BEYOND LUST

or

DEVELOPING A RELATIONSHIP THAT CAN LAST

by Charlotte Maclay

Sexual tension, characters who think about doing it constantly from the very first moment they meet, an aching groin—his or hers—are not enough to create an enduring romance novel. After the lust, then what?

We, as authors, have an obligation to create a relationship between our hero and heroine that the readers believe can last forever. In fact a friend of mine read the second book in a mini-series and was stunned to learn the couple from the first book had divorced. She couldn't handle that. Her suspension of disbelief had been kicked out the window and that, metaphorically, is what she did with the book.

The focus on lust instead of a developing a deeper relationship is one of the most frequent mistakes I see when judging unpublished contests. Fortunately it's an error that's not all that hard to fix.

Here are some elements that will deepen a relationship.

The hero is great with kids; we'd all want him to be the father of our children (assuming we don't have a perfectly good father for them now who never fails to be kind and take them to the park, coach sports, etc.).

Whether or not you are sick to death of all those 'baby' books, this element is virtually a biological imperative. A woman, fictional or real, needs to know that he'll be a great dad. (Unless she has no children and is menopausal, in which case she can let 'er rip!)

Even in the most sensual of books, such as Love Games by Mallory Rush, the hero's warm relationship with the heroine's daughter signals to the reader that he's one of the good guys.

In the case where neither heroine nor hero have any children of their own, this element is so important you often see the hero being kind to a neighbor child or consoling a lost child at the local mall.

If there are simply no children around, you can fake the same message to your readers & the heroine by having the hero be kind to dogs, cats or assorted other animals.

In For the Roses by Julie Garwood, the hero is caring, patient and loving with an abused horse. That signals to the reader and the heroine this is a good man even if he's a little domineering.

The heroine in Jennifer Crusie's Charlie all Night sees the hero caring for a puppy who is the runt of the litter--and that's her moment of revelation. The guy's not a jerk; she loves him.

The hero protects/defends heroine from her enemies.

All of the "Guardian" myths are based on the premise the hero will protect the heroine. You see this myth is almost every line, contemporary and historical. Silhouette Intimate Moments thrives on this element.

In Nora Roberts' Night Smoke, the hero is an arson investigator who is protecting the heroine's property. He literally throws his body in front of the heroine to protect her from a bomb blast. (You'll note he is also shown being a neat guy with the heroine's adolescent niece and is thus perceived as good father material.)

The hero in Justine Davis' The Morning Side of Dawn is a paraplegic. That doesn't stop him for a moment from protecting the heroine.

The hero's actions are mentally heroic; he is a truth teller and/or has integrity in spite of possible negative repercussions to his own life.

The noble Indian stories come to mind, both contemporary and historical. He is protecting his land, his people, or his traditions. Justine Davis' RITA winning Lord of the Storm is the futuristic equivalent of the noble Indian returning to his people at all costs.

In Kathleen Sage's Many Fires the hero's nobility shows through in his defense of his Black troops, the Buffalo soldiers in the post Civil War era.

And in Sandra Brown's French Silk we see the hero with a powerful sense of ethics as he struggles with his conscience, investigating a murder where the heroine may be the guilty party.

To make this work the heroine must recognize, in spite of herself, the value of the hero's integrity and what it is costing him emotionally.

The hero has the ability to have fun, or enhances the heroine's sense of fun.

Anyone who's been married more than a week knows that laughter can hold a relationship together when the going get tough.

I love to use this element in my books. The hero who is laid back and fun loving drives my straight-laced heroines crazy, and they love him for it. And, of course, the reverse can be true—the heroine teaching the hero to laugh. Susan Elizabeth Phillips has made a career out of driving both heroes and heroines crazy.

Dream Man by Linda Howard uses a darker tone but the heroine still finds the hero particularly dangerous—because he can make her laugh.

