My Process, This Time On the Matter of Love

Who says I love you first?

The 'I love you' often signals the end of a romance novel, which is a complete contradiction to real life where the 'I love you' often marks the beginning of a life filled with turmoil, a possible wedding that ends the romance promptly, then followed by children and a sexless marriage.
Grim, yes, I know... But thankfully that is for other people and the Oprah show to contend with, for I write romance novels.

The 'I love you' in my novels is an epic ideal meant to entertain and lighten the day of the reader. For this to work there needs to be an appropriate degree of gravity given to the moment, but to tell the truth I’ve seldom seen it done to my liking.

Except maybe once in a film called ‘Une Liaison Pornographique’ when the female lead professes her love to the male who weeps in a sort of silent lament because he did not know how much he truly felt for her. It touched both her and I deeply. Now, you must understand that neither her nor I are the type for a crying male, but it fit with his character and the mood of the film.

I use it now as the guide for the 'I love you's in my novels; this moment that need only be authentic to the characters. In my first novel Ellesmere, for instance, the two were strong-willed and contentious, so their declaration of love was just so. She tells him she loves him and he cites for her the flaws in her logic only to relent after seeing the truth in her argument.

The novel, I’m storyboarding now, has the male lead declaring his love through cake.

This proves once more that writing is truly semi-autobiographical, for it’s always been my practice to bake for the one I love. Trust me, nothing says 'I love you' more than a Black Forest cake made from scratch with real whipped cream... Unless, of course, you like cheese cake or would simply rather have it said.

Or in the romance audience's case, written in Times New Roman, font size 12 and dripping in romantic sentiment. There needs to be tender feelings expressed eloquently and, depending on preference, near the very end of the novel in sweeping sonnets. I’ll more than likely change the cake bit before I start writing in earnest.

All my very best and a lovely weekend to all,

Simone