Here is a lovely video for your Valentines Day viewing pleasure.  It features some of the great screen kisses in movies.  The video is put together by Richard Corliss at Time Magazine.  In it he talks about how Hollywood taught the world to love.

On this chocolate, hearts and flowers giving day it’s important to remember every love story or buddy story or partnership story is about the exchange of gifts. These are not physical gifts of the Valentines Day variety, they are emotional, spiritual or personality gifts.  Where does a character get these gifts?  In the Strongest Traits section of their Character Map.  These are the traits the character has to a fault.  They can afford to give some of these traits away to someone who is missing those key pieces.

For example, a Power of Conscience character in a love story has an over abundance of duty, sense of responsibility and hard work.  This character needs become more relaxed, spontaneous and playful.  A Power of Excitement character has those traits to a fault.  This character needs more maturity and reliability.  All those Doris Day and Rock Hudson movies feature these two Character Types.  She is the uptight judgement gal and he is the charming life of the party guy.

Any Character Type can fall in love with and exchange gifts with any other Character Type.  They each have something in particular of value to contribute to each other.  Focus your love story around how the characters dismiss each other’s gifts, then exchange them and then are changed by them.

Happy Valentines Day!