Musings on Writing Romance: So Much More Than Just Plot & Pacing
I donāt think thereās nearly enough talk about the extra challenges that come with being a romance writer. (Well... erotic writer, in my case. Letās call it what it is.)
Like, sure. All writers deal with plot, character development, pacing, āShow, donāt tellā, all that good stuff. But romance writers have an entire extra layer to stress over.
Is it romantic enough?
Are there enough spicy scenes??
Are those scenes spicy enough???
If I donāt deliver a certain level of expected heat, will my readers flounce off for other stories dripping with blazing hot sex and poetic descriptions of passion-drenched desire?
(Heh...dripping. Sometimes literally. Because hoo boy, some stories lovingly describe copious amounts of bodily fluids.)
Waitādo I not describe enough bodily fluids??
ACK.
Are my characters tenderly gazing into each otherās eyes in a way that makes hearts flutterāor am I laying the gooey sweetness on so thick that my readers groan āGreat, now I need a toothbrush and a cringe detoxā?
There is SO MUCH TO THINK ABOUT.
Really, romance writersāespecially the spicy kindādeserve a lot more credit than we get. Weāre doing double duty out here. Just saying. š
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Synopsis:Ā Akira Kurusu has been pinning hard for his hot rival/friend Goro Akechi.Ā He doesn't know how to deal with his feelings. And his friends are sick of hearing about it. So Futaba devises a devious plan involving blackmail. Rated M for Spicy.
Akira had no idea how he ended up in front of Goroās apartment. Okay. He wasĀ blackmailed. Threatened over text by his mischievous ginger-haired friend. For a socially anxious shut-in, she was surprisingly vocal over text exchanges.Ā
Oracle (5:22 pm)Ā Ā IĀ hate to break this to you Akira.
Oracle (5:22 pm)Ā Ā But if you donāt get your ass straight out of Le Blanc this instant, I am going to leak your browsing history to Goro. This includes the following:Ā
Oracle (5:23 pm)Ā Ā āhow to confess your feelings to your hot friend and not be rejectedā,Ā āhow to know if your friend is gayā,Ā āis quoting Hegel gay?ā, āhot kinky gay bdsmā and so on.
Oracle (5:23 pm)Ā If you would like thisĀ to NOT happen head to thisĀ locationĀ and fucking confess your feelings pronto. Or ELSE!!! ((ā¬ā£ļ¹ā¢))
Akira knew this was coming. Over the last few weeks Akira had barely seen Goro. Due to their conflicting schedules and Goroās predisposition to overworking himself, Akira was currently suffering from Goro withdrawal. Goro plagued his every thought during work, school, and hangouts with his friends. And said friends were sick of his pinning. Now he was paying the price.
Akiraās hand hovered over the apartment door, torn between knocking or death because hey, he would rather be shot in the head than have his browsing history exposed to the one person he had been crushing on forever. The door handle turned before he had the chance to decide. A thoroughly surprised and alarmed Goro blinks back at him mouth agape. His work clothes peak out over a haphazardly worn hoodie.
Goro: W-what are you doing here?
Akira thinks to himself, okay be cool.
Akira: I was just taking a walk.
Goro squints suspiciously at Akira.
Goro:Ā A walk that ended up right in front of my apartment door. A location, which mind you, I did not share with you prior.
Akira curses at himself. Now he looks like some crazy fangirl.
Akira: I have a good explanation for that.
Goro crosses his arms and pins Akira with a raised eyebrow.
Goro: Do come in.
Akira: W-what? Werenāt you just about to leave?
Goro sighs and opens his apartment door wider.
Goro: My business can wait. It looks like you have a more pressing matter to divulge.
Akira involuntary swallows hard. Was it too late to back out? As if sensing Akiraās hesitation, Goro pulls Akira inside and closes the door behind them. Akira glances back at Goro. Did he deadbolt the door?
Goro: Letās take a seat.
Goro leads them to his living room couch. His apartment is well furnished just as Akira had suspected. What he did not expect was the ridiculous amount of Phoenix Ranger Featherman merch lining his bookshelf with figurines. They looked like they cost a fortune. Goro followed Akiraās line of sight. He coughs with a light blush.
Goro: A gift from fans. So Akira, to whom do I owe the pleasure for being graced by your unsolicited presence?
Akiraās mouth suddenly feels dry and he blurts out
Akira: Blackmail.
Goro studies him thoughtfully before giving Akira one of his signature Detective Prince smiles which nearly sends Akira into cardiac arrhythmia.
Goro: Oh? Well I do specialize in crime. How may I assist?
Marry me. Slay me. Step on me. Akira curses internally. Focus mind. Focus. Damn his lips look so soft and his lashes are so long. His traitorous mind was making speech a very difficult task. Goro smirks before ironing it out into a slight frown.
Goro: Your silence leads me to think that this blackmail is far more serious than I had first suspected. Perhaps we should notify the police.
