Next-Gen Interactive Fiction GUIDE #3: How to describe a kiss

No matter what genre of story or characters you’re writing for your interactive fiction game, it’s pretty common to have to include a kiss scene at some point. And yes, not just romances have kiss scenes – many horrors, thrillers, mysteries, historical fiction, and even science fiction plots have kiss scenes sprinkled through.

While many often mistake kiss scenes for being unimportant and wishy-washy, they can very often make or break a story and a connection between two characters, so it’s important that you understand how to execute them correctly and in a way that will vastly improve your story.

Before even starting to think about the ins and outs of writing a kiss scene, it’s important to consider who your audience is. A steamy, almost erotic kiss scene in a novel for young teens is inappropriate and inaccessible. In contrast, a chaste, two-liner peck on the lips in an adult work of fiction is likely going to leave your mature audience yawning. So, before you put pen to paper, really consider who it is that you’re writing for, what they’ll be wanting from a kiss scene and, most importantly, what is age-appropriate.

Kisses are, in fiction as well as in real life, a reaction to something else. Whether it’s the fact that your character has won a war and is in desperate need of celebrating or two characters have finally been reunited after years apart, or even the electric tension built over months has finally come to a head, the build-up to a kiss often is more important than the actual kiss itself.

Suppose in your novel the first moment there is any sexual or romantic tension between two characters, they kiss. The readers wouldn’t be given any time to get excited and to want them together. However, what about if a relationship is teased between two characters for half of a novel and then, just at the moment when it seems like they might admit their feelings for each other, they kiss? In that case, your readers will finally have earned the payoff that the kiss exists as.

No romance is interesting if it’s easy, so make sure that your readers have to earn the moment that they’ve been waiting for. Let your characters bicker, flirt, have stolen glances, even have almost-kisses before the real deal. Trust me, your readers will thank you for it.

So, you’ve finally reached the moment where two of your characters are going to kiss... but do you jump straight in? The great thing about writing is that you can stretch things out, building the tension one detail at a time. If you find yourself stuck for ideas, then just consider these questions.

Is your character aware when their love interest enters a room? Can they smell them? Is anyone else around them? Are any of those people’s opinions going to frighten or excite your character? Is your character aware they’re going to kiss? What are they feeling?

Example #1:
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He entered in a wave that hit her like a ripple of softener and rain as he slammed the door shut. She stood there, heart thumping in her chest, pressed against the wall as he’d seen her for the first time. There was no terror clouding her features, just the sound of her heart loud enough for him to feel, strong enough to overwhelm everything but those inquisitive green eyes.
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And then, when the kiss is about to happen, let the experiences of your character bring the writing to life. Have they noticed how their love interest is breathing, where their eyes are falling, what their body language is, what their touch feels like, what they’re saying? Make sure to not info dump to an astounding degree, but allow yourself to drag this out a bit. Sometimes the best part of a kiss is the second just before it happens, so allow yourself to revel in that second!

Example #2:
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His thumb brushes my lower lip, and I hear his breath hitch. He’s staring into my eyes, and I hold his anxious, burning gaze for a moment or maybe it’s forever… but eventually, my attention is drawn to his beautiful mouth… And for the first time in twenty-one years, I want to be kissed. I want to feel his mouth on me.
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There are many different kinds of kisses that mean different things and require different styles of writing. Is the kiss going to be a chaste peck on the cheeks, is it a passionate reunion, a teary goodbye, or a frenzied meeting of two bodies? Make sure you know this and let it fully embolden what you’re writing.

If it’s a teary goodbye, it’s probably a good idea to focus on the more emotional elements of the kiss, such as the emotions, the gentleness, and the bringing together of two people. But suppose it’s a steamy, passionate kiss between two people who are desperate for each other. In that case, you can focus more on the physicality of the moment. And this doesn’t have to mean the meetings of two lips either, but also the tongues, the heat, the smell, the rapid heartbeats, ragged voices, grasping of hands and fingers and the pulling and pushing of bodies.

Example #3:
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His hands were on my hips, and he lifted me up as if I were made of air. My legs wrapped around his waist, and we moved to the right, knocking into a floor lamp. It toppled over, but I didn’t spare it another thought. A light popped somewhere in the house. The TV turned on, then off, back on. Our lips remained sealed. It was like we couldn’t get enough of each other. We were devouring one another, drowning in each other.
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Kisses are so much more than just lips, so really dig deep and let the bodies of your interactive fiction game’s characters speak for themselves. Don’t tell us the kiss was good, show us what it does to them! Do they blush, sweat, giggle or moan? Show us how good it is, and your reader will thank you for it.