Writing Believable Love Stories by Rhonda Frankhouser

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When I first started writing, I fancied myself a philosopher of sorts. I read books by critical thinkers like Aldous Huxley, René Descartes, and Ayn Rand. I watched movies with French subtitles and meditated to the new age, spiritual strumming of Santoo Govi. I was all about broadening my mind and creating intellectual prose that would impress even the most persnickety scholar. My dream was to - let’s say it together – write the next great American classic.

All that changed on a flight from California to Hawaii. I’d picked up a copy of Nicolas Evans’ best-seller, The Horse Whisperer, looking for a light read to pass the time. What I found was anything but light. The plot was sophisticated and unpredictable, and one of the most romantic I’d ever read.

I was converted.  

So, I laid down my feathered philosopher pen and turned my sights to romance. A jump from complicated prose to stories about real human connection would be easy, right? Ummmm, no. Romance authors are magicians who weave emotions, scents, visions, sounds, and touch into something that makes the reader actually experience love as it blooms between the characters. That is no easy task, let me tell you.

After many failed attempts, and a truck load of over-used adjectives, I stopped trying so hard to FORCE my characters to love one another. Instead of creating the cliché tall, dark, and handsome heroes, and perky, blonde heroines, I penned a list of characteristics I find intriguing. I closed my eyes and visualized the person I wanted to create. How they walked. Their ticks. How their clothes fit against their body. The way their mouth moved when they spoke. Not only the way they smelled and tasted, but how those things affected me. And this list went on and on, for each character.  Once I employed all the senses, the characters came to life and guided me through their story.

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My trick to writing believable love stories is simple. Make the characters real, and flawed. It’s more interesting, trust me. Put yourself in the mind of the character. What would make you trust, appreciate, and finally desire, a love interest. The most realistic stories have heroes and heroines who build a relationship the old-fashioned way through hard work and understanding, with a hefty dose of that undeniable chemistry we all crave.

Rhonda Frankhouser is an award-winning novelist, now living in the beautiful state of Georgia.  Follow her at www.rhondafrankhouserbooks.com.