It's August and with the mercury inching up on the thermometer, Royal Blush Authors are going into the other hot topic – romance, erotica and erotic romance.
Okay, I can see half of the followers of our blog just check out. But you should know by now, I'm not one of those writers who take the 'what do you think about sex in a story' or 'do you think every romance needs a sex scene' stance. Both are personal opinion and up to the author who is penning the story. If you want to take a couple of characters out for a whirl across the sheets, go for it. Sex scenes not your style, good for you.
I've never shied away from a sex scene, but I have studied lifestyles to understand how the Dom/sub, Master/slave, Dominatrix actually works. I'm not some author who just throws the rules out the window, and these lifestyles do have there own set of rules, and say, "oh well".
The question today is can it go too far? Can an author string so many sex scenes together without a plot that the reader goes yawn? Can a story lose its drive simply because the hero's d!&k is leading the way (crotch thinking) and the heroine's legs are always twinging with sexual excitement? When has an author stepped over the heat line to the what-the-heck-is-the-author-thinking? Is the romance proven or is it a miraculous conception of 'oh, I love you, now screw me'?
I know. I know. There are publishers out there who say with pointed finger – "You, sex it up". Or go, "this is the perfect moment for ménage". That's because that's what that publisher sells. If you don't want to go there, the best advice I can give you is don't submit there. Once you are under contract, you're pretty much going to have to do their bidding though most allow for some wiggle room.
Here's an example of a story I once read where I felt it went too far. Priestess plus eight concubines plus a quest for love includes priestess, butt plugs and having to take concubines with her during her merry journey for true love. Okay, that's going too far in my opinion. First, the plot is love. How do you actually find love when sex is morning, noon and night and it's the full monty? The story never made sense.
I also have problems with crotch thinking characters and every decision is made by their groins. To me, this is absolutely unnecessary unless you are writing for a publisher who tries to put themselves out as a romance publisher but the truth is they just want erotica. That's just my take on it, though.
You're turn. Have you ever read a story or stories where you went, "this is stupid"? Or, "okay, this has gone into the realm of too-many-sex-scenes-is-not-a-good-thing?"
Cheers and until next Tuesday, happy writing,
T.J.
www.tethysjkillian.com
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3 comments:
Yes it is possible to go to far in my opinion. I once read a book that had my jaw dropping and my eyes as wide as platters. There was a good plot behind the story which made it readable but certain sex scenes made me cringe. I never recommended it to another reader.
I haven't been writing for very long but I think sex should enhance the plot not become the whole plot, then you've lost the romance.
Great post, TJ!
Liena~
Totally possible to go too far. I read on recently where the entire plot could have had half the sexual encounters and still been a real good read.
I'm with you. The stories I write really dictate the heat on their own. Unless I'm writing specifically for something/someone then the characters are very capable of telling me just how hot and bothered they want to get.
This is definitely going to be an interesting month.
The plot and the character should dictate the heat level in every story.
Frankly, too much sex bores me, and I'll turn the pages until I get to the story.
Great topic, T.J.
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