Conflict Vs. Tension - A Guest Post by Melissa Tagg!

Friends, I am SO excited to be hosting the fabulous Melissa Tagg on the Alley today! She is a dear friend of mine and such a talented writer. If you haven't already read her new book, From the Start, be sure to pick up a copy... I know you'll love her writing as much as you'll love her! -- Ashley

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Hi, guys! It’s so fun to be back at the Writer’s Alley. Thanks bunches for having me.

So, recently a couple writer friends played superhero to my damsel in writing-distress. I’m in the final stretch of rewrites before my late-June deadline. And for weeks, I’ve had this pit in my stomach that something was wrong with my story. I thought it was just the meet-cute—you know, that point where the hero and heroine meet. It wasn’t, well, cute enough, I guess.

So I sent out a SOS to some of the coolest writers I know and had the immense blessing of spending some valuable Google Hangout time with Rachel Hauck and Beth Vogt. They asked all the right questions…got me to the point of admitting the problem with my story wasn’t just the meet-cute but, ahem, kinda the whole story. And by then end of the Hangout, I’d decided to remove one rather massive thread from my story.

I’m hopeful my editor has fully recovered from the shock of the news…but perhaps only time will tell. J (Actually, honestly, both my editors were hugely gracious about my “plot schizophrenia” and even helped me dig to make sure all the story pieces are in place as I make the change. So it’s all good. And I’ll still make the deadline!)

But I bring up all this as a looong way of introducing what I’d like to talk about in this post: Conflict vs. Tension

If you’d asked me a few years ago to describe conflict or tension in a story, I might’ve given the same definition for both. They feel similar on a surface level.

But they’re actually two very different things. At least in my head. I’ve come to define them this way:

Conflict: The stuff that happens in the story. The obstacles. The disappointments. The problems.

Tension: The taut feelings that happen in the story. The push and pull, the strain, that sense of being torn.

In the original version of the story I’m currently working on, I made the mistake—as I think we novelists often do—of thinking my hero needed more conflict. More to do. More in his way. Because the story felt a little too light. So I threw an extra story thread at him.

And it backfired. You know why? Because in filling the pages with one more conflict, I robbed myself of space for tension. Internal tension. Romantic tension. Spiritual tension.

In removing that thread and replacing it with something a little more logical and a little less complicated, I’m giving my guy—Logan Walker is his name and I love him!—more time on the page to develop and deepen as a character.

Don’t get me wrong. We NEED conflict in our books. We need obstacles and challenges and disappointments. We need to throw crappy stuff at our characters and see how they deal with it all.

But the best stories aren’t just rife with outward conflict…they’re hefty with a depth that comes from internal tension. The tension that forms from a fear of failure. Or a romance that can’t possibly work. Or the push and pull of conflicting values or goals. Tension is a little harder to pinpoint, it takes a little more finesse to craft…but when it’s there, it’s THERE.

I think of conflict as something that widens a story…and tension as the thing that deepens the story. And I think the best story tension grows where a character’s greatest dream collides with his greatest fear.

And here’s where I take a turn for the spiritual. I think sometimes I approach my life as a series of goals to meet and conflicts to work through and chapters to complete and story threads to add. I let life get wide—possibly wider than it should be—and my faith becomes like a subplot that hobbles along, not fully developed, trying to exist alongside everything else…  

And what I really want? What I really crave? A life that’s deep. A life where I’ve got space to develop into the person I want to be…instead of a character who just hurries from one chapter to the next, juggling too many story threads.

I want to recognize the threads that aren’t working and take the time to get untangled.

I want to find that tension-filled place where my dreams and fears meet up…and see what God will do when I let him deepen the story of my life.

Melissa Tagg is a former reporter, current nonprofit grant writer and total Iowa girl. She writes romantic comedy for Bethany House, and is also the marketing/events coordinator for My Book Therapy, a craft and coaching community for writers. When she’s not writing, she can be found hanging out with the coolest family ever, watching old movies, and daydreaming about her next book. Her latest book is From the Start, the first in her new Walker family series. Check out the FREE enovella prequel, Three Little Words. Connect with Melissa at www.melissatagg.com, Facebook, Twitter (@Melissa_Tagg) or Instagram (melissatagg).

