This week: The Art of Attraction Edited by: StephBee  
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“Love is about mutual respect, apart from attraction.” -- George Best
“I suspect the secret of personal attraction is locked up in our unique imperfections, flaws, and frailties.” -- Hugh Mackay
First, I want to thank everyone who took my Traits of the Romantic Period word search. I hope it was fun. It was my first word search. For those who left a review, I went ahead and sent you a merit badge for “Word Searches.”
May is National BBQ month! Who doesn’t love a good BBQ – from hot dogs to tri trip, just about everything you BBQ is delicious, unless you burn it. So, what attracts you to BBQ? The Meat? The spice? The anticipation of taste? The smoky scent? I love to BBQ a good steak, and I’m a sucker for pork ribs. Feedback: Let me know if you enjoy a good BBQ and what your favorite meat is to BBQ.
A couple of months ago, I talked about Romantic Tropes which are basically, plot themes. For example: the Cinderella story where poor woman meets rich man and after some trials and tribulations, they fall in love. This month, I’m going to talk about things/traits that augment your story - attraction and bonding.
Here’s my new poll question for you: What’s your favorite romantic genre. If you have an opportunity, please take it and let me know what you think.
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The most successful romances follow a formula. There’s a beginning – the reader meets the heroine and hero, there’s an engaging event and a problem or a challenge is introduced that brings the hero and heroine together, and off they go! But go where?
The first part of the story (rising action) should be about attraction. What attracts the couple? Keep these traits in mind:
Physical attraction
Intelligence
Social status (dude is rich)
Wit and charm
Humor
A spiritual connection
These traits take time to build as falling in love at the meeting is rare. It’s like building a fire. First you need tinder aka attraction (dry leaves and small twigs) and then you need kindling aka bonding. small sticks and small pieces of wood). A realistic arc of attraction might include the first 5 chapters.
If you don’t have attraction, you can’t go to the next phase – bonding. As the challenge/conflict/problem gets more challenging (throw in some character flaws to get in the way) and the hero and heroine depend on each other more and more. Attraction leads to bonding. What’s bonding? Realistically, these might be chapter 6-10 of the novel.
The couple strives to achieve a mutual goal.
The couple must escape danger together
The couple must help each other with a personal project
Both the hero and heroine should help each other grow and improve.
A good romance starts off with a slow burn. Attraction is the hook which leads to bonding and then more. Ah, a good romance is about the attraction – if it’s not there, the journey falls flat.
What attracted you to your significant other/spouse/partner? I’ll share the replies in my next newsletter in June.
Reference: https://thenovelsmithy.com/how-to-write-romance/
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Submitted last month:
|  | Bad Touch (13+)
Love is patient, love is kind... Paranormal Romance Short Story Contest entry.
#2233385 by Jeff  |
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Feedback from my Romance/Love Newsletter dated: 20 APR 2022:
Princess Megan Snow Rose  
Jane Austen is my favorite. I write Jane Austen type stories and Regency Romance. Jane wrote and lived in the Regency Times. Her stories were a good outlet and romance, characters and story lines left us wanting more. Wouldn't we like to have met Mr. Darcy?
Monty 
No real favorite. I liked them all.
StephBee is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. Her summer romance, “Journey of the Heart” is available on Amazon. Can James help Rachel save her winery?
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Romance/Love: May 18, 2022 Issue [#11365]
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