Another week down, and it flew by so fast. Some months I can write fast and produce a book in a month. Other times the one section needs to sit on the back burner reducing until it gives me the essence of what it is, not just what it could be. So, this week I have Main Male Character Woods chapter titles to try to get me in the zone for this section. Next week, I have Tweety titles, because it is the same area of work, and I know for sure we switch POV at least once. Can’t have a shots section that sets the pages on fire without hinting to why it’s a big deal, even if it’s easy to forget in the heat of the moment…

So, first up, a little play on the fire theme, and something that speaks to how Woods feels from his POV. It’s his band musical vibe, but also very telling about Woods’ mindset around our FMC Tweety. And what makes their dynamic so interesting. Woods is that quiet rock star. He has that Billy Idol look, so it’s easy to assume a lot about him. He speaks in music and flirtation, most often speaking to his muse in Tweety, the one that plays mental chess with him. Neither of them are impressed by the easy options in the bar life, or mental checkers if you will. That’s why their sparks ignite and burn so slow and strong…

Watch Me Burn – Lansdowne

Motorhead almost needs no explanation really. It’s a faster, darker version of a Woods mood, when he’s more playful and in control of his charms. The great thing about writing for both of the MCs is that they keep surprising each other, and me. Their dynamic allows for shifting powers and which one strikes the match this time. Some stories make the alpha male always feel like the initiator, but not here. Woods initiates a lot of things, unafraid to be in her space, respectfully.

And teasing Troublesome Tweety is the most fun for him. There is no prediction for the reaction. Woods always gets one, but it’s usually not the one he hopes for. Still, the fact that there is usually a whole room of people to distract her, and yet he’s the only one that can break her concentration is what he aims for.

Fire Fire – Motorhead

Woods takes things slowly. He knows what his reputation looks like. He knows that he could have a one and done or even a few tries, but something about the game he plays with Tweety hooks them both deeply. One minute you’re flirting, next you’re seeing something vulnerable in that other person, and you know it’s not something everyone gets. So, Woods especially identifies with this next song, because he’s the pacer. Sometimes Tweety will try to go hard and fast on him, and Woods never wants their game to end. So he’ll allow about as much as he can take before slowing them down, keeping them firmly in slow burn romance because Woods is playing for keeps.

Woods has learned that breaking Tweety’s concentration is usually the start. He teases her for hours, and stumbles on a breakthrough. Much like using a spoon on a brick wall, Woods finds these little cracks, and it brings them closer. He suffers with the burn of waiting patiently, because when Tweety lets that bit of wall down around him? That’s the payoff. He could always push for more, and in some cases he has, but in others, Woods waits for Tweety to decide to come to him. And that particular part of the game has been working very well, since Tweety has been coming to him for help more and more. Making out like teenagers is just one of those unexpected bonuses at this point in the story. But the trust that they build together? Let’s just say that’s one of the reasons the fire never dies out…

I’m On Fire – Bruce Springsteen

Sia isn’t exactly Woods’ type of sound, but the lyrics? That’s him. And it very much sets the scene of the chapter in his POV. Woods is in one of the down periods, and he’s set a public “fire” in the bar, teasing Tweety when she wasn’t exactly herself. So, he’s in one of those moments that come off as brooding and unsure. And Woods is going to tease Tweety one more time. Except, sometimes? Woods flirtation takes on an edge, trying to mask his feelings, or rather the depth of them, so it can sometimes be mean or sharp sounding. Part of the trouble with this area of the book is the right phrasing. What chain of sentences does the trick that sounds both something meanly mocking that he doesn’t actually mean, while also being some level of flirtatious invitation. That brooding male balance of I will push you away before you hurt me, but also, I’m hurting right now and you might be the only thing that makes it bearable.

So, it’s a very loaded moment, and the bottle of rum is much more than it seems. Body shots also hit very different with someone you know intimately, compared to a bar full of strangers. From Tweety’s POV, this moment on the doorway, with Woods testing her with a shot held in his mouth? She compares it to little red riding hood, all the better to eat you with moment. For Woods? The moment Tweety doesn’t back down from his challenge? Well… that would completely explain why this chapter might be called fire meet gasoline… Because some fires you can steer and control the burn. And sometimes? It’s a well deserved wild fire section. But only if it’s set up just so…

Fire Meet Gasoline – Sia

If Fire Meet Gasoline was the match strike, this next one explains their relationship in this section’s moment. I can pick a song title for the chapter that plainly says the inciting incident. It’s a call to action moment. Or I can lean into a classic that is more of Woods style. And small spoiler? Woods always thinks they can go higher together. He doesn’t want Tweety hesitating right now. He’s seen glimpses of it, of what it’s like to be with Tweety in either of their elements. The Doors song here would be another lyrical conversation stating his mind, though I think more people know the song.

Light My Fire – The Doors

Next week, I have Tweety’s chapter titles for this same section of work. It’s so interesting how they see the same thing from different sides of it.

Thank you for sticking through with my “playlists when stuck”. It’s been helping the ideas simmer while I’ve been busy working IRL and on the writing. Also sunk a site update on you guys this week. If I haven’t said it in a minute, and if you read this far, thank you guys for being my early fans. I truly appreciate each of you.