One Of The Stranger Things About Training Brand New Nurses Is Explaining How To Min Max Small Talk. It

Lust, Love, and the Sweet, Sweet Burn: Writing Romance That Makes Readers Feel

Let’s talk romance—specifically the kind that makes readers scream into pillows, clutch their chests, and whisper “just kiss already” at the page. Whether you're a seasoned romance author or just dipping your toes into the love pool, there's one golden truth to remember: good romance is about *tension*. And tension lives in the delicious space between lust and love.

First Comes Lust…

Lust is that electric charge between characters. It’s the stolen glances, the way one of them notices the other's hands or voice or the way they lean in a little too close when they talk. Lust is immediate. It’s instinctual. And let’s be honest, it’s fun as hell to write.

But if you stop there—if all your characters do is pine and make out and pine some more—you risk making it all surface-level. Lust is the spark, but it’s not the whole fire.

Then Comes Love (Eventually)

Love, real love, is slower. It’s about trust, vulnerability, and seeing the other person fully—flaws, baggage, weird hobbies and all—and still leaning in. It happens in the quiet moments: making tea for someone who's had a bad day, remembering how they take their coffee, watching them geek out about something they care about. That’s where readers fall with your characters.

The magic is in the shift—when your characters go from “I want to kiss you until my brain falls out” to “I’d burn the world down if it meant keeping you safe.” It doesn’t happen all at once. And that’s where the slow burn comes in.

Ah, the Slow Burn: Delicious Torture

Slow burn romance is a masterclass in delayed gratification. It's all about restraint. You’re letting readers live in the tension—the almost-touches, the lingering stares, the confessions that never quite happen. And every time the characters get this close to admitting their feelings or acting on them and then don’t? Readers get more hooked.

But here’s the key: something has to be progressing. Slow burn doesn’t mean nothing happens. It means everything matters. 

Every moment builds the foundation. Every emotional beat gets us one step closer to that glorious payoff.

Think of it like cooking over a low flame. You’re letting the flavors deepen. So when the first kiss finally lands? It’s earned. It’s fireworks. It matters.

Tips for Writing a Killer Slow Burn

- Give them obstacles. Emotional baggage, clashing goals, external threats—give your characters legit reasons not to jump into bed right away.

- Let them see each other. Intimacy isn’t just physical. Let your characters learn each other’s fears, dreams, scars.

- Build micro-tension. Hands grazing. One of them patching the other up after a fight. A joke that turns into a confession. Let every small moment do work.

- Make the payoff worth it. When they finally get together—make it satisfying. Let it feel like the culmination of everything they’ve been through.

Don’t Just Make Them Hot—Make Them Real

It’s easy to write about two people who are attracted to each other. What’s harder—and infinitely more rewarding—is writing two people who choose each other. Who grow, change, fight, make up, and fall deeper the whole time.

So go ahead. Light the match. Let them burn slowly. And when your readers are begging for that kiss? That’s how you know you’ve done it right.

Flying is effortless, landing can be a little bit harder, Cornell Lab / DoC (northern royal albatross) (part 1)

you read stuff on wattpad for shit and giggles where most of the fics there are reader-inserted ones written in 1st person pov where y/n is a barely legal white girl with blonde hair and blue “orbs” who’s so smol and fragile that she’s dependent entirely on this morally questionable guy who’s killing people for a living but for some reason happens to have a soft spot for her.

you read real actual literature on archive of our own where it’s two middle aged men, who are each other’s sworn enemies, with tragic past, trauma and strong homoerotic tension. and while they’ve made each other bleed, killed each other’s friends and loved ones out of jealousy / possessiveness, lied and betrayed and manipulated, the rawness, depth, complexity and slow burn will keep you up all night, haunt you during your day and possibly change your life forever. and also the sex isn’t just smut. the sex is poetry that puts Shakespeare to shame

Wizards are not naturally immortal. In fact, creating their own form of immortality is their graduation thesis.

I have been tagged. I don’t know why I have some of these.

@chaiandpages @axtnoi-i @joytri @castorbit

Was tagged to post 6 non-selfie pics from my phone! Thanks for the tag from @largesillyfriend

So now let’s tag @comicbookzombie @transwaterbender @genderless-ginger @eckspress @whim-sickle @vvitchy-succubus @zestyzombie @stillsuperchillandmentallyill @spookytransgirl @princessdelilahcane @stephiestarrdust @friendpillow

Enemies to lovers Prompts #1

↠ Rival Bakers Who Can’t Stand Each Other…

She thinks his croissants are too buttery. He thinks her cupcakes are overrated. They’ve spent years side-eyeing each other from across the town bakery scene, but now? They’re stuck in the same high-stakes baking competition. Forced to share tips, kitchen space, and maybe a few late-night practice sessions, they realize that hate tastes a lot like love, just with extra frosting.

