Sex In Fiction, Thoughts?

[crazyparakiss]

Fiction. Right so I'm compiling my thoughts and feels on things before I actually start, seriously, outlining my characters and my question to you guys is this:

How do you feel about sex in fiction?

Personally, I'm not against it but I'm against sex being the only key plot point. I don't particularly want to write a romance novel, on one hand but on another I want a realistic adult world with the many trials and tribulations of adult life...and that does include sex. After puberty it seems to me that most people are working their asses off for one basic need, sex. I don't want a key plot point to be sex but I want it to be a key factor in a character's personality. A sexualized creature without that being all that this character's life is about.

So I ask you good people (because you all write much better porn than I could ever dream of) how do you find the balance and how do you find a way to make porn more than what it is?

I apologize if it seems like I am being vague and still wanting answers. By now you guys know I fail at coherent thought XD

Comments

[celestlyn.livejournal.com]

Some people are into reading 'for the porn'. If they want great literature, they'll visit the library. Other people want a little story with their porn, but the focus is clearly on the sex. Some want a well written story and the sex is merely the icing on the cake. I'm in that category. I've read plenty of stories with little or no sex, but my preference is a nice balance, with the character's sexuality being included as a normal part of the story. In the case of the HP books, there was no focus on sex, likely due to the age of the expected readership. However, sexuality is huge in the lives of teens. They are highly hormonal at that age and ignoring it makes no sense. Especially older teens; if they aren't having sex they are dreaming about it, thinking about it, talking about it, anticipating it, dreading it, reading about it and watching it. Older people shift their focus to career and then family, but hopefully sex remains an active part of their lives. Readers are fascinated with sex in all it's shades.

For me, the main thing is retaining the quality of the story in the sex scene. Some people can't write good sex scenes and it might be better to allude to it rather than try to write it and have it come out poorly done. Sex is often written in a mechanical way and the reader ends up tuning out. I like the human factor in the sex scenes, the emotional content. That is what I love to read. A sex scene that engages me emotionally and makes me feel like I'm there.

So that's how I feel about sex in fiction. If you're going to do it, make it good, but don't go overboard or write it in a way that has the reader skimming it to move past it.

Late reply is late.

[crazyparakiss.livejournal.com]

Yes emotion means more to me than sex. Even if the emotion is emptiness (if that makes sense). Because sex is emotion in motion and it shouldn't be all "and then he stuck it in and they came".

I think JKR did excellent with the way she dealt with Harry growing up a bit awkward and interested but not obsessed with sex. Hermione and Ron, too. There are enough hints but it's not full screen.

Thanks, hon! I appreciate the input! :)