Physical description is a gold mine for a romance writer to heighten chemistry.
Especially when the hero/heroine is viewed through the eyes of the other.
- This is a very legitimate way to build physical awareness. Because as one character is taking in the other physically and processing that information, they are, by the very nature of that act, becoming increasingly physically aware of that person.
- We are full of minor, interesting imperfections that if we observe about ourselves, would make us come across as either anal or appearance obsessed. By having another character do it, particularly if it is a little detail that might not even get noticed by someone paying less attention, underscores that person’s physic al interest in us.
- By what he or she notices, you are revealing things about the POV character.
- By what he or she thinks as he or she observes the other character, you are revealing even more about the POV character.
And here is a massterful example from Meredith Duran, excerpted from Bound by Your Touch: