I mean, don't get me wrong, I appreciate and enjoy all the aspects that have been put into the means of entertainment. I'm not going to lie and say I love everything ever written because I don't. I have my favorite genres. I have my own tastes. Just as everyone else.
But I have a specific favorite part in any work I'm reading or watching. No matter the genre or subject. Horror, romance, comedy, etc. There's usually two characters that develop a closeness. They get to know each other. There is that build in tension. You see it. You feel it. Well, I do. I can't really speak for anyone other than myself. Then... they kiss. The first kiss. No matter what happens after that, it's that first kiss that gets me every time. Reading, watching, it doesn't matter. It just gets me. It makes me want to hold on to the moment and, at the same time, push the story further to find out what happens next. That is my favorite part. I'm not entirely sure why. There's no guarantee that any good will come of it, especially if it's in horror.
Let me explain, the best way I can, why the first kiss in a story is my favorite. During the progress of a story you can make assumptions. You may not always be right, well, unless you wrote it but from my experience in writing, even then, your assumptions can be incorrect. Sometimes your characters take you by surprise. But back to what I was saying. It's a build between these characters, you assume that first kiss is coming and if it does... It's a cliché but, boom, fireworks. Maybe that's not quite right.
Let's say this. You remember when you were in high school and you had a crush? No? Okay, imagine you're a shy 15 year girl. You keep to yourself and have very few friends. You have a huge crush on someone a grade ahead of you. You watch him from a distance and never grow the courage to talk to him. Somehow, you end up in a study hall period together with him. There's like 10 or 15 other students in the room, though you can't remember because you were overwhelmed by being in the same room with him. You try to keep your distance because if you get too close your stomach feels like you're on a roller coaster and you can't utter a word to save your life. Then your crush approaches you and starts talking. Your stomach feels as if it's grown wings, your heart flutters at an erratic pace, your skin prickles and feels as if it could burst into flames at any second, and your mind screams at you, begging you say something. Say anything beside a garbled mess of babble.
Okay, take that feeling, minus the part where your brain is screaming at you. The feeling of "butterflies in your stomach", adrenaline pumping in your veins, and the flush of your skin. That is the feeling I get nearly every time the first kiss happens in a story. It's usually stronger when I'm reading a book. And the better written a story is, the stronger the feeling is. The last sentence applies to movies and television shows. That feeling is why the first kiss between characters is my favorite part of a story. To be able to live that feeling over and over again is a gift. I hope that it never goes away, no matter how many stories I read or see.
That is my favorite part of a story and the reason why it's my favorite. Do you crave certain aspects in a story? If you want to share what it is, feel free to do so by leaving a comment. Happy Holidays to each and every one of you!