It's important to any long term relationship that the couple have some fun together. They need a respite from the tension of whatever conflict is keeping them apart. This "fun" can bring them closer and help develop a deeper intimacy.

The heroine empathizes with the hero's past, his problems, or his possible future; she senses his emotional needs and wants to fill them.

Again, in Justine Davis' The Morning Side of Dawn the heroine has the paraplegic hero figured out. She won't let him hide behind all of the defenses he's built up.

And in my Christmas story, The Littlest Angel, the heroine tries not to care that the hero was orphaned and on his own at a young age. But, of course, she does. And hopefully so do the readers.

The hero and heroine share either common interests or values, or both, often in spite of apparent or superficial differences.

Marlene Suson uses common interests in geology and dinosaurs in her historical The Scarlet Lady to bring her hero and heroine together.  Those same shared interests provide an opportunity for the couple to have fun.

Barbara McCauley in Texas Temptation uses geology and oil exploration in a contemporary setting in the same way to bring her characters together. Adding a level of emotion to the story, their shared interest is part of their past, which also pulls them apart. The Maverick Takes a Wife, I found myself writing lots of lust and wondering what on earth

In they'd have in common beyond hot sex. To solve that problem I gave them crossword puzzles in common, which then became a symbol of how alone they had both been until they met each other.

The hero intuitively understands and meets the heroine's needs, both emotionally and in a sexual way.

You're right. Now we're beginning to deal with serious fantasy!

Invariably after the first kiss, or after a love scene, you will find the heroine thinking it has never been like this before. No man has ever been so giving, so caring, so arousing. That's our fantasy, ladies. Don't forget to include it in your story.

The hero talks to the heroine, revealing more of himself than he ever has before. That makes him vulnerable.

When the hero is vulnerable, more is at stake for him if the relationship fails. She's the one who knows his secrets, his Achilles' heel.

The hero makes the heroine feel beautiful, however else she may have seen herself before; he makes her feel feminine and desirable.

The appeal of those books that start off with the heroine 8 or 9 months pregnant (in addition to the fact this is a woman's most vulnerable time and her need for a father for the child is at its peak) is that every woman who has had a child wishes her husband/lover would think of her as beautiful during her pregnancy--even when she knows darn well it's not true.

Lines such as "She looked into his eyes and for the first time saw herself as he was seeing her--desirable, feminine, a woman he wanted. And she wanted him." Damn right!

The hero admires/respects what the heroine does/is, and lets her know it, either directly or through his actions.

Whether she's a caterer, a cop or an attorney, the hero is supportive and encouraging. And that's true even when the job puts them in conflict with each other. These guys are the original affirmative action/equal opportunity advocates.

The heroine learns from others that the hero is a worthy person.

It could be his friends or family members or a 'mentor' character, but our heroine finds out she's not the only one who thinks this guy is pretty terrific.

In terms of personality or emotional strength (not in a materialistic way), the hero/heroine provides what is lacking in the other.

We often reflect during love scenes that our couples fit together like two pieces of a puzzle; we need to communicate that in the emotional relationship, too.

The hero must be able to support the heroine financially.

I'm not being anti-feminist here. The hero simply has to be a contributing member of society. Millionaires are nice (I'm particularly fond of that fantasy) but if he's a successful mechanic, grocer, truck driver, that works, too. The key is successful, or with the potential and drive to be successful in his field.

The hero puts the heroine first and is willing to sacrifice something important for her.

One of the most romantic short stories ever was the O'Henry tale of a husband who decides to sell his precious watch to buy his wife a hair brush, and meanwhile, she has cut off her long hair to sell so she can buy him a watch chain.

We need to create that same sense of self-sacrifice in our stories as well.

A warning: While all of these elements lend themselves to one or more scenes, they don't have to all be in every story. Nor can you simply throw one or two in just for the fun of it.

Every element in your story must be integrated and evolve from the characters and plot.

But keep in mind your readers what to believe this relationship you've created will last forever. Give them good reasons to keep the faith--and your book.

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