Constance Daley's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing-dialogue-in-erotica"
Pillow Talk
For the most part, my characters don't have much to say while they're having sex. There are multiple reasons for this, and I'd like to share a few of them today.
To a certain extent, there are two major types of talk possible during sex. One is emotional talk, exploring your feelings with your partner. The other is dirty talk, and I think we all have a pretty good idea of what that is. The thing is, neither one of these really fits the type of stories I want to tell. I write mostly short erotica, and my characters are usually not seeking some type of spiritual connection when they fuck, so emotional talk is basically out the window. And I've always felt that dirty talk, unless done well and in the proper context, comes across as sounding like the "dialogue" in porn. Sure, there are characters who speak like that and I won't shy away from it in those situations, but I'm not going to include it just for the sake of including it.
I have always believed that words have power. I have believed that since long before I became a writer, and I believe it even more now. What I've discovered reading a lot of books over the years, particularly in regards to romance novels, is that dialogue is expected, but usually works against the writer. In short, most dialogue in books sucks (except for you, Nora Roberts, you write great dialogue). But since writers are expected to include it, they do, and their characters usually sound like idiots.
If you're a writer like me, and you struggle to write good dialogue, all I can say is don't push it too much. Sure, characters need to talk to advance the plot, and sometimes a little banter is good for the story (like in Put It In, Coach!, which is almost certainly my most dialogue heavy story, or No-Telling where Garrett's dialogue is key to setting up the twist). But for the most part, I'm okay with my characters talking very little. They aren't in the story to orate, they're in the story to fuck, and I hope that is what they are good at.
To a certain extent, there are two major types of talk possible during sex. One is emotional talk, exploring your feelings with your partner. The other is dirty talk, and I think we all have a pretty good idea of what that is. The thing is, neither one of these really fits the type of stories I want to tell. I write mostly short erotica, and my characters are usually not seeking some type of spiritual connection when they fuck, so emotional talk is basically out the window. And I've always felt that dirty talk, unless done well and in the proper context, comes across as sounding like the "dialogue" in porn. Sure, there are characters who speak like that and I won't shy away from it in those situations, but I'm not going to include it just for the sake of including it.
I have always believed that words have power. I have believed that since long before I became a writer, and I believe it even more now. What I've discovered reading a lot of books over the years, particularly in regards to romance novels, is that dialogue is expected, but usually works against the writer. In short, most dialogue in books sucks (except for you, Nora Roberts, you write great dialogue). But since writers are expected to include it, they do, and their characters usually sound like idiots.
If you're a writer like me, and you struggle to write good dialogue, all I can say is don't push it too much. Sure, characters need to talk to advance the plot, and sometimes a little banter is good for the story (like in Put It In, Coach!, which is almost certainly my most dialogue heavy story, or No-Telling where Garrett's dialogue is key to setting up the twist). But for the most part, I'm okay with my characters talking very little. They aren't in the story to orate, they're in the story to fuck, and I hope that is what they are good at.
