Okay, I'm at my least favorite part of writing my book...the sex scenes.
Look, I'm not a prude, (far from it, as evidenced by the pictures in my previous post) but it's still really weird for me to write the sex scenes. I feel like I'm intruding on a very personal moment. It makes me feel almost like a voyeur. I know, they are my characters but when they get intimate I feel like I should give them some privacy.
I know I'm not alone in this, Maura wrote about this same thing on her blog and Dyann and I have discussed it as well. One of the big factors for me is that my mom and friends are going to read this (hopefully) and that feels almost like I'm telling them about my sex life. Now I can talk to my family about sex, but it's more of a general thing, I don't get specific in the details. These scenes, however, need to be graphic for the genre I'm writing. I'm blushing just thinking about it and I know everyone is going to think I'm a perv! It's something I have to get over if I want to be a successful romance writer but what will the Graminator think when she reads it?
I wrote a scene for a movie (still a WIP) that involved a serial killer and his victim. It was a graphic scene and when I got done writing it, I was really upset. I'm not a killer so how could I write about one so realistically and graphically? What does that say about me? My mom won't watch shows like "Criminal Minds" with me because she thinks it gives crazy people even more crazy ideas to work with. Is that true? Are writers responsible for the evil in the world? Does Steven King worry about this? Does life imitate art or is it the other way around? Am I the chicken or the egg? Aughhhhh!
So today my challenge is to write a highly erotic scene. I mean all out, balls to the wall (metaphorically speaking.) I can always tone it down later but for today, I'm going to break down my 'inhibitions' and just go for it. Just don't judge, okay Loyal Readers?
I am wayyyyyy behind on NaNoWriMo, having done no writing at all from Thursday to Monday. I'm hoping to catch up, but towards the end it may not be good writing. Oh well, I guess that's what rewrites are for.
Thanks for the encouragement Maura, I'm energized to get some writing done but Shelby is on hold until after NaNo. But I do feel excited to write and I have some irons in the fire. Shelby will be back in the forefront in just a few weeks!
2 comments:
You know, I wonder if it's an age thing. When I was a rebellious teenager/twentysomething, I don't think I would have had half as much trouble writing sex scenes. But at that time I think I would have been getting a kick out of 'breaking the taboo rules,' so to speak. I would probably have written them with the intention that my mother would never see it.
But I've outgrown all that and now, of course, I would want my mother to read anything that I wrote. And, oddly enough, I worry about what my nieces might think. Which is silly because they are way too young for this type of book, anyway. It's all in your perspective, I suppose.
But there's no denying that sex sells so it's a necessary part of the romance writing business. So good luck with your scene, Shae. I'm sure you'll be able to pull it off nicely.
As for Shelby, I'll be happy to wait until you are ready to give her your full attention. I just assumed that was the book you were doing for NaNo. :)
Ya just gotta do it. You don't have to show it to anyone. I'm glad I don't have to. Ugh!
I have sex scene issues..but not for the same reasons. I fear that my sex scenes are too personal. I mean, that people who read them are like, the author is putting herself in the role of the heroine, thus, whatever she writes she wants or enjoys herself. Which is sometimes very true, but I don't want everyone to know that!
Maybe this is similar to both you and Maura's issues. But I'm not as shy about it. I figure once it's in final form, it will be so hot that women will thank me and say how awesome my sex scenes are.
I can dream.
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