, Jack seeks the very same gem that Joan needs to
save her sister's life.
2. Create a strong internal conflict
that is made worse by the external one.
Joan is an idealist; Jack is an opportunist. Her reason for seeking the
stone is based on love for her sister, while his is based on personal gain. As
she realizes she must give up some of her unrealistic ideals to save her sister
and be free to love Jack, he realizes that he must rise above his self-interest
and sacrifice his immediate goal in order to receive Joan's love.
3. Give them reasons to love each other
by developing shadow traits.
Jack has a strong yearning for stability which the boat represents; Joan
yearns for the adventure she writes about.
4. Put characters in situations that
require they spend lots of time together.
Joan is forced to depend on Jack to get out of the jungle.
5. Put characters in situations that
make them get unnaturally close.
They're forced to share cramped spaces--the downed plane, the hotel room
in the small town.
By developing
your characters fully, you can use the push-pull of their personalities to
create the tension needed to sustain the romance. Do this by using
characterization points.
THE
CHARACTERIZATION POINTS
Primary
Strength
Supporting Trait * Fatal Flaw
Shadow
Primary
Strength--In a protagonist this is an
admiral trait that forms the backbone of who they are, such as warm and caring,
reserved and logical, outgoing leader. In a villain, this will show up in traits
such as ruthlessness, lack of self-discipline or paranoia.
Supporting Trait--This
is generally an attitude or value such as optimistic, pessimistic,
eager,
pragmatic, loyal, etc. Hero or villain, this blends with and supports the
primary strength.
Fatal Flaw--In
protagonists, this trait is a virtue carried to extremes, best illustrated by
the movie the ODD COUPLE. Felix is organized and tidy to the point of being
nit-picky, while Oscar's laid-back habits are carried to slobbishness. Traits
that have this potential include nurturing (smother-love), leadership
(controlling), compassion (excessive sentimentality), independence (inability to
cooperate), and there are many more.
Shadow--A
secret yearning. This is a trait the protagonist either actively suppresses and
is unaware of, or believes he lacks an aptitude for. It is NOT an evil trait as
is commonly supposed. For example, an engineer raised by logical
thinking/intuition denying and immensely practical parents would probably
suppress any inclination toward the arts. If this character had a strong
aptitude for music or painting, it would be suppressed. Pair the character up
with an artist and you create immediate inner conflict for the character. This
is the point of character growth. By allowing the shadow to emerge the character
heals him or herself.
The supporting trait and fatal flaw is in
harmony with the primary strength, while the shadow is in contradiction. The
fatal flaw is what the character must overcome in order to make a commitment to
the other protagonist. The shadow trait is what allows this to occur.
Example: Based
on the characters from ROMANCING THE STONE
Joan Jack
Creative
Courageous
& Inventive
& Resourceful
Idealist * Timid & Shy
Pragmatic * Cunning
Yearns for Yearns
for
Adventure Stability
The characters
fatal flaws are brought out by the events in the story. In this case it is their
supporting traits that create the greatest internal conflict in the movie. But
it could just as easily have been their primary strengths, since his courage and
resourcefulness brings her up against her timidity. If not for their shadow
traits, these people could not fall in love. We know they have these traits
because they are demonstrated through behavior. Joan writes stories about
adventure, which allows her to avoid living it. Jacks wants the boat because it
represents security to him -- a way to experience his love for adventure while
having a home base, however mobile. In this story, Joan exhibits the greatest
character growth, but for Jack, getting the boat is his way to claim the
prize--Joan--who represents the ultimate in stability.
By creating this
diversity of characterization, you can create outside forces that make
contemporary romances every bit as fascinating as historical romances, which
have automatic, built-in societal conflicts such as social standing, the premium
of virginity, and reputation. But the use of the diamond can also heighten
tension in historical romances by making the conflict internal as well as
external.
©
Copyright Constance K. Flynn
2003
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THE
WRITING POPULAR FICTION SEMINAR
Instructor:
Connie Flynn
DATE:
Saturday, September 6, 2003 TIME: 9:00am to 5:00pm
LOCATION:
Scottsdale, Arizona
TELEPHONE:
480-946-7321 EMAIL: cflynn@att.net
REGISTRATION
FEE: $75.00, payable in advance
To
keep this a more personal experience, class size will be limited to 20, so early
registration is advised.
The
day is broken into 2 parts, with an hour and a half for lunch.
WHAT
YOU*LL LEARN
SEGMENT I . . . Character
and Plot
You*ll
get real tools to help you make characters three-dimensional, devise goals that
automatically cause them to drive the story and build reader sympathy, You*ll
develop and use a character diamond that creates dynamic conflict between
characters, and get techniques for writing believable dialogue. You*ll discover
why conflict is the basis for all popular fiction, develop a plot statement to
build your book upon, and learn techniques that help you write a skeleton
outline using only seven basic plot elements.
SEGMENT II . . .
Pacing, Structure and the Pulling It Together
You*ll
learn why cause and effect is the foundation for writing compelling fiction, and
why the motivation/reaction unit is the foundation for every sentence and
paragraph.. You*ll be given techniques to control pacing, and learn how action
and introspective scenes move the story. You*ll get tools for self-editing,
mastering active voice, and learn how to choose vivid words that make your
scenes and characters come alive. Working with outlines and weaving in sub-plots
will also be covered.
Worksheets will be provided for each segment, with time allotted to fill them out.
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NAME: |
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ADDRESS: CITY: |
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STATE & ZIP: PHONE:
E-MAIL: |
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Registration
Only Fee Enclosed ($75): To
guarantee your space, the $75 Registration fee must be received no later
than August 29 |
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Mail
to: Connie Flynn, 1739 N. Miller Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85257 |
Thanks for sharing your knowledge, Connie!