The other day a friend of mine said something that rather pissed me off. She said she very much liked my writing, but wished I wouldn't insist on putting "so much sex in it."
"But I write erotica," I pointed out.
"Exactly, and I get it you know, I mean it's like they say, sex sells and you're just writing what sells."
Um, no I'm not. I don't write a story and then try to cram as much sex in as possible because I think it will help it sell. I write a story and my characters cram in as much sex as they can convince me to include. (and in the world of erotica my characters are friggin prudes if you ask me) If it were up to me I'd be writing stuff like the Walking Dead and Mad Max, but these characters that get into my head are horny little bastards and they aren't shy about it. They want to screw, a lot, and they want you to hear all about it.
Sure I could cut it out of the story, but if I did then my characters would sulk and refuse to talk to me. Believe me I know. I have a massive, mainstream post apocalyptic fiction novel that I've been working on for over a year, and part of what's taken so long is that I'm trying like hell to keep my characters dressed and in their own pants. That tends to piss them off and they go silent on me for months on end.
The other snotty remark I've come across online is that writing sex isn't really writing. Really? It's one of the most basic human experiences, something we all go through, and yet it can be one of the most difficult to describe because it's something unique and personal to each of us. I can *see* exactly what my characters are experiencing, but how do you put it into words? More importantly, how do you do it without sounding like every other tired old cliche that's been done to death? Just because my characters like to screw doesn't mean I can just sling out the prose with one eye closed. It's a challenge to make the words become visual, and to dismiss erotica as just textual porn is arrogant and short sighted. I've read some really amazing work by very talented authors, and if it had not a lick of sex in it they still would have been outstanding reads.
The sex just made them 100% complete.
"But I write erotica," I pointed out.
"Exactly, and I get it you know, I mean it's like they say, sex sells and you're just writing what sells."
Um, no I'm not. I don't write a story and then try to cram as much sex in as possible because I think it will help it sell. I write a story and my characters cram in as much sex as they can convince me to include. (and in the world of erotica my characters are friggin prudes if you ask me) If it were up to me I'd be writing stuff like the Walking Dead and Mad Max, but these characters that get into my head are horny little bastards and they aren't shy about it. They want to screw, a lot, and they want you to hear all about it.
Sure I could cut it out of the story, but if I did then my characters would sulk and refuse to talk to me. Believe me I know. I have a massive, mainstream post apocalyptic fiction novel that I've been working on for over a year, and part of what's taken so long is that I'm trying like hell to keep my characters dressed and in their own pants. That tends to piss them off and they go silent on me for months on end.
The other snotty remark I've come across online is that writing sex isn't really writing. Really? It's one of the most basic human experiences, something we all go through, and yet it can be one of the most difficult to describe because it's something unique and personal to each of us. I can *see* exactly what my characters are experiencing, but how do you put it into words? More importantly, how do you do it without sounding like every other tired old cliche that's been done to death? Just because my characters like to screw doesn't mean I can just sling out the prose with one eye closed. It's a challenge to make the words become visual, and to dismiss erotica as just textual porn is arrogant and short sighted. I've read some really amazing work by very talented authors, and if it had not a lick of sex in it they still would have been outstanding reads.
The sex just made them 100% complete.
No comments:
Post a Comment