Cocktoberfest: Suspension of Disbelief, Interrupted
Hi guys! Ashlyn Kane here guest-blogging for my gracious host, EM Lynley. Happy Cocktoberfest, everybody! Have a sausage!
[Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win an e-book version of Bethany Brown & Ashlyn Kane’s new novel Wild Angels]
I’m sort of new to this whole “getting paid to write about hot men having sex with each other” thing, but it’s pretty much the coolest job in the world. Well, getting paid to watch would actually be pretty awesome too, but anyway. I love my job, but sometimes—don’t tell anyone—I have problems writing The Sex.
As pretentious as it is to say it, as authors, we’ve got a duty to the story that we’re telling to tell it right, not to sugarcoat it, to give the characters a fair shake (tee hee). But as writers of erotic romance, well, let’s just say we’ve got a responsibility to the readers, as well, and readers like a steamy sex scene. At least, that’s my experience as a reader!
That’s where the conflict comes in. On the one hand, my duty to the story and characters says I gotta tell it like it is. On the other hand, as a reader and people-pleaser (pun fully intended), I want to write marathon sex scenes, dagnabbit! So when the characters are nervous, or inexperienced, or tired, or lazy, or, say, a little over-stimulated, what’s a girl to do?
It’s my job to satisfy the reader, not the characters’. Of course, that leads to a different problem—as they say, diff’rent strokes for diff’rent folks. I know that for myself, as a reader, while I do love the fantasy sex—going for hours, unlimited erections, Tyrannosaurus Pricks and liters of bodily fluids (ok, maybe not that last one)—there’s a point where I take a step back and say, ‘Really? It was that big? Yeah, right.’ Not to mention that I’ve read more than a few titles that I felt were more about the sex than about the characters, and as much as I love me some hot man-on-man action, I do actually usually read for the plot! So what the readers want isn’t always different from what the characters need.
But where is the line? Is there even one? How can I weigh artistic integrity against my implicit promise to get the reader off? It should be no contest, right? The author’s first duty—which totally trumps ‘job’ on the obligation scale—is to the story. Of course, we can’t be authors if people don’t like our work, and everyone knows we’re feedback whores.
So speaking of—I gotta know. What’s too much fantasy for you guys to swallow?
Ashlyn Kane is a geeky 24-year-old with a sweet tooth and a sharp tongue. You can buy her work, including Wild Angels, the newest collaboration with Bethany Brown, from Dreamspinner Press here.
6 Responses to “Cocktoberfest: Suspension of Disbelief, Interrupted”
Leave a Reply to London HopesCancel reply
That depends. Honestly– it depends on the story and the pattern of writing. ‘grand high sex’ is one thing–don’t need to mention the body fluids, the veins in the prick, lubricant, whatever… all that stuff is assumed, as long as the angels weep and the heavens move at the climax.
Real people sex is something else. We want to hear about how lubricant doesn’t taste good, we need a wash cloth, one guy didn’t come… whatever. Because we’re with these people, we love them, the obstacles make the climax even better.
Like I said–depends!
I have to say I agree completely with Amy Lane. And congrats on having a job that you love!
That’s a good point, Amy–it’s almost like glossed-over sex… except for the good part. 😉 There’s definitely a difference between the heavenly chorus sex and the real people sex–apparently, I prefer the real people. You learn something new about yourself every day!
And London–Thanks! It’s really the best thing in the world when you get paid to do something you’d do anyway.
I’ll take real people sex any day of the week. Sure we all want it to be mind blowing. But it isn’t always, is it? And doesn’t it say more about the characters we want to love and root for to know how they deal with a less-than-perfect bout of sheet dancing?
One thing that I always debate as a writer: the great lube/condom/washcloth dilema. Can these things be taken as given? I mean, we all know sex is messy. How much reality do we need to inject? Some readers want to know the characters are realistic enough not to sleep in their own spunk. Some readers will take for granted that any sane persone would lube before hurting their partner, or take chances with unsafe sex, and assume they are reading about sane people unless told otherwise. So it’s always a crap shoot. To mention the unmentionables or not to mention them.
I’ll take the sex scenes any way they’re written! LOL Seriously, it’s nice to see a fantasy sex scene every once in a while. I mean, we all (hopefully) have real-life sex and know what’s involved and how messy it can be. Reading about the first time an innocent has male-male sex, or the lovely details of lovers in love making love (wow, “love” 4 times in one phrase!), or an old curmudgeon realizing that there is love out there for everyone, is every gay man’s fantasy. The details aren’t always necessary, like the cum dripping down your leg, or the wet bed with no clean sheets available, or the yucky condom that has to be tossed. It kind of takes away from the atmosphere being set. So don’t give up on those fantasy sex scenes! I vote for one in every story at least…
You both brought up some interesting points–and I do love handling awkward moments between characters! It seems that moderation is key for everyone–except, perhaps, when one is indulging in a little wish fulfillment. 😉