Romantic Gestures
Here's a fun list of the Screening Room's Top Ten Romantic Moments (not whole movies--the moments within them).
I agree with some of them. I did like that moment in Lost in Translation. However, I think one of my all-time favorite film romantic moments, in a totally quirky oddball film (my favorite kind) was when Herman Blume (Bill Murray) broke ground for the aquarium in Rushmore, prodded by his nemesis/matchmaker Max (Jason Schwartzman).
It's a sign of the pathetic nature of my life that at this point in time, I would find it a very grand romantic gesture if someone said, "YOU sleep, honey, I will clean up the puking child, change the sheets, and start the laundry from this sexy midnight rendevous of stomach flu."
When I think of my books, I like romantic gestures along the lines of Rushmore. Not flowers and wine and so on (ho-hum), but buying someone a beautiful teaset even though you know she will never use it . . . just because you know she will find it beautiful (Spanish Disco). Or creating a garden for her (Diary of a Blues Goddess). Or even holding her head while she pukes (Do They Wear High Heels in Heaven?). And are you, like me, wondering about this vomit theme?
A man once offered to buy me a black sable (I think hoping I would lie naked on it). Gentlemen . . . NEVER offer to buy an animal lover a fur. My favorite romantic gesture though wasn't a man I dated for more than a lunch or two. He was a French cabbie, and for whatever reason, he was smitten (I think because I am ALWAYS nice to cabbies in NYC and offer them candy . . . it's an awful, stressful job, so I always come prepared with chocolates, which endears me to many a cabbie). However, this cabbie invited me to lunch a couple of times, and ever after, for months, if it was pouring at 5:00 p.m. when I left for the 20-block walk to my train station, his cab was waiting curbside to whisk me away, dry and warm--without asking, without anything--he was just there. I found that utterly charming, but alas he moved back to Paris. So if, Michele, you chance to read my blog . . . Bon Soir.
So . . . you writers . . . what romantic gestures are your characters capable of?
I agree with some of them. I did like that moment in Lost in Translation. However, I think one of my all-time favorite film romantic moments, in a totally quirky oddball film (my favorite kind) was when Herman Blume (Bill Murray) broke ground for the aquarium in Rushmore, prodded by his nemesis/matchmaker Max (Jason Schwartzman).
It's a sign of the pathetic nature of my life that at this point in time, I would find it a very grand romantic gesture if someone said, "YOU sleep, honey, I will clean up the puking child, change the sheets, and start the laundry from this sexy midnight rendevous of stomach flu."
When I think of my books, I like romantic gestures along the lines of Rushmore. Not flowers and wine and so on (ho-hum), but buying someone a beautiful teaset even though you know she will never use it . . . just because you know she will find it beautiful (Spanish Disco). Or creating a garden for her (Diary of a Blues Goddess). Or even holding her head while she pukes (Do They Wear High Heels in Heaven?). And are you, like me, wondering about this vomit theme?
A man once offered to buy me a black sable (I think hoping I would lie naked on it). Gentlemen . . . NEVER offer to buy an animal lover a fur. My favorite romantic gesture though wasn't a man I dated for more than a lunch or two. He was a French cabbie, and for whatever reason, he was smitten (I think because I am ALWAYS nice to cabbies in NYC and offer them candy . . . it's an awful, stressful job, so I always come prepared with chocolates, which endears me to many a cabbie). However, this cabbie invited me to lunch a couple of times, and ever after, for months, if it was pouring at 5:00 p.m. when I left for the 20-block walk to my train station, his cab was waiting curbside to whisk me away, dry and warm--without asking, without anything--he was just there. I found that utterly charming, but alas he moved back to Paris. So if, Michele, you chance to read my blog . . . Bon Soir.
So . . . you writers . . . what romantic gestures are your characters capable of?
Labels: romance
posted by Erica Orloff at 6:09 PM
13 Comments:
That cabbie sounded wonderful. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised he was French. The least romantic gesture I suffered through was when my college boyfriend splurged on cleaning supplies for me for our first Valentine's day: a trash can, a little broom set, an a laundry sorter, among other things.
Oh, Booklady!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please tellme you broke up with him after that. LOL!
I have been lucky in that (fur coat guy excepted), I have always gotten lovely gifts from boyfriends and husbands, etc. (Yep, I've had more than one of those.) :-)
But I think I GIVE good gifts--thoughtful. It's all about buying just that right thing. Which is RARELY a cleaning supply.
;-)
E
Loved the cabbie story!
Unfortunately, these days my characters aren't terribly romantic.
Hmmm, methinks I must spice things up. Usually it's just a touch or a word or some little thing. Today, my heroine tried braiding her hair, but it was too short because she'd spent years trying to pass as a boy on the streets. She makes a mess of it (she's never braided hair), and he sees, tells her she looks ridiculous, and combs it out for her. Okay, it seemed better this afternoon. It actually seemed romantic and not insulting. *sigh*
Anyway, it's off-topic, but I'm so excited I can barely contain myself. After weeks of forcing myself to wait (and teasing myself with little pieced-together and blurry YouTube snippets), I am now the proud owner of Jane Eyre (2007)!!!!
So let's see if that'll offer some inspiration ...
One of my boys (who can't cook AT ALL) made Hamburger Helper for one of my girls. No hamburger was involved, just Hamburger Helper. She was touched.
Wendy:
In my humorous wip, the guy takes the woman on a date (a DATE) to a funeral. Not romantic, but it works in the story.
E
spy:
I think flowers are great--but someone who finds me a book I love . . . even more personal. That sort of thing. In the context of your story, I think that's sweet.
E
stephen:
LOL! I think that's adorable.
When I THINK of the meals men have suffered through that I cook (before I gave it up 15 years ago, deciding if I didn't watch it, I'd one day accidentally kill someone) . . .
;-)
E
hahaha for some reason...I thought of the Buick Le sabre when you mentioned "sable" and I thought he wanted you to lie naked on a car. *doh*
For me romantic gestures are those little protective gestures. To me it's romantic when my husband and I are driving down the road and he has to stop fast and he does the "mom arm" thing that mom's usually do with their kids, that instinctive protective gesture. So sweet. Anything that falls into that camp is romantic to me.
zoe:
That's sweet!!!
E
Sadly enough, I *didn't* break up with him after that. Not for another two years, actually. He did get a little better, but he took some training. My husband, however, insists on buying me flowers for both my birthday and Valentine's Day, and he always has them sent to my office so that all the other women can be jealous.
Booklady:
That is awesome!!! When I send flowers to my best friend or my godmother, I always pick the office, too!
:-)
E
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