I’m going to tackle this one right off the bat. There’s a reason that this weighs heavy on my mind with War of Nytefall: Ravenous. Actually, it’s a few reasons:
- Desirae Duvall’s main business hub is a brothel.
- Desirae Duvall is a very sexually open character.
- She seduces and it is implied that she sleeps with several established characters.
- She tends to steal a scene, so people will notice the upping of sex.
Of course, there isn’t any actual sex in my books. For anyone who paid attention in Legends of Windemere, I don’t go the erotica route. There isn’t a point in it for my stories because the sex isn’t a focal point. The emotions leading up to and the ones that linger after are of interest to me. Events leading up to it and the repercussions are where the plot thrives in my mind. So, I’ll have innuendo, kissing, embracing, lustful looks, pillow talk, and the usual stuff that can happen after sex. Once we get to the point where hands and mouths will touch certain parts of the anatomy, I fade to black. I mean, a reader can fill in that blank on their own. I’d probably be giggling and blushing too much to get through it. Sex scenes can come off fairly ridiculous too, especially when you’re trying to name the parts. Half of them sound clinical and the others are either crude or silly. I mean, I’ve seen authors use pastry names . . . I think I’m losing the point of this post.
All that being said, Desirae brings a higher level of sex by having blatant innuendo. I don’t even think I can call it that. She openly tells characters to go to her room because she needs to have fun. She talks about spending the night with others and there’s one scene that is clearly the morning after an orgy. Again, you don’t see any of those events happen, but you know that they did. It’s part of her character being a seductress and it’s very much like a less inhibited Chastity. This means that readers who are very sensitive to sex are going to feel like they’ve been hit by a sledgehammer. I considered making it more subtle, but Desirae lost a lot from doing that. She isn’t timid in this arena and the way she talks and acts needs to show that. Still, do you really think people will be concerned after seeing Chastity flirt, hear Mab talk about Chastity’s promiscuity, and see the heavy make-out session between Mab and Clyde in Rivalry?
From past experience, I can guarantee that there will be some people who will be shocked and appalled at this turn. I’ve learned over the years that readers can miss the subtle and tame stuff pretty easily. Then, they hit a blatant mention of sex and they act like they’ve just been subjected to porn. I remember when people complained about all the sex in a mid-book of Legends of Windemere. There wasn’t an actual sex scene, but I believe an early chapter had Luke Callindor and Sari naked in bed. It was after sex and they were talking. This came after we already knew they were sleeping together, multiple kissing scenes, one really heavy make-out scene, and multiple scenes with stated nudity. It was this that sent some readers into a tizzy. Keep in mind that I don’t mention the naughty bits and don’t harp on the nudity. I point it out to set the scene or use it for comedic effect, but that’s it. So, you never know when a sexy scene will stir the sensitivities of a reader, which is another reason I’m bringing this up.
Personally, I don’t think I upped the sex in Ravenous to a point that makes it erotica or horribly corruptive of delicate morality. Desirae doesn’t talk dirty or greedily lust after people like a wild animal. She seduces and is clearly the one in charge of any sexual encounter that she initiates. I stuck to my guns with not having actual sex scenes and leaving the genitalia descriptions to the imagination. I’d like to think this is enough to keep things clean-ish, but I know better. With any luck, people will find the character to be a breath of fresh air since everyone else tends to be rather stuffy and nervous in this arena. As always, I enjoy hearing that people like my characters. They are the ones who carry the plot, so I try very hard to make them enjoyable or, in one case, impactful to some extent. Desirae is no exception. I want people to walk away from Ravenous remembering her for everything she does and not only the sexuality. It’s another reason I don’t do sex scenes, I guess. Those are what people may remember the character for instead of their personalities.
So, what do you think? Not even sure about the topic I’m asking about here anymore.
Legends of Windemere 
I am with you 100%, Charles. I don’t do sex scenes, either. They are very difficult to pull off without it seeming like porn or comedy. I personally think innuendo is so much more–more what? I don’t know, just more.