Equall-Yoked POVs

I have about three or four books half-read at any time. I usually read the first few chapters, then get distracted by my crazy life or the inspiration to continue on my wip. Usually, I have at least read enough of each novel to know whose pov will be used. And since I read mostly romance novels, the typical povs used in one novel are the hero's and the heroine's.

One of the recent books in my reading list began in the perspective of the hero. It was intriguing, mysterious, unusual, and top-notch.

And then enters the heroine.

While she had some significant issues, the craft that shone in the hero's perspective was lacking in her's. I couldn't believe that the two povs were even written by the same person. Perhaps, I should read further and get comfortable with the heroine, but once I got back to the hero's pov, I sighed relief because it was interesting again!

So, after talking with my fellow Alley Cats, I think I have a grip on what makes alternating povs successful.

At first, I thought, well, maybe the reason I had such a hard time reading the above book was because the author went from “showing” the hero's situation, feelings, stakes, to using a LOT of telling with the heroine. But the Alley Cats talked about books they have read where the author was successful in this way, and come to think of it, I have read a few that use telling as part of the “voice” of a character.

So then, I thought about the stakes. Perhaps, each character should have the same intensity of what's at stake. If life is on the edge for one character, then it should be on the edge for the other. But that doesn't really work in real life or fiction.

Maybe it was voice. Maybe the voices of each character were too different, too simplistic for one and too complex for the other. But just the thought of that stirred my creative juices and I want to tackle that idea at some point in my own writing!

I kept trying to put my finger on it, wondering why I had such an issue with these unequally yolked povs. Every point I thought about, had some sort of exception. And as I sat down to write this post, it finally hit me...Whether you “show” with one character, and “tell” with the other, whether one character is in a “life” threatening situation, and the other is sitting by enjoying life, whether one character is a man and the other a woman, there is something very important needed when writing two different point-of-views:

CONSISTENT CRAFT

Each pov in a book must be as well-written as the other. It's as simple as that. If you don't have it in you to write a character well, if you feel like you are much more inspired by one character over the other, then seriously think about nixing that pov...or spicing up that character so that you care to write him/her!

Search for a distinct voice for each character, but make sure you mold and shape each person to be unique, endearing, entertaining, and well-written!

Consistent Craft vs. Inconsistent Craft would be:

• Fine-tuning voice in each character vs. giving a generic voice to the character you're not as thrilled to write about.

• Ramping the tension in one pov, then flat-lining with the next character. Even if a character isn't going through tragedy, use power words, make even the every day situation intriguing to bridge the gap between the characters until they are woven together in the plot.

• Language differences: Using power words, tight writing, good dialogue with one pov, then sprinkling adverbs, boring sentence structure, simplistic dialogue in your next pov. This is particularly tricky in historical and dialect of certain countries...for some reason we want to use adverbs for historical writing...it just seems...more proper, doesn't it? Something I am working on!

Final tips on Point Of Views:

Write each character's pov as if they are their own story, not as if one is assisting the other. Use the different perspectives to move toward the main plot-line of the book, to ramp up the tension toward the point of character collision or the characters' a-ha moment together.

Finally, two POVs are only powerful when they are both consistent in moving the story forward.

Thanks, Alley Cats, for helping me sort through these thoughts on POV. I am by no means an expert, so I would love to open the discussion to our readers and see if anyone else has tips or insight also!
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Angie Dicken first began writing fiction as a creative outlet during the monotonous days of diapers and temper tantrums. She is passionate to impress God's love on women regardless of their background or belief. This desire serves as a catalyst for Angie's fiction, which weaves salvation and grace themes across cultures. She is an ACFW member and CEO of a family of six.

 

The Four Types of Dramatic Tension - Part One

 What is the number one rule of writing? Simply this:

Don’t bore the reader.

We all dream of writing novels that readers can’t put down. Stories so engrossing they cause people to run into stationary objects while flipping pages; plots so compelling that perfectly sensible adults will sacrifice sleep in order to read “just one more chapter”, even if it means falling asleep on their desk at work.

