Tipping the Balance Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Life is a juggling act. That's a fact and there isn't much to be done about it except try and keep all the balls in the air and maintain your balance so you don't fall flat on your face.

The same can be said for writing. Especially romantic suspense. The balls: romance, suspense, character development. It all has to balance, to work together, to create the kind of picture and story that you imagine in your head.

So, how do you make it all work. And when the action scenes pile one on top of the other, how do you squeeze in the romance and *ahem* sex scenes? How unrealistic is it to have your characters making it while being stalked by raging psycho-killer terrorists.

This means there has to be some down time too for the development of a physical relationship or more than just vague attraction. However the inability to make good on the attraction can build some awesome sexual tension.

When you write (or read) how do you maintain the balance. Do you notice if it goes too much one way or the other? Who are some of your favorite romantic suspense writers?

Mine: Suzanne Brockmann and Linda Howard.