Let’s Talk About Sex!
Did
I catch your attention? Excellent.
Do
you enjoy reading explicit scenes? Or do you like sweet romance with the sweaty
stuff off the page? Do you like kinky, erotic, hot, mild, or chaste?
Everyone
has an opinion on this. All you need to do is read a few reviews or listen to a
podcast or two. The topic comes up all the time.
One
of my favorite conversations about eroticism happened soon after I moved to my
neighborhood in Florida where most of the residents are senior citizens. I
attended a monthly luncheon held at a local restaurant with ten or fifteen
ladies, all over age sixty-five.
The
subject of books came up, and one asked, “Have you read Fifty Shades of Grey?”
All the rest of the women at the table
tittered. Every single one of them had read it, and most liked it.
My
jaw dropped. I was the only one in the group who hadn’t read the book. I still
haven’t gotten around to it because the premise doesn’t appeal to me.
Honestly,
I find most sexual descriptions don’t pass my personal cringe test. Many others
are so mechanical, I’m bored to sleep. Few advance the plot or develop the
characters’ relationship.
Also,
I don’t like to write them. Avoiding the above traps of icky awkwardness and completely
predictable “blah, blah, blah, he did this, and she did that” is, in my interpretation,
one of the most difficult for a writer.
My debut novel, Water Dreams, contains
one non-explicit sensual vignette. I wrote the story the way I wanted and
emphasized the sweet romance. Beta Readers demanded more sex.
So,
in the next three books, I added more. I worked especially hard on those passages,
and I think they turned out well.
Siren
Descending
was originally part of an anthology. The only rules were the stories had to involve
demons or devils or both, and the content had to be spicy to erotic. I went for
spicy. The provocative scenarios are unusual and edgy, though actual lovemaking
occurs only a couple of times.
This
month, I’m finishing my fifth book. The working title is: Witch Trial Legacy.
I had a sex scene in it. When I started revising, I took it out. Why? Spiritual
issues play a big role in the book. I felt the sexuality detracted from those
elements, and I wanted to focus on them. I figured I could always put it back
in later.
Now,
I’m debating whether or not to incorporate the scene. If I don’t, some readers
won’t be happy. If I do, others may be put off.
At
the moment, my plan is to leave it out, but offer it to newsletter subscribers
and anyone who requests it via a contact form on my website.
What
do you think? Do you prefer sex on the page or behind closed doors? I’d love to
hear your opinion. I know you have one, so please leave a comment and tell me.
As
always, thanks so much for reading this blog. You can sign up for my newsletter
and learn more about me and my paranormal romances at: http://katherineeddingersmits.weebly.com/
Everyone
who joins receives a free short story exclusively for subscribers (sex scene
included). Newsletters are quarterly, except for an occasional extra if I want
to share big news. Each one contains a contest with a great prize too!
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Thank you for your timely post about a topic simmering on the minds of romance writers with pretty much every book. As you said, readers have their own opinions, and publishers often have guidelines as to how many sex scenes are required for the genre and how explicit.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your perspective, and I think you pinned it with staying true to what is best for each book. You accomplish that beautifully. I have one book in the Wytchfae series with more emphasis on sex than the others because of the nature of the main character, a succubus. However, I remember a reviewer telling me the scenes should be more frequent and explicit. Well, au contraire-- my succubus was in love!
From a reader's perspective, I agree that sex scenes can sometimes impede the flow of romance. I find myself skimming them. Years ago an admired urban fantasy author of mine began adding more and more, until there were few zombie raisings left in her books. Each chapter became which guy is she with now. I lost interest in what had been a fascinating series.
Readers all have different expectations and opinions on the subject, as you said, and luckily there are plenty of choices in books and writers to go around.
You're exactly right! Thank goodness we live in a time when we have so many choices and books are so easy to acquire.
DeleteI really enjoyed your prospective on including or not including sex in stories. In my Christmas novel that is due to release in November, I wrote what I usually write--sensual. I'm not really into fully described sex scenes. My grandmother used to always say, a little lace showing just beneath the hemline is far more enticing that hiking the dress up to bare hips. I agree, and there are just some things better left to the imagination. However, back to the Christmas book. My editor informed me that the line I usually write for had been eliminated by the publisher and they were putting me with the spicy line which required me to write at least one fully developed sex scene. I labored over whether to pull the book and become a homeless author, or fulfill the contract and stay gainfully employed. Writing the scene was difficult. I think I rewrote it a dozen times. I'll find out when the book releases how my readers feel. As you said, readers all have different expectations and opinions on the subject. Thanks for a timely post. You said it all very well.
ReplyDeleteWow, I'm so sorry to hear about you losing your line. It must have been tough to handle. I'm sure you did a great job with the sex scene though. I can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteHow interesting, Katherine! I actually enjoy writing sex scenes. I've learned, with each book, how to incorporate more emotion into them. I enjoyed reading about your perspective.
ReplyDelete