Feeling The Feelings
As you regular folks know, I am knee deep in revisions (aka, sheikh torture) for The Sheikh’s Forbidden Princess (TBC). And after a bit of a slow start, the ball is now rolling…downhill…at a pretty good clip. Which makes me very happy because, obviously, I’m happier and more confident when the writing is flowing, rather than when I’m essentially squeezing water out of a rock.
But even better than it going quickly and smoothly, I’m starting to really connect to the reworking of this MS in an emotional sense. In fact, in two recent scenes, I teared up a little bit in the middle of things because I just *felt* it. In the first, my heroine believes she’s never going to see the hero again, and in the second, well, it’s when they make love for the first time. The stakes are high, the emotions are high, and I just…well, I got misty.
Does that ever happen to you? Are there moments in your writing when your heart pounds faster because the hero’s just walked in? Or because he’s just made you so ANGRY!! (as those alpha men can do!) And who do you connect with more? Your hero, or your heroine. Oddly, I find I really relate to my heroes. The fact that I seem to connect more with ruthless, billionaire alpha tycoon playboys than with the heroines is a mildly disturbing commentary on my psyche but…hey. No judgement here.
And, also, I would like to leave this video, which was the soundtrack to my love scene. Because…well…it was a desert rainstorm. 😀
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That’s the best feeling. When you’re in the middle of a scene, and you’re not just writing, you’re channeling the character…man, I love that! Makes all the tough days seem worthwhile. A few times I’ve definitely misted up and I’ve definitely felt like kicking my characters for one reason or another. I’ve also been jealous of the heroine because I want her hero, LOL. Only another writer could understand that, I think! (at least I hope someone else understands!)
I always relate more to my heroes. Actually, the characters I’ve written who are most like me are both guys. So there’s probably some pathology there, too. 😉
Glad the Sheikh’s going so well! 🙂
Yeah, I catch myself saying crazy writer-y things a lot…you know, talking about the secret my sheikh was keeping from me…things like that. 🙂
Yeah, there are lots of wonderful, rewarding moments in writing and it makes all the hard stuff totally worth it!
I’m really glad that you and I share the same insanity of relating with the heroes.. 😀
I love when that happens. When I read I relate most to the hero but when I write, it’s both.
Yay for flowing Sheikh!
I think I must emphasise more with the heroine because I write my heroes too nice. At least, I think I do. I think I may need CP feedback on this 🙂
Heroes can be very nice, Joanne!! An alpha believes in his own moral code (even if it’s shady) above all else, that leads to occasional bouts of ruthlessness with some of them, but not all. In my second book, Prince Maximo is really a very decent man. He has nothing against the heroine and she has nothing against him, they simply find themselves in a very difficult situation and have to reorder their lives around a little surprise…of course neither of them are perfect about it, but they do try.
Anyway, yes, flowing sheikh…LOL.
Anne, I’ve really had to get into my heroine’s head, way in, in all of my MSs, but I think the reason I say I relate to the hero is that, in a fight, I’m right there with him ready to throw my hands up and shout “WOMEN!!!” I think, the fact that I agree with Ross…they were on a break…says it all.
I’m a hero girl all the way. I always give them the biggest character arcs and torture them the most ’cause I’m really interested in their development. The heroine? Not so much. 😉 Which is pretty much the problem with my mss. Have to get into my heroine’s head more. Sigh. But yeah, get the shivers when I’ve written something emotional that I think really works. And if I’m not teary at the end of the book, then I haven’t done a good enough job!
I love when that happens, when you connect with your characters. I figure if I don’t fall in love with my heroes, why should the reader? If I don’t cry, feel, then the readers won’t either.
Great post, Maisey
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Jackie, it’s not necessarily ALWAYS the hero that gets more attention from me…but sometimes one of them gets the special treatment, and then I have to go back and make sure the other one gets their journey!
Lynne, exactly. We have to love the hero so that we know why the heroine loves him, even when he’s misbehaving!
The books I love reading almost always start in the hero’s pov and I’ve realised so do most of mss. I get into the story much quicker because his conflict/journey is fully formed in my mind before I start. Like you, I have to dig deeper to really connect with the heroine.
About “feeling” – gosh yes, in my last ms, my hero said something to the heroine that made me gasp and exclaim, “You can’t say that to her!” DH asked who I was talking to. lol
Most of *my* mss, I meant to say.
Hey Maisey, I cry at the end of my historical even after more than ten edits. You’d think I get inured to it but I never do.
LOL, Maya, that’s funny. I found that during this last scene, which was SO intense for me (I found it to be the saddest thing I’ve ever written) I was mouthing what I was typing. in public. Ah, there is no crazy like writer crazy.
Lori, that means you’re doing it right. 😉