This editor admits to not being a fan of most romantic subplots. They often feel like distractions from the main plot or afterthoughts added as fan service. But if you feel you must…
In a post on the Script Lab, Kathleen Laccinole offers advice for writing romantic scenes that aren’t cringeworthy. First, Laccinole defines her terms. Romance scenes are about emotions, and love scenes are about sex. One may lead to the next, but they are distinct.
“If you are jaded and bitter like me, and your romantic boat has long since sailed…then caught fire and sunk, writing a romantic scene is akin to sticking needles in your eyes,” Laccinole writes. [We like her already.] In these cases, it might help to consider a time when you were less bitter. When did romance work for you? If it never did, ask your friends. Most people have a story. It might even include their current SO.
Second, Laccinole asks you to avoid clichés and melodrama. Yes, please. Use some restraint. ‘Have you ever noticed how watching characters not touch but almost touch can be more emotionally provocative to an audience than watching them actually full-on make out?” she asks. “Make use of the quiet moments; the silences, the stillness, the spaces between the words that say so much more. Allow the feelings and the attraction to be in the implication.” If you really want to drive your audience crazy, delay the kiss. Hold back until your characters can’t stand it anymore.
Finally, Laccinole suggests you try some subtext. “We know how our romantic interests feel about each other. But they aren’t ready to admit it. So, they talk about something, anything, but how they really feel,” she explains.