↠ The Nerd vs. The Popular Kid, but Feelings Get in the Way…

She’s the star of the debate team. He’s the guy who doesn’t even bring a backpack to school. They’ve never exchanged a sentence that wasn’t filled with sarcasm, until they’re paired for the biggest project of the semester. Deadlines, arguments, and way too many late-night study sessions later, the real problem isn’t the assignment. It’s the way they suddenly can’t stop looking at each other.

↠ Small-Town War Over a Garden (And Also Their Hearts)…

She wants a peaceful community garden where kids can learn about nature. He wants a shiny new business development that totally doesn’t need another Starbucks. They start as enemies, throwing around legal jargon and passive-aggressive town hall speeches, but somehow, between planting flowers and fighting over zoning laws, their arguments start to feel a little too much like foreplay.

↠ Fairy vs. Guardian... a Magical Disaster (That Ends in Love)…

She’s a reckless little menace with wings. He’s a brooding, by-the-book guardian of the enchanted forest. They get stuck together on one mission and immediately hate everything about each other, until late-night stakeouts and accidental life-saving moments make them rethink everything. Turns out, magic isn’t the most powerful force in the forest. They are.

↠ Two Rival Animal Shelter Volunteers Who’d Rather Strangle Each Other than Fall in Love.

She thinks dogs belong on cozy blankets. He thinks they belong outside, running free. Every time they cross paths at the animal shelter, someone ends up yelling. But when a batch of abandoned puppies needs their help, they’re suddenly stuck working together. Between midnight feedings and arguing over the best chew toys, their rivalry starts feeling a little too much like flirting.

Ways I Show a Character is In Love But Doesn't Know It Yet...

This one’s for the emotional masochists writing the slowest of burns, where your readers are screaming “just kiss already!” by chapter twenty... I Love and Hate you... ♥

They compare everyone else to the person… and everyone else comes up short. Even when they’re not consciously doing it. No one’s laugh is as warm. No one’s eyes crinkle that way.

They remember the weirdest little things about them. Birthdays? Whatever. But that time they snorted laughing at a dumb joke? Locked and loaded.

They feel weirdly guilty when flirting with someone else. Like they’re cheating… except they’re not even dating. Or are they? Or—ugh, feelings are the worst.

They notice every damn detail when the other person isn’t around. "They’d like this song." "This smells like their shampoo." "I wonder what they'd say about this weird squirrel."

They use weird, overly specific compliments. Not “You look good,” but “That color makes your eyes look like a storm in a novel I’d cry over.”

They get weirdly intense about that person being hurt or in danger. Like, irrationally intense. "He’s just a friend," they say while planning to murder anyone who makes them cry.

They feel safer around them than anyone else, and it freaks them out. Like: “I’m always on guard. Except with you. That’s... suspicious.”

Mine came from the fact that I am short, an infj, and… was honestly looking for some kind of vibe. The word cafe seemed to fit. Also my moot in here helped me set up my account, so she had a little say, too.

No pressure, @chaiandpages @axtnoi-i @castorbit @hoardingwritinginspo

Tag game🎉

Tag your moots and ask them where they got the idea for their tumblr accounts name!

For my name it was a nickname I was giving back in middleschool! One of our teacher had a system where we worked with 'wifi' eachtime we talked in class we lost a bar of the "wifi" (was a weird joke and we never held count on that) All the kids usually joked if they needed 'wifi' , they would borrow mine if they wanted to talk more. (I was incredibly shy in middle school, I only talked to like 3 people at school;^;)

They called me Ms. Wifi because of that. I just thought it would be funny if I put 'miss' instead of 'ms' because of my terrible actual wifi connection I have at home lol.

That's my story! Now moots, only if you guys want to, tell us your story.

Tags-> @slipping-lately @firequeenofficial @noagskryf @twinklstarrrr @halfbakedspuds @polterwasteist @rokushi-san @mygedagtes +anyone that sees this and wants to do this as well

Talking with writers online

Their stories: Amazing grammar, soaring vocabulary, beautiful imagery and prose which flows like a river.

In chats: no capitalisation or punctuation, swears like a sailor, misspellings everywhere, acronyms and abbreviations every five words, idek