It's Not What You Say, it's How You Say it!

Writing Great Romantic Gestures

Marc Chagall, The Birthday, 1915, Philadelphia Museum of Art

Happy Valentine’s Day, Peeps! Luckily, I finished this post last night so I could enjoy the afternoon with my man. A beautiful leisurely lunch with my favorite beverage. All I had to do was push the send button when I arrived home…sweet.

The romantic gesture is crucial in setting the stage for an unforgettable love story. Whether a grandiose gesture or something small and memorable, the gesture sets the scene and creates the right atmosphere for your romance novel. With no romantic gestures, the tale is but a dry, flavorless bone. Yuck!

Romantic gestures are the perfect way to show your characters’ personalities and love and affection for one another. Here are some tips on how to create romantic gestures for your romance novel:

1. Start with small gestures. Small, thoughtful gestures can be just as meaningful as grand gestures. They add up. Some authors prefer them and don’t use grand gestures if it doesn’t fit their character’s personality. Small gestures could include: a surprise bouquet, taking their wife out for a lovely lunch (excellent job, honey,) a handmade card, the hero making the heroine’s coffee in the morning, one person giving the other a massage, washing each other’s hair, asking how each other’s day went, leaving love notes and hiding them in only a place they know about, texting messages to each other and buying and giving unique gifts to one another. Small gestures can help build up to the more significant romantic moments later in the story.

2. Make it personal. Please ensure the gestures you create for your characters are unique to them. It could be a special place they share or a piece of jewelry that holds special significance. The hero takes the heroine to his childhood treehouse, for example.

3. Choose the right moment. Romantic gestures are often more powerful when timed perfectly. Maybe one person in the relationship recognizes the other needs a break due to pressures at work, plans a weekend getaway, and tells her about it when she comes home in tears after a difficult day at work.

4. Show effort. Make sure your characters put effort into their romantic gestures. Whether researching the perfect gift or planning a special evening, the more effort they put in, the more meaningful the gesture will be. This doesn’t mean it all goes perfectly. Their plans could fail or something could get in the way (conflict.)

5. Add a touch of surprise. Romantic gestures are even more powerful when they come as a surprise. Make sure your characters are creative in their approach and catch their partner off guard.

6. It’s not a bad idea to take the romantic gestures you are writing about and plug them into your relationship. Sometimes we get so wrapped up with our characters we forget about the real people that live in our world (my advice to myself. I am sure you are the perfect mate.)

Set the stage when writing your romantic gestures:

• Make sure the dialogue between the couple matches the scene.

• Use descriptive language to express feelings.

• Develop  full characters to create realistic relationships. You need this to develop unique gestures.

• Craft tender moments between your characters.

• Explore sensual scenes to build intimacy. All these gestures need to lead somewhere.

• Create emotional connection through conflict. A romance story where everything is perfect is boring.

• Finalize Your Romance Novel with a Grand Gesture if it fits your characters and your story. This is the make-it-or-break moment. The hero or heroine displays how far they’ve come; It should show them doing something they would never have done at beginning of the story. To make this work, it has to be believable and sincere. It has to be surprising. If it’s a foregone conclusion, then you need another grand gesture. The best grand gesture is of high value and involves some sacrifice, usually making the hero’s and heroine face their fears. By facing their biggest fear, they are sacrificing their own desires. This also works well if the hero and heroine have opposing goals. The grand gesture should be satisfying. Mirroring an event from earlier in a story gives closure. Readers search for meaning, and this technique is one way to provide this.

One of the best compliments you can receive from a reader is when they write, “This book made me cry. I cried when they broke up and I cried with happiness when they got back together at the end.”