Wondering...

I was wondering... How appropriate would a sex scene be in a thriller, murder mystery novel? I already have it written down, but as I read it I kind of feel like it's too described. I am not talking about the description of how the act is done. but rather from my MC POV, he describes his feeling and in exact detail what he sees in her. how she breathes and her face you know...ahem. yeah, I don't want to be too vulgar here.

I don't even know if this would go here.

 

Why would it be? Does it feel out of place in your story?
It sounds a bit on par with a lot of Murder/Mystery/Thrillers
that I have read. It is almost a staple in Horror movies
that there has to be a sex scene these days.

So if you think that it is important for character growth,
or something else, keep it in.

If it feels like a load of fluff to pad out the story, cut it.
You could find someone else to look at it and see what
they think. That would be your best bet.

Good Luck.

 

In my opinion, you can place a sex scene into any genre as long as it doesn't feel forced. And as for the amount of detail, well, ultimately that's up to you. As long as it doesn't turn into "Debbie Does Dallas" or anything cringe-worthy like the "50 Shades" trilogy of shame, I think you're good. I've found that the best censor is the one inside your head. If you have inklings that you've went too far, then you're probably right.

By the way, the world doesn't need another "50 Shades" tragedy... I mean, trilogy, so please don't go there.

As long as you're happy with the detail, and it doesn't fall into the hard-core porn genre, then I'd say proceed.

As for me, I'm old fashioned. "Pride and Prejudice" didn't have as much as a kiss between the two protagonists, and yet it's the most romantic story that I've ever read.

 

yes, I went through this post. I didn't find anything that would help me. that's why I decided to post it.

 

yes, it is important in my story. it's between the MC and the SMC, they have this "encounter" and it come clear to him that he is growing up. Mentally and Emotionally. Not because he had sex. but in their relationship. it guides him to another one of my MC.

 

Oh God no! yuck. Those trilogies were a disgrace and frankly disgusting. I didn't enjoy it. They made me more uncomfortable than excited. The two MC don't share anything up until now. The sexual tension is present. Because his "girlfriend" (the second character) she is mentally unstable. So it makes it harder for the two MC to give in to their urges shes always present and making their encounters super awkward. But the Scene is between his girlfriend and the MC. and it's key. for the growth of the MC.
Thank you.

 

Then there's your answer. This is one of those questions over which people tend to construct strong opinions about yes or no, but when one actually goes to peruse published works it's clear that it's not as simple as that.

There's a book by Richard Morgan called The Steel Remains. Classic Sword & Sorcery type story. It's not erotica but there is a good deal of sex of many different flavors. Gay, straight, lesbian, gay human with clearly non-consenting male Elf-on-Steroids, etc.

You either embrace the sexuality of the novel for how it informs you about the characters, or you don't. Go to Goodreads and you'll find reviews all over the map, because the novel is quite well written, but some people have a hard time engaging the gay, sword brandishing, penis owning (not just implied, but specifically described in action) anti-hero whose moral compass is not just dodgy, but flat-out broken.

 

yes, mainly I'm worried that the way I chose to describe bit by bit the scene would come as cheesy or exaggerated. when in reality is just my MC noticing that the things he used to like before doesn't arouse him anymore about the SC.

I am going to add it. And maybe clean it up a little.

 

Sounds like a good idea to me. They are your words. You own them. You can always revisit, review and revise. Maybe it doesn't all stay, but the act of writing it, expressing it in words may well inform you about the character, and that's very worthwhile.

 

Thank you

 

OK, What?! You actually read them.... to completion? I have to say, you're a lot braver than I. I must've gotten to around page 30 in the first book before I gave myself two choices: 1) Either stab myself in the eyes with a fork, or 2) Stop reading. Well... when I got back from the hospital, and the eyes made a full recovery, I completely forgot to finish the bloody book.

The repetition of the words that were used was such that I developed a nervous twitch.

Anne Rices's "Beauty trilogy" is a million times better.

When you ever face a dilemma, just close your eyes and ask yourself "Is this needed", your first reaction is usually the most accurate one.

You're welcome.

 

You mean that "Hot" is not how everything sexual should be described?
I made it 2.5 chapters, said fuck this after getting bored, and deleted the whole trilogy.
I am still wondering how anyone could read such dribble. Read amateur erotica
with more depth and emotion than that obscene waste of money, hands down.

 

Honestly? I think it was an experiment on the part of the publishing house to see if they could grab hold of a mediocre fanfic story, give it a glossy cover and see if they could sell market it and sell it to the masses And boy did they achieve it.

As for the readers? I think the majority of the people who bought the books were semi-literate women who wanted to puff out their chest with pride because they managed to read a book.

You're absolutely right. I swear to God, the repetition was so bad that if I continued to read the entire book I would've went on a killing spree. I'm not kidding. With every page I was turning more and more into the Joker.

