Emotional Writing - The Second Four Stages of Intimacy

Sexual tension and physical intimacy are two things that heat up the pages of a good romance novel. The trick is knowing how to do it, and it's not as easy as a few kisses and then putting your characters in bed!

Last month we got your characters started with the first four stages. They noticed each other with eye to body, moved on to eye to eye, then voice to voice and finally we had contact with hand to hand!

Now it's time to get them closer!

Of course, the length of your story, the heat level you're writing and your characters will all dictate how fast or slow any of the stages last - the idea here is to know them and use them wisely to get the biggest emotional impact.

Arm to Shoulder - Remember being a teenager on a date at the movies and the arm sliding around your shoulders in one suave and casual move? Remember the tingle of excitement at the intimacy, or the boldness, of that move? This is the moment one character has taken the opportunity to move closer...we're invading personal space. Oh la la!

Arm to Waist - For me, this is NOT one to skimp on. This is a big moment. When the hero guides the heroine from a room, into a restaurant, through a crowd and possessively places his hand on the small of her back - yup, this is a MOMENT for me as the reader. This is all about what this implies, this is a physical move and one we can probably all go "aw" to when we see it. We all recognize this as an intimate act. Arm around the waist drawing him/her closer. Now we're turning up the heat!

Mouth to Mouth - Whether tentative or bold, daring and passionate, your characters are about to connect on a new level! Everything about the kiss is sensual. It's all about exploring, about claiming, about FEELING. This is a stage that we continually revisit, in fact, the kiss itself can go through stages of its own...from the simple peck to adding tongue to the moment your character is consumed by soul stirring emotions. THIS is the reason we spend so much time here, why there isn't just one kiss scene. Bring it!

Hand to Head - Usually found with Mouth to Mouth, this is the hand behind the head move. The fingers running down the hero's jawline, the hero brushing the hair from her face to gaze deeply into her eyes before he kisses her again, I think you get it!

All these things together add a layer of physical intimacy for your characters and their story. Now it's up to you to put them together in a way that works. Linger on one stage, rush through another...it's all a part of building the intimate connection between two people. Make the reader feel the connection and the tingle of heat and you're on your way.

If you want to read my post on the first four stages, you can find it here.

Do you have a favorite scene using any of these four stages? I'd love to know.

Emotional Writing - The First Four Stages of Intimacy

So, I've finally jumped head first into my new project and that all important first meeting of the hero and heroine is rushing toward me like a steaming locomotive...which is usually where I panic.

I don't want to rush them, but I do need to start from their very first moment on the page to build the attraction. I need to fan the flames of their intimacy as early as possible to give the reader what I promise from page one to the end...a spicy time travel with an emotionally satisfying HEA.

Everything from heat levels to the length of the story will dictate how quickly your characters will move through each stage.

With that end in sight, I glance over at my handy "12 stages of intimacy" chart and start at the top. Up today, the first four.

EYE TO BODY: We all do it, we've all been on the receiving end of this - whether it's a quick glance up and down or the slow burn of being undressed by his eyes. At this stage, unless they've met before, this is purely physical!

EYE TO EYE: Across the room or over a candlelight dinner. In an elevator or on opposing sides of a conference table - this is the first chance we have to give the glimmer of something more on an emotional level. Cold as steel or warm and inviting, doesn't matter...your hero or heroine is intrigued. Something stirs inside, they can't look away or can't look away fast enough. A split second connection or a need to get lost in the most beautiful eyes they've ever seen. Use it and punch up that emotion early!

VOICE TO VOICE: It's more than the sound, more than the accent, it's the way he says your name. Does the sound of her voice soothe his soul or stir the loins? It's in the whisper in her ear, the way she mumbles under her breath...so much can be conveyed when they speak. Maybe he doesn't even hear her voice, all he sees is her lips moving and losing control isn't too far off :)

HAND TO HAND: First time we have actual physical contact - skin to skin, oh my! Are they hard-working hands, rough and powerful? Is her skin soft and supple, so small in his? Jolts of energy, heat rising up their arms? Tight grips or a casual taking of her hand to lead her out of a crowd - this is a big moment - even if it happens in an instant. Give me that moment of knowing this is more.

And that wraps up the first four for this week...now I'm off to incorporate them into my first meeting scene!

Next week I'll be back with the next four!

Have any tips on using these first stages of intimacy? Do you linger on these or barely give them a few lines?

Happy writing!