But how? Donald Maass, author of “Writing the Breakout Novel”, advises writers to inject tension on every page.

Easy if you write action thrillers, right?

Before all you romance-writers out there start to panic, hear this: “tension” doesn’t necessarily mean car chases, shoot-outs or even scenes where characters yell at each other. EVERY genre needs to be imbued with tension, even if it’s a quiet tension that crackles off the page.

In a former life, I used to teach drama to high-school students. In this role I learned there are four main types of tension used to engage an audience:

1. The tension of relationships

2. The tension of the task

3. The tension of surprise

4. The tension of mystery

I found this exciting because it applies so beautifully to writing, and it made me aware of a whole arsenal of tension-producing tools that I never consciously knew existed.

The secret is to vary your use of the different types of tension, because too much of any one thing becomes predictable and the tension is lost. (Anyone else ever fallen asleep in an action movie after the sixth car chase…?)

The other trick is to layer the types of tension one on top of the other to create the most compelling story possible.

To illustrate how one successful author has layered the four types of tension throughout her story, we’ll look at the bestselling novel The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Today we’ll begin with the first type of dramatic tension:

1.              The tension of relationships

This is a staple of romance and women’s fiction. Interpersonal conflict comes in so many shapes and forms that the possibilities really are endless. A good, meaty novel will contain layers of relationship conflicts – the heroine with the hero, with her mother, with the antagonist, with her children...

Of course, as mentioned earlier, this doesn’t mean you need to pen a string of shouting matches or have your protagonist argue with everyone she encounters. Once more, VARIETY is key, and often quiet tension is the most powerful and effective.

Let’s have a look at how Kathryn Stockett does this in The Help. There are a multitude of interpersonal conflicts in this book.

 -       Mother/daughter: Protagonist Skeeter wants to be a writer, but her mother is only interested in “fixing” her appearance and marrying her off. Added to this, her mother has cancer, so every negative emotion Skeeter feels is tinged with guilt.

-       Girl/guy: A reluctant dater, Skeeter eventually falls for a young man only to discover that his ideological views run totally contrary to hers.

-       Between friends: Skeeter disagrees with her friends’ treatment of their black maids, a stance which causes escalating conflict throughout the book.

-       Between an individual and a social group: Celia Foote struggles to gain acceptance into the local women’s clique, but is ostracised by all.

-       Between maids and their employers: Minny, a black maid, is fired by her white employer for using the indoor bathroom. Another maid, Aibileen, struggles with the harsh way her employer treats her daughter, Mae Mobly.

The tension of relationships is often shown through dialogue between characters, but also through subtext (the unspoken undercurrents beneath the dialogue – the things the characters DON’T say) and through snippets of internal monologue.

For my next blog post, I’ll be discussing the remaining three types of tension. Don’t forget to tune in to learn about the tension of the task, the tension of surprise and the tension of mystery!

Let’s talk: Does your WIP have tension on every page? How conscious are you of delineating between different types of conflict in your writing? Do share!


Images courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Karen Schravemade lives in Australia. When she's not chasing after two small boys, she spends her spare minutes daydreaming about the intricate lives of characters who don't actually exist. Find her on her website, on Twitter or getting creative over at her mummy blog.

Castle Lessons: Irresistible

Sherrinda and I were watching Castle together on Monday night. Me in Tennessee, she in Texas. The together part was via Twitter.

There is just something about a show about a writer doing his research on a level the rest of us writers could only dream of, coupled with mystery and a bit of romance, that makes it irresistable.

And that's the key, isn't it. A show, or for us novelists, our books, should be irresistable. SO much so that people want to tweet it, talk about it, come back next time (next chapter or next book) for more.

But what is irresistible to one reader could be drab and boring to others. I'm sure there are many that roll their eyes at Castle and turn the channel. (crazy people...)

At least to Sherrinda and I, some of their prime audience members, they have succeeded.

So who do WE write irresistable fiction?

Here's the thing: There is no magic formula!

No one can really predict for sure how well a book will do. That's why you hear stories of famous authors getting a billion and one rejections before some obscure agent takes them on and they go on to make millions when the book goes viral.

