Let Your Characters be Naked

In the genre of Christian Romance, we are told to keep our characters clothed and appropriate at all times. However, as I was listening to a sermon on Genesis, chapter two, last weekend, I started thinking about how important it is for our characters to be naked, based on verse twenty-five – “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” (NKJV)

Ok, before everyone faints from the shock or starts writing me emails, let me explain. True love only occurs when we are totally honest and totally vulnerable with each other. This is true whether we are speaking of love between a man and a woman or between a person and God. We have to be naked before each other. Unfortunately, our characters have a strong desire to find and sew fig leaves.

He is still in contact with his old girlfriend – Fig Leaf

She secretly loves his brother – Fig Leaf

He doesn’t want her to know how he really feels about watching girls through a hold in the locker room wall – Fig Leaf

She is afraid he won’t like her if he finds out her father is in jail – Fig Leaf

It is important to note that the sap from the green parts (including leaves) of fig plants is an irritant which will cause a rash on the skin.

So, we need to take a look at our characters’ fig leaves – the things that come between them. And how to we uncover our characters? Does a person or circumstance yank them away layer after layer? Or do our characters scrub them away to get rid of the itch? Figuring out the answers to these questions and exposing each one is the heart of our story.

Only at the end, when our characters are naked and unashamed with each other, can there be true romance.

The Romance of Dialogue

I have a confession to make. I am not a die-hard romance reader. I mean I read romance, but I’d prefer to have a little romance with my action or adventure. So...what can I possibly have to offer about this month’s theme “romantic elements”?

I think I might have spoiled it for myself by reading too many romances where the dialogue was, shall we say, out of character. If you have a character who says “Delphinia, my love, plant your luscious lips on mine,” then that had better be something that I can believe the hero would say. If you have a silent, strong, hero who all of a sudden waxes poetic at just the right moment, I’m not going to believe it unless you have shown me how he's changed or he has a really good reason for acting/speaking out of character.

In the movie “Chasing Liberty”, I love the subplot that involves the two Secret Service agents, Alan Weiss and Cynthia Morales. Through dialogue the writers capture a relationship that develops into a believable romantic one. Following is some dialogue from the beginning of the movie where Weiss is hitting on Morales (again).

Weiss - You get jet lag, Morales?

Morales - No.

Weiss - Really? I get it awful.

Morales - I take herbs.

Weiss - Herbs?

Morales - Yep.

Weiss - Really? Why?

Morales - They help reset your clock.

Weiss - I'd like to reset your clock. I'm just saying.

The main plot of the movie is about the President’s daughter who thinks she has gotten away from her security detail while traveling in Europe. The agents are supposed to be tailing her and an undercover agent. A scene where they are looking for her in Venice brings this conversation. Picking up in the middle of a scene:

Weiss - Let's just say that women stopped beating down my door......about the same time the bangs stopped covering the receding hairline.

Morales - Stop overcompensating. You're a good-Iooking...You look fine. Some girls like a bald head.

Weiss - I'm not bald yet.

Morales - I'm just saying. You should embrace it. Maybe you could cut it really short. Some girls like that. They think it's sexy.

You can see by her responses that her attitude is changing. You can see the subtle change in their relationship. We find out later that he does cut his hair.

A little later on we have this bit of dialogue which occurs after he had been giving her the silent treatment for some earlier comments about his pickup lines. He’s trying to get her to enjoy Venice instead of just doggedly focusing on finding Anna.

Weiss - I'm not leaving this spot till you take a moment to appreciate this. You know, it's not enough just to be a beauty, Morales. You have to be able to appreciate beauty too.

Near the end they finally acknowledge the change in their relationship.

Weiss - Something about a college campus. Isn't there, Morales? You know?

Morales - What do you mean?

Weiss - I mean, you know, the falling leaves...the promise of youth, the smell of curricula. I'm thinking we probably gotta get new partners.

Morales - I'm thinking I'm okay with that.

Weiss - Yeah? That so?

Morales - Yeah.

Weiss - As long as your partner's an old fat guy.

Morales - I love old fat guys.

