It was adorable, and predictable down to the tiniest detail--he's going to look away...now, she won't see him watching her, he's going to fall down, he will be angry at her. But I don't care. I loved it. It was a totally cute and fun guilty pleasure.
Except for one thing. The kiss!
Ugh.
When you're looking at romance, the first big kiss is one of the most crucial moments to the story--right? At least, I think it's crucial and as far as I'm concerned, it should be EPIC.
But after about an hour of sexual tension (simmering really at a very very low boil) Sophie (our heroine) and Charlie (our love interest) were laying in the grass looking at the stars and then just suddenly rolled over to each other and kissed. Just like that.
Which can happen in real life, but the minute they kissed, it was kind of over for me. I mean, for one thing, this kiss was forbidden--Sophie was enaged and they totally overlooked the complications that could follow. And for another, they'd spent the entire movie sort of hating each other and there was no passion. It was like Ok, time to kiss, because....well its in the script.Of course this might come down to the simple fact that they lacked chemistry with each other. But it got me wondering about the perfect ingredients for an amazing first kiss in a YA novel.
So, what elements do you love to see/read/write about in a really amazing epic first kiss, and what are some of your fave kisses in YA lit?
I thought a lot about this in my novel, Evangeline. Because it's a paranormal romance, the heroine and hero can't actually touch each other without intense physical pain (long story). So when they do finally kiss, it's despite the pain they both know they'll be experiencing.
ReplyDeleteI wanted their first kiss to be about longing and desire, not hormones. ;)
And I must have watched Romeo+Juliet a million times when I was sixteen. That was a good first kiss, even if I wasn't that into Leo at the time. But ah, Mercutio. You grew up and got all weird on LOST, but I still love you.
Ooo, I've been wondering about this movie. Sounds like it's a rental, or a 'wait for it to hit the $1 theater) kinda movie.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I like the buildup. This kiss itself can sometimes get too detailed (personally I still feel like giggling when I read words like 'tongues swirling' and stuff--but I write MG so maybe that's why). But all the tension in the moment before the lips touch? LOVE!
Tere, oooh that sounds so interesting, Im really curious to read about characters that are kissing but feel pain to do so--that's definitly desire and not hormonal at all--hormones are NICE, but the longing and desire are the best parts. And Ive seen R+J more times than I can ever admit without someone locking me away. Oh Mercutio! LOVE!
ReplyDeleteShannon, yeah, its def a rental, unless you need a brain vacay and have someone willing to sit through the cheese with you:-) And I agree the build up is the BEST part, though...tongues swirling is fun too;)
I do like to indulge sometimes in romantic movies, and kissing scenes (like for instance The Notebook) are great. But I so far haven't tackled it in my writing. Seems like you need a specific skill to make it great.
ReplyDeleteTerryLynn, Ive been wanting to rewatch THe Notebook lately--I actually didnt care that much for it the first time and Ive only seen it once but Im either in a super romantic mood or getting more sappy and I need to see Dear. John.
ReplyDeleteI dont know if it takes a special skill--writing a kissing scene is like writing any other scene. But they are my favorite scenes to write--if I had it my way, my novel would be one loooong kiss:)
I bought Dear John without seeing it Because I LOVE THe Notebook so much, but honestly? I didn't like Dear John, the end SUCKED so bad, I was like WTF? I want my money back.
ReplyDeleteMy best moment of the movie is between John and his father... so it tells you a lot about the romance =/
My favrotie YA lit kiss is the first Kiss between Rose and Dimitri in VA series by Richelle Mead, it was jsut so.. special! Loved it!
Tynga, oh really? Hmmmm maybe I should skip Dear John...and ohhhh every moment between Rose and Dimitri is special!
ReplyDeleteOh I can't STAND those "It's in the script" kisses!!! I feel like "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves" had the potential for an AWESOME Robin Hood/Maid Marian kiss and it was just soooo bad.
ReplyDeleteI agree with TerryLynn. I'd say that "The Notebook" had a great, well, I guess it'd be second first kiss, when Allie goes back to visit Noah again, but I guess great kisses are somewhat rare, aren't they? I'm drawing a blank! I'm sure they'll all come to me later...
Frankie, this post was so FUN!!! Now I have to hurry up and post this before my husband sees what I'm writing about! :P
WEB SHERIFF
ReplyDeleteWho You Gonna Call
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Hi Frankie,
On behalf of Summit Entertainment, many thanks for plugging "Letters to Juliet" ... .. thanks also, on behalf of the distributors and producers, for not posting any pirate copies or non-trailer clips of "Letters to Juliet" and, if you / your readers want good quality, non-pirated, previews, then the official trailer is available for fans and bloggers to post / host / share etc at http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/summit/letterstojuliet/ ... .. for further details of on-line promotions for this movie, check-out www.letterstojuliet-movie.com/ and, for info on Summit releases generally, check-out the official site and YouTube channel at www.summit-ent.com and www.youtube.com/user/summitscreeningroom.
Thanks again for your plug.
Regards,
WEB SHERIFF
See I loved "Letters to juliet" it is currently one of my favorite movies. second only to the Harry Potter movies of course. But, then again I love the cheesiness and cliches. I agree with everyone who said that the Dear John ending sucked. And finally, I think that the original Romeo and Juliet is better than the one with Leonardo di Caprio the girl who plays Juliet is ah-mazing. TTFN
ReplyDelete