Hi everyone! Again, I'm not sure if this should be in Plot Development, but… My dilemma today is that I've reached a point where I'm not quite sure how to continue. Let me explain: my characters kiss at the end of Chapter 5. It's their first kiss and they basically don't know anything about each other (or love, for that matter). My MC has only talked to the other only once before the kiss, but she's been infatuated with her for a week or so. I ended Chapter 5 with the kissing and my MC whispers, "I don't even know you" and the other just smiles and says, "why would you?" Both of them are hiding big secrets, my MC being scared that the other (or anyone, really) will figure hers out, the other being super closed up about, it seems, everything- especially her secret. I want them to bond over their pain and love for each other but I'm not sure how to write Chapter 6. Sorry for going into such detail. Thank you!
Accidentally having one of the secrets exposed would add depth to the inner dialog as they become unsure of each other. At the end, they are closer once they have reached the next level of true acceptance.
Welcome to a big part of my plot And really, pat of the plot of most love stories, literary or in real life. That's the thing, right? When you kiss someone for the first time, you really don't know them, and most of us have things we worry might send our intended beloved running for the hills. (Crazy family? Promiscuous past? Time spent in rehab or jail?) The only difference is that in books, the secret is more likely to be something like one of them was a serial killer in a former life. I think you have to pull the feeling from your own life, then magnify it, and then write it in a way that is true to the characters.
Okay. Well... I don't know if this is helpful or not, but when I get stuck, I literally just skip to the next plot point. If I'm out of things to write about, I just go to the next thing. So right now, your MCs both have big secrets. They are very attracted to each other, but do not know much about each other. You know that you want them to bond over their pain. So all you have to do is sit down and think. How do they get from Point A to Point B? What causes them to bond? What happens? Some suggestions: Something terrible happens, and one of them goes to the other one for help. One of them (accidentally) reveals their secret. Take a short break from the romantic plot. Something bad happens--a big villain is introduced, a complication arises, someone finds out they're dying, ect. They're both attacked. They're facing a threat, forcing them to work together. One of them is badly injured of hurt. Just some suggestions. If you're ever stuck, sometimes the best thing to do is throw in a disaster and see what happens.
Not to nitpick, but "she's been infatuated with her" to me suggests two Girl Heroes, not Girl Hero and Boy Hero.
I'm not exactly sure what kind of a story you're writing (is it a Romance or some other kind of story that involves a love relationship?), but in my experience (both in fiction and real life) tells me that a kiss, once given or taken, can't be put back in the tube, so to speak. Both characters will be well aware that this step has been taken. The relationship is at a different level from where it was before the kiss happened. So backing off, and having them swither around about how they feel, pretending it didn't happen, etc, can get a bit gooey and irritating. If you plan to physically separate the characters for a good long while, then a kiss leaves a memory that can be worked with, and a goal that can be worked towards. However, if they are left in close proximity to each other, more kissing is likely to ensue in a realistic sense (assuming both characters liked kissing the other one.) In fact, more kissing and an escalation of the relationship will be expected. So if suddenly they stop kissing for whatever reason, be aware that readers might become jaded by, or annoyed with, the delay in moving the relationship along.
I agree with @jannert that their relationship is definitely going to be different after the kiss, but aside from an escalation, what I see as more natural for your characters is kind of a freak out between them. Them coming to terms with their feelings for each other and all of the awkwardness that that entails. You said both your characters have secrets and pain and one of the things that relationships do is force you to open up about yourself and share those secrets and getting heavily emotionally involved with someone opens you up for the potential for a lot more pain in the future. It seems to me that the two of them weighing the benefits and downsides as well as being a bit scared is only natural. Also, you're going to have to find some roadblocks to throw between them and eternal happiness. Not knowing the story you're planning or how long your chapters are, chapter 5 still seems a bit early to me to get to the whole relationship first kiss stage, so it's possible you might have to create some relationship drama for the sake of tension. That said, a first kiss does seem like kind of a landmark and mini-climax in a relationship plot line, so it might be a good idea to shift to another plot line to give readers a break before heading back into the emotional stuff again.
My advice for chapter 6 would be to think about anecdotal experiences either from your own life, or that of others. What does it feel like after a first kiss? What thoughts might race through your head, good or bad? These two questions must be answered, in part, through the context of the characters you've created. That is to say, they simply need to feel and think in ways that would be consistent with (or a logical continuation of) who you've established them to be. Are both of them suddenly thinking the worst? Does one of them think everything's flowers and rainbows while the other worries they've made a big mistake? Does one feel a sudden longing for the other person while the other feels choking anxiety? Given what you've said about their inexperience and ignorance regarding love and relationships, there's a lot of potential for conflict. Resolving this conflict (the pain you mentioned) is the process in which the characters will not only grow as individuals but as a couple.
Thank you to everyone who's replied! All your ideas really helped, both in resolving this problem and thinking most deeply about their relationship going forward.
