Writerly Ways

[cornerofmadness]

Writing erotica is a puzzling genre sometimes. Some readers don't like too much sex. Others whine there isn't enough sex. But in the last year (since after I finished Soldiers of the Sun) I've read more of it than I have since I started publishing it. Now that I'm actually doing halfway decent I really should study the genre more.

I've come to the conclusion that for the most part, I'm writing it too much like fanfic. Now I've never been one for huge sex scenes. I do however, remember the Buffy/Angel and Buffy/Spike fanfics (more so Buffy than the anime/manga fandoms) with the twenty-page sex scenes. I didn't care for them. Still, many of the typical fandom sex scenes were several pages long.

I did just finish reading a chapter long sex scene in a DSP book and it was one of the longest I've seen in any of the ones I've bought. I was bored. I'm bored reading that. I'm bored writing that. Most of the sex scenes in the other books I've read were shorter. A page or so, maybe two. For me, that worked better.

In Love's Landscape, so far less than half have any sex at all.

However, it never occured to me to NOT write sex in mine. It never occured to me to not write a lot of sex in my stories. Actually none of them have that much sex in it but in the scenes that do, it's often rather long. I thought that was expected. Most of what I've read of erotica was twenty-thirty years ago and were little more than porn. And then of course, fan fiction.

I assumed that tons of sex was needed. (and to some maybe it is). I'm finding it something of a relief to see it's not necessarily needed. I would love to eventually get to write something other than romance for DSP. It's not my strongest genre. You should write what you love and I'm not necessarily in love with romance.

I can see myself trimming the sex scenes down to the bare neccessities. I might do more fades to black. If it needs more, like Aaron's first time having sex after losing his arm, then it will get more. I think the overall story might benefit from it. My sex scenes get the strongest editorial comments. I find them difficult.

What do you think? If you pick up romance or erotica, what satisfies you? Would a short scene do it or do you prefer the long long ones (oh the double entendres there).

Comments

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's how I think of erotica, too.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

and so far most of the modern stuff isn't that. I'm shocked at how many of the love's landscapes are just romance no sex.

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

True.