Akira nearly jumps out of his seat in protest.
Akira: No, no. Itās really not THAT serious.
Akira tries to shrug nonchalantly, but instead looks like heās doing a bad impression of the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Goro taps his chin, seemingly intrigued by Akiraās skittishness. Goro leans forward and the gap between two closes significantly. He looks up at Akira with a half-lidded expression. It was getting very hard for Akira to think.
Goro: Then, do tell what it is on your mind.
Akiraās lips waver only half a second before responding.
Akira: You.
And he dives in to press his lips against the brunetās. Goroās breath hitches and his eyes widen, but there is no protest. No. Instead, he closes his eyes and kisses back hungrily. His fingers lace through Akiraās unruly raven hair and pull him closer to deepen the kiss. It was Akiraās turn to be surprised as he found Goroās tongue pressed against his lips. Akira accepts the invite with an involuntary groan. This seems to rouse something in Goro who pushes Akira down and pins him against the coach. Goroās eyes are glazed and heavy with deep wanting. Akira knew exactly where this would lead and just that thought sent shivers down his spine in anticipation. But, this was progressing way to fast. And Akira had to get a handle on the situation.
Akira: W-wait.
Goro pants, his breathing uneven.
Goro: D-did I do something wrong?
Akira shakes his head.
Akira: No, no! You did nothing wrong. I just need to figure something out.
Goro gazes down at him with mild confusion. Perspiration lightly lining the top of his brows.
Goro: What is it?
Akira bites his bottom lip.
Akira: Do you like me?
Goro rolls his eyes.
Goro: Do you think Iād be tongue deep in you if that werenāt the case?
Akira: W-well you never know!
Goro scoffs.
Goro: Any other questions to interrupt our make out session?
Akira: How are you so good at kissing? Did you have prior experience?
To this Goroās blush deepens.
Goro: Noā¦I didnāt. This was my first time. Iāve just been reading up on it.
Akira laughs as he imagines Goro pouring over literature and scouring the internet for techniques and tips for kissing. There must have also been videos.
Goro: S-stop laughing!
Akira: Sorry that was too good to resist. But yeah, for your first time that was amazing.
Goro smiles satisfyingly. Ā
Goro: Does that mean we can continue where we left off?
Akira: One more question.
Goro sighs in exasperation, but there is no malice. He gives Akira a look to elaborate.
Akira: Are we dating now?
Goro kisses the corner of Akiraās lips.
Goro: Only if you want to.
Akira: Hell yeah I want to.
Goro: So there are no more objections.
Goro snakes a few more kisses down Akiraās jawline towards his neck. His hands travel underneath Akiraās shirt tracing his well-defined torso. Akira is on cloud nine. And to think he was suffering for all these weeks and all it took was blackmail to get together with his crush. As Goro places a wet kiss over his clavicular prominence, Akira gets a thought.
Akira: Wait.
Goro groans against Akiraās shoulder.
Goro: Iām starting to think you get a rise in continually denying me of your body.
Akira: Why were you in such a rush to leave your apartment? Iāve never seen you wear that hoodie before.
Goro chuckles.
Goro: You wouldnāt believe it.
Akira: Try me.
Goro: I was blackmailed.
And it all suddenly clicks in place for Akira.
Akira: Oracle.
Goro: Oracle.
Akira: Browsing history?
Goro: Yup.
Akira: Wow. I donāt suppose yours included āhot kinky gay bdsm.ā
Goro just stared wordlessly with a raised eyebrow.
Goro: I havenāt gotten to that part of my research yet. Butā¦
Goroās eyes shine with a mischievous glint.
Goro: I do legally carry handcuffs on my person for work.
Akira: I love you.
Goro laughs.
Goro: Let me show you the depths of my love.
The evening grew older as the two explored and deepened their bond together. It wasnāt until a few hours later, Akira noticed a few new messages on his phone.
Oracle (7:36 pm)Ā Ā Did you do the deed peasant? Or shall I leak all your filth for the world to see?
Oracle (7:36 pm)Ā Ā Answer me peasant!
Oracle (7:36 pm)Ā Ā I can see your GPS location. Donāt make me tap into your mic fool.
Oracle (7:37 pm)Ā Ā JGU@*(%#(FKKK
Oracle (7:37 pm)Ā Ā Iām just going to imagine you two are having a very deep conversation.
Joker (11:21 pm)Ā Ā The deed has been done and I am thoroughly satisfied. Goro says hi btw.
Oracle (11:21 pm)Ā Ā EWWW. Freakin TMI DUDE. Tho Iām happy for you two. Too stupid and gay to realize how much you two were pinning over each other for like forever.
Joker (11:24 pm)Ā Ā Thank you Futaba, what would we have done without you?
Oracle (11:24 pm)Ā Ā Likely be suffering in pinning hell.