Now, this might not be your idea of romantic dialogue, but to me it’s a good example of how dialogue can reveal the romance while staying true to the character. Romantic dialogue doesn’t have to be flowery or have certain words or phrases. To me the romance in dialogue is that a character reveals himself to the other in some way. They let themselves become vulnerable by being open and letting their guard down. And that can even happen in an action/adventure/thriller with a little romance on the side. Whatever genre you write, let your characters reveal themselves to each other through dialogue and see if this takes the romance to a whole new level.

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Elaine Clampitt is serving as Secretary/Treasurer for the new South Denver ACFW Chapter, Mile High Scribes. With three of her four adult children currently in college out of state, she recently added a new puppy to her "empty nest". She credits her Canadian blood and daughter's high school hockey career with her passion for ice hockey. Elaine is launching a new web site this week dedicated to profiling the inspiring stories of women in the world of ice hockey. Visit www.thewomenofhockey.com for articles with two on-ice Olympic officials and three members of the Team USA Olympic hockey team. In between interviewing these fascinating women, she is working on a series set in the world of professional ice hockey.

The "Great Romance"

I'm not a romance writer. But almost everything I've written has a slight touch of romance in it. I do read romance. I'm not against it. (VBG) The books I like most to read have a light romance thread in them. Which is why I love Jane Austen's books, especially the romance between Elizabeth and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.

Even in my nonfiction pieces, I've noticed that I touch on what Ted Dekker calls the "Great Romance"—God's love for mankind as seen in Christ's death and resurrection. As Christian writers, I'm not sure how we can avoid romance, whether spiritual, emotional, or physical.

I've long wanted to be a writer, since before I copied out, longhand, my favorite Nancy Drew book when I was in sixth grade. (Can you imagine the relief I felt when I learned that Benjamin Franklin copied word for word his favorite authors as his method of learning to write? LOL Copying that Nancy Drew book wasn't plagiarism after all!) Daydreaming, and the stories I made up then, added to my desire to find true love for all my heroines. The more I read and studied literature, the more I studied Scripture, the more I understood the universal theme of love.

This "Great Romance" is detailed in God's love letter to us, the Bible. In the Old Testament God likens His love for Israel to that of a husband for his wife. And the most beautiful picture of His unconditional love is found in Hosea, where the prophet was a living example of God's love. In the New Testament we read of Christ's coming to earth to save His people from their sin. Not just the Jews, but also the Gentiles. Christ's sacrificial death culminating in His resurrection is the supreme example of a man laying down His life for a friend. So when I think of romance, I can't help but think of the greatest romance of all—that of God's love for us.

And then I see it coming out in the stories I write. Immersing myself in the Word of God has slowly added the dimension of love into every area of my life. Believe me, there's still lots of room for improvement in me as I won't attain that perfection until I'm with Christ in heaven. But that's the goal I strive for—reflecting Christ, reflecting His love as well as His other attributes to believers and unbelievers alike.

Marjorie Vawter is a freelance editor and writer, working out of her home in Westminster, Colorado. A love for God's Word and the riches it contains is a primary theme in her life. And it's the theme of this year's ACFW Colorado retreat April 23–24. (See the Events page on this website.) Margie is married and has two adult children. And one new baby kitty, Sinatra.

Most of us love a good romance. If you don't believe it, check out the sales figures of romance novels, chick flicks and the like. I've always loved a good romance. I've been accused of being a hopeless romantic. I guess I can't argue too much. In high school I filled my boy friend's car with balloons and handmade hearts on Valentine's Day. He called me to report a "Valentine explosion."

I must still love romance. One thing that confirms it is that last Monday AND Tuesday I told myself I needed to write my monthly column for this blog. The problem is I never remembered to do it! See, I've started this new romance novella and . . . well, I got so lost in writing romance, I forgot to write ABOUT romance. While I'm sure nobody was breathlessly waiting for my next Inkwell post, I did feel kind-a bad about letting the blogging world down.

But instead of wallowing in guilt, I thought I'd post a few days late to share a few tricks with you that are working in my latest story. (And can I just say that I haven't had so much fun writing in YEARS?)