 

I made it to the first one. and that was because my friend who loves to read recommended them. LOL. I told her that I was never going to ask for suggestion on books EVER again.
Nothing like that would ever touch my brain again. My friends were insisting I went with them to watch the movie. which i declined multiple times. until they left me alone. I don't like such erotic books. They make me feel awkward and discomfort. No thank you. lol

Yeah, i'm finding myself reading through what i have and connecting and eliminating sentences and certain things that are just useless info.

 

Thankfully my friend lend me her "precious cargo" and as it was precious for her it was so disgusting for me. I returned it to her after weeks of having it at home, getting covered by other books. When she asked me for it, i honestly though i had thrown it away. haha. But don't get me wrong she is a very intellectual woman. I came to this conclusion. She was unhappy in her marriage and she wanted an outlet. sadly she chose that crap.

 

I think you may be right on your first point, for a publisher to push something edgy and new.
Even though it was neither to anyone with a functional brain.

On the other, I think it was more to pander to a fanbase that was already established.

And the movie, the best acting was from the trees. They gave the best performance,
as I believed they were trees.

@Vianca unless you can make fun of a movie for about 2 hours, don't watch it.
It was the most bland thing I have seen in a while, and that says a lot.

 

Sadly I had to watch it. I know. I felt my IQ dropping. Not only by the bland acting but by the dirty submissive type of role he wanted the actress to be.
I mean talk about a lost puppy. Dakota Johnson was so bland. It kind of reminded me of Kristen Steward. pft

 

Submissive no, proverbial whipping slave yes.
Trust me their is a big difference between the two.

Submissives love their counterpart, and are loved. And
would not tolerate anything they are reluctant to do.

Whipping slaves, either don't care or don't know.

And this is the short, short version of what it means
in terms of difference.

 

125 million copies of 50 Shades sold. That is just the first one. Like it or not, a market exists for that.
I read all three. The first one was sort of okay. They went downhill with each successive volume.
We can argue the quality of E. L. James writing until we are blue in the face. It is meaningless. 125 million copies. I'd be delighted to sell 125 copies of any of my books!

As for sex scenes they have to advance the story or bring insight to the reader about the characters. I've written some tawdry, nasty sex in my books but it is for the purpose of showing the mental state of my MC. As her life progresses through multiple volumes the squirmy liaisons diminish in both vulgarity and frequency as she becomes a better person. Not the sole element I use to depict this but it is one tool I have employed.

I think most good writers struggle with the level of description when it comes to sex scenes. I've written vague scenes where most is left to the imagination and reasonably descriptive scenes with rough sex and screaming profanities. Depends on the type of story and the characters involved. My nastier scenes leave me feeling uncomfortable and maybe a bit dirty. Which is perfect, because that is how I want the reader to feel. But only when it is warranted.

 

still i didn't like it

 

Okay. I read Gena Showalter The Lord of the Underworld Series and all of them are filled with in-your-face sex scenes. VERY described. I read them all.
Why? because i wanted to finished the plot. But as far as the sex scenes went... I didn't like it. I felt dirty. which is exactly what I'm trying to prevent.

 

If you don't want to feel dirty (and your reader) then you need to tone them down.

In contrast, my MC acts out sexually. It is the only way she 'feels' anything as she has closed herself off from regular life as a form of protection. Adding to her desire to be protected she chooses extremely alpha male type characters which tend to be very bad men. So her sex is wanton, dirty, loud and with few limits. This all helps define who she is and illustrate how broken she is.

And yet...most people have a bit of desire for sex they haven't had. The reader may feel certain acts are 'bad' but it doesn't mean they don't fantasize about them. 'Forbidden fruit', so to speak. This also can increase the connection the reader has with the character, or illustrate the chasm between the world they live in and the world of the character.

It is sometimes a fine line and you'll never appeal to all of the people all of the time. Despite the graphic sex scenes in one of my novels my very Christian and somewhat prudish mother-in-law loved my 'dirty' book. She claims to have just skipped over the sex parts...but I wonder.

 

OK. Did you wrong this "friend" in any way? In a way that she'd want you to suffer? Honestly, please don't be alone in a room her ever again, if you are, well, prepare to face a fate worse than "50 Shades of Grey".... If that's even possible.

There you go! See? At the end of the day the inner critic is always right... as long as you can silence him/her long enough for you to bloody write. But yes, trust yourself and you'll be on the right track.

 

lol!

Have you read the reviews on Amazon? I'm not making this up, but most of the people reviewing the book complained that the pages fell out. The book was so bad that the pages wanted to go their separate ways.

Yeah, that's a good point actually, "it was an outlet for her". I think that's one of the reasons why the series was so popular, there's so many unhappy and unsatisfied women/wives out there, and I suppose instead of being unfaithful they jumped into those books. It's a scary thought.