Thursday, November 4, 2010

Oh, happy day

A few years ago, my friend Louise Plummer wrote a book I love--THE UNLIKELY ROMANCE OF KATE BJORKMAN. It was inspired, in part, by a book called THE ROMANCE WRITERS' PHRASE BOOK. It's a collection of tags romance writers can use to (as Louise describes it) take the emotional temperature of their characters.

It's been entertaining reading. Chapter headings include "body movements," "facial expressions," "voices," and "emotions." Here are a few phrases from the sex part. Because seriously aren't we all kind of interested in the sex part?

"the kiss was like the soldering heat that joins metals"
"their lips met and she felt buffeted by the winds of a savage harmony"
"she felt blood coursing through her veins like an awakened river"

Now, I probably won't use these lines in my own writing. SADLY. But I have to say the book is a useful little resource in its own way, giving me ideas for new ways of saying old things. I'm all for that.

7 comments:

Lisa B. said...

this is good stuff. it reminds me of that one Friends episode where Phoebe and Chandler were faking each other out, attraction-wise, because Chandler and Monica were trying to hide *their* attraction/love from the world? wow, that was an awkward exposition. I am feeling the blood coursing my brain with a savage harmony sufficiently hot to join metals. Seriously.

Tiffany said...

Oh, to be a romance writer! Too bad kissing makes me laugh. Kate Bjorkman was/is one of my favorites!

Amy said...

I heart Louise Plummer - and Kate Bjorkman was my way of reading trashing romance novels as a young girl in an LDS home. Trashy it is not. But a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. :D

LucindaF said...

What are you writing, Miss Ann?! I'm blushing. I'm blushing.

Anonymous said...

This has little to do with romance writing, but something to do with Louise Plummer! I was teaching a professional development class the other day and somehow or other I mentioned my love for Utah YA authors, and this DARLING young teacher came up to me afterwards and chatted. In the course of our parting conversation, she said, "You do know my mother-in-law is Louise Plummer, don't you?" I squealed and cheered because KATIE is one of my favorite YA novels, and b/c she is mentioned by my blogger friend Ann. When she comments on your blog, I wander over to her site. And so if I don't see her before you do (hahahaha), please tell her I LOVE Erica. She is a darling! :)

Much hugs,
Renae

Donna Tagliaferri said...

wow, I never say things the way I should...I just throw my husband down and kiss him...whether he likes it or not. I should say it differently, maybe he wouldn't scrum so much.

Donna Tagliaferri said...

I didn't want to say scrum...I wanted to say squirm....I guess scrum could work too. Sometimes that's what relationships look like after a while.