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Venus and Cupid by Lambert Sustris |
It’s almost time for Valentine’s Month and once again, we plan to focus on the romance genre. Well, we might even get a bit spicier than that and explore the topic of sex in literature. Let this be a GRAPHIC CONTENTS warning of things to come, readers!
I've been thinking a lot about romance novels over the past few months, though not exactly by intent. Researching a mystery series, my male protagonist took over and the plot began to take a decidedly sensual turn. He was so fixated on his heroine that I decided to write a standalone novella dealing strictly with the romance he was having with this new-found love. I realized the real stories in the mystery books wouldn't get told until their love life was a bit more settled.
As I wrote scene after increasingly torrid love scene, I started thinking a lot about human sexuality, sexual objectification, and the differences between romance, erotica, and pornography. I have an education in fine arts, and with it comes a fairly strong and informed understanding of erotica vs. pornography. Here’s what I believe:
Erotica includes a graphic depiction of the human form, but it always incorporates beauty and perhaps even love. Pornography has one goal: to provide intense sexual arousal to the viewer and it is often exploitative and even degrading. Both erotica and pornography leave me with the question: where is the love? That’s something I've had to explore with my own novel, scene upon scene, chapter after chapter. Where is the love? If it isn’t strongly present, it means a revision. I won’t allow sex without love in my stories.
I've had to analyze my characters, their actions, and their words over and over. Romance requires constant rewriting as the story progresses. I’m still not finished. I’ll dial back the sizzle in some sections to give the reader a bit of a reprieve, and I’ll get more graphic in other scenes because the actions will have to reflect that particular stage of relationship development. It's not an easy process. Love never is.
Are you wondering just how much graphic content is appropriate for a romance? There are plenty of levels. Traditional Regency romance is fairly tame. Modern erotic romance ramps up the heat level depending on certain elements included in the writing. There are many guidelines for writers, but my favorite is the Sensuality Ratings Guide from All About Romance. Do link over to read the descriptions.
I don’t know at this point what level of romance this novella will be when it's finished. My version isn't included in the ratings above – certainly the term “romantica” fits to a certain extent, but my characters don’t use “code words” or euphemisms in their lovemaking and conversation… because that’s an aspect of romance writing I dislike. I especially don’t care for vulgar terminology, and blessedly, neither do my characters, especially my male protagonist.
On the other hand, I'm not crazy about a lot of frou frou poetic description of lovemaking either. The idea of arching toward cosmic oneness and crashing into a universal abyss together just leaves me scratching my head. What exactly did that feel like? Give me a better description, and try not to sound so insipid while you're at it!
On the other hand, I'm not crazy about a lot of frou frou poetic description of lovemaking either. The idea of arching toward cosmic oneness and crashing into a universal abyss together just leaves me scratching my head. What exactly did that feel like? Give me a better description, and try not to sound so insipid while you're at it!
Moreover, I've discovered I have a deep respect for love and sex that is coming across in my writing – so much so that I've had to include aspects of eastern philosophy into sex scenes, because at the core of philosophies like Tantra is the belief that sex is a sacred act – indeed, the deepest kind of love. I’ll touch on that a bit more in another post, after my characters are more experienced themselves. At the moment, they are still exploring new ideas and each other.
What about you, readers? Do you read the romance genre? Write it? How much sex can you handle? Are there specific aspects or practices that repel you? What kind of romance makes you feel good? Did this post make you squirm? Why or why not? Please leave me a comment!