In the first book of The Wolves of Vimar, Carthinal and Asphodel have sex in the loft of a cowshed. I have them kissing and climbing up to the loft, watched by a puzzled cow, then waking up naked the next morning.
I also have Carthinal and a mage, Yssa, have sex. She is the seducer, and I get as far as the bedroom door, then leave them to it until the next morning when Yssa wakes Carthinal in her bed, with breakfast.
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I think innuendo has a better impact. This allows the reader to fill in the gap to suit their own comfort levels. Leaving the main event off the page seems the safest route to me because of this.
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I’ve tried writing some of them, and it comes across horribly. You can’t win here. I’ve been called out for having curse words in some of my stories. I think it’s more like trying to hit the bell curve where you net the most people. Some are always going to be judgmental about what we do with our characters.
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Ah, the curse word issue. I don’t use them in most of my books, but only because they don’t fit the tone. It’s amazing for much people freak out over them when they’re so common. Especially when a character uses them in the correct context and situation.
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I write in a broad field, and my character Clovis, wouldn’t come across the same way otherwise. Same thing with Lizzie and the hat. I want to be realistic as much as possible, that way the outlandish things are easier to digest.
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I got those complaints with Bedlam. Some people really got angry at the swear words. Not the violence, cannibals, high death count, or sexual innuendo. It was the use of f-bombs in a dystopian wasteland that went to far. Amazing.
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I’ve run across the same things. It surprised the heck out of me.
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Interesting. I’m very glad to see that if I am required to put in sex scenes, I can get away with leaving most of it to the imagination.
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Outside of erotica, I don’t see why anyone should be forced to add them. They tend to become the focus of a story when they show up even if they aren’t meant to.
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Good to know!
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I’m not offended or morally outraged by sex scenes, but I do find long, self-indulgent, graphic descriptions of sex boring, especially when they slow down the story. Sounds to me like you’ve got the balance right.
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Thanks. Guess they work in some genres though.
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I like the idea of using pastries to name things. Wonder how to write a cannoli scene. Sex scenes are tough and I think you are taking the right road in keeping them out of your books. It may even be more fun talking around the scenes than actually reading them.
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It saves on time for me. Editing that stuff would be a nightmare.
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Hahaha. I agree.
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I agree with you that sex scenes are probably best to just hint at and let the reader do the rest. And the readers who complained for a hint to be too promiscuous, it was their minds that made up whatever scene played out in their heads. So bravo to you good sir for getting readers to complain about something they made up for themselves.
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Thanks. Maybe I should look at that as a victory. I designed the characters and mood enough to create a scene within actually writing it. Easier way to look at it than scratching my head until my skull has a new dent.
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I would love to know what book that is, where the naughty bits are described as pastries. That sounds hilarious!
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I’ve seen it a lot online and I’m sure it’s traveled into books. Pie and strudel are two common ones that I’ve seen.
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Strudel?!!! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! I wonder what flavor they used, to add to the obscenity. Maybe it had hot, creamy, vanilla drizzle. The characters in my book have sex too, but all graphic descriptions are brushed over, because I don’t want parents getting mad at me. Besides, I don’t really feel like trying to describe Alien genitalia, without making it sound like nerd porn. My girl character loses her virginity to her long-time celebrity crush, in the luggage room of his private aircraft. I hope the romantic chemistry between those two, is enough to make things sizzle.
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Never saw any more details on the strudel thing. Think they had their limits on that one. I can imagine that alien genitalia makes things more difficult. Also, I’m pretty sure there’s a market for alien erotica. God knows, I’ve run into stranger out there.
Good point on romantic chemistry being enough to get the point across. That’s where I think the real passion and heat can come from. Even when writing a sex scene, it seems that you get more out of intimacy and pushing the fact that there is chemistry between the characters. The physical side of the description is almost secondary.
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