The Sex Blog

The weekend on bed rest gave me some time to catch up on a little reading around the blogosphere, including "What's Wrong with Sex?" by JA Konrath, one of the powerhouse voices in indie publishing. While Joe's books themselves aren't necessarily my cup of tea -- because of the genre, not the quality of writing -- I have tremendous respect for his views on publishing and read his blog whenever I can.

In this particular entry, Joe talked about adding some sex scenes to some of his very popular sci-fi/mystery novels, scenes he felt were important to the development of plot and characters. He was reflecting on the negative feedback (and even hate mail) he received from readers in response, describing his work as 'porn,' among other things. An interesting discussion ensued in the comments feed, with readers and authors alike expressing their views on when and if sex scenes are appropriate in fiction.

Some people think sex scenes in non-romance novels are lazy writing and cheap tactics to sell books. Others enjoy love scenes when they are well-written, appropriately placed and move the story forward or reveal something about the characters. Some readers are so uncomfortable with love scenes that they skip them entirely. Others will ONLY read books with a steamy scene or two. Or seven.

As I read the blog and the ensuing discussion, I found it interesting that more men than women seemed uncomfortable with love scenes in mainstream fiction (but not with out-and-out porn); while romance writers of all varieties were frustrated that even a single steamy scene in a book written by a female earned it the label "trashy romance" or "erotica."

As a writer of "women's" fiction (which incidentally has received plenty of positive feedback from men) I'm fascinated by the relationship between gender and genre. I still question my own decision to label The Marriage Pact as "Contemporary Women's Fiction," when I know that label confines both my writing and my readership in a way that is largely inaccurate.

Is TMP about love and romance and relationships? You bet. Do I imagine that the majority of readers taking that enormous engagement ring cover to the beach this summer were women? Probably. Do men also enjoy reading about relationships and drama and - gasp! - sex? I would argue yes -- particularly with good writing and strong characters in the right context.

For me as an author, that's the crux of the issue. There are the 'bodice-ripper' romance novels, which are often more sex than plot, and I know lots of women who love those books so much they go through four or five a week. Which is great for both the readers and writers. That just doesn't happen to be what I write.

The love scenes in TMP were a huge challenge for me, not because I'm personally squeamish about sex, but because I'm aware that in a novel like mine, sex is a little like a blow torch. Tee hee. Used appropriately, a love scene can show you something important about the characters: their vulnerability, motivations, state of mind, etc. Used gratuitously, sex is a mere distraction from the story, watering it down in a way that will cause readers to flip pages or lose interest entirely.

Just like scenery, suspense, violence, plot twists, and other writers' tools, sex has to be used intentionally and pointedly to help the reader connect with the characters and the world in which they live. It should compel you deeper into the story, not call attention to the author or the way the story is written. My goal as an writer is to constantly improve my craft, to bring you deeper into a world that is as real as it can be in every facet of the experience, sex (or not) and all.

What do you think of sex scenes in mainstream fiction? Does genre matter? Gender? Or is it all about the story?