Sex Scenes and the Married Matron.
I am a person who spends an inordinate amount of time commenting on the tautiliciousness of men's bottoms. Yet I confess a preference in leaving certain things to the imagination when I write.
Sex being one of them.
I will describe food in great detail.
Architecture.
Weather.
Anything but The Act.
The book I am currently trying to whip into shape for a spring submission deals with celibacy, kinks, mind games, the effect of pop culture and mass media on one's libedo and romance.
But not The Act.
I find a character's mindset far more intriging that the position of her or his tongue/right hip/rubber accessories.
So... my question gentle readers, is:
How important is the detail of sexual scenarios for you in the books you write/read?
18 comments:
I've seen your butt ...comments. I think that it should be detailed enough to ellict a pavlovian or viceral response from the reader but not mention body parts or secretions. (I think) a really good scene must advance a story line and reveal something about the characters, awkwardness, inadequacy, skill, size, emotion, etc... but thats just me.
I can easily forego "Tab A - Slot B" mechanics.
What I like in a good "sex" scene is when it's about the (No damnit! I'm not being kinky) power balance and the subtle shifts and moves of the mating dance. Motivation is important, how the characters feel is important, build up of tension (slightly kinky) is important. That's where it's interesting.
Who wields the tube of astroglide is information I can do without..... or seek in more prurient outlets than quality fiction.
It depends on why you put anything else in your writing.
Does it move the plot? Does it expose something new in your character? Is it important to the overall storyline?
The story is the most important. The sex has to reveal something about the character, be essential to the plot to the extent that something would be missing were it left out.
I prefer less specific kind of scenes.
Dana wrote:
"Does it expose something new in your character? "
**bites tongue**
I had a policy with my first manuscript - no sex.
By the time I moved on to the next one, the inhibitions were gone.
Mind you, there's still no...sex scene, per se, in that one.
And frankly, I think you can leave some things to the imagination. After all, nobody wants to get nominated for the bad sex awards.
http://pjparrish.blogspot.com/2005/11/more-bad-sex.html
Keep your slimy fish to yourself!
Hey I like fish.
SEX is good, Kinda like RED - you can never have too much RED.
The mechanics aren't necessary. The mood, the setting, the feel, but not the mechanics.
"I had a policy with my first manuscript - no sex."
Er...
with the publisher, the agents or the manuscript?
Nevermind.
Forget I asked.
I wrote an entire novel that has sex on every page. The gals know which one it is. Don't think I mentioned any body parts though, even during the really heavy bits.
Sex happens mostly in the mind.
This is exactly why I keep bugging M.G. to come over and critique mine. So far, she's been gracious enough to do so. When I first posted "Sex from the Kitchen", I wanted to have a little fun while also looking for reaction to the stuff being commented upon here. And, after the first rewrite, it's obvious I've still a lot more work to do.
The main character in my hope to be novel series is highly motivated by the combination of sex and power. Sooo, I'm trying to learn to do it right.
"Sex happens mostly in the mind."
Sometimes, only. :(
"I wrote an entire novel that has sex on every page. The gals know which one it is."
Er. Really? Which one? I must have missed it.
You were too young to read it, dear.
There is no WAY I can comment about this without dropping all sorts of clangers, but I will try.
The big problem is that every sex scene begins to look like all the others and waaay too often is just a physical description.
M.G. and Lisa et al are essentially right, the scene has to tell something more about the character and/or the plot than exalt the fact that one or both are horny as hell.
I'm with MG... Sex scenes are fine if they reveal something about the characters.
I've read great sex scenes with no detail and great sex scenes with lots of detail. As long as the writing is great, the level of detail is irrelevant.
Adam
Ahem. In another life I wrote poetry dedicated to the fine posterior of a certain actor. Some of my most notorious titles: "What is So Rare as a Derrier"(and no, I still don't know how to spell it), "Let's Walk Backwards", and the award winning "My Buttocks, Your Buttocks."
I agree that all sexually oriented sex scenes should be in good taste; however, I know from past experience that Miss E Ann wouldn't know good taste if it jumped on her lap and snogged her.
I could tell you such stories! hehehe. Love you too, E Ann
Heh.
Hi Delphi...
**gags and binds you**
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