“Conflict and tension are both oh-so-necessary in a romance.”

Yes. Like I said, I need to go reread Leigh Michael’s. Lots of good stuff on setting up romantic tension (not just sexual tension) and how to make it work.

“Methinks you need to come at this from a totally different perspective. You’re not having fun with this anymore, are you? It seems you’re trying to overthink everything.”

I think I just hit an attention span wall too. I am likely over analyzing everything, but that doesn’t usually pull me to a frustrated stand still. That’s more like an “oooh, shiny!” pulling away and forgetting where I was.

I’ve actually been happily futzing with adding needed layers to my NaNo project from last fall. I’ve been working on the edits Bria suggested and playing her Random Page Editing game. So far I’ve added two pages to my total count, which doesn’t seem like a lot, but I’ve been really looking at what I’m putting down and searching for scene themed words and digging for emotion and tension. Oh, I still need to go back and fill in his storyline, but I think I needed a break from first drafting and let the IE play a little. Lord knows I’ve got enough talking head sequences that need grounded still.

Your questions are likely very relevant. I think there’s something to it. I definitely avoid conflict and confrontation if possible in real life.

The character in my other wip is very shy and very not liking to face confrontations or conflict either. Somehow, I made that work for her. I just need to figure out the hero’s role in it and what about him changes so that she can accept him. That’s next on my drawing board.

You’re early covering as many bases as my DH: music, art, and writing! You go, girl! I think we’re going to be up LA way again around Aug 8th to 10th. Something about Siggraph, I think. Maybe we can get together on the way up or back or something. I’ll drop you an email.

Think of your favorite daydream, whether it has to do with this story or another story, or none of them. And hey, the more unlikely, scandalous and embarrassing, the better.

Then write it, just as it appears in your head. No overthinking, no planning, just writing.

If that suggestion doesn’t work for you, how about thinking of one of your favorite scenes in your current or NaNo WIP? The scene should be of a sonic boom kind of excitement, something that really gets your blood pumping, the kind where your hands get all clammy and your fingers are sticking to the keys. Not because it’s a sex scene, but because you’re just SO in to what’s happening.

Then write that scene. Just that scene. Not the SAME scene, but with new elements and ideas you might have been hesitant to write before.

Create huge, insurmountable problems for your characters, problems and situations you, as the writer, have no fricken clue how to solve. (Worry about that later. This is just for fun, remember.)

I dare you, woman.

Is there some way in your life that you have the hero all figured out and the heroine ends up upside-down? Do you end up avoiding conflict IRL?

Of course I don’t expect answers! My lumpy first draft is still awaiting an edit because I realized I liked all my characters EXCEPT my heroine. I have a sneaking suspicion that until I improve my self-esteem, my main characters will all be disagreeable to me. LOL!