Wednesday, November 08, 2006

First Kiss

I discovered tonight that one of the reasons I can't write at my parents' is it makes me uncomfortable to be thinking erotic thoughts while my mom is in the other room. She laughed at me but really I couldn't do it. There is a lot more to my wip than sex but right now that’s what the characters and I are dealing with. And that’s something I just don’t want to be thinking about at my parents’ house. Yeah, I know where I came from and what a wonderful night that was for them but some things are better left undiscussed. And for the record, I feel slightly weird writing those scenes with anyone else in the room.

Then Mom asked me about writing kisses. She’s going great guns on her NaNoWriMo entry. The love scenes are slowing her up, so I guess I’m not the only one with the squee factor. She wrote, "They kissed passionately, ardently." And I said, "Show that". Which is where it got weird. She wanted examples. I wouldn't give her any. I suggested she do some reading, perhaps ask herself questions. How did it feel, physically and emotionally? What did they taste like? What physiological response did the characters have to said kisses? Did they want more, less? Did the kisses drive all other thoughts out of their minds?

I've been thinking about kisses for awhile. They are so huge both in real life and fiction. The first one has to be almost perfect. And if it's not, in fiction there better be something that makes the hero and heroine try it again. Every kiss means something. The first kiss, a kiss of anticipation and anxiety can taste like fear, or panic, even be over-eager, too worried about making a good impression to actually do so. Or the lead up that draws out the moment; breath mingling as mouths slowly come together, feather light touch of lips. Kisses can say so much.

So, Mom, I’m sorry I wasn’t forthcoming last night. This blog is an attempt to make it up to you. Just don’t read it while I’m in the room.

Here’s an example of a first kiss from Heaven Coming Down. Not a lot of description, mostly introspection but I think it sets up the situation between the hero and heroine. In the end, it is their kiss that saves the world so the first kiss needs to hint at that, even though poor Ki-ennu has no idea what he’s gotten into.

He could only think of one way to stop her from speaking.

Ki-ennu tightened his fingers in Gabriela’s braid, pulled her in close, and kissed her.

Her lips were smooth and sweet like the tender inside of a freshly peeled orange. He should have guessed that her tough exterior and acidic tongue would harbor such gentleness. Nothing with Gabriela was as it initially appeared.

Her hands came up to grasp his forearms, whether to push him away or draw him closer was unclear. Gabriela moaned.

The sound changed the tone of the kiss. Flipped a switch inside him as emotion took over from practicality. What had started as a way to prevent her from repeating the spell shifted to relief.

She could have died.
If her grip on the tree trunk had slipped, Gabriela would have fallen, impaled on a tree branch. It would have been an excruciating death. Her loss would be devastating, not only to the Quest, but to himself.
Ki-ennu pulled her in closer, tightened his grip as his tongue sought to banish the taste of fear from them both. He would shield her from harm, use his own body to keep Pzuzu at bay.
Her hands slid up his arms in a caress. Her mouth opened and Ki-ennu felt the kiss change again.
Gabriela pressed herself into him. She wound her arms around his waist, hooked her leg over his calf. She did not cling, nor devour, but met him head on, an equal exchange of passion and energy.
It was a kiss unlike any other.
With a woman unlike any other.
If this was how humans kissed, no wonder Inanna had been willing to forgo her throne for one. His mother’s sacrifices to be with a human suddenly made more sense.
Another moan, only this one came from him.
Stunned at the display of emotion she wrung from him, Ki-ennu wrenched himself free.


9 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:52 PM

    Your description of that kiss makes me think I need to take a cold shower ;-)

    Lemme tell ya, my first kiss sure wasn't that good! I think his name was Kurt (gimme a break, it was 25 years ago!) and his style constituted smushing my lips with as much force as I would use when cleaning a stubbornly dirty pot!

    That being said, luckily I have had some much nicer ones since. (wink wink nudge nudge you know what I mean?)

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  2. That is great Sheryl. Do you really expect me to write like that, with your father looking over my shoulder?

    Today I asked for his advice on a scene and in it the hero and heroine are kissing. All of a sudden I got really shy about him reading it. I don't know why. It must be your fault.

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  3. Ooh la la! The squee factor, I like that. But why is it that those you are closest to you make the idea the most uncomfortable? Some psychological thing there.

    okay gotta use this one ...

    wearag. Wear a G(string)

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  4. Whoo!
    busily fanning myself

    Mary

    ekzeedr - what zeedr's mother said upon reading her latest scene

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  5. OH - I am unpublished, no contract. But glad you like the excerpts.

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  6. Wow. Just Wow.

    Writing love scenes with family in the room. Try writing with teenage boys walking up behind you saying what are you working on? I can minimize that screen fast, I tell you.

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  7. Haha, so true rssasrb. I have seven people in my house and my two younger siblings are very curious people.
    Ironic that whenever the time comes for a kiss to pop up in the story, my brother pops up also "Wha'cha doin?"
    I love minimizing boxes.

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  8. Anonymous6:48 AM

    Great post. I'm going to be entering the Just Kiss Already Blogfest on Feb 14th and I loved your comments about writing the kiss scene. :O)

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  9. Anonymous12:41 PM

    plz write a publish a book i want to know what happens!!!

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