As an author, obviously, I am a bastion of knowledge and everyone wants to know my top writing tips.
Half of that is true, and it’s the latter.
I know nothing.
Anyway, I thought it would be fun to disperse of some of my favourite writing tips; things I’ve learned while writing and things I use while drafting my novels.
These may not be great, but I can promise that they will, in fact be tips.
I really strive to make my characters as whole and as real as possible. That’s something that’s very important to me, and with that comes relationships. And with that comes chemistry between my characters.
I want what they’re feeling to be as real. I’m a tiny person with big emotions, and Louise is the exact same.
(No, mom, Louise wasn’t based on me.)
But how do you see if your characters have chemistry? How do you know that their personalities are going to mesh? That they’re going to do what you want?
You can never be sure that your characters will do what you want. That’s just writing.
But to see if they have chemistry?
Imagine them dancing.
Better yet:
Write them dancing.
Several months after beginning the novel that would become Dead Dead Girls, I begun taking swing dancing lessons.
This is one of the reasons why Dead Dead Girls has so many dance scenes. (The other reason why is because it’s set in the 1920s and honestly, how the hell could I write a novel set in the 1920s without making my main character dance?)
But this is something that has seeped into everything I write. I write short scenes with my romance leads to check their chemistry (chemistry checks). And I find that it works a solid 99% of the time, and if it doesn’t, I know I need to workshop.
Let me show you what I mean.
2021 Strictly Come Dancing (which is just British Dancing With The Stars (but better)) featured who I still think is the perfect couple, TV Presenter Aj Odudu and her professional partner Kai Widdrington.
AJ, who had NEVER DANCED BEFORE, and Kai came so close to winning and week after week were lauded for their chemistry to the point where fans thought they were dating.
The pair worked so well on stage and off. Most of this, yes, is a testament to Kai’s skill as a professional and as a teacher.
But the rest?
Their sizzling chemistry.
Their couples choice exemplifies this best for me. My god, I was left speechless after seeing this the first time. The way the work together. The way they are perfectly synchronized. The implicit trust between the two.
So I choose something slow. Currently, my favourite dance for a chemistry check is the American Smooth.
(Before you ask, yes they did.
)
(I always think they’re gonna kiss at end, that’s how good their chemistry is.)
Something close, that puts your characters together. I always say I can tell exactly what I need to about a man by dancing with him. (Yes, I’m single, thanks for asking.) Making your prospective couples dance is the PERFECT way to see how they’ll react to each other.
Contrary to what people might think, I always see dancing with a partner as a give and take, or a partnership, rather than a lead/follow.
Especially working with couples who are the same sex, aka not the typical lead/follow. Louise and Rosa Maria swap off leading and following, depending on the song and what they want to do.
But they know each other so intimately that they know what the other is going to do. Writing dance scenes between them really helped me figure out the relationship between the two.
Okay, it may be my steady diet of classic movies and old music, but I think dancing is practically the most romantic thing two people can do.
And now I’m daring you to try it. Sit down with your potential romance people and just MAKE THEM DANCE.
Chemistry checks have never failed me. Ever. It doesn’t even have to be a professional level waltz to get the point across. Get those two in formal wear, get them on the dance floor and see what they can do.
(Listen, I would prove it, but I can’t find any old scenes, I am a mess.)
Think about the way they hold each other. The way they look in each other’s eyes. The jokes, the posture, the touching.
Nothing is more wild that dance touching.
One more AJ and Kai dance for the road, of course.
HARLEM SUNSET comes out on the 28th of June! (thats 27 days from now.)
I am once again asking you to buy it and add it on goodreads.