Michele M. Reynolds : Writing Better Kissing Scenes

My editor recommended I work on my kissing. No, I did not kiss my editor. My editor suggested that I improve my writing scenes about kissing. To clarify, my kissing skills do not need any improvement, but I agree that my writing skills regarding kissing scenes could use some gloss. Here's to hoping my fictional kissing catch-up to my real life ones.

Tips for Great Kissing Scenes:

Strong Characters: First & most importantly build strong characters and have a strong plot. Two strangers or flat characters kissing is not as powerful as a relationship marinated in lust.
Sexual Tension should start immediately.
Setting the Scene & Mood: What is happening before the kiss. Are the characters alone? Are they in a crowd? Is it night or day? Are they in an open field or in an elevator? Happy occasion? Scary? Victory kiss?
Get them Close: Find a way to get characters physically close to each other. Come running to each other? Lean in to each other while sitting on the couch?
Use the five senses.
Use Emotions: What are the characters feeling in them moment or about the other characters?
Observations: Describe what others notice about each other?
Parts of the Kiss: Lips, tongue, teeth, bodies, eyes, face, hands, breath, voice
End: Find a way to end the kiss. Someone interrupts them? Run out of time? Change their minds about the kiss? Take their intimacy further? The elevator door opens? It starts raining?
Exaggerated Awareness: Another concept to keep in mind is a concept discussed by Sandra Brown called Exaggerated Awareness. A strength and necessity of successful romance writing is to have the readers experience the main characters as having a strong connection. The two are destined to be together and with nobody else. This should be conveyed with every look, touch and interaction.
Kiss that Matches the Character: Match the kiss to the personality of funny, quiet, dominant, etc.