Deviant, Moi?

Ah, sex or not to sex, THAT is the question.

I'm gonna say it out straight: I LIKE SEX.

While I mean that in many senses of the word, it is the Written Word to which I refer at this particular moment.

I enjoy reading a well-written sex scene in a novel (small wonder I adore Jacqueline Carey, eh?) when it has relevance to the setting and the character interaction. And I do mean WELL-written, not Harlequin Romance schlock. *Gak*

Am I wrong in this? I think not. If it follows the storyline and it makes sense for the characters to be doing such, what's wrong with some detail? (And that includes sex for the wrong reasons, not just two characters falling madly in lust and wanting to make the beast with two backs. Sadly enough, there are as many literary occasions for rape as for one-night stands. Doesn't make it morally right, merely contextual.)

But let me define my reasons for mentioning this in the first place. I've noticed a distinct difference between men and women (within my admittedly narrow sphere of influence) in how they react to written sexual content. Most men see nothing wrong with PlayBoy's infamous letters (even the fact that they are oh, so fake!) and yet, put a well-crafted paragraph of pornography in the middle of mainstream fiction and they squirm like little boys getting their first kiss. Yeesh.

Every time one of my male beta-readers has hit a sex scene in my manuscripts, he's done just that. (Unfortunately, my single female reader has yet to make it that far into Book I, but we're holding out hope that she will eventually do so. And having already had discussions of this nature with her, I doubt she'll have the same reaction as the guys.)

I consider myself (and have been told by others) that I am a talented writer, especially when it comes to sex scenes. My characters always have a bonefide reason for it. But it's not the quality of the writing the men are calling into question; it's the matter that it's there at all!

What? Again, I refer back to PlayBoy. No problems there. So why am I being told "Why'd you have to go so far with this? Do we really need to know what happened stroke for stroke??"

Well ... yes!

Okay, I relent a little. I don't always give it "stroke for stroke." Sometimes it's a quick glide of hands on skin and you get the idea of who's putting what where...and we move on. But sometimes it's important to me to give the details of how the charcters are reacting to one another in that situation in particular. Maybe it concretes the implied relationship (for good or bad). Maybe it sets the tone for a terrible falling out later. The point is, I see no reason it shouldn't be there! Honestly, I find myself irritated when an author goes all out on the kiss and then fades off with some inane quip about "clothes falling to the floor" and "sighs coloring the air" and...CUT. Scene end.

You know what that says to me? "Big whoop, thanks for playing, but I was too chicken to detail it out."

Not this chica. Give me stroke for stroke. I LIKE SEX.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, too. Yippee! Break out the edible panties, the fur-lined handcuffs, and all the other fun toys, baby! It's time to par-tee!! *wink*