Kissing

Got your attention with that title, didn't I?

I've been tweaking the latest manuscript. You know how it goes...adjusting a line here, eliminating a scene there. Jumping on repetition, dealing with continuity issues. The normal drill. So far, all is going well.

Just reached the point in the book where they share their first--you guessed it--kiss. Tension's been building, anticipation growing, relationship developing nicely. And finally, the breakthrough kiss.

Writing about kissing isn't nearly as easy as actual kissing. Think about it...when you're involved in the act itself, you don't need to describe it, do you? No, of course not! All you've got to do is pucker up and go for it. The rest comes naturally.

Or in some instances, it doesn't. But that, my friends, is a topic for another post.

When my couple's lips finally meet, it's got to be exactly right. It has to be a perfect instant, one that readers will identify with, feel in their hearts and hunger for in their own lives. The moment has to be everything that anyone would want, the realization of every reader's ultimate kiss. It's got to be...magic.

No small feat, especially when you consider the science of the kiss. What I mean is, the meeting of lips, tongue and heart all have to align. Too fast and peckish, and she'll feel like she's being kissed by her great-granny. Gross, no? And if he's one of those face-eating guys--you know the kind who seem to think your cheeks, chin, nose and eyebrows all have to fit between his lips in a single gulp--well, we all know how off-putting that can be!

The mechanics of the kiss are as important as a multitude of other manuscript issues. As a result, I've been going over this first kiss as if it were the last kiss. So far I'm satisfied with their exchange, which leads nicely onto more interesting...ah, areas.

What do you think? Am I over-analyzing this kiss? Or does kissing matter to you as much as it does to me--on the page, that is. That's what we are talking about isn't it?

Isn't it?

Hope you have a great Monday. And I hope you get at least one kiss today!