I've been wondering this for years. If I'm reading a romance novel, am I actually reading porn if the characters have sex? Ever since I started writing sex scenes into my romances the question has been on my mind. I've looked up answers on other blogs, but they weren't satisfactory.Things get even more complicated when you break down romance into erotica and erotic romance.
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| Erotic Romance |
Sigh.
What do you think? Or does it even matter?
The sex isn't the problem for me, unless that's all there is. Poorly developed (or no) story lines with one-dimensional characters who spend most of the book naked doesn't work for me. I read two 'romances' last month that were categorized as 'contemporary romances' and no one spoke the word 'love', no one thought it...I'm having a hard time even remembering if love was mentioned at all.
ReplyDeleteErotic romances are great, erotica is great - I read those, too - but when you call a story a romance...it should have some.
I'm nodding my head. I agree. A romance should be romantic- at least that's what my editor likes to tell me.
DeleteMmmh, I get really annoyed when people compare romance to porn. It's definitely not the same thing. Although I think some books come close. I'm not a porn watcher so I don't know much about it but from what I've heard, it's rather unrealistic where the woman is aroused so easily and it doesn't require any work on the man's part. Well, in romance novels, I think it's just the opposite. Romance novels are for women - they show us what true love is like (well, most of them do) and what a real relationship should look like. Well, that's the intention. It's empowering for women and not belittling or objectifying them. So, I admit that people who think that all erotic romance is porn, have not actually read the stuff and have made their own conclusions based on an assumption. Or maybe they read Fifty Shades. :) Yes, there are some bad reads out there where the woman is aroused before the man has even looked in her eyes, and are really unrealistic. I can't get into those books. There has to be a buildup of sexual tension and some feelings involved. I've also heard some people say that reading erotic romance is addictive like porn. I've never experienced that myself. I just like a good story whether it has sex in it or not. Actually, I prefer no sex in a story rather than a story that has sex as a filler and not as something to pump the story forward. (Okay, I talk way too much.) The sex scenes must move the relationship to the next level. Every sex scene must have a purpose. That's good writing.
ReplyDeleteYour answer should be my post. Well said. And I agree, the sex should move the story forward. Nice.
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