tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post5434694124334110473..comments2024-03-28T06:59:34.982-06:00Comments on Blood-Red Pencil: To Romance or NotDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-66823792167214155332014-02-12T21:11:03.954-07:002014-02-12T21:11:03.954-07:00Thanks for the affirmation, Jacqueline. I think mo...Thanks for the affirmation, Jacqueline. I think most of us are thinking the same way about this. Would love to hear from some readers.Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-27723535908469230162014-02-12T15:25:58.787-07:002014-02-12T15:25:58.787-07:00Hi, Maryann,
I believe the romance should be orga...Hi, Maryann,<br /><br />I believe the romance should be organic to the story and grow out of the relationship, not publisher guidelines. Readers are smart. They know the difference. Sometimes sex scenes are appropriate for a particular novel. Sometimes inappropriate the writer needs to make the call.Jacqueline Seewaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09177500620940251009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-89364700340818740772014-02-12T13:30:32.740-07:002014-02-12T13:30:32.740-07:00I agree with the problem of forced conflict in a r...I agree with the problem of forced conflict in a romance or romantic suspense. I'm also not fond of those immediate intense attractions just because it is expected. It seems more natural for an attraction to build over some time. One book I started to read recently had both characters fall immediately into love/lust when they first met. I know there is an immediate reaction when you meet a person you could fall in love with, but it is not as strong as portrayed in some stories. <br />Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-8329887010221053842014-02-12T10:54:17.930-07:002014-02-12T10:54:17.930-07:00Readers and writers have to be comfortable with wh...Readers and writers have to be comfortable with what they read and write. I write sex scenes, but they have to be natural to the story, never forced, and it's always a loving relationship scene. What irritates me more is forced conflict in a romantic suspense. There has to be a logical reason why the protagonists are apart or at each other's throats, and when they get together, it should ring true, whether it ends in a sex scene, behind closed doors, or not at all. Polly Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05729656119287702191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-33351554684750741482014-02-12T10:41:30.519-07:002014-02-12T10:41:30.519-07:00It would be interesting to explore the differences...It would be interesting to explore the differences between a sex scene and a love scene. Does a love scene have to involve physical intimacy?Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-11443180478917472572014-02-12T10:39:33.644-07:002014-02-12T10:39:33.644-07:00Love your comment, Diana, about gratuitous scenes....Love your comment, Diana, about gratuitous scenes. I'm going to post that on Twitter. Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-11406576056302278942014-02-12T10:36:37.756-07:002014-02-12T10:36:37.756-07:00Excellent point, Christopher. The same goes for Rh...Excellent point, Christopher. The same goes for Rhett Butler and Scarlet, and many other classic couples. As for Matt and Kitty, I don't think they were completely platonic. Too much obvious sexual attraction when they looked at each other. Now whether they acted on that? That was left to the viewer's imagination.Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-30646839085459946532014-02-12T10:10:08.922-07:002014-02-12T10:10:08.922-07:00I don't think I've ever written a sex scen...I don't think I've ever written a sex scene. I've been writing for so many years that I may have forgotten what I wrote in my college days. 'Course, those days I was more into poetry. For me, a sex scene would be okay as long as it's not graphic.Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-51445801334421513342014-02-12T09:01:20.627-07:002014-02-12T09:01:20.627-07:00I am not against romance novels at all. It is one ...I am not against romance novels at all. It is one of the largest selling genres and they vary from sweet and simple, even religious, to erotica. I read my share of historical romance as a teen. And they do tend to be formulaic, but so are mysteries. As I've written about on my blog and in SBB II: Crafting believable conflict, there are different types of characters and romance and love to those characters have very different definitions. Writers have a whole toolbox of mannequins to play with. The challenge today is to keep to the spirit but make the plot points believable instead of required or forced. Gratuitous scenes are weak writing.Diana Hurwitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18216220574149672733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-14902459230645275912014-02-12T08:59:14.032-07:002014-02-12T08:59:14.032-07:00Maryann, I think you know my attitude about sex sc...Maryann, I think you know my attitude about sex scenes in books: whatever works for you is fine ... just not gonna see much of the dirty dancing in my stuff. But a comment about the sexual tension thing ... my wife and I have an on-going discussion about the relationship between Gunsmoke characters, Matt Dillon and Kitty Russell (don't say it, 'Gunsmoke?' ... let it go) ... she claims they were intimate ... I say it was platonic ... would we be talking about these characters 40 years on if we actually knew?Christopher Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03667548312923348614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-38597825974789598552014-02-12T08:42:31.947-07:002014-02-12T08:42:31.947-07:00I'm glad you found the post helpful, Linda. I ...I'm glad you found the post helpful, Linda. I remember my mother reading books by Kathleen Norris, too. Even though my mother only had a 3rd grade education, she loved to read, and I'm sure that is where I got my love for stories.Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-40556612764215390322014-02-12T08:34:38.413-07:002014-02-12T08:34:38.413-07:00One final comment: I totally agree that relationsh...One final comment: I totally agree that relationships are a must in any story. We are not a species that normally lives in isolation, so we rub shoulders with others in our various activities. Whether casual, intimate, or adversarial, relationships are part of our lives.Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16056682992943171805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-78475853432840117202014-02-12T04:07:12.544-07:002014-02-12T04:07:12.544-07:00The reason I call my current WIP a "suspense&...The reason I call my current WIP a "suspense" is because I'm not required to include a revealing sex scene. Interestingly, my first novel was declared a "love story" by a lady who guides writers through the book journey from beginning to end. Note that she did not say "romance," so she seems to see a hair of difference between the two. <br /><br />I love it when characters take my hand and share their story with me. However, that sharing stops at the bedroom door. As that door is closing, I may glimpse a hint of what is unfolding, but I'm not there for the big scene. <br /><br />My mom had a collection of novels written, I think, in the 30s and 40s by an author named Kathleen Norris. They were wonderful stories, albeit a bit naïve by today's standards, and I enjoyed them thoroughly. I didn't miss the sex scenes because those were very rarely seen in books during that era — and I read the stories for the sheer joy of being invited into the lives of the characters for a moment in time. Maybe this makes me a dinosaur, but I still love to read and write a great story.<br /><br />This is a thought-provoking post, Maryann. Thank you for giving me pause to consider my position and reinforcing my determination to write what works for my characters...and for me. :-)Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16056682992943171805noreply@blogger.com