Monday, July 26, 2010

Writing sex scenes...



[caption id="attachment_300" align="aligncenter" width="465" caption="I don't know this models Name but he is my inspiration for Bastien from my WIP SoulMates Touch"][/caption]


I have been reading a lot of email from my crit partners and others in my crit group, about explicit terminology with regards to love scenes in novels.  I for one am no stranger to using P***Y or C**k. I have even thrown in the ultimate in female vocab no-no's C**T.  I write Erotica, straight and  Romance Erotica, and yes there is a difference. 

I look at it this way,

If one is going to write a sweet romance then perhaps your prose should be less...uhmm...colorful...no...ahh yes, explicit.  I enjoy reading sweet all the way to heart thumping, orgasmic inducing( okay may not orgasmic), sweaty hard-core, descriptions of sex at any heat level.  I prefer to use more straight forward words, although not all my writing is sexual. 

It truly depends on what genre the author is using. 

I would not expect to read the following scene in an erotic novel,

Jane unbuttoned Johns pants to apply the ointment to the gash just beneath his navel.  Heat colored his face, as her small hands accidently brushed the tip of his manhood, causing blood to flow downward.

To me this would be more of a sweet Romance. No real description of body parts, but more suggestions. The only naughty word used is "manhood", which I personally don't like to use but for mild yet sexy imagery it would be appropriate. 

This is what I would probably write and what I would expect to find in an Erotic novel.

Jane unbuttoned Johns pants, pulling them down low enough to reveal a little more than the gash just beneath his navel. Heat simmered in his eyes. His flushed face turned towards her when the back of her hand rubbed the tip of his cock, filling it with a rush of hot blood as it hardened and grew long and thick.

Now that is more my speed.  

However, we all have different tastes and what seems benign to some may be offensive others.  Luckily I have wonderful crit partners who appreciate my writing and will tell me if what I write may be too much for them. No worries for me though. I know that my writing may be obscene to people and truly I really have no animosity towards anyone who does not want to read Erotica, or my style of it. 

My only advice is for writers to keep an open mind, remember to view other people's work from an artistic perspective. And it's okay to say, "Hey I really don't like this."  But respect the writer and their work.

Keep writing y'all and don't forget to enter Nocturnal Nights  first contest, "You Did What? Where?" I'm looking forward to reading all the entries..  :)

Emma

6 comments:

Tabitha Blake said...

Great blog Emma. We all have different comfort levels and I think thats what it all boils down to. I don't write erotic romance, I write sensual but I think we both get the short end of the stick sometimes. I don't think either one is better than the other it all comes down to what the reader wants and we all have a place in the writing world. Great job. This Thur. I will have a guest blogger Ambrielle Kirk talking about erotic romance and next week I will be talking about sensual romance. It will be a two part series. Hope everyone stops by to check it out. This seems to be a hot topic as of lately. Oh and that is one sexy man! I have to go before I start to drool! LOL!

Emma Paul said...

Thanks Carey, Can't wait to see what Ambrielle has up her sexy little sleave. I love her sex scenes...

Emma :)

Ambrielle said...

Ni, great blog and Carey, I have already started to drool. I love a man with a little hair on his chest, especially a good lookin' one. I think, Ni, that you wrapped it up very nicely when you said what seems benign to some might be offensive to others. Here is more proof that decisions made in the publishing world can be subjective.

Emma Paul said...

Hmm, Just admiring Bastien above...Damn don't ya just want to reach out and pinch those little nipples....


wink, wink,
Emma ;)

Ambrielle said...

LOL! Then, I hope I don't disappoint ;)

Ambrielle said...

Yes, lol, they do look pinchable and lickable. :)