I'm sure what I'm about to tell you will not rock your world. You may even say, "I knew that" or "what a cliche." Here's the thing. When writing a romance novel, it really WORKS. Are you ready?

Opposites Attract.

There it is. My story is so much fun to create (and I hope to read) because I purposely set up several areas in which my characters are diametrically opposed. The heroine is passionate, fanciful, loves to celebrate, loves to serve people, and believes in going for your dreams. My hero is logical, no nonsense, afraid to celebrate, a little self-absorbed, and cautious about dreaming.

Can you see how much they need each other?

I can't wait, absolutely can't wait, until they become more and more involved in each other's life and discover how desperately they need what the other has to give.

(PS I loved Margie's blog, above. Beginning to know Jesus as my Bridegroom is taking my relationship with God to new depths. If you're interested in the way Christ has been romancing my heart, check out the posts on the Song of Solomon listed on the side bar of my blog.)


A writer, speaker, and homeschooling mother of four, Paula Moldenhauer is passionate about God’s grace and intimacy with Jesus. Her website, Soul Scents, offers a free weekly devotional, and you can visit her blog at GraceReign. Paula serves as president of HIS Writers, the north Denver ACFW chapter. A devoted Pride and Prejudice fan, she loves good conversation, peppermint ice cream, and walking barefoot. Her greatest desire is to be close enough to Jesus to live His fragrance.

Are You Split on Romance?

This month, in honor of Valentine's Day, the Inkwell authors will talk about romantic elements, whatever that means in their writing. Not all of us are "romance" authors, but I'd wager that most of us write romance to some degree. The percentage of how much space that romance takes on the page determines whether it can fall into that category.

Valid genres include Romantic Suspense, Romantic Comedy, Mystery Romance, etc. These have strong elements of both. I write straight romance for Heartsong Presents. They require 50/50 romance, where both points of view are represented, and we see a clear romance thread between both the hero and heroine.

How do you know whether you've woven the romance thread for both points of view equally? To answer that, let me tell you about a character named Meranda Drake. She's my heroine in the next Oregon book, Crossroads Bay, due out soon. Meranda is a charter boat captain with her sites set on--no, not a man, but a treasure of coins. This character gave me such fits because she's a tomboy, focused on her quest, and clearly not needing a man no matter how cute I made him. Through the first few chapters I kept pleading with her, "Meranda, I know the coins are important, but come on! Paul is standing right there practically drooling for you and you can't see it." It wasn't until she realized one day that she needed to talk to Paul over a disturbing event in her life that she finally started having romantic feelings for him. It was then that she started talking to me like a girl instead of a boat captain.

Crossroads Bay very nearly became a mystery with romantic elements because of my tough as nails heroine. But once we got to the point where she saw in Paul what I saw in him, I could go back and edit in little hints of interest to create that 50/50 requirement.

Flashback to my first Heartsong book, Merely Players, (available in the 3-in-1 Florida Weddings.) I couldn't keep the hero and heroine apart. She was supposed to be mad at him for forgetting about her for ten years, but she kept caving. Then I would have to remind her why she was mad at him by creating conflict. I don't know how many times I wrote a kissing scene and had to delete it.

So, find the balance in your own writing. Do you want to be known as a mystery romance writer? Then pump up the romance to equal the mystery. Do you want to write for Heartsong Presents, Steeple Hill's Love Inspired, or others that requre the 50/50 romance? Be sure that both povs have the strong romantic thread.

For a visual on the 50/50 romance, watch the movie Ever After with Drew Barrymore and Dougray Scott. Both romance threads weave together so beautifully they appear to dance.

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Kathleen E. Kovach is an award winning author, leader of the local critique group JOY Writers, and the Rocky Mountain Zone Director for American Christian Fiction Writers. Kathleen has three books published with two more contracted. A mom and grandmother, she lives in northeast Colorado with her husband of over three decades. Visit her online: www.craftcinema.blogspot.com, www.kathleenekovach.blogspot.com, www.KathleenEKovach.com.