Why Are They Attracted To Each Other?

In my last column, I wrote about the first meeting. Now that your characters have met, the first blush of attraction draws them toward each other.

Why?

Unfortunately, for the writer, it can’t be because we want them to be attracted to each other. That’s not enough. We have to develop an underlying reason for the attraction. In many romances, the first blush of attraction is their physical appearance.  That first reaction may not be enough to sustain a story, let alone a relationship. What stands out about that person that holds their interest?  

In Susan May Warren’s book How to Write a Brilliant Romance, she says, “It’s because they are at a place of Need in their life.”

They either may not know they have a need or are resisting it as a flaw. The hero or hero may not want to NEED anyone or anything because of past wounds. That they have met the person who tugs at the wall they’ve built around them makes them angry.

The writer must build in looks between the hero and heroine. What will they say to each other? Will they engage in banter to draw the other person to them? Or perhaps they’ll engage in sarcastic comments meant to drive the other person away. They could be professional, friendly, outgoing, or shy. Everything they do is based on the personality of the character you are creating.

What are they thinking? Their thoughts may be in direct conflict with what they are saying or doing. What they believe may be the opposite of what their hearts desire.

One thing neither can deny is that something is happening between them. That spark of attraction will continue to draw them together. Initially, they may blame it on having been thrown together by circumstances or another person. You are writing a romance, and even if their circumstances change, their attraction continues to tug them back together.

The attraction is the foundation from which you will build the tension that will carry them through the story. It will lead them toward having their wounds healed so they can give away their hearts.

On a personal note, here is my biggest pet peeve when it comes to the attraction scenes in some romances–the ones that make me want to throw the book across the room:  

When the heroine is otherwise a strong woman but upon one look at the hero and she can no longer think, move, talk, but simply stands there staring starstruck at the hero. Or when the hero wears a smirk and struts around as though to say “She likes me. She likes me.  I’m such a hunk she can’t help but like me.”   These types of scenes make me want to slap the hero and heroine senseless and shake the writer for crafting such a shallow scene.

Do you have a favorite or least favorite attraction scene? Will an attraction scene make you stop reading a book? If so leave them in the comments below.

Rose Gardner’s writing journey has come in two phases. The first was focused on contemporary category romance. After a break, she returned to writing contemporary heartwarming stories about love, hope, healing and the power of forgiveness. During the first phase of her writing she was a finalist in thirteen contests and won her category in seven including a 2007 RWA Golden Heart finalist in the Long Contemporary Category, and 2nd runner up in the Harlequin Super Romance Conflict of Interest Contest in 2008. More recently she won 1^st place in the Blue Seal Award for General/ Contemporary/ Romance Novels at OHCWC 2017.