A few days ago (on January 13th) Kelley Heckart wrote an article about sex scenes here on Sweet ‘n Sexy Divas. And that has got me thinking. Apparently, movie goers now want fewer — or no — sex scenes. What about readers? Apparently, there are quite a few who are bored with descriptive sex scenes (slip tab A into slot B) and would prefer the suggestion of sex.
For a romance writer, this is an interesting subject. In my books, I’ve always included one — rarely two — sex scenes, and even if they aren’t particularly detailed, there they are. And when I read romances, I’ve definitely felt that sex scenes are necessary.
However, here’s the problem: I’m just finishing my new romance book, one set in an artist’s retreat in France — The Unpredictable Colors of Love — and somehow any descriptive sex seems wrong. I can’t understand it. My hero, Michel, a wonderfully sexy French artist, is a very sensual person, and my heroine, Callie, desires him madly. They do end up together; they do make love; the passion is very much there… but it’s all behind closed doors. A new twist for me? We’ll see what happens in the final draft (and that’s tomorrow).
1 comment:
I think the problem with sex scenes is sex for sex's sake. If you're writing erotica, that's fine, because erotica is about the sexual journey (think Story of O), not the romance. If you're writing erotic romance, there has to be some emotional build-up, IMO, to the sex. Otherwise, it's just Tab A into Slot B...which gets pretty boring.
I've found during the sex scenes I've written that the best sex is the emotional part...not the descriptive physical part. How the participants feel...connected, loved, excited, etc.
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