Even though no abracadabra exists, here are some elements (Castle-Style) that can help in your quest to put pizazz in your work in progress that will help keep readers glued to your book and giddy at the thought of your next new release.

Tight Tension - Tension is what keeps readers/watchers biting their nails and holding their breath. It's when Castle watches Kate's current boyfriend kiss her, or when a case seems to be spiraling out of control and every lead ends up in a dead end, and time is ticking before the killer strikes again. Gotta have some good tension!


Colossal Conflict - Regardless of you genre, you need a killer main conflict. A mamsy-pansy one will NOT do. I write contemporary romance... which many thing of as having tamer plots, but I still try to up the ante and put a little kick in my main conflict.

Subtle Subplots - Subplots swirl with their own sets of conflict that feed into the main conflict. Done right, they don't create unneeded rabbit trails but actually up the irresistible-factor and create depth. A good example is Castle's mother and daughter issues that are constantly going on. While they aren't vital to the main crime, make Castle realistic and ground him in reality. They help us know his background, his backstory, and make him a deeper character with roots.

Rugged Romance  - Some may disagree with me on this point. And really, it IS a bit of a preference (and in my genre, an obviously requirement.) But I have this saying that goes, "Romance makes every book a little bit better." While romance is a genre in itself, it is also able to be incorporated in all genres, even if it is just a hint. This doesn't have to be a main plot, but a little romantic tension is never a bad thing in a novel!

Murderous Mystery - Another genre of its own, I know. And Castle himself is a mystery writer, and crime shows and novels have an required mystery element. But all books can be enhanced by an element of keeping-your-reader/watcher-guessing. It's a comment complaint I hear among readers, is that they finish the first chapter and know exactly what's going to happen in the book. Keep a few cards in your back-pocket for later.

Discussion: Name an author (or more!) that you think writes irresistable fiction... and why!

I'll start:

The below is a list of my fav authors that I keep an eye out on their next new releases with eager anticipation. (this is not all inclusive... but just a few examples, as I have a LOT of favorite authors!)

• Tamera Leigh (I've teased her that I MIGHT camp out at the bookstore the night before her release day wearing my TAMERA LEIGH FAN CLUB T-shirt--I don't really have one of those but wish I did!)

• Deeanne Gist (Love on the Line is on my short-list to get next!) 

• Jody Hedlund (WRITE FASTER, Jody... this once a year thing is killing me... although you homeschool 5 kids, so I understand...)

• Jenny B Jones (Save the Date was one of my FAVORITE contemp romances of all time!) 

• Francine Rivers (who needs NO introduction!)
  

Self-Editing Checklist: Conflict and Tension

"Cinderella woke up one day and decided she wanted to be a princess. So she went to the prince's ball, danced with him, and fell in love. And they all lived happily ever after."

Errr, back it up a minute. What's wrong with this picture? Maybe a lack of conflict?

Can you imagine what the story of Cinderella would be without a wicked stepmother who makes Cinderella scrub and clean until her knees are bare? And who can forget about the evil stepsisters who taunt her whenever they can? Oh, and let's not forget about the lost shoe. I mean, what girl wouldn't be traumatized after that whole ordeal?

Without conflict and tension in our stories, there's no reason to come alongside the characters, to cheer them on to victory, to laugh and cry when they finally fall in love and live happily ever after.

Simply put, without conflict and tension, there is no story.

So now that we've analyzed our scenes until our eyes are blurred (If you're not seeing fuzzy lines yet, read the rest of this series here), we want to take a step back and look at the overarching conflict. Specifically, we want to look at the following components.

1) Does every scene (or even every page) contain enough conflict to move the story forward? It might be internal conflict or external conflict, but either way, there should be no stagnant scenes.

2) Have I embedded conflict that fits within the story, or does it feel contrived? This is a toughie to gauge for yourself and it's where a really good critique partner can come in handy. But if you notice a tension point that feels out of place, you should probably listen to your gut.

3) Have I varied the forms of tension? It might manifest itself through body language, interior monologue, dialogue, setting, viscerals...basically all the devices we've covered in this series. Make sure you're not relying on the same one or two forms of tension. The greater variety the better.

