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I'll get you in the mood with this NSFW music video about Ray Bradbury that maybe one person in the universe hasn't already seen?
<- is apparently that person. And is fine with it. LOL
Just to clarify if there's someone wondering why the hell we got to this topic: we were talking about what books tend to get wrong in this regard.And, if you have some experiences with writing sex scenes or tips/resources for authors writing those scenes, please stop by and drop them in the author section - maybe in this thread about mature content.
What works for me as a reader--a reader who does not read erotica, so bear that in mind--are sex scenes that only show up when they are plot appropriate. By that I mean the scene advances some aspect of the plot or character. They could be setting up part of the conflict, resolving character relationships, defining some aspect of a character, or whatever.
What they should not be is titillation for titillation's sake. Same thing goes for violence actually. I'm not a gore for gore's sake fan, nor a sex for sex's sake fan (that's what the internet is for). A sex scene should (again, I'm only talking about ones in the kinds of books I read, there are types of books where none of this applies) be supportive of the plot and character development and should resolve in some kind of consequence (good or bad or just awkward and confusing like in real life).
As a writer I've only written one sex scene, which focused on the emotional aspects leading up to the consummation of love, but did not dwell on the physical act: a fade to black when the act was commencing because the details of their joining were really not the point.
Anna wrote: "I'll get you in the mood with this NSFW music video about Ray Bradbury that maybe one person in the universe hasn't already seen?"I had never seen this before and laughed non-stop for the first half of it or more even though it's not normally my kind of humour. It's very well done. But after a while it passed what I personally find funny.
One of my daughters has that kind of humour that borders on raunchy (or perhaps is, I don't know where that line is drawn) but she would be mortified to receive that link from me even though she makes jokes I'd prefer she didn't say in front of me.
Micah wrote: "What works for me as a reader--a reader who does not read erotica, so bear that in mind--are sex scenes that only show up when they are plot appropriate. By that I mean the scene advances some as..."
I agree with you--erotica is not everyone's cup of tea.
The reason I prefer that most of it be left to the imagination even when it's important to the plot is because people don't all like the same things. Also, for me and I am sure some others, too many words get in the way of some things.
.
Even in acting while singing (I am taking voice lessons in art songs--aka classical songs that are not opera--and some comic songs) I cannot do written subtext below the lyrics to plan my acting and the emotions--that gets in my way--but it is a technique taught to classical vocalists. I don't know how many people use it, but I attended an open workshop on it by someone who teaches it acting for singers. I can act, but use other ways to get that working for me.
Karin wrote: "Anna wrote: "I'll get you in the mood with this NSFW music video about Ray Bradbury that maybe one person in the universe hasn't already seen?"I had never seen this before and laughed non-stop fo..."
Well you made me curious, and now I've seen it, and... kinda wish I hadn't. LOL
Becky wrote: "Karin wrote: "Anna wrote: "I'll get you in the mood with this NSFW music video about Ray Bradbury that maybe one person in the universe hasn't already seen?"I had never seen this before and laugh..."
I agree--the last part was more than I wanted to see!!!!!!! I wish I'd stopped watching half way through and had just listened.
I agree that there should be a purpose to such scenes and I did my best to make sure the focus is on the emotions of the characters and what it shows about their personalities.
Micah wrote: "What works for me as a reader--a reader who does not read erotica, so bear that in mind--are sex scenes that only show up when they are plot appropriate. By that I mean the scene advances some as..."
Hmmm. I think this is where I differ.
I read both SFF and Romance. In romance I read 95% of the sub-genres including erotica and erotic romance.
Please note: there is a BIG difference between erotica and erotic romance. There is ALSO a big difference between erotica and porn. Just saying.
I don't mind - and often enjoy - titillation in sex scenes - as long as the scene is framed properly.
What do I mean by framing? Well, a dub-con/non-con scene should NOT be framed to titillate the reading audience. It should be shown to be what it is: coercion and/or brutal rape.
I am not one who can read a lot of violence. Period. If its removed violence I can read some of it but I canNOT with people like GRRM and Ambercrombie.
I am always surprised when people get more upset about sex than violence in a book (or movie): sex is a necessary and important part of the human condition that should be celebrated. Violence is...not.
I think people like me - who read on both sides of the coin - give authors a greater leeway with sex in SFF books. But, unlike in erotic romance and erotica, I do have a problem with gratuitous sex in SFF. It...just sticks out like a sore thumb. In all books, all scenes need to have plot based reasons to exist.
MrsJoseph *grouchy* wrote: "dub-con/non-con scene"From context I get that “non-con” is “non-consensual”, but what is “dub”? Dubious?
