As discussions about Mrs. Giggles’ latest rip on erotic romance swirl about the blogosphere this past week, and as I turned in my latest erotic romance and pitched ideas for more, I have been thinking about the state of erotic romance from a split perspective.
Publishers want it hot. Readers want it hot, too, and yet time and again I come across reader complaints online about “too much sex”. In my opinion, what is really meant by this complaint is one of two things. Either the reader is not really a fan of erotic romance and is reading the wrong books. In which case, something more in keeping with what that reader wants will lead to a more satisfying reading experience. Or the reader loves erotic romance but is finding books in which the author fell down on the job.
It’s my job to make readers care about my characters. Here’s a secret, erotic romance is not about sex. It’s about people. People and emotions and wants and needs and baggage from the past and hopes for the future, and they bring all of that to bed with them. I write about people and situations that interest me. Sometimes that includes aliens and werewolves and vampires, but still people, intelligent, feeling beings who want to love and be loved.
I don’t sit down with a guide in front of me that says “every so many pages there must be sex” or “sex must happen by this point in the story” or “sex must include these variations”. The only rule is that sex must be central to how the characters are struggling along their path to love and happiness and self-actualization and the attainment of their goal(s). Because if sex isn’t important to the story, it doesn’t belong in the story. I’ve heard the idea that you could remove the sex from an erotic romance and you’d still have a story. I think you’d have a damn thin story that was missing a lot, because it’s those scenes where so much that’s vital to the story happens and the characters reveal themselves and discover themselves. If you can remove any scene from a book, regardless of genre, it’s gratuitous and didn’t belong there. If it’s in the book, it should have a reason to be there and serve the story.
Yes, I’ve read books where the author dropped the ball after the first sex scene and from that point forward the story was emotionally over but ran on for another three hundred pages. This isn’t a problem with sex. It’s a problem with conflict. If the conflict ends the minute the hero and heroine hit the sheets, instead of blaming sex, find the conflict and amp it up. Whenever possible, the sex scene should up the stakes and make things worse, leaving the hero and heroine struggling with the consequences and the potential risk versus reward.
Publishers want it hot, readers want it hot too, but they also want it to matter and to be entertained and ultimately satisfied by the story. So what’s a writer to do? Serve the story. Write the best damn book you can. Instead of trying to second guess what publishers want or what readers want, pay attention to what the story needs. I don’t put sex in to meet publisher criteria and I don’t take it out in an attempt to appease complaints of “too much sex”. Either way, it would rob the story and ultimately everybody else. Me, the publisher, and the reader.
More sex, is just more sex – but connected sex that moves the story? That’s hot, exciting and interesting sex and it’s purposeful.
I think the “too much sex” commentary is really about the lack of thought that goes into a lot of sex writing. If you’re flipping past *any* scenes in a book, they’re not connected or necessary or not well written.
I love to read sex. I love to write it. I think it’s full of possibility for the story and the characters.
Lauren, I love the hot stuff, as reader and writer. If the first kiss is a huge turning point in a romance, how can sex be something to skim over? I’m not saying it’s easy to keep the sexual tension up, but I’m a firm believer that it’s present in ALL romance, and crucial in erotic romance.
You go, Charli! 😉
I’ve heard the idea that you could remove the sex from an erotic romance and you’d still have a story. I think you’d have a damn thin story that was missing a lot, because it’s those scenes where so much that’s vital to the story happens and the characters reveal themselves and discover themselves.
Yes — I made this exact same argument on RTB when the same definition came up — someone said with erotic romance, take Blaze for instance, you should be able to take the sex out and still have a story. Ugh. Obviously haven’t written one. Sure, you might still have a story, but much of the growth, development, and fun will have been taken out of it.
I love hot stuff, I love writing hot stuff, reading hot stuff, and I’m finding I like it hotter and hotter.
Now, I did read one Spice that put me off bigtime — the story did not craft characters I could relate to or care about, and I set it down mid-book and didn’t go back. I decided to try again, and I’m reading Dirty, and it’s fantastic.
To me this proves your point — it’s not about the down and dirty sex. I love reading sexy books — but the first book put me off because the how the characters were coming at the sex, the motivations, as well as what they were doing, really icked me out. However, in Dirty, it’s not — I love it.
Sam
Sam
Good point, Sam, even well written hot books might not be to one’s taste or have characters you can get interested in and invested in. I’ve read some stuff I couldn’t finish that was good but so not my cup of tea. Couldn’t understand the characters’ behavior at all and found it very off-putting.
I’ve heard many good things about Dirty, will have to check it out.
You won’t be sorry you read Dirty (pimp, pimp, LOL)
It isn’t easy to keep sexual tension up, I think many authors think it is and think “sex sells” so they toss in random stuff but forget that it’s about the chemistry and build up as much as that consummation scene.
When I think of great, perfect sex scenes with lots of tension prior I think about the dock scene in Welcome to Temptation. Perfect!
It’s very, very difficult to keep the tension going! Honestly, I think if you can write erotic well you can do anything. It’s that hard.
I aso agree about that scene. Crusie does it right! I also love how things keep going wrong in Temptation, like the way they try to act out the fantasy in the bar and everybody in town needs to talk to Phin.
Great Post Charli. I agre. It’s the authros job, and “More sex” is not what makes a book hot. It’s all abotu the characters, and how they feel. Not what they do.:razz:
And also how what they do makes them feel. LOL
Emotions and involving the five senses are key, Sasha!