Your homework, should you choose to accept it: Scan each page of your scene or manuscript and mark the points where conflict comes into play. Analyze the device you've used to portray it, and make sure it's natural to the story while also providing variety for the reader.

Can you think of a classic story and rewrite it without tension, the way I did with Cinderella? Do you have any rule of thumb when it comes to conflict and tension in your stories?

This post is part of the Self-Editing Checklist series. To read the rest of the series, click here.

*Arrows photo by Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Get in Late, Leave Early!

Rachel Hauck once said…”Get in late and leave early.”

So much subtext in that one little phrase that I immediately stopped and wrote it down. What GOLD was in that phrase and it has changed forevermore how I write.

When you are told to get in LATE and leave EARLY you suddenly realize how much isn’t needed in your fiction. Why have your hero standing at the door of his home thinking if he should propose to the heroine—have the scene start at her door.

Benefits of getting in late?

INSTANT TENSION.

If you start the scene, it’s like coming into the middle of a conversation and if intriguing enough, your reader is going to want to find out what is happening. There is DRAMA in arriving late to the party.

Think of it this way: you are running late and burst into the plaza just as the bride and groom are pronounced man and wife. You are the maid of honor.

Oops.

That scene would not have had the power or the potential for a great deal more conflict if we had started back with the maid of honor in her car, buried in traffic five miles long. We don’t need the backstory to APPRECIATE the tension.

What about leaving early? No one wants to leave a fun party early. No one wants to walk off the dance floor in the middle of their favorite song as they stand in the arms of their hero. And if you did leave at that moment, it would be cutting the moment short. The same is true for your reader, lost within the pages of your book

Again, there would be tension, but ALSO there would a hook.

We all want to keep our readers reading. Whether at the end of paragraph break or at the end of a chapter, we want to keep the readers flipping pages. It is so important to keep them going through the story as Sherrinda pointed out earlier this week.

When you leave the moment early, you are giving your reader an incentive to keep going to find out when that thread is going to be picked up again.

Another place where get in late, leave early has benefited me is tightness and word count. When your story is viewed through the blinders of this one little phrase you will start to realize that much of your beginning scenes are merely SETUP. Driving, primping, internal exposition, rehashing past scenes, all the little “filler” scenes we put in because we think are needed are not necessary.

So the next time you pull up your document and look at each of your scenes, think of this: can I get in later? Can I move the entrance of my character farther into the moment so it is more dramatic, grabs more attention, adds deeper tension?

And can you leave early? End an argument by walking out, end a scene, chapter, whatever at the moment least expected. Have your character say a zinger of a line and then CUT. Stop. Leave the scene and you’ve got a hooked reader.

Keys to performing these methods would include: cut a lot of the internal exposition that rehashes what happened before, include more action, more dialogue, let your character speak through their actions—and save those moments of introspection for a later, more appropriate time.

Just thinking in “getting in late, leaving early” will completely change how you write and how you edit. You can always go tighter.

Always.

Are your brain cells not just churning now? Thank you Rachel Hauck! J

It's All About the Kiss

Let's start today with a prayer. "Dear Lord, please don't let my grandma find this post and read it. Amen."

Now let's move on to the topic at hand. For the last week and a half here on The Alley, we've been talking about our favorite romances and what we love about them. Well, when I think about what I love in a good romance, four things come to mind.

Humor, snappy dialogue, compelling plot, and good kissing.

Oh come on, don't give me a hard time for that last one. You can't tell me you read a romance for the intergalactic time capsules and alien abductions.

When we follow the journey of two people falling in love, we want to see a little lip-locking, doggoneit. We want to see a kiss that sizzles through the pages, that evokes passion. (Can I get an "amen", Julie Lessman?)

So I thought it'd be fun to look at two of my favorite romances and analyze the kisses. Ahem, I meant analyze the writing of the kisses, not the kisses themselves.

First up, Plain Jayne by Hillary Manton Lodge.

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I slung my laptop bag over my shoulder. "I should go."

