I think I've figured out that for me, fantasy is all about description, and romance is all about dialogue. I had to discard my usual style of going quietly into the character's thoughts and surroundings and work at developing convincing chemistry between the hero and heroine — which I can't justify with just visuals.
My favorite romantic movies are Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, where the couple essentially wanders around a city, just talking. I love how realistic their conversations are: the topics are random, weave in their pasts, escalate into tears... everything you do when you talk with your lover.
So when I write dialogue, it's not about the passionate declarations or snarky remarks (although they both have their place). It's about letting the characters become comfortable around each other, and yet be excited at the same time by finding out till-then unknowns. Learning to deal with each other. Squabbling. Stuff it'd be hard to do with just description, unless they were two mimes.


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