Writing Romance by: Rachelle Ayala
Love is an emotion both enduring and fleeting, especially
romantic love. Falling and staying in love is fraught with rapturous joy among
desperate despair. Writing romance is a way of capturing these heightened
sensations and weaving a story that makes the reader feel like falling in love
over and over again.
Romance can range from sedate to erotic, but all romances
demand a happy or at least hopeful ending. Some romances have mild problems
with relatively well adjusted characters whereas others are full of extreme
drama with severely flawed and dysfunctional characters.
For me, romance is a thread of hope that runs through my
story and wraps it up with icing on the top. The journey to get to the happy ending
is anything but neat, and I love the push/pull of tortured love, where the path
to love is neither straight nor easy. In my stories, I raise the bar constantly
by throwing seemingly insurmountable problems in front of my hero and heroine.
Sometimes their love turns into hate, and their misery is compounded by
distrust and betrayal. The strongest love is oftentimes forged in the fire of
adversity, and forgiveness is never far behind love.
A romance is a love story with sexual tension. It may have
other subplots, mystery, suspense or historical elements, but the underlying
story is the sparring between two hearts battling desire, insecurity,
attraction and fear. I’ve written three novels, Historical Fiction, Romantic
Suspense, and Women’s Fiction with the romantic plot front and center. My
characters are well aware of their attraction, but obstacles crop up to keep
them from fully trusting and giving their hearts.
Sexual tension is central to romance, whether it is shown on
the pages, or hidden behind closed doors. A story without sex would be one of
friendship, loyalty, and devotion, but would not be romantic. I enjoy exploring
all aspects of my characters and their development. Leaving out sexual
expression would be leaving the story incomplete. Of course, there are various
ways of showing sexual tension. A lot can be implied. Even the light brushing
of fingertips can be smoldering hot if the emotions behind it are expressed.
A romance is more than just sex and attraction. I’m always
finding themes behind my stories: forgiveness, redemption, trust and hope find
their way to the happy endings. My characters might have started out flawed, or
dug themselves into a deep hole, but love changes them and enables them to
forgive and hope for a happy and fulfilled future. Ultimately, romance is
optimistic and uplifting. I love reading and writing romance because love can
make the world a better place.
Rachelle Ayala has written three romantic novels: Michal’s Window is a powerful and
emotional journey as lived through the eyes of Princess Michal, King David’s
first wife. Broken Build is a story
of redemption and healing where a man learns to love and trust the woman who
destroyed his life. Finally, Hidden Under
Her Heart is concerned with forgiveness in the face of judgment over
abortion.
Author
Bio:
Rachelle Ayala was a software engineer until she discovered
storytelling works better in fiction than real code. She has over thirty years
of writing experience and has always lived in a multi-cultural environment.
Rachelle is an active member of online critique group,
Critique Circle, and a volunteer for the World Literary Cafe. She is a very
happy woman and lives in California with her husband. She has three children
and has taught violin and made mountain dulcimers.
Visit her at: Website: http://rachelleayala.me
Blog: http://www.rachelleayala.com
or follow @AyalaRachelle on Twitter.
2 shout outs:
Hi Paula, thanks for having me on your blog! Happy Valentine's Day to you!
I can't keep up with you Woman ;b Of course, your posts/reviews/ being interviewed ect. are always great :D
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