"Jayne--"

Levi reached for my arm. The feel of his hand stopped me in my tracks. "Everything will be all right," he said, and with the utmost care he caught one of my tears with his finger.

And then, as far as I can tell, I kissed him.

On the lips.

It was just a little kiss, more like a brush. At least it started that way. It started as the tiniest nothing, but Levi wrapped his arm around my shoulder and the kiss deepened. I responded; he tasted like cookies and cream and smelled like cedar. My hands dug into his hair.

This is nice, I thought. I had stopped crying, focusing my attention on Levi and that moment until a single thought entered my consciousness.

Shane.

I stepped back, ending the kiss and disentangling myself from Levi's inviting hold.

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Three things I love about this kiss:

(1) It's unplanned. We can feel Jayne's surprise as she kisses Levi and then her rationalization as the kiss continues.

(2) Use of the senses. Jayne and Levi have just gone out for ice cream, thus the cookies and cream reference. Don't you LOVE that? And he smells like cedar. Good stuff!

(3) Conflict that ends the kiss. I love how Hillary takes us through Jayne's thought process, how much she loves the kiss and then *bam*, she remembers her boyfriend Shane. Um, yeah, talk about some emotional conflict.

Whew, let's take a short breather after that one. You're gonna need it before you read the next. Okay, ready?

The next one comes from Stealing Adda by Tamara Leigh.

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His face is once more singular, and a crooked smile is in place that makes him look surprisingly boyish. "Perhaps not 'strictly business,'" he murmurs.

Does he mean what I think he means? Holding my breath and his gaze, I feel his hand leave my shoulder and trail my collarbone to the base of my throat. Though my lungs urge me to splurge on a refill, I'm too afraid of losing the moment. Air or no air, it's perfect just the way it is.

Though his gaze has yet to flicker, his head lowers toward me and I feel his breath on my lips. I part them and, in doing so, sip air enough to sustain me through what's sure to be the kiss of a lifetime.

Nick doesn't disappoint, though he surprises. Rather than demanding, his mouth lightly covers mine as though to test it, and he doesn't press me to the floor.

With a murmur, I curve a hand around his neck to draw him nearer. He deepens the kiss, the intensity of which causes me to startle. And my foot to strike the credenza. A moment later, the remaining books topple.

Leave it to Adda...

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Whoa, mamasita! Are you breathing right now? 'Cause I'm sure not. I should clarify for Grandma's sake that the comment about the floor is because they took a tumble prior to this clip. (So don't tsk tsk, Grandma, okay?)

Here's what I love about this kiss. Tamara gives physical details that put us in Adda's skin...his hand trailing from her shoulder, along her collarbone, to the base of her throat. She could have just said, "He moves his hand to my neck." But no, she takes it one step at a time to make us feel the agony and tension right along with Adda. (I wish I could show you all the tension buildup before this clip because Tamara masterfully builds it throughout the entire chapter.)

Then after his hand shift, Tamara punches it up even more by making us feel Adda's tight lungs. And the kiss hasn't even happened yet! By the time they do lock lips, we're dying for it to happen, and it delivers the passion we expected.

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So what does all this kiss talk mean for you as a writer? It means you need to study the books you love, analyze them to find the triggers that put you in the characters' skin, and don't be afraid to make the reader feel the romantic tension. They'll thank you for it!

Do you have a favorite kiss from a novel or a movie? What made it memorable?

*Kiss photo by Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Romancing the Blog - The *S* word

Yes.

We are talking about sex on the writer's alley today.

Any questions?

No, no, no, not like technical, high school health question stuff. (You can all say a big *phew* here!)

How about this question: How do we, as Christian writers, deal with sex in our novels?

I think we can all agree that a fictional detailed version of the actual act is a no-no. We can also, I presume, agree on the fact that the condoning of the act outside of marriage is a no-no too.

What we can, and should have, in our novels is this:

Sexual Tension.

For fun, I looked on the oh-so-reliable Wikipedia for a definition. (No, I did not Google it for obvious reasons!)

Here is what I found:

Sexual tension is a social phenomenon that occurs when two people interact and one or both feel sexual desire, but the consummation is postponed or never happens.

