Rebloggable version, as requested by davrosbro. :)
Oooh! Ā Yes! Ā I love kisses. Ā Kisses are where it all starts ;).
Okay, first, remember that a kiss is much, much more than just lips. Ā It is lips, but also tongues, teeth, eyes, faces, hands, noses, bodies, heartbeats, Ā breath, voice- and most importantly, a kiss is emotions. Ā A kiss without emotion is just wet mushy lips stuck together. Ā Ew. Ā Gross. Ā The most important part of a kiss isnāt the how, but the who- because of the emotions between the two people.
lips- Lips can slide, glide over each other smoothly, or they can be chapped and rough and dry and get stuck on each other. Ā They can match, top-to-top and bottom-to-bottom, or they can overlap, with one personās top or bottom lip captured between the other personās lips (yummy). Ā If there is lipstick or chapstick there is lipstick or chapstick flavor, otherwise, lips donāt have a taste (can you taste yours?). Ā Lips also can smack- the sound of two of them coming together or pulling apart, because theyāre wet and warm and soft.
tongue- Tongues are always wet, and always warm. Ā Theyāre very versatile. Ā They can trace over lips, teeth, or another tongue. Ā They can be smooth and graceful or teasing and flicking. Ā When tongues are involved, there is drool. Ā Itās only sexy when you like the person youāre kissing, or else itās kinda gross. :P
teeth- teeth can clack together awkwardly, or teeth can bite down sensually. Ā A person biting their own lip is cute, a person biting anotherās lips is sexy. Ā A person biting gently is sensual, a person biting roughly is sexual.
eyes- Eyes can be wide open with surprise, half-lidded with desire, fully closed with pleasure. Ā Eyes can gaze lovingly, lustfully, wistfully, hungrily, seductively- it all depends upon the emotions of your characters. Ā Have them do whatever you like, but donāt leave them out- give them at least a mention!
faces- Faces are what the lips are attached to. Ā Noses bump, cheeks flush, ears turn red, foreheads either wrinkle or relax. Ā Kisses can leave lips, quite easily, and become kisses on chins, cheeks, noses, foreheads, ears, necks, throats. Ā Kisses on noses or foreheads are cute and adorable, kisses on cheeks are sweet, kisses on chins, ears, and throats are very sexual. Ā And a kiss on the lips can be all of those! <3
hands- Hands are super-important. Ā In order to describe a kiss, usually you want to also describe the hands. Ā Where are they? Ā Does one character have their hand behind the otherās head or back, holding them close? Ā Are they on someoneās shoulders pulling them near, or pushing them away? Ā Fingers brushing someoneās cheek or palms grabbing someoneās ass convey two very different kinds of situations, even if the kiss itself is exactly the same.
noses- Noses are annoying. Ā They easily get in the way, especially for first kisses! Ā People have to tilt their head to one side or the other, and if they donāt, noses bump. Ā Iād only mention noses if a kiss is supposed to be awkward or uncertain or nervous.
bodies- bodies are either close together, or far away. Ā Someone can be surrounded comfortingly by someoneās arms, or terrifyingly trapped by them. Ā Bodies are warm or hot, they are calm or nervous, relaxed or tense. Ā Body language says a lot. Ā Is your character pulling away, or moving closer?
heartbeat- Hearts can beat fast or slow, and thatās about all they can do- but there are lots of reasons why they do! Ā A heart can beat fast with fear or excitement or nervousness; a heart can pound with lust or race with terror or sing with joy. Ā Hearts can glow, cower, or shatter. Ā When you really want to drive the emotions of a character home, mention the heart.
breath- To me, the most consuming part of a kiss is the breath. Ā The air that someone else has just breathed going deep into your lungs is very intimate. Ā Lips and tongues donāt have a taste, but breath does. Ā Each personās breath tastes different, smells different, and surrounds a person differently than anyone elseās breath. Ā Breath can be warm and sweet, breath can be hot and sexy, breath can be hot and frightening. Ā It is something that is very present and should not be left out. Ā A lot of writers leave breath out. Ā And itās so important; itās the most intimate part of a kiss. Ā Someone else is breathing into your lungs, and itās either heaven or itās hell.
voice- Voice conveys much, even without words. Ā A voice can groan, whimper, gasp, moan, catch, whine, scream, sigh. Ā Voice can convey emotion powerfully, and while some kisses are silent, usually theyāre not.
emotion- Ā Emotion is the most important- and the thing you try not to say. Ā You want to describe it, through all of the things above, so that itās perfectly clear what your characters are feeling, without you ever using the āfeelings wordsā. Ā If theyāre in love, their bodies will lean close, their eyes will smile, their voices will giggle softly. Ā If theyāre nervous, their palms will sweat, their noses will bump, their voices will shudder. Ā If theyāre afraid, their muscles will be tense, their faces will grimace, their lips will not open. Ā Emotion is the color that you keep inside your mind as you write; itās the base line that drives the description behind everything else you say.
Wow, that was a lot! Ā Gosh I hope it wasnāt too much! Ā Keep in mind not every kiss has all these things- this is just a list of things to consider when writing a kiss, and based on how long of a kiss you want to make. Ā Keep in mind that typing āthey kissed for a long timeāā¦thatās six words, it takes half a second to read, so thatās a short kiss! Ā If you want a long kiss, you need long sentences that make the reader linger.
So maybe to start off, pick three things on the list to describe in your first kiss. Ā Donāt try to do it all- that would be too much for even the most epic kiss. Ā Just pick whatās most important to this particular scene, to these particular characters, and describe those parts along with the lips, and youāve got yourself an awesome, emotional kiss. <3
titsay
vaporwave
snowghoul
blakekathryn