Trike wrote: "MrsJoseph *grouchy* wrote: "dub-con/non-con scene"From context I get that “non-con” is “non-consensual”, but what is “dub”? Dubious?"
Yup!
sorry. Romancelandia has it's own language, lol.
non-con = non-consensual (rape)
dub-con = Dubious consent (forced seduction, coercion, etc)
With that said, dub-con/non-con are sub-genres in romance itself, and I'm NOT putting the sub-genre on trial here. I'm talking specifically about dub-con/non-con in SFF.
Romance has it's own way of handling dub-con/non-con and I don't think the Mods are down for that type of nuanced discussion.
Plus, I'm probably one of the few members of this group who reads the genre regularly and I have a feeling it would lead to me having to push back and teach.
I read a lot of romance and SFF. I really gravitate towards books with darker themes/content and taboos and have zero problem with sex and violence in my books even when they don't advance the plot or character development. While dub-con and non-con sex are not my fave (non-con is cringeworthy and hard to read sometimes based on the way it's framed), I won't DNF or rate a book lower solely because it included either of these. I read dark erotica/erotic horror and books in the omegaverse "subgenre" that feature complete power exchanges (and, oh boy, some crazy stuff happens in those genres!). I don't mind violence (as long as it is epic) and I also don't mind sex (as long as it is well written).
Anna wrote: "I'll get you in the mood with this NSFW music video about Ray Bradbury that maybe one person in the universe hasn't already seen?"Make that two. I thought it was a hoot and my perception of Ray Bradbury and Something Wicked this Way Comes is warped forever. At least it replaced the songs from Rocky Horror Picture Show in my head. Gonna need to find something else to listen to tomorrow.
It's good to see that Ray Bradbury still inspires younger readers. I wonder if he ever saw that video?Audiobook listeners might find this musical letter to Stephen Fry of interest:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGYEM...
And if you have fond memories of your library there's this song:
https://misbehavinmaidens.bandcamp.co...
(CW: library sex puns)
Raucous wrote: "It's good to see that Ray Bradbury still inspires younger readers. I wonder if he ever saw that video?Audiobook listeners might find this musical letter to Stephen Fry of interest:
https://www.y..."
Just got done listening to 60+ hours of Stephen Fry as Sherlock Holmes so very apropos. This thread, others and books I would not have found made me think of a quote from Serenity except that I had to edit some. SFFBC Mr. Universe : You guys always bring me the very best
Raucous wrote: "It's good to see that Ray Bradbury still inspires younger readers. I wonder if he ever saw that video?"He did and they met, there are pictures.
(No, the pics aren’t sexy.)
We also have a thread about Sex and Violence in Books, on the topic of how much mature content you can handle. I was too busy being funny when I started the thread, so I forgot to link to other relevant topics. (Thanks Tomas for explaining why this was started.)
MeaganCM wrote: "I read a lot of romance and SFF. I really gravitate towards books with darker themes/content and taboos and have zero problem with sex and violence in my books even when they don't advance the plot..."Oh! Omegaverse is weird, lol! I've read one and yeah. I've been told that I've barely scratched the surface - that it gets waaaay more extreme. O_O
I've tried to read some of the darker ones and its hard. Too much non-con. I just can't get into it. I read a duology - Scarlet Scars - and while the interactions between the H/h were on the up and up, the heroine's backstory was filled to the brim with violence and rape and sadness and wow. Traumatizing, honestly. The hero's was full of violence but not like hers. I skimmed so much and still got a face full.
Raucous wrote: "Audiobook listeners might find this musical letter to Stephen Fry of interest"I finally sat down at the laptop and listened to this, hilarious and agreed! <3
Anna wrote: "Raucous wrote: "It's good to see that Ray Bradbury still inspires younger readers. I wonder if he ever saw that video?"He did and they met, there are pictures."
Here they are
Thank you for sharing ^^Anna wrote: "....(No, the pics aren’t sexy.)"
I'm not sure if this sentence really exists on the interwebs, though; there's always something/someone...
Anna wrote: "...He did and they met, there are pictures."Here they are"
Aww... Very sweet!
MrsJoseph *grouchy* wrote: "Micah wrote: "What works for me as a reader--a reader who does not read erotica, so bear that in mind--are sex scenes that only show up when they are plot appropriate. By that I mean the scene ad..."
I agree that not all erotica equals porn. Porn is the objectification of a person for sexual purposes and power situations--not all porn photos are totally nude. This is something we discussed heavily in at least one of my women's studies classes. Others may have different ideas, but this is how I understand it because I agree with that.
Use protection and also think of the pleasure of your partners. Remember that you're in a polyamorous relationship here, and that there will always be at least one mod in bed with you! (Or, at least watching.)
Related threads:
Sex and Violence in Books
Writing Mature Content