It is a common feature of plot and characterization in works of fiction. This longing is often suggested by incidents of intimacy; for instance, when two people or characters are alone, are physically close, but desire is never explicitly expressed.

I LOVE this definition... it even mentions fiction novels! How about that! And for the Christian novel, where our characters, for the most part, are waiting until marriage to "consummate," this type of tension is normal and needed.

Without this tension, there is no romance.

Now, don't get me wrong. Romantic love isn't all about sex. But it is a part of it. And if the tension is absent from your romance novel, readers will be able to tell, and most won't like it very much.

What does sexual tension in a Christian novel look like?

This can vary greatly depending on the author, as well as the author's audience and publisher.

It can be something simple like:

Luke sat in the chair next to Maggie, and when he stretched out his lanky legs under the table, his knee brushed her skirt, making her heart throb at a wild pace. (from Maggie Rose, by Sharlene MacLaren, my current read! Love it so far!)

Sometimes a simple, accidental touch can invoke tension.

Or it can be a little more pronounced like:

He walked faster.


He was a pastor, a man of the clothe, someone whom others looked up to and yet... He wanted to touch her, to fill her eyes with longing.


He walked faster, still.


He wanted her in every way that a man could want a woman. God forgive him.


This time he broke into a full run.

(from A Lady Like Sarah, by Margaret Browley, a book I highly recommend!)

I like this because here is a preacher, someone who should "have it all together" and even he is tempted. And what does he do? He flees temptation. A great lesson to learn! When the going gets hot... leave till you cool down. :-)

It's like chocolate. Wanting it isn't bad. It's having it that creates the problem. (i.e. my waist-line that refuses to recede anymore!)

Or, it can be very obvious like:


Jack's mouth found mine, and we fell against each other. It felt so good to be touching someone. Him. He rubbed his thumb over the button at the nape of my neck, the only button on my dress, but it didn't open. I pulled back his T-shirt from his pants and slid my hands up his back.


"No," He said, and shoved me away. "That's enough."


I slapped him.

(From Home Another Way by Christa Parrish, not an a-typical romance but an intriguing and thought-provoking novel that again, I highly recommend!)

I really liked this for a couple of reasons. First, he is a Christian and she is not. He is also a pastor. (Is this a theme?!?) There is some backstory that makes this even more interesting, but I'll not give that away. Second, he shoved her away like she was a hot potato. And she kinda was. Third, she slapped him. Now THAT is some tension, folks!

How much is too much?

This is a question I cannot answer for you (beyond what I mentioned as no-no's earlier).

Every author is different. Every publisher is different. And the audience for each novel is different. All of these 4 things play a huge part in knowing what is acceptable.

Personally, I use the M factor. My mom. If I'm so embarrassed by a scene that I don't want my mom to read it, then I know I've probably gone a little far. This won't work for everyone, but my mom and I have read Christian romance novels for a long time, and have very similar taste, so this is an instinct I can trust.

You'll also find many people VERY opinionated on the matter. Judges in contests can be opinionated (I've had a LOT of 'this wouldn't fly in the CBA' comments) but ya know what? So can reviewers. Francine River's OH SO popular and time-tested novel, Redeeming Love, has 18 one-star reviews. (It also has over 700 5 stars...) But one of the themes of those 18 low reviews (and probably some of the 2 star ones I didn't read too...) was the amount of sexual description in the novel. One even said, "This is pure, unadulterated porn."

Julie Lessman, another fav author of mine, also has some fun reviews as well. My favorite (from my brief glance through her amazon reviews) was one that said, "I find it hard to believe this was a Christian book," when the review almost directly above it said, "I am sorry I wasted my money on this book. I didn't realize that it was a Christian book. I started skipping over all the Bible verses and all the preachy parts about what God would want. It became just too nauseating, too much!!!"

There are quite a few others I could name, but suffice to say: YOU CAN NOT PLEASE EVERYONE.

The only one you should really worry about pleasing is God.

Discussion: Do you have any self-imposed limits on how to handle sexual tension aspect in your writing? Do you tend to like the sweet romance... or the more edgy? Any examples of authors who do a good job at creating this tension between characters without stepping over the limits?